On the other hand, FC Barcelona, sitting comfortably on the top of the table had little to play for as Ernesto Valverde decided to rest his most in-form forward, Lionel Messi, for the game against the minnows.
Giving a perfect start to the visitors, Philipe Coutinho drew the first blood, scoring from a low-driven cross from his compatriot Malcom in the 12th minute of the first half. Minutes later, Malcom himself scored to double the advantage for the Blaugrana. On a counter-attacking situation after Barcelona’s second goal, Villareal pulled one back, courtesy of Chukwueze’s calm finish.
Coming to the second half, Javier Calleja’s men scored twice within the span of a few minutes, forcing Valverde to bring on the catalyst, Lionel Messi. During the latter stages of the match, the hosts were leading with a 4-2 margin over the Catalans. However, a stunning free-kick from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and a splendid strike from Uruguayan sharpshooter, Luis Suarez, snatched a point for the Blaugrana, in the injury-time.
Messi took the free-kick, smashing the ball into the top left corner. Exactly where he wanted to put it. This was his seventh goal from a free-kick this season in La Liga. Also, surprisingly, he has scored 3 free-kick goals in 3 successive games.
Talking about his teammate’s ability from the dead ball, Sergio Busquets said:
Twitter has erupted since and has been praising the Barcelona talisman:
0 votes
