In many respects, it was a match of biblical proportions in a way which was somewhat expected. Only this time, though, Lionel Messi was the Messiah, and Pep Guardiola was the prophet.
“The way Messi is playing at the moment, there's no defence that can stop him. It’s impossible,” remarked the 44-year-old tactician ahead of his official return to Camp Nou.
And how prophetic that proved to be.
Barcelona, many opined, already had the tie in the bag prior to kick-off – there was no way in the world a depleted Bayern Munich set-up would be able to defeat a Blaugrana outfit in supreme form in their own fortress. But for 70 minutes or so, the match panned out in such a way many would have least expected.
Guardiola, as most would know, is not the sort of guy who dies wondering. Sitting back and defending with grit at the expense of potentially exposing their opponents with countless waves of attack is, for the Bayern coach, a mortal sin. And indeed, his troops gave the Catalans a run for their money in astonishing fashion.
Read the rest of my article on Football Espana
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