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If there was a small glow of consolation for Manchester United, it was that they had met Lionel Messi on one of those nights when he seemed to belong to a different species. Messi loves the big opportunity and, once again, he used the Champions League to provide further evidence of the already heavily loaded portfolio that does not suggest that anyone, not even Maradona, has ever pushed the company. 39, art of football at a higher level.
For United, it was just too much. Lionel Messi versus Phil Jones? It was like watching a landscape painter compare brush strokes with a painter and a decorator. However, in all fairness to Jones, he was not the only one in United's colors to suffer. David de Gea, for his part, will remember it as a personal trial. It is a night, ultimately, that should speed up the process of setting up a new defense by Ole Gunner Solskjær. But above all, it was an opportunity to savor Messi, to be grateful for the sport and to hope that he plays football as long as he is able to sprinkle this precious magic on special occasions.
The only surprise, perhaps, is that the winner of the Ballon d'Or five times did not contribute to the outstanding goal of the match. This honor fell on Philippe Coutinho shortly after the hour. Although Messi, of course, was involved in the preparation of the match, the first of his two goals was just as special. Even before we arrived at the whim, he tried in the second half. Or all those other occasions when he illuminated the night with his speed, his thought and his movements.
"Walking to Glory", read the huge banner behind a goal. And, in the case of Messi, it is often so. For a player who inflicts such damage, he passes through much of each game. However, he always thinks and always evaluates what is possible. Then he comes back to life, as he did here dramatically, and seems able to turn his opponents into driving cones.
Unfortunately for United, he was facing an obliging back line – and sometimes they played badly. Solskjær must have felt this frustration more than anything during this four-minute period of the first half, when, realistically, all hope for United has faded. Twice, his players were guilty of losing the ball in their own half. It is the sin of the defender at all levels, and even less against a side where the wearer of the jersey N ° 10 gives the impression that he is content to visit this planet.
For the first goal, it was Ashley Young waving an apologetic hand, which found herself in a difficult situation under pressure from Ivan Rakitic. When Messi took the score to 2-0, it was Fred's turn, even before we considered that damned David de Gea goalkeeper who allowed the ball to pass under an almost implausible trajectory. No side at this level can make such mistakes and expect to get away with it. Messi was waiting to leap on both occasions and his first goal in particular was just another reminder that, during the big parties, he still wanted to be the centerpiece of the show.
It was certainly hard to know what was the most exquisite moment on this slalom thanks to United's defense: the short-range nutmeg that allowed Fred to get out of the equation or body movement that was completely sending Jones to the # 39; to.
Jones, the center of the United States, beautifully prone to accidents, bandaged his head even before the match started. Very quickly, the poor boy needed to smell the salts. Messi was left horizontally, from right to left, until he had the ball in the desired place, removing his left foot and scoring an elegant goal typically from outside the surface to repair.
Messi's second goal came from his right foot, although he looked as surprised as anyone when De Gea let him go, and that might have resulted in a hat trick. nine minutes without the VAR officials have decided, at 0-0, that the German referee Felix Brych has been deceived by giving a penalty for Fred's challenge on Rakitic.
At this point, United's fans in the most dizzying layers of this old cavernous bowl might have been encouraged by the quick way their team was gone. It was Solskjær's huge frustration: at first, his team was full of confidence. Jesse Lingard, in particular, found room in a central role ranging from deep between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. Scott McTominay, Fred and Paul Pogba quickly supported the lead trio and Rashford had an incredible chance to start the first minute to give the opposing team a dream start. No player from Barça even touched the ball at that time. But Rashford's shot touches the crossbar and, considering what follows, this should remind us that these are the odds, when the stakes are so important, that we must take advantage of them.
For United, the second half was little more than an injury-limiting exercise. All their first adventure had been punctured. They rarely appeared again as an offensive force and could become a rout when Coutinho's diagonal shot flew over De Gea for third base.
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