Barcelona: Lionel Messi scored a spectacular free kick to give Barcelona a hard-fought 2-1 win over struggling Alaves Sunday while Luis Suarez was also on target as the Catalans battled back from a goal down at the break to stay 11 points clear at the top of La Liga with 57 points.
Alaves were the only team to win at the Nou Camp in the league last season and looked set to overshadow Philippe Coutinho’s first start for Barca when Sweden striker John Guidetti gave them a shock lead in the 23rd minute, falling over as he lashed the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Suarez finally levelled for the Catalans in the 72nd minute, scoring for the eighth league game in a row after some impressive saves from visiting goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco had kept Barca at bay, while Messi’s sumptuous free-kick in the 84th gave them a seventh consecutive league win.
Alaves went into the game two points and two places above the relegation zone but could have doubled their lead in the second half when a cross from Guidetti made its way to Ruben Duarte, whose shot was blocked by the body of Gerard Pique. Alaves were also denied a late penalty when the ball struck Barca defender Samuel Umtiti’s right hand inside the box.
Messi surpasses CR7
Barcelona: Lionel Messi’s late strike against Alaves Sunday gave Barcelona the 2-1 win, and also gave the Argentine the advantage over Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga free-kick goals. It was Messi’s 21st career direct free-kick goal in the Spanish league, giving the Argentine the most of any player since Opta began collecting data in 2003-04. The match also marked another milestone for the 30-year-old, who made his 200th career Liga appearance at the Camp Nou. Messi has scored a remarkable 211 goals and 74 assists in those 200 appearances.
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