Lionel Messi mesmerises in Madrid but football is the star | Richard Williams

Real Madrid and Barcelona, ??to show that football can still aspire to be something more than bad taste to raise money show

Just when you think you know what you can do best footballer in the world produce something even more surprising. On Sunday night, before 80,000 fans at the Bernabeu in the first round of the Spanish Supercup between Real Madrid and Barcelona, ??Lionel Messi conjured a goal in a game quite extraordinary exceptional.

On any other night, Messier objects made headlines. This time, however, the match itself was the star. Full of adventure and commitment, said that football can still aspire to be something more than bad taste, the show that greed has become. But of all the many moments of skill and daring, the Argentine goal was little that will be remembered.

When the ball came to him a few meters from the edge of Real Madrid, had three opponents at hand. The first of them, Xabi Alonso, was merely a spectator, as Messi challenge Sami Khedira, the German midfielder was pinballing turning 90 degrees to follow the recovery. It reached ahead of Pepe obstacles that almost discarded before returning again and get a left foot shot inside the near post to own.

here was little Messi arrived in Barcelona at age 13, the need for treatment of growth hormone expensive, showing that it is able to beat a couple of tough guys in football. It was almost everything he did during the night - their contributions were others arrived earlier, with an accurate pass to David Villa who has allowed Spain to cut through the left and found the corner top of the net - but it was enough.

seasonal warming These accessories can be in danger of being a good name. Ten days ago Manchester United beat local rivals in a hard fought match between two teams eager to set up a marker of the season. The same thing happened to a degree even more on Sunday in Madrid as described by Jose Mourinho to the task of purging the bad memories of last season when they were traumatized by a 5-0 defeat at Camp Nou, Barcelona lost in the semi-finals of the European Cup, losing in the league and were left with only limited success in the Copa del Rey.

Sunday night suggested that the balance of power may be the night outside Mourinho begins his second season in the Spanish capital. Despite the brilliance of the objectives with which to neutralize his opponents hit Mesut Ozil and Alonso and secure a draw to take the second stage Wednesday, Madrid deserved to win.

is true that the European champions, without Carles Puyol and Sergio Busquets, while Gerard Pique and Xavi started in the afternoon on the bench. But Barcelona has given a competitive debut of Alexis Sanchez, the Chilean striker who made a first Udinese ? 26m (£ 23m) this summer.

5 feet 7 inches Only

but built like a bull, Sanchez proposed to add a new dimension to an attack side already well equipped. For the local computer, Karim Benzema looked like a man reborn, Cristiano Ronaldo opened his mouth open and Fábio Coentrão, the newcomer, has shown promise.

There is no comparison between the match at the Bernabeu with a lead of curious principle of the Premier League season could be good for English football. There were two teams of the highest level of talent, energy and ambition, to give their all in an effort to win the game. The passes have been hit hard and controlled immediately. The movement was constant and imaginative. Both teams were faithful to their traditions: fast and flashy Madrid, Barca most complex and cerebral. Among them, 22 inputs and six substitutes thing that was produced a pleasure to watch, spurred by two managers who seemed to have forgotten the caution.

• The Spanish league, they say, is a contest of two teams with a support team monotonous, lacks the depth of competition and the consistency of the Premier League. But when the two teams find a way to live up to its history, as they did on Sunday and may do so again on Wednesday, it hardly seems to matter.

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a test in the Olympic road race

The two riders in the break was over, followed by a short interval by the pack hunting and his caravan of vehicles. Then there was a vacuum in which the spectators along the route the Olympic test event through Richmond Park began to wonder if it was over.

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