Granada CF 1 Ighalo 26
Barcelona 2 Messi 50, Messi 73
 |
| Lionel Messi |
 |
| Barcelona's Lionel Messi runs to collect the ball after scoring his 300th goal for the club, in the 2-1 win at Granada. |
Lionel Messi scored his 300th and 301st career goals for Barcelona and extended his record scoring run to 14 league games in a 2-1 comeback win at Granada on Saturday, four days before the Champions League last-16 match at Milan.
Messi pounced on a rebound of Cesc Fábregas's strike five minutes after half-time to cancel out Odion Ighalo's opener that had come against the run of play in the 26th minute.
The Argentina striker then hit the winner in the 73rd minute with a brilliantly struck free-kick to take his season's tally to 37.
Despite the result, Granada confirmed their revival under their new coach, Lucas Alcaraz. But even the minnows' best efforts were not enough against Barcelona's all-time leading scorer who again proved impossible to stop.
It was Barcelona's first win in three away matches. They stayed on course to reclaim the league title with their 21st win in 24 matches. They lead Atlético Madrid by 15 points and Real Madrid by 19 before their games on Sunday.
With Wednesday's game at Milan in mind, Barcelona rested Andrés Iniesta and Carles Puyol, while Xavi and David Villa were both unavailable.
Barcelona dictated play from the start but lacked a goal threat, with Alexis Sánchez particularly indecisive, before Ighalo put Granada ahead. After Alexis was again hesitant to shoot, Granada's Carlos Aranda launched a counterattack and lobbed a cross to the far post that Manuel "Nolito" Agudo knocked down for Ighalo to push over the goalline and ignite the Los Carmenes Stadium crowd.
Messi tried to revive Barcelona, first by floating a free-kick into the arms of Antonio "Tono" Rodriguez. Thiago Alcantara followed by setting up Messi with a deft side-footed pass, only for Tono to block his close-range attempt.
After failing to weave their way through Granada's packed defence in the first half, Barcelona turned to long strikes.
Fábregas surprised Tono with a bouncing shot that the veteran keeper tamely batted down in front of his goal, letting Messi rush in to drive it home.
Granada wilted after the equaliser and Barcelona sent on Iniesta to press home their advantage.
Pedro Rodriguez hit the post with another long-distance effort in the 66th minute before Messi swerved an unstoppable left-footed free-kick just over the wall that bent Tono's right hand back and left him kneeling on the turf with a stunned look on his face.
Granada gathered themselves for one last effort in the dying minutes, and goalkeeper Victor Valdés had to step up to deflect substitute Yacine Brahimi's shot into the side netting in stoppage time.
Messi pounced on a rebound of Cesc Fábregas's strike five minutes after half-time to cancel out Odion Ighalo's opener that had come against the run of play in the 26th minute.
The Argentina striker then hit the winner in the 73rd minute with a brilliantly struck free-kick to take his season's tally to 37.
Despite the result, Granada confirmed their revival under their new coach, Lucas Alcaraz. But even the minnows' best efforts were not enough against Barcelona's all-time leading scorer who again proved impossible to stop.
It was Barcelona's first win in three away matches. They stayed on course to reclaim the league title with their 21st win in 24 matches. They lead Atlético Madrid by 15 points and Real Madrid by 19 before their games on Sunday.
With Wednesday's game at Milan in mind, Barcelona rested Andrés Iniesta and Carles Puyol, while Xavi and David Villa were both unavailable.
Barcelona dictated play from the start but lacked a goal threat, with Alexis Sánchez particularly indecisive, before Ighalo put Granada ahead. After Alexis was again hesitant to shoot, Granada's Carlos Aranda launched a counterattack and lobbed a cross to the far post that Manuel "Nolito" Agudo knocked down for Ighalo to push over the goalline and ignite the Los Carmenes Stadium crowd.
Messi tried to revive Barcelona, first by floating a free-kick into the arms of Antonio "Tono" Rodriguez. Thiago Alcantara followed by setting up Messi with a deft side-footed pass, only for Tono to block his close-range attempt.
After failing to weave their way through Granada's packed defence in the first half, Barcelona turned to long strikes.
Fábregas surprised Tono with a bouncing shot that the veteran keeper tamely batted down in front of his goal, letting Messi rush in to drive it home.
Granada wilted after the equaliser and Barcelona sent on Iniesta to press home their advantage.
Pedro Rodriguez hit the post with another long-distance effort in the 66th minute before Messi swerved an unstoppable left-footed free-kick just over the wall that bent Tono's right hand back and left him kneeling on the turf with a stunned look on his face.
Granada gathered themselves for one last effort in the dying minutes, and goalkeeper Victor Valdés had to step up to deflect substitute Yacine Brahimi's shot into the side netting in stoppage time.
0 comments:
Speak up your mind
Tell us what you're thinking... !