Barcelona’s mighty attacking trio of lionel Messi, luis Suarez and Neymar won the Champions league on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Juventus that showed the beauty of fluent and attacking football after days of scandal that have tarnished the sport.
The Spanish champions dominated the game, but the Italian team played its part by fighting back from a goal down and seeking to match the complex spells woven by Barcelona’s talented players. But Juventus could not hang in there when Barca accelerated.
Watched by more than 70,000 people in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, Juventus striker Alvaro Morata cancelled out Ivan Rakitic’s early opener, Messi set up the vital second for Suarez, and Neymar secured Barcelona’s fifth European Cup deep into stoppage time with the last kick of the game.
The Messi-Suarez-Neymar axis complete the season with a combined 122 goals — and now European winners’ medals to join their league and cup ones.
Three years after Pep Guardiola left Barcelona and after last season ended without a trophy, luis Enrique matched Guardiola’s 2008-09 feat of winning a treble in his first season in charge, suggesting the Catalan giants could be ready for a new period of European dominance. “A magnificent, spectacular day,” Enrique said.
With a first Champions league triumph since 2011, Barca has won European football’s top trophy four times in the last decade.
Andres Iniesta has featured in each final and the midfielder is also celebrating his second treble. Iniesta played a deep defensive midfield role in Berlin as the strikers caused havoc in the panicky Juventus defense.
Few will be enjoying the victory more than Suarez. The Uruguay striker began the season in shame, signed from liverpool for $110 million despite being handed a four-month ban by FIFA for biting an opponent at the World Cup. He powered in Barcelona’s second goal in the 68th minute after Messi’s shot was palmed by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Suarez is rarely far from controversy, however. Twice he writhed around in agony, winning free-kicks and feigning serious injury. Juventus fans yelled derision when he recovered miraculously after wasting minutes.
Neymar had a goal disallowed for handball but, with the Final going into a seventh minute of stoppage time, the Brazilian found space to score again as Juventus desperately sought a leveler, leaving its defense bare.
For Juventus there was no third European title, just the unwelcome record of being the first team to lose six finals. Still, the season ends with a domestic double
The Italian champions initially looked like it could cause an upset against the most dominant team in Europe in the modern era. Assertive from kick off, Juventus made Barcelona look anxious initially. It didn’t last long — just four minutes, in fact.
In a delightful move that involved all 10 outfield players touching the ball, starting with Jordi Alba’s throw in, Barcelona took the lead.
Messi delivered a precise cross-field pass in the goalward advance. It landed at the feet of Alba, who played in Neymar and the ball was then slipped through to Iniesta. With a flick, Iniesta squared for Rakitic to score from close range past Buffon.
A back-heel from Claudio Marchisio began the move that led to Juve’s equalizer. An initial shot from Tevez was parried by Marc-Andre ter Stegen. But Morata sent the follow-up into the net with ease in the 55th minute.
Barca was back in front 13 minutes later after launching an electrifying counterattack. Neymar had the final say in this final with the late, late goal.
Now the football world’s focus is likely to shift back to corruption, arrests and investigations that have pummeled the game’s reputation in the last 10 days.