Truths: Brilliant Ibrahimovic gets English sides on red alert

Champions League
Truths: Brilliant Ibrahimovic gets English sides on red alert

Chelsea must ‘do an Arsenal’ to save their season; Zlatan Ibrahimovic will have Premier League clubs salivating; everyone wants to draw Benfica – it’s three truths from an eventful night in the Champions League…

1-Zlatan gets Premier League teams on red alert

Zlatan Ibrahimovic loves shutting the English up. Fans in this country have always been somewhat sceptical about the Swede's ability to perform at the highest level, with his greatest success coming in foreign leagues away from the mainstream spotlight. Champions League and World Cups? He's never really done it. Flat track pony, say the critics. It's a charge that, understandably, irritates one of the greatest forwards of his generation. That's why he enjoyed scoring that absurd overhead kick against England so much - and it's why he will have relished grabbing a goal and an assist at Stamford Bridge. What better way to silence the doubters once and for all than to spend a season or two causing havoc in the Premier League? Based on last night-s performance, and even at 34, there will be plenty of takers for the Swede when his contract with PSG expires in the summer.

2-Chelsea must 'do an Arsenal' and win FA Cup to save their season

For the past two years, Chelsea have been able to watch Arsene Wenger’s side make a last-ditch bid to salvage their season by carrying off the FA Cup. Under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea had the luxury of forgetting about the world’s oldest competition. Who needs the old pot when you are finishing in the Premier League top four, winning the title and competing in the latter stages of the Champions League?

As we know, life has not been such a bed of roses for the Chelsea fans this season. Defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 more or less ended their hopes of qualifying for Europe's elite competition next season. 10th in the table, 10 points behind Manchester City in fourth, they can forget about dining at Europe’s top table next term. Now it is all about damage limitation for last season’s fallen champions. Guus Hiddink won the trophy the last time he was Chelsea interim coach seven years ago. He must try a similar stunt this season. Like Arsenal, any form of silverware would be viewed as a form of gold in this most trying of campaigns.

3-Diego Costa is a monster - when he wants to be

Costa produced a barnstorming performance last night, and his departure through injury on the hour mark as good as ended Chelsea's chances. Strong, skilful and unrelentingly aggressive, Costa's display was the stuff of defensive nightmares. Goodness only knows what was going on in the first half of the season to make him so insipid and ineffective under Jose Mourinho, but he has since shown he has everything in his armoury to be one of the continent's elite forwards.

4-Everyone wants Benfica in the quarter-finals

The Portuguese champions have won 16 of their last 17 matches, including home-and-away victories over Zenit St St Petersburg in the Champions League last 16. But can they get past the big boys in the last eight? Not going by Tuesday's performance in Russia, despite the 2-1 win at the Petrovsky Stadium.

True, Benfica were missing their goalkeeper Julio Cesar and three first-choice defenders against Andres Villas-Boas' side, but they surely lack the quality to go any further in the competition. They have relied on the goals of Kostas Mitroglou in their recent run, but the Greek striker looks more like the Fulham flop of 2014 than the goal-a-game model of 2016 when he steps up a level from the Primeira Liga to the Champions League knock-out stages

Real Madrid are not the best team – but of course they can win the European Cup again

Champions League
Real Madrid are not the best team – but of course they can win the European Cup again

Real Madrid can still win the Champions League - but they will need two key ingredients, writes Pete Jenson.

This is not a betting column. I get into enough trouble suggesting Gary Neville can be the English Pep Guardiola and Gareth Bale can top-score at the Euros this summer without advising people what to do with their money, but Real Madrid at odds as long as 7-1 with some bookmakers for the Champions League. Seriously?

They are not the best team in Europe. We know that. They are not even the best team in Madrid at the moment. And all things being equal Barcelona will become the first team to win back-to-back Champions Leagues this May in Milan. But the European Cup is not always won by the best team. Inter Milan were not the best team in Europe in 2010 and Chelsea were not the best in 2012 to give two examples form the last five tournaments.

This Real Madrid side still has seven of the 11 players who lifted the trophy two years ago. Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria were vital to their success although they won the final without the former. But what they have lost in midfield they have maybe gained in goal where Keylor Navas is in a better moment of form than Iker Casillas was in 2014. The latter’s mistake could have cost Real Madrid in the final. The former has gone eight Champions League games without letting in a single goal.

They have the tournament’s leading scorer. Ronaldo has more than anyone else in the competition so far this season with 13, and more than anyone in the competition's history scoring his 90th UCL goal in midweek.

Madrid also have Gareth Bale back. Don’t underestimate his importance. Bale has one flaw – he can’t play a 50-game season without missing weeks through injury but when he’s fit he can do everything Ronaldo can do. Injury blip aside Bale has now scored 14 goals in his last 17 matches.

According to El Pais this week, Bale’s six-week period on the sidelines need not have been so long had the club not had him train on sand to speed his recovery. Brazilian coach Wanderly Luxemburgo installed small sand pitches at the club’s Valdebebas training ground when he briefly coached Real Madrid. Keen to use them and keen to have a picture of Bale – close to comeback – powering through the sandpit, he was asked to incorporate it into his recuperation. He did so, begrudgingly, and duly set his return back a fortnight by opening up the muscle tear in his calf.

He is now back and flying however and where once there was discord with Ronaldo it seems now there is harmony. When Ronaldo went off on his “if everyone was at my level maybe we would win the league” rant recently he name-checked Gareth as one of those key players who he prefers to play alongside. He missed the Welshman.

