BARCELONA: Rafinha replaced Lionel Messi and helped Barcelona win without him as the Brazilian scored the opener in a 2-0 Champions League victory over Inter Milan.
With Messi out for three weeks and Real Madrid next up at the Camp Nou on Sunday, the question was whether Barca could cope without their star player and captain. The answer may not have been resounding — they lacked some punch before Jordi Alba added a late second — but this controlled performance will certainly send them into the Clasico with a spring in their step. Luis Suarez, Arthur and Philippe Coutinho were all excellent in Messi’s absence on Wednesday. Victory all-but secures Barcelona’s passage to the Champions League last 16 too.
They have nine points from three games and now sit top of Group B. Messi was watching in the stands with his son Thiago and his fractured right arm in a sling. As soon as the ball left the centre circle, the fans sang his name. Barca had drawn with Athletic Bilbao in the only other match this season he had not started, and that could have been a defeat were it not for him setting up the equaliser. Even the club had posted an article on its website this week entitled “no need to panic”, detailing their “not so bad” record without him. Rafinha, who was playing on loan at Inter only five months ago, was a surprise replacement. Ousmane Dembele was the one expected to come in and the fact the Frenchman remained on the bench until the end does not speak well of his current status.
Messi was 22 when Barcelona last played Inter, a 3-2 aggregate win for the Italians in the 2010 semi-finals that remains arguably the peak of Jose Mourinho’s career. As well as Rafinha, Coutinho spent five years at Inter while Mauro Icardi started out in Barca’s academy (AFP)
