Traore’s goal - for the All Stars - capped off a mesmerising team move,and it should have been followed by a third from Garang Kuol,the 17-year-old sensation from the Central Coast Mariners who did all the hard work to weave through Barcelona’s defence,but missed the open goal that was at his mercy.
This Barca team,having struggled badly in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League this season,is a long way from the peak of the all-conquering side Pep Guardiola put together last decade. Having landed on Aussie soil barely 36 hours earlier,new coach Xavi named five of the players who started their last official fixture,and as you’d expect at the end of such a long campaign,they did things pretty easy.