If Bale stays fit – and the law of averages say he has had his weeks on the treatment table for this season – and if Karim Benzema comes back in form then Madrid have a front three to strike fear into most defences. Benzema’s season has been soiled by his off-the-field problems but on it he has scored 19 goals in 20 games. Madrid also have youngsters Lucas Vazquez and Jese Rodriguez to come off the bench – scoring goals will not be a problem and despite an at times less than convincing defence, that no-goals conceded record suggests they can keep them out in Europe too.

If they are to repeat the successes of 2014, 2002, 2000 and 1998 when they won the European Cup despite, and to a degree, because of poor domestic campaigns, two things will need to happen.

They will need to find someone to do as Alonso and Di Maria did in 2014. Casemiro is not in Alonso’s league but he is more comfortable in holding midfield than Toni Kroos. And when he plays there it releases Kroos into a more creative attacking role. It’s a part he has almost forgotten how to play, such has been his exile in that more restricting position.

And the draw needs to be kind of course. If they avoid Barcelona until the final then the current odds will have been generous, if they come out of the hat with them in the quarter-final draw then maybe not so much

Messi hits hat-trick as Barcelona set Spanish record

Liga

Messi hits hat-trick as Barcelona set Spanish record

La Liga, Campo de Futbol de Vallecas – Rayo Vallecano 1 (Manucho 57) Barcelona 5 (Rakitic 22, Messi 23, 53, 72, Turan 86)

Barcelona set a record for the longest unbeaten run by any Spanish team, extending their streak to 35 matches with a 5-1 win over nine-man Rayo Vallecano.

Lionel Messi struck a hat-trick as Paco Jemez’s side hit the self-destruct button, ending the match two men short after the dismissal of both Diego Llorente and Manuel Iturra. Barcelona could have finished with more than the five goals they ultimately tallied, with Luis Suarez missing a second-half penalty.

Ivan Rakitic also found the net, making the most of some atrocious goalkeeping from Juan Carlos, with Arda Turan also notching his first goal as a Barcelona player. But it was Messi who stole the show for the Catalans.

The result put Luis Enrique’s side eight points clear at the top of the Spanish Liga table, and 12 points clear of Real Madrid. The title race might already be something of a foregone conclusion.

TALKING POINT

Why are Barcelona so bad at taking penalty kicks? For all their brilliance, Barcelona have now missed 50 percent of their penalty kicks this season. Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi have all missed two each, with the Catalans seemingly futile from just 12 yards out. And yet they have scored some of the most sublime and intricate goals this season. So why can’t they do the business from the spot?

MAN OF THE MATCH

Lionel Messi (Barcelona): With 19 goals in his last 16 appearances for Barcelona, Lionel Messi looks to have finally found his best form this season. The Argentine has passed the goalscoring responsibility to Luis Suarez and Neymar at times this season, but he was in ruthless mood against Rayo Vallecano tonight. He probably should have taken the penalty kick as well.

PLAYER RATINGS

Rayo Vallecano: Carlos 5, Quini 5, Llorente 4, Crespo 5, Tito 6, Iturra 4, Trashorras 5, Embarba 7, Piti 5, Bebe 7, Manucho 7. Subs: Amaya 5, Joni 4, Guerra 4.

Barcelona: Bravo 5, Roberto 5, Pique 6, Mascherano 6, Mathieu 7, Busquets 6, Rakitic 6, Iniesta 6, Messi 9, Neymar 7, Suarez 6. Subs: Turan 6, Vidal 5, Vermaelen 5.

[MATCHCAST: FULL COMMENTARY AND STATS]

KEY MOMENTS

24’ - GOAL! Rayo Vallecano 0 Barcelona 1. Oh dear. That was a howler from Carlos! He drops a cross at the feet of Rakitic who had the simple task of finishing into the empty net. Barca have the lead.

25’ - GOAL! Rayo Vallecano 0 Barcelona 2. Barcelona double their advantage just moments later! Messi threads through Neymar, receives the return ball from the Brazilian and finishes past Carlos.

44’ - SENT OFF! Diego Llorente (Rayo Vallecano). It's a straight red card for the Rayo Vallecano player, who looked to follow through on Rakitic with his challenge. That was an unlucky one.

54’ - GOAL! Rayo Vallecano 0 Barcelona 3. There's another goal for Barcelona, and a second of the night for Messi. Suarez strikes against the post and the Argentine finishes at the second attempt.

57’ - GOAL! Rayo Vallecano 1 Barcelona 3. They have one back! A cross to the back post is headed back across goal by Bebe and Manucho heads into the empty from about two yards out.

69’ - OFF THE CROSSBAR! Messi leaves the freekick to Neymar on the edge of the box and the Brazilian smashes his effort off the woodwork. That was inches away from another goal.

70’ - PENALTY TO BARCA, RED CARD! Busquets is cleaned out five yards out as he attempted to roll the finish from Neymar's freekick into the empty net. Iturra was the guilty party and is also dismissed!

71’ - PENALTY SAVED! Suarez steps up to the 12 yard mark and Carlos pulls off a wonderful save to deny the Barcelona striker. What is it with the Catalans and penalty kicks? Bizarre.

75’ - GOAL! Rayo Vallecano 1 Barcelona 4. This could get messy for Rayo Vallecano now. Busquets plays a simple pass through to Messi, who runs clean through on goal and finishes past Carlos.

88’ - GOAL! Rayo Vallecano 1 Barcelona 5. That's an important goal for Turan, as he scores his first goal for Barcelona. Mathieu finds the Turkish international at the back post, who heads past Carlos.

KEY STATS

Barcelona have now set a new Spanish record of 35 games unbeaten in all competitions, surpassing Real Madrid’s record of 34 games in the 1988/89 season.

Barcelona are the first side to miss seven penalties in a single La Liga season since at the 1998/99 season.

Barcelona have now passed the 300 goal mark with Luis Enrique as manager