Barcelona, Aug 9: In their first match after the departure of star player Lionel Messi, Barcelona beat Juventus 3-0 in the annual friendly game for the Joan Gamper Trophy, on Sunday.
Memphis Depay scored the first goal in the third minute. Martin Braithwaite doubled the lead in the 57th minute. Riqui Puig scored the final goal of the match in the 92nd minute at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.
Throughout the match, the hosts continued to attack with plenty of movement and through smart passes.
The victory saw Barcelona lift the Joan Gamper trophy for the 44th time and ninth consecutive year.
This edition of the Gamper, described as a traditional festive occasion when Barcelona present the squad for the upcoming season, proved to be a nostalgic affair.
Hours before the match began, a tearful Messi bade farewell to the club at a press conference. The departure happened when Barcelona were unable to establish a new contract with the Argentina star who was with them for 21 years. This meant that the much-anticipated clash between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo never happened.
Barcelona were missing Sergio Aguero due to injury while Eric Garcia and Pedri were absent due to Spain’s campaign at the Tokyo Olympics.
Life after Messi will not be easy for Barcelona as they host Real Sociedad in their opening La Liga match on August 15.
If Lionel Messi does become the latest star to help Paris Saint-Germain’s quest to win the elusive Champions League, coach Mauricio Pochettino must work out the best way to accommodate him in a top-heavy attack.
While Messi bid his farewell, PSG was in talks with his team trying to finalize a deal to sign him amid reports Messi had flown to Paris on Sunday for a meeting.
Talk of Messi’s imminent arrival led several hundred PSG fans to wait outside Le Bourget airport, to the north of Paris, which is often used by PSG and the national team.
Messi would become the biggest star to arrive at Parc des Princes since cash-rich Qatari owners QSI took over the club 10 years ago.
Messi’s arrival would surpass even the fanfare of Neymar’s world-record signing for 222 million euros from Barcelona in 2017, or Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s brazenly self-promoting presentation by the Eiffel Tower in 2012. They never won a Ballon d’Or, let alone the record six Messi has. (Agencies)
