It was a match which perfectly summarised Barcelona’s treble-winning season, a match which, in itself, encapsulated not only the highest of highs, but also the lowest of lows. And in the end, as Gerard Pique so rightly pointed out, the addition of the European crown, the club’s fourth in the space of decade, to their La Liga and Copa del Rey titles, was perfection.
But it very nearly wasn’t.
Jittery as if they’d forgotten how to approach finals, upon kick-off, the Blaugrana were immediately placed on the back foot. Juventus’ proactive pressing saw Luis Enrique’s men cough up possession and concede a corner early on. And yet, true to form, Barcelona found their feet, and subsequently, the back of the net as an incisive through ball from Neymar carved up a depleted Juventus defence, before Andres Iniesta’s square ball to an unmarked Ivan Rakitic saw the Catalans draw first blood.
In many ways, the manner in which the Camp Nou outfit scored their first was apt. So much had been made of the fact that Enrique had started to change Barcelona’s tiki-taka approach. And yet, the way the Catalans carved up Juve’s usually-sturdy defence was exactly in that same vintage vein they had so often done. Their use of possession, quick transitions and intricate short passing led to a goal which involved all 10 of Barca’s outfield players.
While the scoreline at half-time failed to do Barca’s dominance justice, the fact remains that as the Blaugrana ambled towards the break, they continued to create openings, and had it not been for Gianluigi Buffon’s first-half heroics, for the Bianconeri, their dreams of a fairytale would’ve turned into a disastrous nightmare.
But Barcelona were made to pay for their laid-back approach, perhaps ironically, through Real Madrid youth product Alvaro Morata, and just when the tide seemed to be turning, and the Catalans’ defensive imperfections laid bare, the MSN, as they have so many times this season, led the club’s redemption.
Perhaps for the first time, Lionel Messi finally found himself in space and immediately headed towards Juve’s defence. He shifted in and powered a low drive. Buffon dived to his left and parried the shot away. But it wasn’t enough and the ball landed kindly for Suarez, who raced in behind Evra and slotted the ball into the roof of the net.
Messi created and Suarez scored the MSN’s 121st goal of the season, a phenomenal feat which should recognise the fact that the attacking trident are in fact the finest in Spanish football history.
But for the Uruguayan at least, the moment was significant. For a player who has won individual accolades at virtually every League he has played in, his move to Spain proved to be something of a challenge. In his first few months, goals were few and far between, and the some sections of fans had subsequently turned on him. But to hit back in the second half of the season and score 22 goals is the mark of a resilient striker, one who arguably has matured since he arrived in Catalonia. In nine months at the club, Suarez has achieved more than he ever had in his previous nine years among Europe’s elite.
As much as Juve continued to toil to find an equaliser, given that they had some golden opportunities of their own to win the final, it was Neymar who eventually killed off the Old Lady’s hopes with the last kick of the game.
The Brazilian, who himself has been embroiled in scandal, rather fittingly, sealed the deal. The restoration of Barca as Europe’s top club was complete. Perfection.
But as easy as it is to continue showering praise on the aforementioned trio, it’s easy to overlook the importance of other team members. It was Pique who expertly halted the vast majority of Juve’s attacks with excellent reading of their play, Iniesta, the man of the match, who so ably dominated the midfield, and Rakitic, the former Sevilla man and Europa League winner last season, who set the team running at full throttle and whose work-rate on and off the ball helped to lay the foundations for victory.
And to continue with the theme of perfection, a treble, the club’s second, was the perfect send-off for Xavi Hernandez, a man who has been at the heart of Barcelona’s success for the past decade. And while all the other memories Xavi has had at Barcelona might eventually fade, one thing’s for sure – that historic night in Berlin will live on.
