Messi rescues lacklustre Barcelona in Spanish league
Madrid, Feb. 20: Barcelona needed a last minute Lionel Messi penalty to see off lowly Leganes 2-1 as a poor week for the Spanish champions continued on Sunday.
Barca were thrashed 40 by Paris SaintGermain on Tuesday to leave their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread and had to rely on Messi for snatching all three points from another below-par display. The Argentine opened the scoring after just four minutes, but Leganes enjoyed the better of the chances and levelled 19 minutes from time through Unai Lopez.
However, Messi ensured Barca did move back up to second in La Liga and close to within a point of leaders Real Madrid, who have two games in hand, from the spot after Neymar had been chopped down inside the area.
Messi stepped up and fired into the top corner, but tellingly the Argentine didn’t celebrate leaving his displeasure with Barca’s performances over the past week clear.
“We knew it would be a difficult game given what we have come from and what happened in the Champions League,” Barca boss Luis Enrique said.
“It is clear that in some moments we lacked confidence, but I think the team turned around a difficult game in any way we could.”
Leganes remain just two points above the relegation zone as their winless run extends to 13 games.
Barca looked set for an easy night when Luis Suarez found space in behind the Leganes defence and his pinpoint cross with the outside of his right foot picked out Messi to tap home early on. Instead, Barca were thankful to a series of brilliant saves by MarcAndre ter Stegen for keeping Leganes at bay.
— AFP