Barcelona routed Italian side Roma 6-1 in their group stage fixture of the Champions League at Camp Nou on Tuesday.
Barcelona has qualified for the knockout phase of the tournament as they sealed first place in Group E. The home side entered the contest after a remarkable and comprehensive victory over La Liga title rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu last Saturday.
Uruguay forward Luis Suarez played a vital role in Barca’s successful season so far and he continued his good form. The 28-year-old Suarez pulled off a stunner to put his team ahead in the 15th minute. The hosts had dream start as they went 2-0 up just in space of four minutes, Messi scored a spectacular goal off a cross from Suarez.
Lionel Messi was the center of attraction for the fans as he earned first Barca start since late September. The home crowd was delighted to see as the Argentine took only 18 minutes to open his account after being off the pitch for nearly two months due an injury sustained while playing against Levante.
Just before half time Suarez put the ball into the far panel of the Roma net as he claimed his second goal of the night. Roma failed to trouble the Barca goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen as they seemed to be rusty and out of touch. The visitors could not handle the pressure of early blows from Suarez and Messi in the opening 20 minutes of the clash.
Gerard Pique, who was shown a yellow card earlier in the first half, made it 4-0 just 10 minutes in to the second half. At an hour mark, Barca captain Messi registered another goal in his comeback game. Substitute Adriano bagged a rare goal after Roma’s keeper saved Neymar’s spot kick.
Five minutes later, Barcelona’s goalkeeper Ter Stegen saved Edin Dzeko’s penalty kick in the dying minutes of the contest. Former Manchester City striker Dzeko managed a consolation goal in the stoppage time but the game was over seconds later.
The result was not a surprise for any of the spectators as Luis Enrique’s side controlled the ball right from the word go. Barcelona displayed great tactics in the park and their success is due to the teamwork. IMAGE/AP
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