Barcelona, inspired by the peerless Lionel Messi, delivered a soccer master class to overwhelm Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League final and lift the European Cup for the fourth time on Saturday.
Messi was at his inspirational best all night at Wembley as the champions of Spain left the champions of England looking like desperate also-rans in the face of their relentless intricate passing and deadly movement.
United somehow reached halftime level at 1-1 after Wayne Rooney cancelled out Pedro’s opening goal but Barcelona continued their dominance after the break.
A superb Messi goal and a precise 18-metre curler by David Villa, underlined the Spanish side’s dominance over the team they also beat in the 2009 final.
After a short-lived United flurry at the start, Barca were soon in control as they probed constantly in and around the United box.
