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This year’s Champions League Final pitted two of the largest clubs in the world against each other; the Spanish La Liga champions, FC Barcelona, and the Italian Serie A champions, Juventus. This match was expected to be one for the ages, and it did not disappoint.
Right from the start, Barcelona controlled the match. Juventus were without star Defender Giorgio Chiellini, opening up the opportunity for Barcelona’s world class attackers to create opportunities and score goals. In the 4th minute, they did just that.
Messi played a ball across the pitch to Neymar, who collected well at the edge of the box and threaded a ball through to Iniesta. He lured Buffon to the near post and sent a low cross over to Ivan Rakitic, who tapped the ball in for a goal. It was the 3rd fastest goal in UCL Final history, and was an absolute dream start for the Blaugranes, one they were looking to build upon.
Juventus reverted to a counter-attacking style of play that consisted of keeping men behind the ball, and creating breakaway opportunities when they gained possession, which was rare. Barcelona had 62% possession in the match and 18 attempts, and Juventus created 14 attempts despite only having possession of the ball for 38% of the 90 minutes.
The rest of the 1st half was controlled by Barca, and they would have added one or two more goals if it wasn’t for the legendary 37 year old Juve keeper, Gianluigi Buffon. He positioned himself well in front of the net, and made some key saves when his team needed him the most.
Juventus came out of the locker room looking like a new and refreshed team. Barcelona approached the second half more conservatively in an attempt to hold on to their slim 1-0 lead. However, Juve took advantage of Barca’s new tactics, and found themselves an equalizer in the 55th minute through Alvaro Morata. A splendid back-heel pass by Marchisio fell to Lichtsteiner, who played the ball into Tevez who was waiting in the box. Tevez spun around towards goal and rifled a shot which was parried by Ter Stegen, but the rebound luckily fell right to Morata, who side-footed the ball into the back of the net. A feeling of absolute jubilation and relief fell upon the Juventus team and their supporters, as they were now level with Barcelona at 1-1.
Juventus would not stop there. For the next ten minutes, they applied pressure and pinned Barcelona into their own half. In the 67th minute, Paul Pogba appeared to be taken down in the penalty box, but the decision by the referee was: Play on. Barcelona then gained possession and stormed down the pitch like an angry stampede. Messi outpaced the Juventus midfield and ran through the defense before sending a shot on goal that was parried by Buffon, but the rebound was hammered into the top corner by Luis Suarez. Barcelona had answered right back, and it was 2-1 just like that. Juventus needed a quick answer.
Just a few minutes later, it looked as though Neymar had sealed the win by heading the ball past Buffon. However, the goal was called off because the ball had deflected off of Neymar’s hand before finding the back of the net. For the time being, it was 2-1 and Juventus were still breathing. Barely.
Barca put as many men as possible behind the ball from that point on, leaving only Messi, Neymar, and Suarez near midfield. Juventus was forced to shoot from outside the box for the most part, and Ter Stegen certainly wasn’t letting anything get past him. Xavi was subbed on in the 78th minute, making his final appearance for Barcelona. He was leaving behind a career of many titles, and wanted to add one more before saying farewell.
A last-gasp free kick by Juventus was cleared by Barcelona, and a counterattack led by Neymar had begun. Neymar sprinted down the pitch and then played the ball over to Pedro near the edge of the box. Pedro had support, with Neymar and Messi quickly approaching the area and only two Juventus defenders to mark them. Pedro calmly played the ball back to Neymar, who slid the ball straight through Buffon’s legs and into the net for a 96th minute goal. Barca now had a 3-1 lead. The whole team went into celebration mode, while Juventus was left with an empty feeling in their hearts.
The whistle was blown. FC Barcelona had won their 5th Champions League title and captured a historic second treble. Xavi had the perfect ending to a star-studded career. Juventus were denied their first Champions League trophy in 19 long years.
At the trophy presentation, Xavi lifted the Champions League trophy for the last time. It was a moment the team and their fans will never forget.
FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUoGqn0Rd8w
