At the Juventus Stadium in Turin, it was Juventus who overcame Barcelona on a final score-line of 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final UEFA Champions League clash, two goals from Argentine sensation Paulo Dybala proving the catalyst on the night.
The 23-year-old's third and fourth UCL goals of the 2016/17 season, both netted in the opening half, were built on following the restart by Giorgio Chiellini’s header as Barca struggled to test Gianluigi Buffon as much as they would have liked.
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The result now means the Serie A giants are in the driving seat for the return leg at the Nou Camp, and Luis Enrique’s Catalan outfit will need to summon the spirit of their PSG comeback win if they are to advance – but it's not going to be easy.
It was Juve’s night with such a big win, however. Join us in looking back at how they managed it.
Dybala’s clinical finishing typical of the Bianconeri
If Barcelona have been pretty good at magicking up goals out of nowhere so far this season, then Dybala was keen to let them know they're not the only conjurers of exciting reveals as the masked crusader popped up to surprise them with a delightful double all of his own.
The first, a truly remarkable effort which saw him pivot halfway inside the 18-yard box to sweep the ball past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen from an acute angle, was also a stylish team goal.
Seven passes in the seventh minute saw the Old Lady transition the ball from defence to attack in a matter of seconds as Barca were left chasing shadows when Juan Cuadrado eventually laid the final ball off for Dybala to finish.
It was characteristic of Juventus – the tenacity to attack their opponents, the will to drive at them, the audacity to score from such an unorthodox angle and the way they took the chance with aplomb summed up their approach to the big game and ultimately proved the difference.
It was a similar tale for the second goal of the night.
Seventy-five seconds after Lionel Messi played arguably the greatest pass seen so far this season – bypassing two defenders, as well as steering the ball through the legs of a third, to set up Andres Iniesta for a one-on-one with Buffon that the keeper saved expertly – Juventus had the ball in the back of the net at the other end (and they had even successfully defended a corner in the interim).
Dybala, it was, once again to steer the ball home with his trusty left foot, delightfully curling a pull-back past Ter Stegen with tremendous venom to send the home spectators into a frenzy.
Barca weren’t clinical enough, wasting all their chances and were left huffing and puffing as Juventus cantered to the finish line, grinning ear to ear for not only the margin of the victory but also because of the manner of it. They were simply better not just in front of the opposition goal, but around their own box, too.
Elastic formation propelled Juve to new heights
The secret to their victory wasn't all that well concealed to be perfectly honest, but it baffled Barca so effectively it didn't really matter in the end.
As is generally the case, Barcelona were always expecting to see more of the ball and Juventus knew that if they were going to win they’d have to maximise the end product of their comparatively minimal time in possession, and that’s exactly what they did. As mentioned, they transitioned the ball rapidly from defence to attack, but it was the way they managed it that really caught the eye.
They were unafraid to make dribbling runs – Cuadrado, Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Miralem Pjanic were all particularly effective from midfield to attack in making use of the passes out from defence. Not only did it allow them rare opportunities to test the Barcelona rearguard, but also gave their own defensive unit some well-earned respite from the concentration of repelling crosses, stabbing away speculative passes into the heart of their defence or of defending set pieces.
Juventus expertly managed to switch from very deep, defensive-minded and cautious to stretched, expansive and daring in attack time and again. And it all happened regularly with the flick of a boot, the drop of a shoulder or the ability to win a tactical foul in a clever area. They were always switched on, as they needed to be against such a talented opposition.
They pressed high at times, as was expected to happen in the early exchanges of either half, but they were clever enough to conserve their energy for the long stretches of time when the Blaugrana were camped within 30 yards of their goal line.
Related: Twitter explodes as Paulo Dybala inspired Juventus thrash Barcelona 3-0
Hard-working fullbacks proved key to win
We’ve all heard the expression ‘he played like a man possessed’, but Dani Alves put something of a special spin on that phrase as he played more like a man who never possessed the Barcelona contract he wanted before they sold him. Okay...so, it’ll probably never catch on.
Terrible jokes aside, the former Barca fullback was one of the standout performers. He gave fellow Brazilian Neymar Jr. a torrid time, especially in the first half. Harrying him from behind every time the 24-year-old got anywhere near the ball on the left flank, Alves’ efforts were a little over-zealous at times (he earned himself a yellow card at one point), but they were super effective in shutting down much of the danger Barca possessed in attack.
His demonic work-rate spread like wildfire throughout the team as they all followed suit, getting stuck into tackles and riling up their much-fancied rivals on the night at every opportunity they could.
Barca gave as good as they got, but it detracted from their efforts to actually score – they probably paid too much heed of the niggling shoulders and odd stray boot.
Alex Sandro, too, on the opposite side of Alves, was exceptional, performing a similar role on Lionel Messi. Often ushering the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in towards a more central role, he minimised his influence (aside from that pass for Iniesta and the dink for Luis Suarez in the final 20 minutes)) and allowed the heart of the defence shut down much of the narrow atacks.
It wasn’t the ultimate platform behind Juventus' win, but it was certainly one of the key reasons. The truth is that the entire XI played like a veritable team from the moment the first whistle was blown until the last, and that shoud steel them heading into the second leg, as they enter the ground that is perhaps best known for crushing the heady wishes of hopeful challengers.
