Lionel Messi pulls the strings in Barcelona's win over Real Betis

Aditya Devavrat 02:05 21/08/2017
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  • Lionel Messi’s 350th LaLiga goal proved elusive as he hit the woodwork three times in Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over Real Betis on an emotional night in Catalonia.

    The 30-year-old hit the post before the break and then twice afterwards with his latest landmark remaining frustratingly beyond his grasp.

    Here, we focus on the Argentine playmaker’s performance.

    BASIC STATS

    GOALS – 0

    ASSISTS – 0

    SHOTS – 10

    PASS ACCURACY –  81%

    PASSES – 50

    KEY PASSES –  1

    TOUCHES –  91

    DRIBBLES – 5

    DISPOSSESSED – 2

    EFFECTIVENESS

    While Messi’s brilliance usually transcends statistics, he normally dominates the stat sheet too.

    This was one of the rare occasions where that wasn’t the case, but he left his mark throughout. It was his run through the heart of the Betis defence that put the home side ahead after 36 minutes.

    When in possession, he constantly looks dangerous and even hit the woodwork on three occasions, two of which came from brilliant free-kicks.

    Without the injured Andres Iniesta, Messi took it upon himself to pull the strings – and he did so with aplomb.

    KEY MOMENTS

    35th min: It was set up for a classic Messi goal. A free-kick in a central position, Messi standing over the ball, his left-footed shot curling beautifully towards the goalpost. Alas, it was not to be, as he was denied by the woodwork.

    36th min: Sergio Busquets’ run is what set up the move, but the goal was all down to Messi. The Argentine’s run, straight at the middle of the Betis back-line, forced too many defenders to commit and freed up space for Deulofeu. Messi passed to the Spaniard and was the target of Deulofeu’s return ball, which went in off a defender.

    82nd min: The third time Messi found the woodwork rather than the goal. Instead of his usual curling effort, this was a flat-out drive that cannoned back off the post before being cleared.

    OUR VERDICT

    With the responsibility of creating goals and igniting Barcelona attacks, the 30-year-old sparkled to ensure there would be no opening-day hiccups for Ernesto Valverde’s side.

    Messi is capable of greater displays, and will no doubt produce many over the coming months. But even his merely good performances verge on brilliant, and this was one of those. He dropped deep to pull the strings, was a menace when running with the ball, picked out teammates with ease, and was unfortunate not to come away with at least one goal.

    7/10

    YOUR VERDICT

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