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Messi back at his best for Barca
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BARCELONA kept winning during Lionel Messi’s injury absence but the fans were still clearly delighted to have him back on Tuesday and he rewarded their patience with a signature performance against AS Roma.
The Argentina forward, making his first start since he damaged a knee at the end of September, played as if he had never been away in the holder’s 6-1 Champions League Group E drubbing of the Italian side at the Nou Camp, netting a double and generally running the show.
The familiar chants of “Messi! Messi! Messi!” rang out around the giant stadium and the beaming smile on his face, which shows he is back enjoying what he does best, is an ominous sign for Barcelona’s rivals.
The victory, which included a brace from Luis Suarez and goals from Gerard Pique and Adriano, ensured Barcelona went through to the last 16 as section winner and it has negotiated the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition for a 12th consecutive season.
The demolition of Roma followed hard on the heels of last Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of arch rival Real Madrid in La Liga, when Messi made his return from injury for the last 30 minutes, and on current form Barcelona appears unstoppable as it seeks to defend the treble of titles it won last season.
The Catalans are four points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid in Spain’s top flight after 12 matches, with Real a further two points back in third.
Goals from Uruguay striker Suarez and Brazil forward Neymar kept Barcelona ticking over while Messi, 28 was sidelined and the four-time World Player of the Year said the team had proved it did not rely too heavily on his talents. “We have never said that ourselves and it has been proved,” he said. “I had a bad time not being on the pitch but I enjoyed watching what my teammates did in each game.”
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