Goals: Barcelona—Messi 77', 80' - Neymar 90'+3
Cards: Barcelona—Alves 46' - Pique 66' Neymar - 69'; Bayern Munich—Alonso 35' - Benatia 52' - Bernat 56'
Messi breaks the deadlock, beating Neuer near post to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead #UCLonFOX https://t.co/1Gvm9PtDXP
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 6, 2015
Recap: Ninety minutes of inspired football saw Barcelona defeat Bayern Munich 3-0 on Wednesday.
The first 45 minutes finished scoreless, though not for a lack of trying. Both clubs squandered significant scoring opportunities, with Manuel Neuer’s save on Luis Suarez being the highlight of the half. More of the same followed after the break, but lacking the same intensity. Urgency dissipated as the match reached the 75th minute. Then, Lionel Messi shattered Bavarian hearts.
A second-half brace—one that could only be appreciated with images—opened a 2-0 lead. Neymar sealed the 3-0 victory in the dying seconds.
This is the second Messi goal. Goosebumps when this one went in... https://t.co/NdM247GnIw #Messi #FCBFCB
— Copa90 (@Copa90) May 6, 2015
Key Moment: If Jerome Boateng wants to retire, not a single person in the world would blame him.
Man of the Match: Manuel Neuer was the best player on the pitch...until Messi decided he was going to be.
Lesson Learned: Any visions Pep Guardiola had of defending Barcelona with a three-man backline must be aflamed. Guardiola opened with Medhi Benatia, Rafinha and Boateng in defense. What transpired in the opening 15 minutes was the evisceration of the Bundesliga champions. If not for the heroics of Neuer, the hosts would have mounted the pressure after just 12 minutes. Guardiola and company still conceded chances after shifting to a more balanced 4-3-3, culminating in Messi's brilliance, but not to the extent of the opening minutes. Don’t expect a repeat tactic in the second leg. Don't expect much in the second leg, for that fact. Down 3-0, the tie is all but over.
Barcelona's third. Neymar. #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/SirN1fS1dv
— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) May 6, 2015
Up Next: Both clubs return to league action on May 9, with Barcelona hosting Real Sociedad and Bayern Munich battling Augsburg.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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