Luis Suarez vs. Guangzhou Evergrande: Highlights, Twitter Reaction to Hat-Trick

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez showed he’s well capable of assuming a talismanic role for his team by netting a hat-trick in Thursday’s showdown with Guangzhou Evergrande in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup.

The Blaugrana were without both Lionel Messi and Neymar for this one, but Suarez netted goals in the 39th, 50th and 67th minutes to confirm a final showdown with South American champions River Plate in Yokohama on Sunday.

The first strike was all about the anticipation of the forward, who was fastest to react and capitalise on a goalkeeping error, shared by Danny R. (h/t barcastuff):

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Video: Goal Suarez (1-0) #fcblive [via @danrocha7] https://t.co/1qb7SttPNM

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) December 17, 2015"

Suarez’s second goal was the pick of the three, as he latched onto a sumptuous pass from Andres Iniesta and finished emphatically, shared by Football Tweets:

The 28-year-old made the game safe for his side 17 minutes later, completing his treble with a well-taken penalty, shared by SoccerNews.com:

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#ElPistolero completes a hat-trick for #Barcelona from the penalty spot. #Suarez #ClubWorldCup https://t.co/l0W5n3uqft

— SoccerNews.com (@SoccerNewsFeed) December 17, 2015"

As noted by Barcelona fan site Grup 14 founder Rafael Hernandez, it was a groundbreaking achievement from the former Liverpool forward:

Although Neymar and Messi often draw plenty of praise for their flashy exploits up front, Suarez has also been in magnificent form as of late, per Squawka:

The forward seemed to relish the responsibility of leading the attack during his Liverpool days, and he showed that trait again in spades here. It’s certainly encouraging for Barcelona supporters that even without two prongs of their stellar attacking trident, in Suarez they have a world-class operator who is capable of being a decisive influence.

Looking ahead, the challenge for Suarez will be to have a similar impact against a better quality of opponent in River on Sunday. His form this season suggests the Argentinian giants will have to be at their best to nullify his quality.