Lionel Messi’s match against Granada
This Wednesday the Barcelona had his best game of the Ronald era Koeman as Barça coach. Not only because of the number of goals he hit Granada, five, but also because of the adversity he had to face when he found himself two goals below the scoreboard and even suffered a new setback in extra time when everything seemed settled. The explanation for this comeback that ended 5-3 and with the ticket to the semifinals in his pocket, is explained more by an individual rebellion than by the collective game, and at this point Lionel Messi deserves a separate analysis.
While the figures of Antoine Griezmann Y Jordi Alba They stood out in an unexpected society that was vital for the Catalan team and that until today had not shown signs of existence, the Argentine captain, from his natural quality and his impetus, was the one who took the flag to lift his teammates emotionally. Although at times he was noticed angry with the reality of the meeting.
It is that when the scoreboard was against him, in several passages he was annoying and frustrated for not being able to score, when in the process of the game Barcelona was superior to the Granada and it had generated enough chances to at least inflate the net of the opposing goal.
The flea he was instrumental in three of his team’s goals, two of which occurred in regulation time. The Ten He gave two perfect aerial passes to the French striker, the first one that ended with a shot at the first post that the goalkeeper went against and the second that served for the Frenchman to lower the ball to Jordi Alba, so that he headed the ball and shout 2-2 in injury time.
Messi explained to his teammates what had to be done on the pitch
Until that moment, Messi much more active than his teammates, trying with medium-distance shots and filtered passes that, although they had not ended in a goal, at least generated danger. He even made the rival goalkeeper shine in a free kick that, if not for his slap, would be nailed at an angle and blew the stick in a strong shot on the end when the score was still 1-2.
In turn, he was noticed compromised in the brand as few times, to the point that in the first half he had been reprimanded for committing an offense. He also spoke on several occasions with his teammates, especially to ask them for calm and intelligence when finally the Culé team took the lead in extra time, a leader gesture that some cameras captured.
In the extension, the 32-year-old Rosario commanded each attempt of his team and generated several situations, even had a shot at the key goal whose long rebound of Escandell fell at the feet of Frenkie de Jong who established the 4-3 partial
In general terms, Messi he completed 90 of 109 passes, successfully managed 9 of 13 dribbles and prevailed in 9 of 12 individual duels. Although he was not the best player on his team, he was the key to victory.
In an incredible match, Messi’s Barcelona beat Granada 5-3 and advanced to the Copa del Rey semifinal