Behind the scenes of FC Barcelona vs. Bayern

"The talent of the FC Barcelona players was the difference. It is a tough result", is how an unequivocal Pep Guardiola, the now FC Bayern München manager, summed things up after his side were beaten 3-0 by los azulgrana in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie. The defeat complicates matters for the Bavarians, who will have to mount an impressive comeback in the Allianz Arena if they are to reach 'their' final in Berlin.

However, aside from goals and great pieces of play, the Barcelona versus Bayern showdown also threw up some spectacular stats. The man of the hour, without any shadow of a doubt, was Lionel Messi, who marked his 100th European encounter with a dream win. The Argentine, who had never scored against Manuel Neuer (not even with his national team), beat the German keeper on two occasions to send the Camp Nou into raptures.  This brace moved the South American forward to first place in the list of Champions League top scorers, with 77 goals, one ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (76).

So perfect was the Catalan side’s performance that the whole starting eleven, with the exception of Luis Suárez, completed over 80% of their passes. Bayern had the majority of the possession (54%), but only managed one strike on goal during the entire 90 minutes. In this aspect of the game, the Germans fell well behind Barca, who created eight attempts on goal, three of which found their way into the back of the net.

Additionally, the match also threw up some memorable images from the dugouts. The reunion of two old acquaintances: Luis Enrique head-to-head with Pep Guardiola, two men united by their shared past as well as their passion for Barcelona, a team that took a giant step towards reaching the 6 June final in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.