VILA-REAL (REUTERS) - Barcelona's Lionel Messi came off the bench to help the Liga leaders battle back from 4-2 down in stoppage time to snatch a remarkable 4-4 draw at struggling Villarreal on Tuesday (April 2).
The Catalans avoided a first league loss since November with a last-gasp Luis Suarez strike after captain and top scorer Messi gave them hope with a deadly free kick in the 90th minute.
The draw resulted in Barca's lead over nearest challengers Atletico Madrid, who had earlier won 2-0 at home to lowly Girona, being trimmed to eight points ahead of Saturday's top-of-the-table showdown at the Nou Camp.
Even without Messi, Gerard Pique and Ivan Rakitic in their starting lineup, the visitors still strolled into the lead through a Philippe Coutinho goal in the 12th minute, which Brazilian forward Malcom soon doubled with a header.
But Villarreal, who began the game hovering one point above the relegation zone, hauled themselves into contention with a strike from 19-year-old Samuel Chukwueze midway through the first half.
Cameroon striker Karl Toko Ekambi took advantage of slack positioning from Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to equalise soon after the interval and Vicente Iborra completed the home side's remarkable revival just after the hour mark.
Messi was called from the bench to rescue the champions but instead Villarreal increased their lead with a strike from their substitute Carlos Bacca.
Alvaro Gonzalez was then dismissed for Villarreal for a second booking with four minutes remaining, paving the way for Messi and Suarez to strike for Barca and produce a remarkable finish to an enthralling contest.
Dubai, Jan 22 (AFP) Son Heung-min's South Korea needed an extra-time winner to beat world ranked 113th Bahrain 2-1 as they stumbled into the Asian Cup quarter-finals in unconvincing fashion on
Son's Korea survive Bahrain scare to reach Asian quarters
Pep Guardiola is not concerned about the way his Manchester City players use social media, despite a post from Kyle Walker that appeared to mock Premier League title rivals Liverpool. Walker
Guardiola not worried about Man City players' social media use
Football: Guardiola stays cool despite shock Man City defeat
Manchester City swept back to the top of the Premier League as Gabriel Jesus struck twice in the champions' 3-1 win over Everton, while Christian Eriksen kept Tottenham in the title hunt in a last
Jesus shines as City regain top spot, Eriksen fires Spurs
Welcome to the Official Arsenal website. Get all the latest news, match video, injury updates, TV information, player info, match stats, tickets, shirts and more
Game of Thrones (season 8) - Wikipedia
There is growing confidence at Chelsea that Callum Hudson-Odoi will sign a new contract over the summer, reports claim. The 18-year-old looked set to join Bayern Munich in January after submitting a transfer request, but the Blues rejected four separate bids from the German club.
Chelsea Houska Inspired Makeup! ♡ | rpiercemakeup
Arnautovic ends drought as West Ham sink Southampton
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has been fined £8,000 by The Football Association after kicking a bottle at a Brighton fan during the Premier League draw on Boxing Day.
Arsenal's Emery fined for kicking bottle at Brighton fan
Guardiola sorry City awarded 'offside' goal - theworldnews.net
"Get all latest content delivered straight to your inbox." Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:
World Cup » News » Kane 'proud' of England response to race jibes
Working under the assumption that the Hornets can keep Walker, we go through some possible avenues the Hornets can exploit to improve the team. Zach's idea is particularly outlandish, but it might be crazy enough to work.
Sophisticated HiddenWasp Malware Targets Linux | SecurityWeek.Com
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on March 03, 2019, with the headline 'Blues expect hard time at Fulham after Ranieri exit'. Print Edition | Subscribe
Blues expect hard time at Fulham after Ranieri exit
Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has been given a one - match ban by the Football Association for improper conduct after sarcastically applauding referee Andre Marriner .Zaha was punished following his antics in Palace' s Premier League draw at Southampton on January 30 .
Palace's Zaha banned for referee sarcastic clap
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen