Sports News of Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
Lionel Messi netted a brilliant brace as Barcelona helped themselves to a dose of Champions League revenge with a dominant 3-0 Group D win over Juventus.
The Serie A champions beat Barca by the same scoreline in the quarter-finals last season before holding out for a second-leg stalemate at Camp Nou.
Barca have since lost Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, but it was Juve's' most notable pre-season departure – Leonardo Bonucci's surprise switch to AC Milan – that loomed largest over this match as a once formidable defence was cut to ribbons in Giorgio Chiellini's injury absence.
Record signing Ousmane Dembele was busy on his full Barca debut, but it was a more familiar face that thrilled the home crowd.
Messi's magnificent opener in the final minute of the opening 45 marked the first time he has scored against fellow all-time great Gianluigi Buffon in the Juventus goal.
After making the second for Ivan Rakitic he repeated the trick to seal the points and maintain Barca's resurgent early season form under Ernesto Valverde.
Juve right-back Mattia De Sciglio joined Dembele in making a full debut for his new club and was almost the surprise source of the first goal in the sixth minute – Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen managing to tip wide as a speculative left-footed strike angled awkwardly away from him.
Messi botched an attempt to slide a free-kick under the wall and, precision having failed, Luis Suarez went for power on the rebound, forcing an unsighted Buffon to push over at full stretch.
Last-ditch challenges from Gerard Pique and Alex Sandro at either end took the sting out of attempts from Paulo Dybala and Dembele.
???? Today's crowd, 78,656 at Camp Nou.Thanks! ???????? #BarçaJuve #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/h159egsnaI
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 12, 2017
69: Leo Messi picks the ball up on the right hand side, dances into the middle and lashes the ball into the bottom corner! #ForçaBarça (3-0) pic.twitter.com/JL53a9nzBO
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 12, 2017
???? Rakitic: "It's always important to start winning. We have had a great few weeks and this win gives us confidence" #FCBlive pic.twitter.com/jXhiLqBLY9
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 12, 2017