Barcelona picked up a vital three points by defeating Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 in its fourth Champions League match in the 2014-15 season.

The game gave Barcelona nine points in the standings and kept the team one point behind Paris Saint-Germain for the top spot in the group.

However, the win was arguably the least important moment of the game. That would belong to Lionel Messi, who scored twice in the game and tied Raul's record for most goals in the Champions League.

Here is what we learned from the 2-0 win.

 

Messi Has Still Got It

The last two weeks were not the best in Messi's career. He vanished against Real Madrid and Celta Vigo and there were reports that he was not happy with his coach.

Moreover, he was just two goals away from tying Raul's record, an added pressure that had the potential to further damage his game.

But Messi stood tall, and a day after his rival Cristiano Ronaldo failed to tie the record, Messi pulled off the feat. But goals were not the only thing that Messi did well in the game. He was a man on a mission, with 87 touches and an 85 percent passing completion rate.

It was arguably one of Messi's best performances of the season.

Barcelona Still Not at its Best

Messi was terrific. But the rest of the team was far from it. Jordi Alba, Javier Mascherano and Marc Bartra all got yellow cards. Neymar did not get a single shot on goal and was largely invisible for the 74 minutes he played. The team actually conceded four shots on target in the game and continued to look vulnerable at times in dealing with Ajax's speedy transition game.

Luis Enrique was undeniably crippled by the injury to Jeremy Mathieu and the injury to Andres Iniesta. Xavi didn't look great alongside Ivan Rakitic and the team's possession game lacked bite in the attacking half. If not for Messi's brilliance, this game could have easily ended 0-0.

Despite the win, it remains clear that Blaugrana is undergoing some confidence issues and needs a huge win to overcome this slump. The win against Ajax is a boost, but the team still needs to prove its worth against a top side.

Luis Suarez Struggling to Fit In

The Uruguayan has now gone three games without scoring his first Barcelona goal, but not for lack of trying. He had a number of chances in the last game against Celta Vigo and was unlucky to not score in that one.

But against Aja, the Uruguayan was far from his best. He had a total of 47 touches in the game and only completed 72 percent of his passes. He had a few key passes and shots on goal, but it was not a particularly dominant performance from Suarez.

It should be interesting to see how he continues developing his play with Barcelona. Up to this point (small sample size warning!) he has not looked like the dominant superstar of last season. In fact, he looks very hesitant on the ball and is not playing to his strengths. It is a cautious approach that looks rather reminiscent of Neymar's play a year ago. It might take some time for Suarez to figure out how to play to his potential with Blaugrana.

What Next?

Barcelona's nine points essentially clinches a spot in the next round. Ajax is stuck on two points and will be battling for third place with APOEL Nicosia. Barcelona will likely be playing for first place in the group when it takes on Paris Saint-Germain at home in the final group match.

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