RAK AND Croat’s stunner and a Messi double leave Spurs in a real mess

MAURICIO POCHETTINO slumped back in his seat in the dug-out looking as tired and beaten as a boxer who had just gone 12 rounds.

It was as painful as it was humiliating as Lionel Messi helped Barcelona tear Tottenham apart, leaving Pochettino’s Champions League campaign trailing in their wake.

Tottenham gave everything in a thriller but are still in desperate straits after losing their opening two Group matches and are in serious danger of an early exit.

They looked as ragged and bare as the Wembley pitch which is still recovering from hosting the Anthony Joshua fight 11 days before.

But Tottenham kept refusing to give up no matter which made for a brilliant contest and said so much about the spirit in Pochettino’s camp.

It is always a major footballing event when Barcelona come to town but the Wembley pitch was not ready and nor were Spurs despite their never-say-die spirit.

Barcelona were on another level, led by the world’s best player who looked on a oneman mission to destroy the myth that he is a fading force.

Messi was majestic, Spurs could not handle him and Harry Kane’s bold prediction he could outscore him seemed to have inspired the Barcelona superstar. When Kane pull one back for Tottenham, Messi went up the other end and scored himself. Anything you can do, Harry. For once it was not even Messi who scored the wonder goal which will go down as one of Wembley’s great goals as Ivan Rakitic smashed a stunning 20-yard volley.

But Messi left Tottenham spellbound in every other way, twice going on incredible solo runs, teasing the home defence as he dribbled forward and then hitting shots which hit the woodwork before adding a late clinching second goal.

This was a night when everyone at Wembley will look back and be able to say they were