Match Report: BATE Borisov 0 Barcelona 5

Barcelona picked up three Champions League points away to BATE Borisov this evening thanks to a typically devastating performance from Lionel Messi, ably assisted by fellow goalscorers Pedro and David Villa.

The Catalonian colossus, ominously clad in all-black, arrived into a deafening Dynamo Stadium on the brink of history. If they could find the net against the champions of Belarus, they would set a new Champions League record of scoring in 23 consecutive games in the competition – thereby eclipsing German giants Bayern Munich. It is, of course, unlikely that this possibility was even briefly mentioned in Pep Guardiola’s pre-game preparations, with three Group H points the aim after a frustrating home draw to AC Milan on matchday one.

It was clear from the opening whistle however that the Belarusians were not planning on making it an easy night in Minsk for the reigning Spanish and European champions. BATE Coach Viktor Goncharenko, who called Barça ‘the best club in the world’ earlier in the week, set his team up to sit deep and clog the middle of the field. The idea was clearly to stifle the midfield creativity of Xavi, Thiago and the withdrawn Messi, forcing Barca’s most influential players to receive possession further away from the packed final-third. This appeared to be a sensible policy as it sought to take advantage of Barca’s preference to play ‘inverted wingers’ in Pedro and David Villa, who both seek to drift into central areas from out wide and allow full-backs Eric Abidal and, in particular, Dani Alves to provide the team’s width.

Thus BATE’s biggest theoretical danger was quality delivery from the spacious flanks, and it was to be their undoing. The opening exchanges had seen scattered half-chances, a Marko Simic header from a corner was directed well over on three minutes before Messi saw his bending 25-yard free-kick drift just wide ten minutes later. But the Barcelona goal was coming; and, with just under 20 minutes on the clock, Alves provided the spark. The Brazilian received a cross-field switch from Messi before arcing a return ball to the far post which was turned into his own net by Aleksandr Volodko, feeling the breath of the diminutive Argentine on his neck.

BATE lasted another two minutes before the game was effectively ended as a contest by another cross, this time from the opposite flank and provided by Villa to meet the intelligent movement of Pedro. The most unheralded member of the oft-vaunted Barcelona attack was two steps ahead of a static Belarusian defence and, aided by the hesitant reactions of goalkeeper Gutor, he rose to head the Catalans into a two-nil lead. This was developing into an impressive away performance from Barcelona, as they continued to probe for openings in order to ensure just their fifth win of their last sixteen on the road in Europe. The third goal of the night arrived seven minutes before the break as Pedro shifted the ball past Bordachev and clipped a cross into the hands of Gutor who failed to hold on, dropping the ball right in front of Messi and finding himself suitably punished.

The second-half was a considerably more monotonous affair, with the Spanish side dropping a couple of gears and finding that their walking pace was more than enough to dominate a willing but already beaten team. Barcelona’s number ten, though, was as dynamic as ever. Messi first displayed his sumptuous range of passing by sliding Villa through on goal from deep before showing off his famously deceptive hips by ghosting past three  BATE  defenders only to poke wide of the ‘keeper’s near post. All that remained was an exhibition of that artful left leg, and the maestro obliged on 55 minutes as Barca once again exploited the wings through Alves – the full-back pulling a low ball back from the right for Messi to instantly control and fire a powerful finish high into the roof of Gutor’s net.

Guardiola had the luxury of calling on Cesc Fábregas to replace Xavi on the hour mark as his team moved inevitably towards their first win of this year’s Champions League. There was even still time for a final flourish, with Villa capitalising on some tired BATE defensive play to help himself to a deserved goal via a football-sized gap between the ‘keeper’s legs.

Ultimately it was a well-warranted victory for Barcelona and they made it look very easy. BATE worked hard but, understandably, lacked anything like the quality to prevent a fate that has been endured by a great many teams in recent years when confronted with Messi, Villa, Xavi et al.

A final point on the evening was that Messi’s brace saw him equal László Kubala’s 194 goals in the all time Barca goalscoring list.

FT: BATE Borisov 0 -Barcelona 5 (Volodko O.G. 19, Pedro 21, Messi 38, Messi 55, Villa 90)

BATE Borisov: Gutor; Volodko, Filipenko, Simic, Bordachev; Baga, Olejnovich, Bressan (Kurlovich, m.82), Rudik (Aleksiyan, m.60), Kontsevói y Kezman (Skavysh, m.57)

Barcelona: Valdés; Alves, Puyol, Mascherano, Abidal (Adriano, m.61); Xavi (Cesc, m.59), Keita, Thiago; Pedro (Maxwell, m.69), Messi y Villa.

Dean Hayes can be followed via Twitter here.

Tags: Barcelona, BATE Borisov, Champions League, David Villa, Messi, Thiago