By Njabulo Ngidi – IOL
Three mistakes, three goals and just after the hour mark Mamelodi Sundowns were down for the count and Barcelona had done what they were expected to do – easily brush aside the Brazilians.
Lionel Messi wasn’t even on the field by the time Barcelona were 3-0 up. The Argentine started on the bench due to the minor knock he was carrying, giving Percy Tau a head start in the Percy vs Messi duel. Tau turned the sold-out crowd here into lions as they roared for his every touch. But Barcelona were the real lions, devouring Sundowns in an international friendly that’s part of the Nelson Mandela centenary celebrations.
The Brazilians could have used some Madiba Magic in an uphill battle against the Spanish champions. In the absence of the magic from the late former President, Sundowns had to make do with Tau magic.
But Sundowns’ talisman was without his magic wand. He was starved of the ball through Barcelona’s good pressing game. In the moments Tau had the ball he showed glimpses of his magic but it wasn’t enough. He broke free early into the match thanks to his pace and tried to cheekily chip the ball over Marc-Andre ter Stegen but it didn’t have enough power behind it.
The Percy vs Messi “show” was a damp squib. Tau struggled to take a leading role and the Argentine was on the bench for the better part of this match. Messi however easily won this “contest” as he received loud applauses by just warming up. When he entered on the 73rd minute this stadium looked like a disco light, brightly lit by flash lights from adoring fans who wanted to capture a moment of arguably the best player of his generation.
