BARCELONA • Trust Lionel Messi to pull another wonder strike out of his party bag of tricks.
The "panenka" is one of the most impudent techniques in football, and the Barcelona forward took it to another level on Saturday by applying it to a free kick against Espanyol.
Social media went wild after his dinked opener put his side on course for a 2-0 win at the Nou Camp - he also scored their second - keeping the Spanish champions 10 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of LaLiga.
It was a fitting way for Messi to mark his 675th Barcelona appearance, which moved him ahead of Andres Iniesta into second on the club's all-time list - 102 adrift of Xavi Hernandez.
Afterwards, his manager Ernesto Valverde admitted that he "had no idea he would hit (the free kick) like that".
The Spaniard said: "I would love to say that we had planned it, but it's not true, it's up to him. He didn't need my opinion and he scored."
Although Messi made a low-key return for Argentina after ending his exile from the national team during the international break, playing his first game since the World Cup last June, Valverde was delighted there was no hangover.
He added: "Messi is the same player no matter what team he is playing in. He would be the same if he played in Australia. We are delighted to have him, it's a luxury for me to coach him."
The Barcelona talisman has now notched 41 goals in all competitions this season - the 10th straight year he has recorded over 40 strikes.
The 31-year-old, whose side are unbeaten in 17 league games, also joined former Real Madrid captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas for the most number of victories in LaLiga (334).
Atletico, who will visit Valverde's men in the league on Saturday, kept alive their faint hopes of winning the title after a 4-0 away thrashing of Alaves.
Saul Niguez, Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata and Thomas Partey all got on the scoresheet and, post-game, Saul promised he would "fight to win the league for the fans".
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Ronaldo and Silva shine as Portugal dominate best Nations League XI Monday, Jun 10 2019 12:28 Transfer roundup (09/06/19) - Wan-Bissaka, Bale and Umtiti amid reports
Ronaldo gets the gold with Silva lining - finance.yahoo.com
Emery urges fired-up Gunners to keep cool heads. Sports World. Next 24 Hours. Maturity is my top goal: Osaka. James knocks out Bulls but Lakers still a long shot. Ferrari will force the pace, says
Emery allows Arsenal stars to kick back before Europa League
Football News -LONDON • Pep Guardiola believes his Manchester City "heroes" have what it takes to turn things around after two straight English Premier League defeats.. Read more at straitstimes
Football: Guardiola tips City as comeback 'heroes'
Pain management, pain medicine, pain control or algiatry, is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with chronic pain The typical pain management team includes medical practitioners, pharmacists, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants, nurses.
Chronic pain - Wikipedia
Madrid - An operation against several footballers, ex-players including former Spain international Raul Bravo and club executives accused of fixing matches in the first and second divisions was
Spain football match-fixing probe: Police target current and
Rakitic: Messi's motivation spurs on Barcelona. "Whenever our captain says something the rest of us follow," said Rakitic at a press conference on Tuesday. Rakitic believes Barcelona's
Messi's motivation spurs on Barcelona, says Rakitic - News
Give Sarri more time and players: Hasselbaink Maurizio Sarri should be given more time as Chelsea manager, but the club's success next season will also depend greatly on whether they can get their transfer ban lifted.
Maurizio Sarri needs time and trust at Chelsea, according to
(REUTERS)- Chris Wood scored twice as Burnley virtually assured Premier League safety with a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Cardiff City on Saturday (April 13) which left the Welsh club deep in
Chris Wood double gives Burnley win over Cardiff in
The Pakistan national under-17 football team is the under-17 football (soccer) team of Pakistan. The team has participated in the AFC U-16 Championship once in 2002 and has also participated in the SAFF U-16 Championship in 2011 and 2013, but withdrew in 2015 and did not enter in 2017. Pakistan national under-20 football team
History - db0nus869y26v.cloudfront.net
Mark Goddard, Actor: Lost in Space. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts (July 24, 1936), the actor (real name: Charles Goddard) grew up in Scituate, Massachusetts, where his father owned a five-and-ten. At Holy Cross, the head of the dramatic society encouraged him to become an actor and, soon, Goddard was off to Manhattan, attending the American
List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents - Wikipedia
Speaking ahead of Cardiff's trip to Arsenal on Tuesday, their first match since Sala's plane vanished, Warnock said it had been the most difficult week of his career and admits he had
Warnock says Sala tragedy is most difficult week of his career
Pep Guardiola is confident his achievements at Manchester City will not be tarnished by UEFA's investigation into alleged Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches and trusted the club to resolve the matter, the Spanish manager said on Friday.
Guardiola trusts Man City to resolve FFP allegations
0 comments:
Post a Comment