Super-sub Messi leads Barca comeback against Betis
08 February, 2021
Lionel Messi scored his fastest league goal as an alternative as his strike 136 seconds after approaching on inspired Barcelona to a good 3-2 victory over Real Betis on Sunday.
Messi was among several key players rested, with Ronald Koeman seemingly prioritising Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final against Sevilla before Barca's fading title obstacle in La Liga.
Defeat could have called that decision into problem but Messi drove within an equaliser less than 3 minutes after approaching on in the second half and then helped set up Francisco Trincao to rating a late champion, the 21-year-old's initial goal for Barcelona.
"He changed the game," stated Koeman, when asked about Messi.
"It's a bit about the cup game but we also need to decide when the best point in time is to rest players. The cup is the shortest path to a title this year."
Koeman's part sit seven points at the rear of La Liga's leaders Atletico Madrid, who have played two game titles fewer and deal with Celta Vigo in the home on Monday night.
Victory also came at a price seeing as Barca's best available central defender Ronald Araujo was first forced off with an ankle injury early on.
With Gerard Pique already a long-term absentee, Araujo's fitness will be a huge concern, especially with a Champions League last 16 first leg at home to Paris Saint-Germain to come, weekly after the test against Sevilla.
- Messi magic -
Betis will question how they managed not to take in least a point from a wild contest in the Benito Villamarin but Barcelona sustain their momentum, this their sixth league victory in a good row.
These were hit early by the problems for Araujo, whose ankle caved beneath the weight of an awkward fall. Frenkie de Jong emerged in at centre-back and his partner Clement Lenglet should have provided Barca the lead but headed huge from five yards out with nobody near him.
Betis made them give with an excellent opening aim on the break. Ousmane Dembele shed the ball upfield and Betis poured frontward, the ball shifted right to Emerson who motored spherical Jordi Alba and squared for Borja Iglesias to slam residence.
Juanmi might have managed to get two but was denied by Marc-Andre ter Stegen before Messi came on for Miralem Pjanic found in the 57th minute and equalised found in the 59th. Dembele returned a move to the Argentinian on the border of the area and he drove a sizzling shot within the post.
Nine minutes in the future, Barca were in front, Alba's cross mishit by Antoine Griezmann, limited to the ball to cannon in anyway off the hip and legs of Victor Ruiz.
Betis were not finished yet and neither was first Ruiz, the defender building amends by heading in Nabil Fekir's crossed free-kick with quarter-hour left.
Yet Barcelona had yet another technique up their sleeve as Messi weaved in from the kept and his chipped move was headed in to the path of the 21-year-outdated Trincao, whose thundering shot flew in off the crossbar.
Source: