Barcelona’s assured display in a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Wednesday guaranteed the Blaugrana top spot in Champions League Group D, and with Lionel Messi spending the better part of the opening hour on the bench in Turin, the usual Barca suspects came to the fore to help their side navigate this tricky tie.
Both Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Sergio Busquets continued their imperious runs of form, and Andres Iniesta put in another metronomic performance further up the pitch, completing 92% of his 66 passes.
Iniesta was subbed off in the 82nd minute for Jordi Alba, and the Spanish midfielder passed the armband to Messi before heading for the bench at Juventus Stadium. Perhaps recollecting the otherworldly shift the 33-year-old put in against their side back in September or perhaps just recognizing his eternal class and character, Iniesta left the pitch to a rousing standing ovation from Juventus supporters.
“It’s really nice that [the supporters] show me this kind of affection — both at home and abroad,” Iniesta said. “Honestly, it is a source of pride and it makes me really happy, both as a player and as a person.
“We’ve fulfilled our objective with a game to spare, which was important. We put in a great shift and the whole team did a great job against great opponents.”
What a moment. Don Iniesta is a player that transcends the tribal lines of football — he’s a testament to the sport as a whole.
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