The second friendly brought much more excitement and, more importantly, much more goals than the first one. A hat-trick by Lionel Messi, a brace by Alexis Sanchez and|
Raja Club Athletic
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||
|
Possession
|
38%
|
62%
|
|
Total Shots
|
3
|
18
|
|
Shots on Target
|
1
|
13
|
|
Corners
|
4
|
5
|
|
Fouls
|
10
|
17
|
|
Offsides
|
1
|
2
|
|
Yellow Cards
|
0
|
1
|
|
Red Cards
|
0
|
0
|
Once again there were no major surprises (just one
small one) in Tito Vilanova's lineup as all nine first team players that
traveled to Morocco started the game. As expected they were joined in
midfield by Sergi Roberto and, surprisingly, by Rafinha who joined
Roberto in midfield - a position Rafinha played rarely last season.
Immediately after the opening kickoff the game had a
high pace with Barcelona controlling the ball (78% possession after
eight minutes). The inclusion of Messi to Barça's lineup was clearly noticeable as he quickly created extra space for his teammates. He and Ibrahim Afellay
especially appeared to be on the same page in the early stages of the
game, though Alexis Sanchez soon decided to join the party.
From the very first minute it appeared as if it was just a matter of time before Barça score and indeed it didn't take long for Blaugrana to take the lead. In the 14th minute the trio of Messi, Alves
and Alexis completely outplayed Raja's defense (they did get some help
from Lady Luck) and Alexis was left with a simple finish into the wide
open net thanks to Alves' unselfish final pass.
Soon after Messi and Afellay linked up again but
Ibi's attempt to set up the wide open Alexis failed as his pass was
behind the Chilean.
Raja, however, didn't just sit back and try limit the
damage but they went on the attack on every opportunity they got. Marc
Bartra and Javier Mascherano
were often left alone defending counter-attacks but there was a
noticeable improvement in defending, especially by the youngster. Near
the half hour mark Raja even appeared to be the more dangerous opponent
but that being said they failed to create any noteworthy opportunities.
That just appeared to anger Barça as a quick counter
later Messi made it 2-0. The counter starter with Bartra again taking
the ball from the opposing attacker and finished with a lovely pass by
Afellay to Messi who powered it to the back of the net.
There was also an injury scare just seconds later (is it too much to ask for a Barça game with no injury scares?) as Jose Pinto
went for the ball and kneed Javier Mascherano in the ribs. Mascherano
needed a few moments to gather his thoughts but he was, thankfully, able
to continue.
Just minutes later this game turned into a rout, and
Mess and Alexis were the key players. First a bad turnover by Raja's
defense resulted in Alexis setting up Messi for his second and just
minutes later Messi played trough Afellay whose shot was saved but
Alexis was there to slot in the rebound to make it 4-0.
Barça completed the Manita in the dying
seconds of the first half as Messi played another brilliant through pass
this time to Alexis who couldn't score because of a very good
intervention by the keeper but the ball fell back to the Chilean who
could have fired into the (almost) empty net but instead he decided to
pass across to Messi who was left with a simple tap in to complete the
hat-trick.
Halftime, unlike in the first preseason friendly,
brought no changes in Barcelona's eleven. Messi and Afellay needed only
three minutes to combine for another clear cut scoring chance but
Afellay again failed to beat the goalkeeper. Afellay had a great game,
don't get me wrong, but it would've be nice if he converted some of his
chances.
A Barcelona game just wouldn't be a real Barcelona
game without an outrageous lob by Messi. He attempted a couple in this
game but one was stopped by the bar (and a whistle by the referee) while
the other lacked the "Messi touch" and was saved by the keeper.
Twelve minutes after the restart Rafinha played a
brilliant though pass to Alexis who was brought down in the box for a
penalty. To the surprise of many Alves stepped up to take it. Has stayed
true to his mentality and powered a shot on goal, a shot he buried
under the crossbar to make it a half-dozen.
Just after the one hour mark Tito decided to make a five substitutions as Messi, Alexis, Adriano Correia,
Rafinha and Jonathan Dos Santos came off and were replaced by Deulofeu,
Javier Espinosa, Carles Planas, Kiko Femenia and Luis Gustavo. Eight
minutes later five more substitutions were made. Mascherano, Bartra,
Afellay, Alves and Sergi Roberto came off while Patric, Cristian Lobato,
Ivan Balliu, Sergi Gomez and David Lomban came on.
Just after the subs were completed Pinto was forced
to make save and had to pounce on the loose ball. While in the process
of dropping on the ball he was clipped on the fingers by the opposing
players' foot and needed some medical assistance. He was able to stay in
the game.
The pace of the game slowed drastically after the substitutions were
made but there were still some moments of excitement, especially when
Deulofeu had the ball at his feet. Balliu, Lobato and Espinosa also had
their moments where they showcased their potential.However. the most impressive off all the substitutes to me was Sergi Gomez who fired a 30-yard missile that despite "being saved" found the back of the net. That was a shot Alves would be proud off. Deulofeu also decided to join in on the goalscoring parade with a goal of his own to make it the final score of 8-0.
