The Dawgs, riding high on some growing momentum, got the better of an even game thanks to solid finishing here. Van Dijk opened their account when he headed almost through a rather static Moon from a corner, and Messi followed it up soon afterwards with a simple finish from close range. Not even Alba giving away a penalty could derail them thanks to Oblak’s alert save from Kolarov. Though Cers were never out of it on the field, the scoreline finally got away from them when Messi struck a second time just before the hour; a goal which made him the first to 10 this season. The Argentine’s excellent form may yet continue to lift the Dawgs back towards the kind of position that they were widely expected to occupy before the campaign began.

By ‘Tiny’ Rachel Doombutler