Barcelona have a slight upper hand in the Supercopa de España heading to the second leg at Camp Nou, but that will be the least of their concerns as they head home. Lionel Messi was substituted out at halftime with a thigh injury and they'll be much more concerned with his health than their 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: Final score 1-1, Lionel Messi injury overshadows everything
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will both be fairly pleased with their first leg result in the Supercopa de España, but Lionel Messi’s injury is all anyone will be talking about on Thursday.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno
Atleti forward David Villa started in his first game against his former club on Wednesday and it took him just 12 minutes to score. He was involved in the move from start to finish, receiving passes and advancing the attack on two occasions before he picked up a ball from Arda Turan on the edge of the box and struck a stunning volley into the side netting to put Atleti ahead.
Things couldn't have gone much worse for Barcelona in the first half. Not only did Messi pick up an injury, but they didn't manage to get a single shot on target. Cesc Fabregas came out to start the second half, replacing Messi at the center forward spot.
Barca still struggled to create chances for good chunks of the second half until Neymar came off the bench. He made a massive difference early and often, going on to score the equalizer and his first competitive goal in a Barcelona shirt in the 66th minute, heading in a cross by Dani Alves.
Despite the Supercopa being a bit of a glorified friendly, both teams looked a bit more defensive than usual and hardly entertained during the match, getting off fewer than 10 shots apiece. Neutrals will be hoping the second leg provides a bit more entertainment.
Atletico Madrid: Courtois, Godin, Felipe, Juanfran, Miranda, Suarez, Koke (Oliver 73’), Turan (Leo Baptistao 76’), Gabi, Diego Costa (Rodriguez 79’), Villa
Goals: Villa (12’)
Barcelona: Valdes, Pique, Alba, Mascherano, Alves, Busquets, Xavi (Song 89’), Iniesta, Pedro (Neymar 59’), Messi (Fabregas 45’), Sanchez
Goals: Neymar (66’)
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