Image Source : GETTY IMAGES Lionel Messi (far left) scores a free-kick objective towards Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou on Sunday evening.
Lionel Messi confirmed his value but once more, scoring on a stupendous free kick to guide Barcelona to a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao within the Spanish league on Sunday.
The 650th objective in his Barcelona profession got here amid the noise prompted by Spanish newspaper El Mundo’s report that his contract is value 555 million euros ($673 million) over 4 seasons. The Catalan membership, mired in debt and political turmoil, needed to rapidly deny its involvement within the leak.
Watch match highlights under:
Antoine Griezmann additionally scored for Barcelona, which received its fifth in a row within the league and moved into second place for the primary time this season. It has the identical 40 factors as Real Madrid however is forward on objective distinction. Atlético earlier opened a 10-point lead after profitable 4-2 at Cádiz with a pair of objectives by Luis Suárez.
Messi, who had his request to depart Barcelona denied by the membership final season, appeared unaffected by the leak Sunday of his contract particulars. He performed nicely from the beginning and was decisive once more on the Camp Nou Stadium. The Argentine nice opened the scoring within the twentieth minute with a free kick shot that curled over the wall and located the highest nook for his twelfth league objective.
“Messi has done a lot for this club and today he scored a great free kick goal,” Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman mentioned. “We have to respect him. It seems there is bad intention and a desire to hurt him. Without Messi you can’t aspire too much.”
Athletic equalized with an own-goal by Jordi Alba because the defender tried to clear a cross by Raúl García within the forty ninth, and Griezmann put Barcelona forward once more, finishing a cross by Óscar Mingueza within the seventy fifth.
It was the third assembly between Barcelona and Athletic this month, with the Catalan membership profitable a postponed league sport and dropping the Spanish Super Cup closing.
Athletic was making an attempt to win its sixth consecutive match in all competitions. The loss was solely its second since coach Marcelino García Toral was signed to start with of the 12 months — the primary additionally was towards Barcelona.
It was Barcelona’s first residence match in 2021. It had performed eight consecutive video games away from the Camp Nou, together with within the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
