Lionel Messi takes over, basically wills Barcelona to win over Villarreal
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Villarreal put in a brilliant performance against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. They defended well, they counter-attacked aggressively and got players into the box quickly. They took the lead twice and earned their two goals, with both scored more as the result of what they did right than what Barca did wrong.
None of this mattered, because they were playing against Lionel Messi. Barcelona ultimately won, 3-2.
The above goal is the winner, and the best of the bunch for Messi. It’s an amazing 20-yard strike with his bad foot, scored just three minutes after the Yellow Submarine took the lead for the second time. It’s also the only time that Messi shows up on the box score, despite having a big hand in the other two goals. His effort to get into the box and his header set up the second goal, even if it doesn’t count for an assist. His run and pass to set up Rafinha’s blocked shot was the most impressive part of the opening goal.
It was a complete performance from Messi against a very formidable opponent, and in a serious pressure spot. Now, what was that about a crisis at Barca?
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