Sporting Gijon 0-5 Barcelona: Five Talking Points
Barcelona didn’t seem to feel the absence of Lionel Messi as Luis Suarez, Rafinha, Neymar and Arda Turan were all on target to help the reigning champions cruised to a thumping 5-0 win over 10-men Sporting Gijon.
The visitors spent the first half largely on the backfoot with a spirited Sporting side attacking at will, yet raced to a 2-0 lead at the break with goals from Suarez and Rafinha in quick succession.
The second half of the game was even for large spells, but a late onslaught from Neymar and Turan added further gloss to the scoreline as the Catalans had it all plain-sailing in the first of the many games without Lionel Messi. Here are the major talking points from the game.
#1 Suarez and Neymar step up once again
As Lionel Messi began his three-week lay-off with a groin strain, both his attacking counterparts stepped up to the plate in his absence and engineered Barcelona to a comprehensive victory.
Just as they did during Messi’s 2-month absence at the same time last year, the likes of Suarez and Neymar are once again shouldering the extra responsibility in the attack. The Uruguayan took the initiative for the visitors slightly before the half-hour mark, whereas Neymar weighed with a late double.
The ‘MSN’ have established themselves as the most destructive trio in the world, but sans their 5-time Ballon d’Or winner, Suarez and Neymar rose to the occasion to ensure their title charge wasn’t dealt with another blow.