Lionel Messi embraces Thierry Henry after the Frenchman scored the opening goal
Goals, chances, penalties,red cards, and all the excitement you could want in what turned out to be a thriller in Lisbon.
Barça assured themselves of first place in their CL group following an emphatic victory against Sporting Clube in Lisbon. Thierry Henry, Gerard Piqué, Lionel Messi, an own goal and Bojan saw the Blaugrana chalk up another impressive tally.
This was in essence a meaningless contest as the top two had already qualified after match-day four. Pep Guardiola while making changes still fielded a strong starting eleven with intent to take top spot in the section, and supposedly an easier fixture in the Super Sixteen Round. He shuffled his front three once more, with Messi returning from injury to slot in alongside Thierry Henry and Eidur Gudjohnsen.
Sporting too were almost at full strength, with the much-coveted Portuguese Joao Moutinho slotting in behind Liedson, who had begin to find scoring form again after a slow start to the season domestically.
But it was the Blaugrana who started with intent, and they stormed into a two-goal lead before their hosts had known what hit them. On fourteen minutes Messi was at his beguiling best on the wing, snaking down the by line to cut back to Thierry Henry, who had the simplest of tasks to slide the ball into the empty net. It was his first Champions League goal of the season, and his fifth of the campaign.
Moments later it was two; a high cross to the back post somewhat fortunately struck Gudjohnsen on the side of the head, and the ball bounced straight into the path of a grateful Pique, who prodded the ball home to give the visitors a comfortable advantage.
Within moments of the restart, Barça were three goals ahead as they took advantage of a lapse of concentration in the Sporting defence. Alves took a free-kick while the hosts were remonstrating with the referee and Messi tucked it past the keeper. The goal was allowed and the Blaugrana had moved further clear.
After the break, Sporting had no escape from a purposeful and confident Barcelona. The game was over, if it wasn’t already, in the 50th minute when Messi slid home the third past a demoralised Patricio to give the diminutive Argentine the goal his play deserved.
Sporting to their credit pulled one back on 65 minutes. Marquez was wrongly adjudged to have handled the ball at the edge of the area, but Miguel Veloso showed no mercy and swerved a powerful free-kick past the slightly static Victor Valdes. Sporting had a lifeline.
Incredibly, after not having a sniff of an opportunity for more than an hour, Sporting grabbed a second goal a minute later through their striker Liedson. Marquez attempted a disastrous return header to Valdes and the Brazilian accepted the chance with aplomb.
At 2-3, Barça knew that they could not longer sit back and the pressure told immediately as Caneira met a ball in the area and clipped it over his own keeper and into the net via the crossbar to put the visitors two ahead once again.
The incredible turn of events continued soon after as Bojan tracked the change of direction of the ball after it clipped Grimi’s head and the keeper had no choice but to block him and was been sent off. The young Barça striker stood up and showed a cool head to steer the ball low to the left.
To be fair, the freedom of both having qualified opened up the contest from the off, but credit must go to Barcelona for their supreme offensive play, and also to Sporting for making a game of it – albeit briefly – in that pulsating second period.
GOALS:
Sporting Lisbon:
Veloso (65’), Liedson (66’)
Barcelona:
Henry (14’), Pique (17’), Messi (50’), Caneira (70’ o.g ), Bojan (74’ pen)
LINE-UPS
Sporting Lisbon:
Patricio; Carrico, Polga,Caniera, Grimi, Yannick (Tiago 71’), Veloso, Pereirinha, Moutinho, Romagnoli,
Liedson (Postiga 83’)
Barcelona:
Valdes; Alves, Pique, Marquez,Caceres; Hleb, Xavi (Keita 75’), Busquests; Gudjohnsen, Henry (Bojan 45’), Messi (Pedro 56’)
Watch Goals and Highlights Barca vs Sporting Club
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