UEFA Champions League – Barcelona vs. Rubin Kazan – Full Time Report and Analysis (Part 1)
The second half kicked off with both the coaches deciding to stick to their current plans. The first half was definitely “dull and boring” as Barcelona only dominated possession with nothing for them in the game. On the other hand, the Russian side were
totally relying on counter attacks but couldn’t really find time to make many as the Spanish Champions had 80% possession of the ball.
With the Spaniards tossing the ball around to themselves throughout the first half, there was nothing changing that during the second. However, this time they looked to be penetrating the Russian defensive walls and after only 4 minutes of play in the second
half, the Catalan Giants finally found themselves in a position to score and they eventually did find the back of the net.
It was Thiago Alacantara who did well to get into the Rubin 18 yard box as he played the ball back to the Spanish youngster Andreu Fontas. The centre back makes no mistake and fires the ball into the net and even though it was not one of the best goals scored
by Barcelona, they still got the lead that they deserved after keeping almost 80% possession of the ball.
As the Catalan Giants took the lead, Lionel Messi was seen warming up on the touchline after 2 minutes. Josep Guardiola never fails to impress his fans as he always sends down their favourite star Lionel Messi in the game even if it is not important. The
Argentinean looked to be coming on but the question was whether he was going to replace Victor Vazquez or Marc Bartra up front or a midfielder? Both the strikers got substituted during the first half now would Guardiola risk a substitute for a substitute?
Well, the question was answered the next minute as Lionel Messi makes his way on the pitch for the midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos.
On the other hand, the Russian side also made a change as Kasaev came on for Ryazantsev. With Lionel Messi in for Jonathan, the Catalan giants were now playing their traditional 4-3-3 only with two holding midfielders rather than a single one. Javier Mascherano
and Sergio Busuqets were playing right behind Thiago Alacantara and Lionel Messi featured on the right wing to assist the two young strikers.
Lionel Messi did not take much time to show his impact and after only a minute, he got past three Russian defenders and took his shot. Despite the fact that the shot was blown out wide, he still penetrated the whole Rubin Kazan defence singlehandedly. It
was totally menacing how he was charging for Barcelona even though the match was not important for them.
The goal and Lionel Messi’s introduction to the game totally changed the game’s tempo. Now with the help of Lionel Messi’s quick feet, the game became quite lively rather than boring as now the Catalan Giants were simply enjoying on the pitch rather than
taking their opposition seriously. However, “Leo” was trying his best to get the goal to make it level with Samuel Eto’o, the highest scorer in the UEFA Champions League this season.
To be continued in Part 2…
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