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  • The controversy "Much VAR and little alcohol"

This Spanish Super Cup is an anomaly of our times. The industry - that is, money - exposes its own dictatorship to get ahead of everything that was left of old football. Now, a simple show, even crazy as in the Arabian night, but exportable. Without any fear of twisting the format or even exhibiting before an absolute monarchy like that of Saudi Arabia. Human rights on the one hand, sports, or whatever, on the other. As much as there are women who have suggested some progress in the darkness these days. Messi did his part, that's why he is the best player in the world. But not even a portentous exhibition of the Argentine was enough for Barcelona to end up shaken and ridiculed by an Atlético who could have been seen with a 4-1 against -the referee annulled goals to Messi and Piqué- to force a Madrid derby in the Super Cup thanks to the agony 2-3 of Correa. Incomprehensible and perhaps inexplicable. The organizers ran out of classic.

There was only a sigh in which Atlético thought it deserved the match. Those 18 seconds with which the second half began and in which Koke , a replacement for Herrera and associated with Joao Felix and Correa, took advantage of the poor moment of Umtiti to reach the heart of the area and take advantage. Then, Messi , who was already coming from a plethoric opening act, said enough. In less than six minutes, the Argentine was already celebrating the tie like crazy. Arturo Vidal had centered, omnipresent, so that Suarez would attend to the fierce irruption of his good friend. Messi was the smartest. Also the strongest, given the disbelief of two rojiblancos defenders. He crowned the episode with a right hand, because his bad leg is better than the best legs on the planet.

The VAR, active until despair, prevented the Argentine from chaining everything with the second goal. Another wonder The referee, González González , understood after watching the monitor that Messi had controlled the ball with his hand. He had nothing to say technology, that is, Martínez Munuera, in 2-1. To another enormous stop of Oblak at the end of Suarez he offered heavenly continuity Griezmann , attentive to a span of the goal line.

But the madness had only just begun. Even more seeing the obvious cracks that Umtiti was offering again and again. Barcelona began to despair because there was no way to close a match that should be theirs. An offside by Arturo Vidal, hunted by millimeters, allowed the VAR to recommend to the referee to cancel another goal, this time to Piqué.

And Simeone, who is a coach who knows how to smell the blood right where it sprouts, sent his men to the attack without thinking of risks or side effects. And it came out of fable because the steppe that opened on the back of Busquets, with Neto as poor lone ranger, was completely unbearable. He didn't even pay for Koke's injury, which he could barely stand on the field.

Umtiti watched how Vitolo ran after a loss of Busquets. Neto had no choice but to knock him down, and he allowed Morata to sign the tie from eleven meters. And Barcelona, ​​far from recovering and returning to offer merits to take the game, showed its most grotesque face.

A Morata center hit Piqué's hand, but the referee chose to heed the VAR so as not to point out a penalty that seemed clear. He was not going to give up, however, Atlético, disheveled and without remedy and with Barcelona fearing that the worst was yet to come. Because Rakitic was not fine. Because Piqué measured badly. Because Umtiti showed that it is a joke in bad taste compared to the defense that, with the stable knee, conquered the World Cup. And because Neto nothing could be reproached in the nth duel of the sun, this time in front of a Strap that blew Simeone into the band.

In King Abdullah Stadium, where Ernesto Valverde was the number one public enemy of the local fan, nobody gave credit to what had happened in the second part after the overwhelming Barça dominance in the first. Perhaps here you have also understood that Messi is not enough. That for Barcelona, ​​any place can be Anfield. Even Jeddah.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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