Barca need Nou miracle after double by Dybala
PAULO DYBALA has a trademark celebration. He puts his hand underneath his eyes then covers most of his face, so that he can’t be seen. From now, though, he can hide no longer. On an unforgettable night in Turin, Dybala’s majesty ensured his features will now be known around the world. We came expecting to see a nimble Argentine with a magic wand for a left foot light up the Champions League and did not leave disappointed. Dybala cast the kind of spells we expect to see from Lionel Messi, scoring twice as Juventus stamped their authority on this quarter-final, routing Barcelona by three unanswered goals. And it didn’t flatter Massimiliano Allegri’s relentless side. Usually before these contests, managers are like poker players. They say little, give nothing away and protect their hand. Allegri, however, spoke with the certainty of man who believed he was holding all the aces. There was no point, he reasoned, of hoping to contain Barcelona for two legs then sneaking through on a penalty shootout. No. Juventus would be bold. Never mind worrying about Barcelona’s front three, was the message. Let them worry about us. After 21 seconds, you could see his words were not idle. That’s how long it took for Juventus to wrestle possession back from Barcelona’s kick-off and break forward with such pace that the move ended with Sami Khedira firing a shot over the bar. The opening goal should have arrived in the third minute, but Gonzalo Higuain headed straight at Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. It didn’t matter. Now was the time for Dybala to step forward and show why comparisons with Messi are not lazy. His opening goal, which arrived in the seventh minute, was glorious, guiding the ball with his left foot into the tightest angle after Juan Cuadrado set him up. Dybala’s second was just as good, a fizzing left-foot drive whipped inside the near post after Juventus launched a rapier counter-attack. The goal was crucial because 60 seconds earlier Gianluigi Buffon had made a superb save to thwart Andres Iniesta. ‘Paulo played a great game,’ said Allegri. ‘But I never like to distinguish names, I want to say that tonight it was a beautiful victory from the whole team.’ Barca had their moments. They had a goal disallowed in the first half that would have altered the complexion of the game and the way they moved the ball was, at times, a joy to watch. Not that Luis Enrique, their ashen faced coach, found any solace. ‘I am an optimist always,’ said Enrique. ‘But I can always grieve too. At the moment I am too disappointed to think about a comeback. I can’t get the first half out of my head.’ Juventus fought to protect Buffon’s goal like lions and scored the third 10 minutes into the second half when Giorgio Chiellini grappled with Javier Mascherano and powered a header past in off the post. A huge lead, then. But after what Barcelona did to Paris Saint-Germain last month — losing 4-0 away and then winning 6-1 in the Nou Camp — nobody will ever say never again.
JUVENTUS (4-2-3-1): Buffon 7; Alves 7, Bonucci 8, Chiellini 8, Sandro 7; Pjanic 8 (Barzagli 89min), Khedira 7; Cuadrado 7.5 (Lemina 73, 6), Dybala 9 (Rincon 81), Mandzukic 6.5; Higuain 6.5. Subs not used: Neto, Marchisio, Asamoah, Lichtsteiner. Booked: Alves, Mandzukic, Khedira, Lemina. Scorers: Dybala 7, 22, Chiellini 55. BARCELONA (4-3-3): Ter Stegen 7; Roberto 6, Pique 6, Umtiti 5, Mathieu 6 (Andre Gomes 46, 7); Rakitic 6, Mascherano 6, Iniesta 7; Messi 7.5, L Suarez 7, Neymar 6.
Subs not used: Cillessen, D Suarez, Alcacer, Jordi Alba, Digne, Alena. Booked: L Suarez, Iniesta, Umtiti. Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland) 6.
Man of the match: Paulo Dybala.