Lionel Messi is Barcelona's beating heart on another magical night at Wembley

Getty Images
Ben Hayward3 October 2018

It is always a special occasion when Barcelona play at Wembley.

After winning their first European Cup here in 1992 and adding another Champions League in 2011 by beating Manchester United at this stadium, there was talk of magic and myth as the Catalans were drawn away to Tottenham in the group stages and it was confirmed the fixture would be played at this famous ground.

With the new Spurs stadium not ready, Wembley was confirmed as the venue and perhaps the memories from their past glories here helped Barca to overcome a difficult couple of weeks as Lionel Messi put on a masterclass for Ernesto Valverde’s side.

Under fire for their three consecutive games without a win in La Liga and criticised for his tactics and team selections, Valverde started this match with summer signing Arthur in midfield, while Philippe Coutinho stayed in the side at the expense of Ousmane Dembele.

In Pictures | Tottenham vs Barcelona | 03/10/2018

1/30

The French forward has impressed this season and scored five goals for the Catalan club in 2018-19, yet there is the feeling he still does not have the complete confidence of his coach.

Tonight, the decision to play Coutinho wide left paid instant dividends.

Messi’s wonderful curled ball split the Spurs defence and so dangerous was the pass that Hugo Lloris came charging off his line, only to be caught in no-man’s land as Alba cut the ball back for Coutinho to fire home from the edge of the box.

Getty Images

The goal vindicated Valverde. Coutinho had been on the left but peeled away to allow Alba to run past him and that move made all the difference, though it was still Messi’s magnificent vision which started it all off.

And as coincidence would have it, the ball hit the back of the net after 92 seconds. A special number for Barca in this stadium, the Blaugrana having won their maiden European Cup here in 1992.

Alexanco lifts the 1992 European Cup for Barcelona at Wembley
Getty Images

Coutinho also played a pivotal part in the second, stretching to keep what looked like a lost ball in play as he hooked it back for Ivan Rakitic to volley home majestically from the edge of the box.

REUTERS

Messi twice ran through the Tottenham defence at the start of the second half, as if they were not there, but the brilliant Argentine saw both of his low shots rebound off the same post. And a minute later, Harry Kane turned Nelson Semedo inside out to pull one back.

But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner soon had his goal, slotting just inside that same upright after linking up wonderfully with Alba again. Still the home side came back, although with some fortune as Erik Lamela’s shot took a big deflection off Clement Lenglet and left Marc-Andre ter Stegen with no chance.

Messi celebrates a Champions League triumph at Wembley in 2011
AFP/Getty Images

Spurs sensed their chance and willed on by their fans, the momentum was with Mauricio Pochettino’s men. Meanwhile, Valverde erred by taking off the excellent Arthur – who had been excellent all night in tight spaces and really is reminiscent of Xavi – to bring on Arturo Vidal with a few minutes left.

In the end, though, there was a fitting finale as Luis Suarez dummied and Messi made it 4-2 and Barca already have double the goals they scored away from home in the Champions League last season.

REUTERS

Prior to that, there were worrying moments at times for Barca, and Spurs – who were missing several important players through injury – were perhaps somewhat naïve in their first competitive game against this team in recent years, but the Blaugrana raised their levels for the Champions League and Messi excelled in everything he did.

He passed the ball better than anyone, pressed persistently when Barca did not have possession and also finished the night with two goals, having twice dribbled through the Tottenham back line.

AFP/Getty Images

He cannot do it all alone, but the key was that he had help here – from Alba, Coutinho (cup-tied in Europe last season), Rakitic, Arthur and more.

It was a collective effort from the Blaugrana and a performance proving just how seriously they are taking this competition in 2018-19. At Wembley, Messi’s magic made Barca believe once again and this showing suggests already that they may have more about them in the Champions League this time around.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in