Barcelona’s awe-inspiring display makes them worthy Champions League winners

Ivan Rakitic had given Barcelona the lead only for Alvaro Morata to equalise in the second half, before Suarez ensured the Catalan side won the competition for a third time in the past seven years.

Barcelona players celebrate after beating Juventus 2-1 in the final to win the Uefa Champions League. Dylan Martinez / Reuters

Barcelona 3 Juventus 1

Barcelona: Rakitic 4', Suarez 68' Neymar 90+5'

Juventus: Morata 55

Berlin // The celebration after Barcelona's opening goal said everything: Ivan Rakitic, Neymar, Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba stood for a moment staring at each other before embracing and being joined by their teammates. This was a goal of which even they were in awe.

Although Juventus fought back with courage and imagination, even pulling level, Barca in the end were simply too good, confirming themselves as the team of the past decade with their fourth Uefa Champions League triumph in the past nine years, their third in the past six, and third trophy of the season.

The game began almost too well. Within four minutes Barcelona had produced a goal that was not merely of exquisite quality but seemed a manifestation of their entire philosophy.

It began with a throw in on the left just inside the Juve half.

Ten passes later, the ball arrived with Lionel Messi just outside the centre circle.

He hit a rapid diagonal, and the angle and pace of the attack was transformed.

Alba, hurtling from left-back into the space Juve’s midfield diamond inevitably left, knocked the ball infield for Neymar, who held it up until Iniesta had made a dart away from Arturo Vidal.

From there, it was all very simple: a square pass and a sidefoot into an empty net from Rakitic.

Juve, understandably, looked dazed: it took them about 20 minutes to come around, in which time Vidal was extremely fortunate not to be sent off, Neymar twice went close and Gianluigi Buffon produced a stunning save from Dani Alves.

The game did, at last, settle into something like a normal rhythm and there was perhaps some comfort for Juve in the fact they were only 1-0 down, but the truth was that even when they had possession in the Barca half, it was their opponents who looked the more likely to score, such was the threat of the Barca front three on the break.

The second half began in much the same vein, Buffon saving from Suarez on the break and Messi firing over after a mesmerising flurry of one-twos.

But the more chances Barca missed, the more Juve seemed to believe and, 10 minutes into the second half, they levelled, Claudio Marchisio releasing Stephan Lichtsteiner with a back-heel.

Carlos Tevez’s effort from his initial shot was saved, but Alvaro Morata, the former Real Madrid forward, banged in the rebound.

Briefly the game wobbled in the balance, but in an even contest there is always Messi to swing things Barcelona’s way.

Released by a perfectly weighted ball from Rakitic, he did superbly to create the angle for a shot and, when Buffon parried that, Suarez at last found the net, slamming the ball in from six yards.

The way Barca celebrated spoke of relief – they had, perhaps, become seduced by their own brilliance, lacking the edge to finish off the game.

Having regained the lead, there were no slip-ups. Aside from a flap at a corner from Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Juve never really looked like ­equalising.

Then in injury time, Neymar, who had seen a goal ruled out after heading the ball into his hand, added a third, running clear and exchanging passes with Pedro as Juve desperately sought an equaliser.

So Xavi, in his final game for the club, played in his third successful final – he was on the bench in 2006 – and man-of-the-match Andres Iniesta, won the title for a fourth time. There were five others who also played in 2009 and 2011.

The sense of drift that had gripped the club over the past couple of seasons has gone: a re-energised, more flexible Barcelona has returned to the summit of European football.

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