CHAPTER 284: Barcelona 5 - 2 Lyon

Alternative title: Magnificent Entrance into the Quarterfinals


Positives

• Barcelona is in the quarterfinals!

• Another win for Barça.

• And what a win! A big win! 5 goals scored, all fabulous!

• Excellent display from Barça in the first half.
  
  • Barça had gone up 4 – 0 at one point, simply fantastic, and all in the first half. Considering that this was at a knockout stage of the Champions League.
  • Lyon didn’t really have much of a chance or even rattled Barcelona.
  • Barcelona played good football, the pressing and the control (the tempo and attacking rhythm) with the clinical finishing from the front trio. Plus The players intercepted and regained the ball from Lyon numerous times throughout the game.

• Good game from Thierry Henry. Scored 2 goals and they were both quality (excellent finishing). The goals were also decisive considering the first brought Barça ahead of Lyon for the first time in the tie and the second came shorty after that.
  Another positive point to state about Henry is that he has now become the 4th all-time top score in the competition, so that’s a great milestone of an achievement for the Frenchman, and he did that as a Barcelona player.
  

• Marquez made a great pass/cross for Henry’s first goal.

• Messi’s goal was of a great run and control by the Argentinian (after he chested the ball near the sideline, then proceeded by running and dribbling past the lyon defense and even had a 1 – 2 pass with Eto’o before he placed that ball into the goal). Also added his goal tally in the competition.

• Eto’o finally scored, after receiving a pass form Henry. Eto’o got the better of Cris before he scored.
  He also adds up his goal tally in the Champions League.
  Love the ‘salute’ pose with Henry afterwards.
  

• I believe that the top players from Barcelona were Henry, Messi, Eto’o, Xavi, Iniesta, Toure, Marquez and Pique.

• This win, and the showing from the team, surely would deliver a great boost in terms to confidence, morale and spirit as Barça marches on in not only the Champions League but also to the other competitions.

• Keita also scored, and he scored at a nice time to finish up the competition last night.

• Good to see Barcelona scoring goals in the first half again.

Negatives

• Couple of goals were conceded.

• The way those goals were conceded.

• The timing at when they were conceded. The first just about before halftime (and shortly after Eto’o scored) and the second just about after second half began. It was disappointing considering that Barça went up ahead 4 – 0.

• And those were poor goals conceded as well. From Lyon’s first, Barça probably got too overconfident and let their guard down whereas on Lyon’s second goal Iniesta perhaps ought to have scuffled better to prevent that Lyon player that played the ball into Barça’s goal area and there was chaos as nobody picked up Juninho or how that Juninho duped Valdes on his goal.

• Henry’s yellow card.

• There was a great run and then pass from Gerard Pique to Henry but Henry could have made that shot better. He might have got a hat-trick.

• Lesser opportunities for Barcelona in the second half, compared with the attacking show in the first.

• Thank God Benzema screwed up his shot high when he had a chance at near the 80th minute. He got free and was before Valdes but his shot was high. Had he scored, Lyon would have been just one goal behind and that would bring to a very nervy nervy moment.

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