Messi sees crimson as Bilbao stun Barca to gain Super Cup
18 January, 2021
Lionel Messi was sent off for the first time playing for Barcelona while Athletic Bilbao stunned the Catalans to gain the Spanish Super Glass on Sunday, a dramatic final finishing 3-2 after extra-time.
Moments before Bilbao's momentous triumph was confirmed, Messi threw a great arm in Asier Villalibre, who had earlier scored a good 90th-minute equaliser found in normal time to deny Barca success.
Antoine Griezmann's double looked to have got sealed the trophy but Villalibre intervened before Inaki Williams' fabulous strike 3 minutes into extra time proved decisive.
Messi shook off a good thigh problem to get started on found in Seville and was required to play all 120 minutes as Barcelona attemptedto take the overall game to penalties.
Instead, the 33-year-good old lost his temper at the end of a combative contest, reacting to a later challenge from Villalibre by swiping his hands over the back again of his opponent.
It meant an initial ever red card for Messi in 753 appearances for Barcelona, to move along with his two reds for Argentina found in 2005 and 2019.
"After so a long time in soccer, Leo knows flawlessly well when he is fit to take up," explained Barca coach Ronald Koeman.
"We talked and he said he was in an excellent spot to start. He provides survived the overall game, given the utmost, nothing more."
Messi's anger will take a number of the limelight from Bilbao, who exactly had already denied your competition a Clasico final by beating Real Madrid in the semi on Thursday and today have completed the collection.
It means a subject and the perfect start for Marcelino Garcia Toral, who only took more than as coach significantly less than two weeks ago.
But there is praise also for his predecessor Gaizka Garitano, who oversaw this workforce achieving the Copa del Rey final last time, which earned qualification to begin with.
"That is for Gaizka Garitano and his training staff as well who brought us here," said Williams.
Organisers at the Spanish Football Federation might have wished for the global appeal of a good Clasico, especially as the coronavirus pandemic had already kept the tournament in Spain rather than the lucrative Saudi Arabia, where it was played last year.
Yet this is a frantic last, with a good hugely surprising result.
Barca arrived on the trunk of a nine-game unbeaten function and a trophy, a good minor one, could have turned encouraging signs in latest weeks into more tangible evidence of a revival under Koeman.
"It is not a step backside," he said "Always winning titles is helpful to show that people are on the right course, but it is merely one game, this is a Super Glass, and we'll show within the next few video games that we will be on the right course."
Bilbao were the better side in the first one half, more decisive in possession and more aggressive from it. But both groups created little for 40 mins and in two a few minutes both had scored.
An excellent pass created all of them, Messi the instigator for Barca.
He collected from the right and threaded through for Jordi Alba on the still left, whose cut-back was designed for the Argentinian but spilled out to Griezmann, who cannot miss.
Marcelino hurled his water bottle to the ground in disgust but his team were shortly level.
Williams played the move, his clipped ball over the top catching Alba off-guard, with Oscar De Marcos sneaking in and half-volleying home.
Raul Garcia thought he had his third goal found in four times when he headed in just prior to the hour but Barca survived.
With ten minutes left, Griezmann struck again, Alba's cross evading the Bilbao defence and finding the Frenchman, who steered in at the front post for what appeared as if the winner.
Instead, Bilbao scored in the 90th minute to mail the overall game to extra-time and the 93rd to lead for the first time.
Villalibre was permitted to volley in from close range but there is little Barca could do about Williams' work, the striker cutting interior from the left and whipping a tremendous shot in to the top right-hand corner.
Unai Nunez may have sealed it but didn't connect. Griezmann practically rescued it but fired on top of the volley along with his right foot.
Then Villalibre eventually left a shoulder in in Messi, who reacted, scuttling immediately after his opponent and swinging an arm about the trunk of his head. Messi and Barca had been beaten.
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