3 things we learned from Barcelona’s brilliant 3-0 win over Bayern Munich

Pep Guardiola made an unhappy return to Barcelona on Wednesday, with his Bayern Munich side defeated 3-0 by Luis Enrique’s Catalans. It was an utterly convincing victory for the hosts, who were in the ascendancy from start to finish. Another Champions League final now surely awaits.

The game got off to a quite ridiculous start, with Guardiola’s odd man-marking strategy allowing Barcelona to tear through Bayern several times in the opening exchanges. Luis Suárez squeezed through and had a penalty appeal turned down, shortly before Neymar somehow saw an effort from 6 yards deflected wide of goal.

It was total one-way traffic until Guardiola switched to a more conservative strategy midway through the period. That didn’t do much to stop Barça’s dominance, but it did at least tighten things up in the Bavarians’ defensive ranks. The hosts nevertheless almost broke the deadlock five minutes before halftime, though Manuel Neuer denied Dani Alves from point-blank range.

The second period started a little more evenly, though before long Barça were back on top. They tore straight through the Bayern defense with a brilliant counter just past the hour, though Neuer was characteristically quick off his line to sweep the ball from Neymar’s feet.

As the clock ticked on, the frenetic tempo finally began to drop, though a moment’s loss of concentration allowed Barça to finally break the deadlock with just over 10 minutes left. Lionel Messi found the space he needed to fire home from the edge of the box; his shot powerful enough to flash past Neuer at the near post.

The deadlock was broken, and the floodgates opened. Within minutes Messi had made it 2-0, with an even more sensational goal. A quick flick in the area left Jérôme Boateng on the deck, and bought him the room he needed to dink the ball over Manuel Neuer and into the back of the net.

They added a third in stoppage time, when Neymar was slipped through one-on-one with Neuer. The Brazilian’s finish was cool, and the tie was all but ended.

3 things we learned
1. This game was never going to disappoint ... and it didn’t

Plenty of football matches fail to live up to the hype. It’s not really hard to see why: When big things are at stake, it’s a natural reflex to take fewer risks. At least for most people. That, however, isn’t how Barcelona and Pep Guardiola work. The result was a battle between two über-proactive teams, with both looking to dominate the game and move the ball quickly. At times it was ridiculous, at others it was sublime. It was certainly never boring.

2. Pep Guardiola is even braver than we first thought

Guardiola has a history of making pretty bold decisions, and most of them have paid off. It’s part of what makes him one of the greatest, most innovative coaches the sport has ever seen. Setting up to man-mark Neymar, Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi with a back three (one of whom was right-back Rafinha) must, however, be the weirdest thing he’s ever done. This time, it didn’t pay off. Guardiola’s Bielsaesque marking system allowed their opponents to wreak havoc with their mobility in the opening quarter of the match, and they really ought to have been ahead early on. Only when Bayern switched things up midway through the first period did they start to look convincing at the back.

3. Barcelona are unparalleled

Heading into this match, this contest looked pretty even. After it, it seems pretty clear that Barcelona are the best team in Europe. Guardiola was forced into effectively admitting tactical defeat just minutes into the game, and Bayern started to much more closely resemble everyone else who visits the Camp Nou. Their pressing dropped off, and keeping things tight at the back became the priority. Bayern largely defended well after their shaky start, but Barça were ominous in their probing and devastating on the counter-attack. They always looked in control, and always capable of scoring a goal. It’s nigh-on impossible to see a way back for Bayern, and it’s tough to see anyone but Barça winning this tournament.