MD2 Breaking the Celta Curse

Celta Vigo and Barcelona. This pairing has never gone well together for Barcelona. It had been 5 seasons without a victory at the Estadio De Balaidos and Celta had always managed to pull of an upset against Barcelona so much so that footballing pundits started claiming it as the Celta curse for Barcelona. Unlike other seasons going into the match I wasn't expecting a win even on the back of a 4-0 victory cause well history wasn't on our side, it was still a young developing squad, it was a match in the middle of terrible weather with non stop rain and most importantly Messi had come out lashing at the Barca board for mismanagement, indicating his head might not be in the game.

The match started out as expected Celta pressing high trying to stop us from playing our build up style with which we work best and they even managed to steal the ball and smash it but their efforts were valiant at best. Then stepping up again the teen sensation Ansu Fati received a perfect through ball played to him by Coutinho on the counter and making no mistake the youngster slotted home the first for barca. Things began to ease after the first goal, the nerves had gone down and we were starting to look good playing the ball from the back and just when you thought things couldn't fall apart it happened. A controversial second yellow card for Lenglet meant we were forced down to 10 men with a prominent part of our defense absent. The 2nd half was going to be tricky.

Up steps the captain. Messi who has till now only been seen in flashes decides to take the game by the scruff of the neck. A Brilliant magical run down the wing taking on at least 4 defenders in the process Messi takes the shot which is deflected into the net, 2-0 barca. Sadly though despite all his effort the goal goes down as an own goal and Messi is stripped of his first open goal. A better start could not have been asked for. Sensibly now barca want to slow things down and being a man down you can understand that. But Messi is hungry. He wants his goal and he keeps trying but nothing comes of it until the dying minutes of the game when his shot again takes a deflection but this time falls to Roberto who volleys it home wrapping up the game and with that taking our deserved 3 points.

Who would have thought Barcelona a new young look Barcelona would have beaten Celta away from home. Koeman is proving to be a smart decision and its hard to admit it because I was against him coming. Maybe just maybe this might be the start to a new golden era at Barcelona.