Tottenham vs Barcelona: Lionel Messi and his sand-wedge leave flawed Spurs facing an early exit

It was as though Lionel Messi had walked out on the Wembley pitch before kick-off and made a note of the beach-like conditions, returning to the changing room to pick the appropriate equipment for the occasion, like a golfer selecting his club, or a Formula One driver the right tyres for the weather.

It had seen better days. The entire middle third was patchy with sand, less than two months into the season, 10 days after Anthony Joshua beat Alexander Povetkin in their heavyweight fight here when the ring was planted in the centre spot. Imagine what it’s going to look like when Spurs play Manchester City at the end of October, the day after it has hosted an NFL game.

The surface could have suited Spurs, potentially affecting Barcelona’s usual slick passing play, but from all over that middle third Messi pinged passes with astounding accuracy, before striking the two decisive second-half goals.

From there Messi clipped a quite brilliant ball, sweeping out of the bunker and onto the green with his sand wedge boot, out to Jordi Alba on the left but inside right-back Kieran Trippier, putting Spurs on the back foot. Hugo Lloris unnecessarily hurtled from his line into no man’s land, so Alba bypassed him with a ball cut across to Coutinho on the edge of the penalty area and the former Liverpool forward finished into the bottom left corner for Barcelona’s opening goal. Lloris has made some pretty poor judgement calls recently but on a scale of one to drink-driving it was about an eight.

That didn’t take long!

Philippe Coutinho puts Barcelona ahead inside just two minutes at Wembley…

That ball from Lionel Messi pic.twitter.com/DvYOtwzpSP

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 3, 2018

Barcelona’s second made a mockery of the laws of physics. Messi with the catalytic ball again — playing in a deeper, more conductorial role — Luis Suarez used his chest to tee up Philippe Coutinho, who messed up his first half-volley but was just able to stop the ball going over the byline by booting it back out to the edge of the penalty area. It bounced once and in came Ivan Rakitic, both feet off the ground, sending the ball in via the left post with the sort of technique that cannot be taught, but slowly cultivated from centuries of evolution.

Messi spoke this week about how Barcelona must learn not to rely upon him so much, but they will never learn if he continues to play like this. Within five minutes of the second half starting he had almost twice added a third, dribbling through Tottenham’s defence in that way he has of keeping the ball within an inch of his toe before passing the ball on to the left post, then dribbling almost identically through the middle once more and bending the ball off the same upright again.

Dutch legend Johan Cruyff once said if his team were winning comfortably he would hit the ball off the post because he loved the sound. It does make a satisfying thwack. If anyone possesses the same ability to play with such reckless confidence it is Messi. He looked to the heavens when Harry Kane pulled a goal back soon after his near-misses, but then at the next opportunity nestled the third right in the same corner, as though he had been toying with us all along.

Outrageous technique!

Ivan Rakitić doubles Barcelona's lead with a sensational strike

What. A. Hit pic.twitter.com/FctQqRxnKO

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 3, 2018

Kane’s goal was good — a move worked up the pitch ending in the England striker running into the box and cutting back before burying the ball beyond Marc-Andre ter Stegen. But Barcelona’s was better: Messi dinked a ball out left to Alba, who sent the return into the box low and hard and it was left by Suarez and Coutinho in two defence-confusing dummies for Messi to score. It was one of the most complex, well-thought-out one-twos you will see. Messi’s goals and overall play are always talked about, but there are few better passes in the history of the game.

Tottenham made a game of it still, when Erik Lamela pulled back another, 10 minutes later and with almost 25 remaining of the sort of match which reminds you why football is played; the perfect antidote to a dull nil-nil, otherwise known as ‘The Manchester United’.

Dele Alli, out for a month with a hamstring injury, was watching from the stands — a shame given how he usually produces his outstanding best on these biggest occasions — as his replacement in the No 10 role deserved the goal, even if it came courtesy of a heavy deflection wrong-footing Barcelona’s goalkeeper.

But Messi tucked another one away in the last minute, just to make sure.