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Football

08th Mar 2017

WATCH: Luis Suarez’s dive was downright disgusting

Hard to stomach

Conan Doherty

Luis Suarez is a fantastic footballer.

Never has a striker been so relentless and aggressive in pursuit of a football.

Never has a striker been so direct in possession.

Never has any ordinary player ever come close to Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring record in a season – never mind beat it.

Suarez is pure, unadulterated class – when he’s playing football. But it’s not unfair to say that he can be a bit dramatic sometimes.

https://twitter.com/statut0s/status/839609958966652929

Listen, let’s take nothing away from what unfolded at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night. Good God, if ever an event convinced you to never decide on not watching football, this was it. Don’t ever not watch football. Ever.

We know it can be boring and predictable sometimes. We know, like every sport, it can be completely unsatisfying.

Then games like this come around. Games where Barcelona start 4-0 down. Games where Barcelona start the 88th minute in need of three goals. Games where we witness the greatest comeback in living memory.

Screw your Istanbul and screw your 1999.

But PSG fans, players and coaches will wake up on Thursday morning with a heavy sense of grievance.

Okay, a lot of it is their own fault for even thinking about coming to Barcelona and setting up for 90 minutes with a 300-style Spartans shield defence. They had no interest in even peeping out, they wanted to just shut their eyes and pray for the final whistle and this after they annihilated the same opposition only a matter of weeks ago.

They do, however, have every right to bemoan not just one but two penalty decisions in a game where Barca scored thrice from set pieces.

The first penalty came in the 50th minute to make it 3-0. Neymar seemingly runs into the head of Thomas Meunier and falls over.

Messi puts it away but Cavani soon strikes and it seems like game over until Neymar’s 88th minute free kick. That was quickly followed by a penalty, courtesy of Mr Suarez himself.

What’s worse is that it was actually there for him to control the ball or shoot anyway but he’d rather just throw himself over and con the referee.

Actually, what’s worse is that it was his second attempt in the one half. The first of which earned him a booking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl_oE82ODrA

The second of which earned an angry reaction.

https://twitter.com/_JonHanna/status/839622243776925696

It’s a shame that it played a big part in the comeback. Instead of it being 5-1, it should’ve stayed at 4-1 and Barcelona should’ve been forced to play through injury time with 10 men.

It’s a shame that a man as good as Luis Suarez resorts to something like this and a player as special as him plays only the part of a true villain in an epic story.

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