Advertisement
Messi celebrates with Malcom at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Dazzling Messi free-kicks caps Barcelona win in Catalan derby as Espanyol crumble

An initially frustrating outing ended in two goals for Lionel Messi and three points for Barcelona.

LIONEL MESSI AND Barcelona were aided by a dismal error from Espanyol captain Victor Sanchez as they secured a patient 2-0 win in Saturday’s Catalan derby.

Blaugrana skipper Messi had missed Argentina’s midweek friendly with Morocco and revealed he has been managing a pelvic injury since December, but he was available for LaLiga action and typically netted both goals.

The forward carried Barca’s chief threat as he moved past Andres Iniesta into second place on the club’s all-time appearance list, yet he may not have broken the deadlock had Sanchez not foolishly directed a 71st-minute free-kick into his own net.

That mistake cost Espanyol a battling draw as goalkeeper Diego Lopez excelled, with Messi sealing the points late on as he doubled the league leaders’ advantage.

There was no hint at Messi’s ongoing fitness problems as he dazzled from the outset, seeing one close-range effort superbly blocked by Naldo before prompting an attack that concluded with Ivan Rakitic fizzing a shot just wide.

Eleven Sports UK / YouTube

Messi’s inswinging free-kick was then almost deflected past Lopez on the 30-minute mark – drawing a smart stop – while Barcelona supporters shared confused glances when the Argentina international uncharacteristically missed the target as his one-man assault on Espanyol’s goal continued.

Barca were dismayed by a couple of refereeing calls early in the second half, with Nelson Semedo denied a penalty, and Lopez again foiled the hosts as substitute Malcom’s rising strike was expertly palmed clear.

However, Sanchez’s moment of madness saw the Espanyol skipper dive in on Messi just outside the box and then, as the Barca number 10 stepped up, dart back to the goal-line and beat Lopez to the free-kick, awkwardly flicking a header beyond the goalkeeper, who looked to have the strike covered.

A low sweeping finish a minute from the end of normal time saw Messi double his and Barca’s tally and make the victory safe, taking another step towards the title.

Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:

Author
View 9 comments
Close
9 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bert Carolan
    Favourite Bert Carolan
    Report
    Aug 29th 2023, 11:17 PM

    Good man Matt, he’s had a horrible past year but been a real professional about the whole thing.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Der Calnan
    Favourite Der Calnan
    Report
    Aug 29th 2023, 11:54 PM

    @Bert Carolan: probably not all that bad, had a bit of an adventure in London, got a bit of sun in Spain, probably made a right few bob and now back again and scoring a few goals tonight.

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Murray
    Favourite Michael Murray
    Report
    Aug 30th 2023, 7:11 AM

    @Der Calnan: ….an early morning ‘look on the bright side’……I love it!!

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mark McDermott
    Favourite Mark McDermott
    Report
    Aug 30th 2023, 9:56 AM

    Delighted for young Fraser, can’t beat scoring on your debut.

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel