By Leshi Adebayo
Just with the official exit of Lionel Messi from Barcelona, it seemed like things will be looking fine as Barcelona beat Juventus 3-nil to win the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Barcelona lineup came with a unique setup as Yusuf Demir took the forward wing. The lineup included Memphis Depay who did not hesitate to score the opening goal in the first 3 minutes of the first half. The goal came as a result of Yusuf Demir (Young Messi)’s pass which Memphis did justice to accordingly. It was a fine one-on-one finish.
The Blaugrana side played a full 90-minutes attacking game and manages to get a clean sheet. In the first half alone, Yusuf Demir and Antoine Griezmann had their goals disallowed for offside.
Juventus brought the pressure on Barcelona 15 minutes to the end of the 1st half but could not make an headway. In the second half, Juventus came on stronger but could not penetrate, thanks the Goalkeeper, Neto who did his job quite well. Ronaldo tried his best to breakthrough but no result.
As the game progressed, Barcelona got chances again and converted them. Will Braithwaithe scored the second goal in the 57th minute and while Ruqui Puig scored the third in added time (90+2 minutes).
It was good day to begin the post-Messi era. With this win and Joan Gamper trophy, the morale of the players will be boosted. Although, it will be tough without Messi but as Leo said in his final conference, they will find their way. The female Barcelona team faced Female Juventus and beat the latter by 6 to zero. It was a great day for the Catalan giants. A good start to the new season.
