Paulo Dybala is still coming out of his shell as a big name in the soccer universe. He recently made a comment about not wanting to be the next Lionel Messi - he just wanted to be the next Paulo Dybala. He doesn't yet have a brand in North America. One may be coming after his performance in the Champions League on Tuesday, though. He scored twice in leading Juventus to a dominant 3-0 victory over Barcelona.
Champions League brace
It took less than ten minutes for Dybala to get his first goal. Juan Cuadrado fed the star on the right side of the box.
With a curl of the left foot, Dybala sent it soaring past the keeper, who clearly had no way of putting a stop to the ball. Just seven minutes into the first leg of a Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona, Juventus had a 1-0 lead.
If a fan at the game took the opportunity to stand in a long bathroom line after the first goal, they very well may have missed the second one. Following a missed opportunity by Barcelona, Juventus came flying down the left side of the field, with Mario Mandzukic leading the charge. Mandzukic sent a cross in toward Dybala, who wasn't being adequately defended and launched a second shot past Ter Stegen, giving his team a 2-0 lead in just the 22nd minute.
Champions League domination
Giorgio Chiellini added a third goal in the 55th minute as Juventus romped to a 3-0 victory. Barcelona looked listless, having little answers for what their opponents were doing in Turin. Dybala shot circles around Barcelona, who dominated most of the statistics, but couldn't convert on any of their chances.
They dominated possession, 68 to 32 percent, had less fouls, less yellow cards, and more corner kicks. Sergi Roberto took one last shot on a header before the end of the game, but it was easily saved in the center of the net.
Dybala put his team in a good position to advance to the Champion League semifinals. Barcelona will have a big deficit to make up during the home leg of the quarterfinals.
Then again, the team has some recent history when it comes to overcoming deficits larger than three goals. They are in a bit of a malaise, though, losing to Malaga over the weekend and failing to score a goal once again. They also have the added distraction of the game against Real Madrid coming up, which star forward Neymar will be suspended for. The return leg between Juventus and Barcelona will take place in eight days - next Wednesday.
