Neymar scored twice as Barcelona recorded a 3-0 win over BATE Borisov in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Brazilian's first at Camp Nou came from the penalty spot, before he added a second in the 83rd minute.
Luis Suarez was also on the scoresheet for the Spanish giants, who sit top of Group E on 10 points.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two teams.
Match statistics
BARCELONA
Shots: 20
On target: 7
Possession: 69%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 10
BATE
Shots: 5
On target: 3
Possession: 31%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
Football, perhaps more so than any other sport, has a funny way of producing the unexpected. However, that was not the case at Camp Nou on Wednesday. It was expected to be three straightforward points for Barcelona and that is what occurred. The statistics show that the Catalan outfit had 20 attempts to BATE's five, while they also had almost 70% of the possession on a night where the hosts did not really need to get out of second gear. BATE had their moments, especially in the early stages of the second period, but Barcelona were never in danger of losing control. A 3-0 home win was a fair reflection of events in Spain.
Barcelona's performance
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique shuffled his pack for this match, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Thomas Vermaelen and Adriano among those that were given starts. There was to be no resting Suarez or Neymar, however, and it was fitting that those two once again produced in the absence of a certain Lionel Messi. It is the type of match where Barcelona did not really need to get out of second gear, but they still had more than enough to claim all the points. It was Neymar that set up Suarez for the first real chance of the match in the fifth minute, but the Uruguay international could not beat an impressive BATE goalkeeper.
The opportunities continued to arrive for the hosts, with Munir El Haddadi also coming close, but it was a penalty that saw Enrique's side open the scoring after Munir had been felled by Filip Mladenovic. Neymar stepped up to calmly find the back of the net and Barcelona never looked in danger of giving up the lead. It should have been 2-0 early in the second half when Neymar and Andres Iniesta both had chances, but BATE remained in the match approaching the final 30 minutes. The killer goal came on the hour mark, however, with Neymar cutting inside before finding Suarez, who poked his effort past Syarhey Chernik.
Chernik, who had a fine game for BATE, produced a super save to deny Neymar in the 68th minute, before Suarez hit the post from close range. Barcelona were not to be denied a third goal, however, with Suarez setting up Neymar, who could not miss. In the end, it was a very comfortable three points for the Spanish giants. Roma's win over Bayer Leverkusen meant that qualification was not secured on the night, but only a remarkable turnaround will stop Barcelona from easing into the round of 16.
BATE's performance
Having already won their domestic title last month, BATE entered this match with an XI that showed six changes from their league game at the weekend. The Belarusian outfit did not really attack Barcelona in the reverse match two weeks ago and it was not a surprise when the visitors took up a defensive shape at Camp Nou. That said, it was a tactic that worked for long spells of the first period, with Barcelona struggling to find gaps in the final third. A tug on Munir's shirt proved vital in the first half, however, with Neymar stepping up to open the scoring. From that moment forward, they were always in trouble.
Ihar Stasevich came closest to registering for BATE in the first half, but his free kick was straight at Ter Stegen. The visitors had a strong shout for a penalty early in the second period, however, when Stasevich went down under pressure from Adriano. The incident was very similar to the one that ended with a Barcelona spot kick and the visitors had a right to be aggrieved. They never really recovered from that moment, however, and when Suarez made it 2-0, the game was over in terms of a contest.
Aleksandr Hleb made a Camp Nou return for the final 20 minutes, but it was Barcelona that continued to dominate the game and they could have been further ahead by the time that Neymar made it three. In the end, BATE will feel that 3-0 is a slightly unfair reflection on the game, but Barcelona did miss a number of chances throughout the evening. The Belarusian outfit can still qualify for the next round, however, as they currently sit just two points off second-place Roma with two games remaining.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Neymar: The Brazilian is having a wonderful season for Barcelona and he continued that form against BATE. In truth, Suarez could easily have been handed this award after putting in another excellent performance, but two-goal Neymar just gets the nod on this occasion. A cool penalty from the 23-year-old opened the scoring, before he added a second late on. It was also Neymar that set up Suarez for Barcelona's second on what was another exceptional display from the attacker.
Biggest gaffe
BATE will feel that they should have been awarded a penalty early in the second period and they had a very strong case. Adriano bundled Stasevich to the ground in an incident that was very similar to the spot kick that was given to Barcelona. It was a clumsy challenge from Adriano, but neither the referee, the linesman nor the official behind the goal flinched.
Referee performance
Referee Istvan Vad needed help from his linesman to award Barcelona their first-half penalty and although it was a touch soft, it was probably the correct decision. The Hungarian, who issued just four yellow cards, should have awarded BATE a spot kick early in the second half, however, following the incident discussed above. Overall, it was a comfortable evening for Vad, but BATE may well have some complaints.
What next?
Barcelona: The Catalan outfit will continue their La Liga campaign at home to Villarreal on Sunday. Their next Champions League match is against Roma on November 24.
BATE: The Belarusian outfit, who have already won their league, return to domestic action against Slutsk on Sunday. Their next Champions League match is at home to Bayer Leverkusen on November 24.
Matt Law
