“While there is a 1% chance, we will have 99% faith.” – Neymar
Before the game, Neymar’s tweet was a rallying cry to the Barcelona supporters who were probably tired of seeing the same stat over and over again on television and social media. No team had erased a 4-0 first-leg deficit in the Champions League before.
Statisticians never gave them a chance. Rival fans revelled in the systematic destruction of the temple and the philosophy that made Barcelona mes que un club.
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When Edinson Cavani volleyed home Paris Saint-Germain’s only goal in the 62nd minute, the signs were ominous. Up in the Camp Nou nosebleeds, a few thousand PSG fans suddenly found their voice. Angel Di Maria, no stranger to the hostile atmosphere at Barcelona, put a finger to his lips as a number of Catalan fans visibly slumped in their seats.
Before the goal, Barcelona led 3-0 and needed just one goal to take it to extra-time. Neymar had won the penalty to make it 3-0 when Thomas Meunier had attempted to foolishly stop him with a one-headed and brainless tackle inside the box. The unlikely comeback was well and truly on.
Also read: Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain - 5 Talking Points
But once the Uruguayan striker’s shot rifled the net, Barcelona needed three goals to win as UEFA’s head honchos basked in the glory of the much-maligned “away goals” rule.
Unai Emery had plans to stop Lionel Messi in spite of Luis Enrique’s drastic change in the formation. Luis Suarez, one of the senior players in the squad, was losing his head after having tripped on nothing but air to earn himself a booking. Neymar had also been guilty of letting the frustration get to him when he earned a booking for a petulant kick at Marquinhos.
Three goals with three minutes to go? Impossible!
It was at that moment when Neymar calmed down. While the others around him lost their way in the melee of white PSG shirts camped in their own half, the young Brazilian managed to find space.
And then, in six minutes, Neymar put to bed any doubts about whether he was the right man to step into Messi’s enormous boots once the Argentine forward’s Barca career came to an end. In six minutes Neymar matured beyond his years while Emery’s hair slowly turned grey.
With two minutes of regulation time to go, a few fans had already made their way out of the stadium, shaking their heads. Having scored three goals in 87 minutes, where were they going to find another three in as many minutes?
Only Neymar knew the answer. It all started with that free-kick.
Kevin Trapp had set up his wall and looked confident with the ball placed 30 yards from goal. The whistle blew and, without a hint of any sort of run-up, Neymar simply took two steps and curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner at the near post. Trapp was wrong-footed at the worst possible millisecond and he sank to his knees as Barcelona quickly retreated to restart the game.
A minute later, Marquinhos’ knee made contact with Luis Suarez and Barcelona won a second penalty. Neymar stepped up again and in typical Neymar fashion, he danced around in the box like a prize-fighter circling his prey. He hesitated as he usually did to see if the goalkeeper would react – Trapp did not budge. And then he side-footed it past the German goalkeeper who went the wrong way.
The clock struck 90:00 just as the ball found the back of the net.
The impossible dream that became PSG’s worst nightmare
Barcelona led 5-1 on the night. 5-5 on aggregate. Eliminated on away goals as things stood.
By this point, PSG had capitulated and were mentally broken. They were not just concerned but absolutely terrified as they invited pressure. With over 90,000 fans raising the roof and snarling at every touch they made, they capitulated.
In those six minutes, PSG made just four successful passes – three of which were from kickoff.
Also read: Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain (6-5 agg.) – Tactical Analysis
And then it happened. Marc-André Ter Stegen, of all people, won a foul in the PSG half when he tried to recover a lost ball. With PSG well and truly on the ropes and time running out, Neymar kept his cool to deliver the knockout punch – or at least he provided the thrust to deliver it.
Barcelona had been attempting to cross balls into the box all game to bypass PSG’s midfield but had no luck whatsoever against their defence. So Neymar did the next best thing; he chipped the ball over the defence who played a high line to keep Barca at bay.
It wasn’t a routine long ball. He wasn’t throwing up a prayer. It was a calculated risk with the amount of space available between the defensive line and the goalkeeper. Gerard Pique was tightly marked. Messi was nowhere to be found. Suarez waited on the periphery of the human bodies in the box. So Sergi Roberto scored. The flag stayed down. The comeback was complete.
In six minutes, Neymar had produced a performance that turned the tables. A 1% chance became a 100% certainty.
“This is the best game I have ever played. For what it meant, for what we experienced and because I am in great form.” – Neymar
An imperfect heir, but an heir nonetheless
Only two months ago, the Brazilian was struggling for goals. He had gone over 1,000 minutes without scoring. He had more yellow cards than assists in that period (in all competitions). In the two seasons prior, he had scored 70 goals. This season? Only 12 prior to kickoff against PSG.
Questions were asked as one-third of the menacing MSN trident began to lose its sheen. It was a stark contrast to the season before when it was Neymar who kept Barcelona in the hunt while Messi recuperated from a knee injury that sidelined him for two months.
But Neymar thrives on pressure. We’ve seen it all before. His performances at the 2014 World Cup almost heralded him as the next best thing after Pele (or even Garrincha) before an unfortunate injury saw an entire nation weep days before the 7-1 humiliation.
Back in Spain, there were the distractions of the tax fraud case that cost him both time and money. Barcelona were in the dock for concealing approximately €25m of his transfer fee. His father’s comments in the press regarding a move away from Spain and even possible suitors only made Neymar Jr a lightning rod for criticism.
He wasn’t spared on the field either. The menace that he is, he does wind up opponents with banter that is frowned upon (nobody knows what he says since La Liga players are trained to cover their mouths to bamboozle lip readers) before he tries to outfox them with trickery and showboating even when the game is well and truly won.
It is no wonder then that he is one of the most fouled players in the league. But while Messi gets away from his opponents with supreme ease thanks to his second brain in his left foot, Neymar is his own man and lives and breathes Joga Bonito – playing the game with his Samba skills that his country is famous for.
“I'm not doing it to make people angry; this is my type of game.” – Neymar
It’s in his blood. It’s in his nature. We have seen it all since his days at Santos.
Perhaps with age, his maturity will reach a point where he understands and respects the opponents, respects the game. But until he is crowned the King of Barcelona, allow him do his thing. Allow him to have fun. After all, nobody questioned Messi’s ebullient mentor when he was leaving an indelible mark in Barcelona – one who went by the name of Ronaldinho.
One other thing he can learn from Messi is his theatrics – or the lack of it. No matter how many times they pull his shirt, no matter how many times his ankles take punishment from defenders slow to react, no matter how many times he is tripped up – Messi keeps going. The ball is all that matters. Not the drama and the imaginary yellow card waved at the referee.
Messi continues to astonish and thrill one and all every season. Neymar is also doing that and probably has a couple of years to go before he really hits his peak. That is a terrifying thought for opponents. But the same was said of Messi when he took the no.10 shirt and we all saw how he plundered 91 goals in a calendar year.
And yet, he wants nothing to do with titles and awards as long as Messi is still his teammate – a man he reveres. He knows he is nowhere close to catching up with his captain’s exploits yet and that humility will take him far while he carves his own identity within the club.
Until then, savour the entertainment when he has the ball at his feet. Listen to those sharp intakes of breath when he attempts the impossible. Feel the hair on your arm stand up when he nearly accomplishes the seemingly impossible.
Eventually, we may finally accept that Neymar will achieve the impossible – stepping into Messi’s shoes.
