Lionel Messi double helps Barcelona ease past Elche and cut gap to Atlético
Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona overcame an uninspiring first half to beat struggling Elche 3-0 at home in La Liga on Wednesday and keep the leaders Atlético Madrid in their sights.
The home side created little in one of their worst first-half displays at the Camp Nou this season but found a breakthrough early in the second half when Martin Braithwaite released Messi with a classy back-heel and the Argentinian did the rest.
Barcelona, who failed to hold on to a narrow lead in a 1-1 draw at home against Cádiz on Sunday, got an all-important second goal in the 69th minute when Frenkie de Jong received the ball after some clever play from Pedri. The Dutchman burst through the middle of the pitch and laid the ball off for Messi to finish. It was his 18th league goal of the season, extending his lead at the top of the scoring charts.
The left-back Jordi Alba struck the third goal from another Braithwaite assist to round off a victory which took Ronald Koeman’s side back above Sevilla and up to third in the La Liga table on 50 points, five behind Atlético but having played a game more.
The frustrating home draw on Sunday had interrupted a seven-game winning run in the league and added to the pain of a 4-1 routing at home by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last week.
“This will help our confidence a lot,” said Alba. “The draw was a huge blow to the whole team and showed that if we are not at our 100% best we find it very hard to win. We struggled on Sunday and in the first half here too but we were better in the second and the goals arrived.”
The hosts looked shaken by their recent form in an insipid first half during which they were fortunate not to fall behind when the Argentinian forward Lucas Boyé caught a clear sight of goal inside the area for Elche but blasted over the bar.
Francisco Trinçao was Barça’s liveliest player in the first half and the Portuguese winger was twice denied by the Elche keeper Édgar Badía, who also did well to keep out a header from De Jong, with Alba somehow missing the target on the rebound.
Barça regained their composure after the break and opened the scoring thanks to clever combination play between Braithwaite and Messi but were let off the hook moments later when Boyé again missed the target for Elche, who stay in the bottom three after defeat.
Messi’s second goal calmed their nerves and they were hungry for more even after Alba’s strike. The substitute Antoine Griezmann hammered the crossbar from just inside the area and then missed the target from an even easier position moments later.
Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion, has admitted his highly anticipated fight with Anthony Joshua is no closer to being finalised.
The bout against Joshua – holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF belts – has been touted for months but the added complication of the coronavirus pandemic has made negotiations even more difficult.
“They’ve had a full year to make something happen, and it hasn’t happened as of yet. We’re no further forward today than we were a year ago,” Fury told ESPN.
“The way [Covid-19] is at the moment, I don’t think [it has] got much to do with the fighters. It’s to do with the venue, date, place, site fees. It’s to do with everything but the fight itself.”
Even if the fight does get arranged for 2021, Fury admits his long period of inactivity – his last fight against Deontay Wilder was a year ago this week, as a second rematch for December did not
happen – is a cause for concern.
“It was just a big mess-up. I should have boxed, because I’ve been so inactive. I’ve been out for over a year,” he said. “By the time I fight again, looking at maybe June if this Joshua fight happens, that will be a year and six months out of the ring, which is not ideal preparation for any super-fight.
“If that fight doesn’t happen this summer, it’s got to happen sooner or later but [promoter] Top Rank has to give me two fights this year. I don’t care who it is. If it’s not Joshua, we’re looking to fight in April or early May, and the end of the year. If it is Joshua, then June and the end of the year, so 2021 is looking bright.”