The team was in danger of facing the same pressure like Real Madrid after two group games. But El Pistolero delivered tonight!
Fun game, with Inter showing how much they have progressed under Conte in a short period of time. Better team in the first half, with such organized defending while applying occasional high pressure throughout the whole match. Not the main contenders yet probably, but they are going in the right direction right now.
Still annoyed as usual that many really up their aggression against Barca while the refs allow that on a regular basis. Of the three yellow cards they received, two weren't even on the pitch. Alexis and Conte were talking too much. Meanwhile Pique got booked for a clean challenge on the ball. Even as a guy who hates diving I have started reacting negatively towards the ref after Suarez's signature falls. Can't draw attention to their awful and double standards anymore. Signore Collina, football misses you badly.
Griezmann had a quiet night and is still adapting, and it doesn't help that he is mostly on the left wing these days. Dembele made the game more lively after replacing him. And so did Vidal with his exceptional work rate after replacing Busquets, who sadly is not even a shadow of the best defensive midfielder he used to be. Leo didn't have many opportunities but that was also down to him dropping to a playmaker role. He had some good passes and magical dribbles as usual, most notably escaping Asamoah in the build up to the winning goal.
Suarez's goals tonight were football art, just like so many of the 400+ he has scored over the years. Volley outside the area for the equalizer, and a late winning goal was even better. Amazing first touch got him away from Godin and placed him one on one with Handanovic, with other two defenders desperately trying to close him down, but that one touch was too good for anyone to intervene in time. One of the best and most entertaining footballers the club has witnessed, and with consistency thrown in there, it's no wonder that he is only three goals away from becoming Barcelona's fourth best goalscorer, just under five years since making his debut.
Simple finish sealed a 2-1 victory, and it's now much easier to breathe regarding the group standings. Two games with Slavia Prague coming up while Inter and Dortmund will clash between themselves a couple of times, it presents a good opportunity to seal progress to the knockouts.
Good luck to Inter on Sunday in Derby d'Italia. I hope they win it and make this Calcio season interesting.
As for us, we have a big La Liga game coming on the same day. Playing Sevilla at Camp Nou before the international break. Pique, who was decent against Inter, will be most likely accompanied by Todibo in defense since Lenglet is suspended while Umtiti is still out. However there is a positive of Messi finally playing a full game this season, looking ready to lead the Blaugrana again. Hopefully Sunday will see the team get a third straight win in La Liga and Leo getting off the mark for the season playing against his favorite opponents, kick starting better days for Barcelona...