Barcelona: Road to the Champions League Final
Barcelona has been nothing short of phenomenal during this season of the Champions League. Much credit has been given to their front three strikers; who put awe in audiences around the world. Yet, it has been the institutional system that is utilized which brings out the best in all the players.
The methodical style that Barcelona has must be credited to their not only their system but to Luis Enrique also. It is extremely difficult to come into a club of such worldwide appeal and still have them on the verge of yet another historic year.
Detractors cannot claim that Barcelona has had an easy road to reach the finals. The Catalans had to go through a row of clubs full of football magicians. These clubs are considered the best in their own leagues. It has been nearly impossible to believe that these clubs would not give Barcelona many problems. To everyone’s surprise Blaugrana made their rivals go home without much fuss.
Getting through the group stage in first place set the stage for a tantalizing match between Manchester City. Though Man City were the defending champions of the EPL, they were put away in the first leg with a majestic performance by Luis Suarez as he netted two goals at the ‘16 and ‘30 time marks. There was a late scare by Aguero as he scored a goal at the ‘69 mark but nothing could undo what El Pistolero had done.
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The second leg saw the defending EPL champions remain in their shell and they did not pose much of a threat to FCB. The second leg of the round ended with the minimal difference with Rakitic scoring the sole goal of the match. Barcelona moved on with 3-1 on aggregate and sent the English champions home with broken hearts.
It was time for Barcelona to battle who defeated them during this campaign of the Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain had managed to play a fantastic game during the group stage and got the better of Barça, but this was the knockout rounds and they were not to be denied. The first leg saw yet another stellar performance from Suarez who beat the goalkeeper twice though Neymar scored the first point. PSG’s consolation point came from an own goal by Matheiu.
PSG were on the ropes coming into the second left of the round of the quarter-finals. Supporters of Les Rouges-Et-Bleu truly believed that their men could provide the miracle but Barcelona spoiled any dreams quickly. Neymar made sure that it was his moment to shine as he hit the back of the at ‘14 and seal the death of the men from Paris with a stunner at ‘34. Blaugrana defeated the French champions with an aggregate of 5-1 and met their most challenging foe.
Pep Guardiola had ruined Barcelona’s Champions League dreams before and he was aiming to do it again. Pep was the man who gave FCB great success, took a sabbatical and then went to Germany. Barcelonistas did not want to admit it but they feared for what their old couch had up his sleeve.
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Barça stunned the German champions with a score of 3-0 that now saw Messi score two shots past the goalkeeper. Neymar secured the win and took a foot closer to the coveted final with a final shot at the net. Barcelona not only kept Bayern Munich from getting an away point, they made them look amateur on the pitch.
Bayern Munich’s robots came to the second leg with determination of sending the visitors back to Catalunya and causing a ruckus among the home crowd. The German fans began to buzz as their team got an inspiring shot in at the ‘7 time mark; they started to believe. The Allianz Arena was gutted as Neymar scored his brace with marks at ‘15 and ‘29. Bayern Munich revived the hope as they got back two more shots and went on to win the match 3-2, but it was all for nothing. The aggregate remained 5-3 in favor of the Catalans; they were going to the final.
Barcelona have secured their double in domestically and so has Juventus, the team they confront for the Champions League Final. As if it needed more hype, the Champions League Final has two teams who are looking to make history; two teams looking for the treasured treble in European football.