Lionel Messi has elicited high praise from his attacking partner Luis Suarez after helping Barcelona to a scintillating 4-1 win over Catalan rivals Espanyol. Suarez scored a brace as the La Liga Champions ran riot, but the night undoubtedly belonged to Lionel Messi, who produced two assists of the highest quality.
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"The derby games are always beautiful," the Uruguayan told Movistar Plus. "We won and we played well and we recovered a good feeling.”
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“I would have preferred that, rather than scoring the second goal myself, Messi could have finished it after his great piece of play. It's like something from the Playstation. He's a unique player.”
Messi set out on two mesmerising runs in two minutes, leading to goals for Suarez and Jordi Alba, after Suarez got the rout started in the first half. Messi put the cherry on the top of a majestic performance as he scored a well-deserved goal in the 90th minute. The Uruguayan forward went on to say that the way Messi left the opposition defenders for dead was something straight out of a video game.
Barcelona dominate the derby
Luis Suarez got Barcelona going, scoring from a brilliant pass by Iniesta in the 18th minute. The crowd had to wait until half-way through the second half for another goal, but what they got was worth the wait. Messi, cutting in from the right, passed the ball to Iniesta in the middle of the park. Iniesta, in typical fashion, held off a few Espanyol challenges before slotting the ball to Messi.
The Argentine nutmegged one defender, before leaving another one flat on the floor, before twisting and turning past two more challenges before having a shot. Substitute goalkeeper Roberto saved Messi’s effort, but the move got the goal it deserved as Suarez tapped in.
A minute later, Messi was at it again. Picking up as pass a little outside the penalty area, he waltzed through the Espanyol defence yet again, setting Jordi Alba up for a neat finish across the ‘keeper. The effortlessness of Messi’s dribbles was indeed comparable to someone playing a video game.
Messi is a sensational player, says Iniesta
Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta continued with the plaudits for Messi: “In a collective where everyone is doing well, it's important that the individual talents - like those of Messi, who is a sensational player - come out and flourish,” said the Spaniard. “It was an intense derby, that's for sure,” he continued. “We played a good game and we're happy to have won the last league game of the year.”
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The win sees Barcelona move back to second spot in La Liga, three points behind leaders Real Madrid as the league heads into the winter break. Real Madrid, who recently won the Club World Cup have a game in hand.
