Barcelona vs. Sampdoria. Score, Reaction from 2016 Joan Gamper Trophy
Barcelona grabbed their first trophy of the 2016-17 season on Wednesday, beating Sampdoria 3-2 in the Joan Gamper Trophy match at the Camp Nou stadium.
Lionel Messi scored twice in the first half and added an assist for Luis Suarez's opener as well, as the Catalans dominated Sampdoria. Luis Muriel hit back for the visitors, but the Italians never seemed capable of keeping up with the Blaugrana.
The Catalans failed to convert a host of chances after the break, and Ante Budimir restored some excitement with a goal 15 minutes before the final whistle.
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As shared by the club's official Twitter account, Barcelona gave summer signing Lucas Digne the chance to start, while Suarez and Messi also made the starting XI:
Sampdoria were the last club to beat Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy, back in 2012, and the Catalans showed early they were keen to avenge that loss. The visitors aimed for the counter-attack, but a quick break from the hosts nearly saw Messi poke home from close range.
Arda Turan forced Emiliano Viviano into a fine save with a powerful header, before Fabio Quagliarella almost picked out Karol Linetty with a cross on the other side of the pitch.
A quick combination between Turan and Suarez almost unlocked the Italian defence, while Sampdoria gladly attacked as well, with Quagliarella trying his luck with a shot. The former Juventus man was one of Sampdoria's main bright spots early, while Andres Iniesta stole the show early for the hosts.
The Spaniard fired a hard shot wide of the goal before setting up a beautiful attack for Barcelona's first goal, with Messi finding Suarez with a clever overhead kick. La Liga blogger Rafael Hernandez loved it:
The goal appeared to hand Barcelona the boost they needed after a slow start, and just a few minutes later, Messi doubled their lead. The Argentinian continued a run into the box after a chipped pass and lingered after the attack broke down, setting him up for an easy goal after the ball was sent back over the top of the defence.
Sampdoria reduced the deficit within the minute, however, as Iniesta gave away a poor ball in front of his own goal, and a quick passing move ended with Muriel firing the ball past Claudio Bravo.
Sport English liked how the visitors set up the goal:
Suarez hit the side netting after a fantastic feed from Messi, who got the ball after a hustle play from Sergi Roberto, before the match was halted for a lengthy injury break. Lucas Torreira was the victim, hurting his lower leg after he blocked a shot from Messi.
Messi scored his second of the night just past the half-hour mark, curling a free-kick into the corner from a long way out and completely fooling Viviano. Sport's Rik Sharma noted he's rounding into form after a poor pre-season so far:
The Catalans shared this beautiful video of the goal:
A handful of substitutions dragged the pace out of the match, and chances became rare before the half-time whistle. Suarez had a shot blocked that fell on the roof of the goal and the resulting corner produced a bit of a scramble in the box, but Sampdoria held firm, although they were still trailing by two goals at the break.
Sampdoria tried to press high up the pitch to start the second half, but it nearly cost them early, as Aleix Vidal nearly picked out Turan to finish off a counter-attack. Turan collided hard with the post on the play, but he was able to continue.
Messi headed a chance straight into the hands of Viviano, and Iniesta almost carved open the Sampdoria defence with a great pass, looking for Messi.
Angelo Palombo fired a shot well off target, as Sampdoria no longer posed a real attacking threat and the match turned into more of an opportunity to show off Barcelona's new squad.
Messi nearly picked out Suarez with a wonderful through ball, but Viviano spotted the danger and quickly left his line. Iniesta tried to do the same, but once again, the Uruguayan had wandered offside.
Andre Gomes and Samuel Umtiti made their Barcelona debuts shortly after, to the delight of La Liga blogger Sergi Dominguez:
Turan fired a shot off the crossbar after a great pass from Messi, and the Argentinian himself curled a shot over the goal after a typical Barcelona passing move around the box.
Denis Suarez was the next man to go close, hitting the post, and a fourth goal seemed inevitable. Another break in play once again halted their momentum, however, allowing Sampdoria to catch their breath.
Messi's night came to an end after 75 minutes, as he was replaced by Munir El Haddadi, and as soon as the Argentinian came off the pitch, Sampdoria reduced the deficit to a single goal. Budimir took care of the scoring, bringing the ball down with his chest before smashing home a great finish.
Sampdoria now went looking for a late equaliser against Barcelona's back-ups, but the Blaugrana did well to shut their attack down. Suarez drew a fine save from back-up goalkeeper Christian Puggioni with an excellent free-kick before the official brought the match to an end.
Barcelona's next outing will be the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla, while Sampdoria won't start their Serie A campaign until Sunday, August 21, against Empoli.
Post-Match Reaction
As shared by the club's official Twitter account, Gomes was impressed with his new team-mates:
The Portugal international faces a real battle to earn a spot in the starting XI, as the Catalans' regular starters put together a fine showing against Sampdoria. Iniesta in particular impressed, with the exception of his poor pass that led to the Italians' first goal, and the veteran seems more than ready for the new season.
