Barcelona: La Liga champions Barcelona ended their campaign with a 1-0 win at a jam-packed Nou Camp here Sunday over Real Sociedad thanks to a sensational distance strike from Philippe Coutinho. But the match will be more remembered as the Nou Camp paid an emotional farewell to departing captain Andres Iniesta.
Coutinho drifted inside from the left and held off two defenders outside the area before rattling the ball in off the far post with a venomous shot, breaking the deadlock in the 57th minute.
The league’s top scorer Lionel Messi started the game on the bench but replaced Coutinho in the 67th minute. Iniesta was substituted in the 82 nd and he hugged most of his teammates as well as some Real Sociedad players and the referee as he left the Nou Camp pitch for the last time as a Barca player.
Barca’s fans held up a mosaic before the game reading ‘Infinite Iniesta’. They later revealed a banner saying ‘Thanks for so much’ in tribute to a player who came through the club’s academy and spent 16 years pulling the strings in midfield, winning nine Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and six domestic Cups.
They continued to sing Iniesta’s name long after he had gone off the pitch. The captain returned with his teammates after the final whistle to lift the club’s 25th Liga title trophy and also show off the King’s Cup trophy which they won in April, beating Sevilla 5-0 in the final.
“Thanks to all our fans, for the support you’ve shown and the respect you have given me. I came here as a boy and I leave aged 34 as a man. I’ll always carry you in my heart,” added the man who scored the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 World Cup.
Barca ended the season on 93 points, 14 more than second-placed Atletico Madrid and 17 above last year’s champions Real Madrid. Ernesto Valverde’s side lost only one Liga match, last week’s 4-5 defeat at Levante and that prevented them from creating history.
5th golden shoe for Barca’s Leo
Barcelona: FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi won his fifth European Golden Shoe after his team beat Real Sociedad 1-0 in their final La Liga match of the season here Sunday. The Argentine ended the 2017-18 season with 18 goals. Messi also won the award last year, as well as in 2010, 2012 and 2013, and is the only player to do so five times. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah finished second with 32 goals while and Tottenham’s Harry Kane, with 30 goals was third.
