Barcelona 0-3 Juventus: Old Lady snatch top spot as things go from bad to worse for Ronald Koeman with Cristiano Ronaldo netting double to come out on top against Lionel Messi
All they had to do to finish top of the group was NOT lose 3-0. Even that was beyond this Barcelona team.
Battered by two Cristiano Ronaldo penalties and a spectacular volley by US international Weston McKennie Ronadlo Koeman’s team were well beaten at the Camp Nou.
The headlines will focus on Messi losing his duel with the insatiable Ronaldo and Koeman’s increasingly disastrous start to life as Barça coach but this insipid shadow of the side that has spent so much time lighting up Champions League nights over the last 15 years have so many more problems than their captain and coach.
Messi was Barcelona’s best player with six shots on target and Koeman picked a starting line-up most agreed with leaving Philippe Coutinho on the bench and starting with Pedri.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 13th minute for Juventus in the Nou Camp
But it was another horror show to go with the four league defeats already suffered this season.
Barcleona had finished top of their group for every one of the last 13 seasons, not this time. Who knows if they will pay for that in the December 14 draw. And who knows what state they will be in when the last-16 is played next year.
On 12 minutes Juventus were ahead. Ronaldo was awarded a generous penalty after Ronald Araujo went shoulder to shoulder with him in the area. He sent the penalty down the middle for 1-0.
Ronaldo went down under the challenge of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo in the box
It was 2-0 on 20 minutes when McKennie scored with a flying volley past Marc Andre ter Stegen from Juan Cuadrado’s cross.
Miralem Pjanic shot just over from the edge of the area after being teed-up by Messi. And it was Messi who went close next with a shot from Jordi Alba’s cross but Gianluigi Buffon made the save.
Barcelona got over their problem of playing out from the back as the half wore on but their next problem was finishing moves. One Messi shot that was blocked ran to Pjanic but his shot was delayed by a bad first touch and when the ball ran to Sergino Dest his cross-shot was over-hit and well wide.
Ronaldo fired his spot kick past Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Buffon denied Messi again just before the half-time whistle. VAR checked for a handball in the area but no spot-kick was given and so Juventus made it to the break 2-0 up.
Two minutes into the restart and Messi shot straight at Buffon. The Argentinian now had Martin Braithwaite playing in front of him.
He had replaced Franciso Trincao – another 30m euros spent by Barcelona on a player who may yet turn out to be worth the investment but has offered little since he arrived. And to think they had Ferran Torres down the road at Valencia signed by Manchester City.
Weston McKennie doubled Juventus’ lead with an acrobatic volley in the 20th minute
Aaron Ramsay almost made it 3-0 with a shot that Marc Andre ter Stegen turned away brilliantly but the danger had not passed for Barcelona. VAR was checking a handball from Clement Lenglet and when Tobias Stieler trotted across to see the replay he could only draw only one conclusion. It was a penalty and Ronaldo with even more bounce in his run-up this time gleefully smashed it past Ter Stegen for 3-0 on 52 minutes.
Koeman turned angrily to the Juventus substitutes in the seats behind the benches. They were urging the referee to show Lenglet a second yellow.
Greizmann headed a free-kick on to the top of the bar but Barça were in pieces. The hapless Lenglet was taken off and Jordi Alba also on a booking went with him. Junior Firpo replaced the latter and Samuel Umtiti came on for his first football of the season. Within minutes he had been booked too for a foul on Morata.
Ronaldo converted his second penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner
Buffon saved again from Messi and Braithwaite couldn’t keep his effort from the rebound down. Messi’s pride was hurting and he was sprinting across to take corners and trying to salvage something but Juventus looked comfortable.
Barcelona could not get a break Greizmann was chopped down and the referee had pointed to the spot but he rectified his decision when he saw the flag raised – the Frenchman had been offside.
Also offside was Leonardo Bonucci when he turned it what would have been the fourth had VAR not ruled it out.
It didn’t matter 3-0 was enough for Juventus. They win the group and Barcelona’s misery goes on.
Cristiano Ronaldo greets Lionel Messi before Tuesday’s Champions League tie
