Source: Cadena Ser
The Argentine star claimed a great game in which he scored two goals of absence and led his team to a bulky victory (0 – 4) in the Catalan derby
Dembélé and Luis Suárez scored the other two goals of the match
Barça prevailed in the derby (0 – 4) with an impressive first half and led by a Messi who scored two goals to miss the lead. The victory puts the Blaugranas more leaders of the Santander League and reaffirms the Argentine within a team that handled the meeting from start to finish.
THE PARTY IN 30 SECONDS
Barça won in Cornellá after a great first half and a great Messi, who claimed responsibility after finishing fifth in the Golden Ball last Monday. The two goals of absence were the best of the match of the Argentine
THE KEY
The first goal of Messi. With the goal of lack of the star changed the game and gave wings to Barca, who made the best first part of the year against a sterile Espanyol +
THE STAR
Lionel Messi. Without any doubt the man of the match. He scored two goals of absence, participated in the goal of Dembélé and made one of his best games of the season
FC Barcelona and Espanyol faced each other in Cornellá in one of the most equal a priori Catalan derbies of recent years. The Ernesto Valverde arrived after taking the lead on the last day to the detriment of Sevilla, while Rubi had lost momentum in recent games after making an extraordinary start to the season. Even so, only seven points separated both teams in the classification, and a duel full of emotion was anticipated.
The meeting would start with an alternate domain between both teams, although it would be the locals who would have the first big chance of the match after a good counter, although Borja Iglesias sent the ball deflected.
Messi and Dembélé give Barça an advantage
Messi hits the ball in the first goal of the match / ALBERT GEA (REUTERS)
After the warning perico, Barca was gaining ground before a Espanyol that was waiting far behind and tried to take their options against. The great opportunity culé arrived when the fifteenth minute of the match was fulfilled. A dangerous foul from the front was used by Leo Messi, who placed the ball in the squad without that Diego Lopez could do anything to stop the shot. Golazo of the Argentine star to open the score just a few days after his fifth place in the Golden Ball 2018 was confirmed.
Barça was growing and Luis Suarez could do the second, although Diego Lopez responded by clearing the ball with his legs. It was just a warning of what was to come. Messi returned to be protagonist, and took a great pass to the band that found Dembélé. The French cut and scored a great goal beating Diego López and making the second for Barça with only 25 minutes of match played.
Espanyol stuck his head shyly, but Messi continued his recital during the first half and a center of his left asolo Luis Suarez, who crashed the ball on the post. Barça was not there. A center from Dembélé found Rakitik, whose center was answered by a great save by Diego López. Messi hunted the rebound and crashed the ball on the post. Those of Valverde were overwhelming and it seemed that the rest was going to come very well to the locals, who did not know how to counteract Barça’s power.
Suárez sentence before the break
The blaugrana team would put the icing before the intermediate. A pass from Dembéle put Luis Suárez with the ball inside the area. The Uruguayan was running out of space, but he was pushing the bottom line and putting the ball under the legs of Diego Lopez and sentenced the meeting before the break while Espanyol could not find a way to stop the visitor bleeding.
Espanyol tries to react
The Rubi came out of the tunnel of the dressing room with the intention to make up the result and not lose face to the game. The parrots took the initiative in the first minutes of the second half, and stalked the Blaugrana area but without disturbing the tranquility of Ter Stegen. In addition, the locals moved the bench with intention to get into the game. Hernán Pérez and Óscar Melendo retired from the field giving entry to Leo Batistao and Sergio García respectively, but the changes would not have the expected effect.
Dembélé was the other great man of the derby / Toni Albir (EFE)
Messi makes the fourth and final
Again it would be Messi who returned to make a new genius. The Argentine star made the second goal of direct foul and finally sentenced the match in one of his best games of the course.
The so much of the star calmed the spirits of Cornellá definitively. Valverde had already taken the opportunity to move the bench and rest a great Dembélé to give entry to Coutinho. Shortly after Luis Suárez retired to give entrance to Munir. The luck also did not accompany the Espanyol during the and a goal by Duarte was canceled by the VAR for offside. The rest of the derby would happen with Barca letting the minutes pass while Espanyol timidly approached the area, but without being able to score.
Finally the match would be resolved by 0 – 4 for the Barca entity, which made one of the best first parts of the year, became the leader of the Santander League and took with authority a derby that managed from start to finish.