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Following a 2-0 win over their local rivals, Espanyol last weekend, FC Barcelona faced 17th-placed side, Villarreal, away from home in La Liga. Being just one point off the relegation zone, Villareal were poised to put up a sparkling performance against the Catalans.
On the other hand, FC Barcelona, sitting comfortably on the top of the table had little to play for as Ernesto Valverde decided to rest his most in-form forward, Lionel Messi, for the game against the minnows.
Giving a perfect start to the visitors, Philipe Coutinho drew the first blood, scoring from a low-driven cross from his compatriot Malcom in the 12th minute of the first half. Minutes later, Malcom himself scored to double the advantage for the Blaugrana. On a counter-attacking situation after Barcelona's second goal, Villareal pulled one back, courtesy of Chukwueze's calm finish.
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Coming to the second half, Javier Calleja's men scored twice within the span of a few minutes, forcing Valverde to bring on the catalyst, Lionel Messi. During the latter stages of the match, the hosts were leading with a 4-2 margin over the Catalans. However, a stunning free-kick from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and a splendid strike from Uruguayan sharpshooter, Luis Suarez, snatched a point for the Blaugrana, in the injury-time.
Messi took the free-kick, smashing the ball into the top left corner. Exactly where he wanted to put it. This was his seventh goal from a free-kick this season in La Liga. Also, surprisingly, he has scored 3 free-kick goals in 3 successive games.
Talking about his teammate's ability from the dead ball, Sergio Busquets said:
"Even training he keeps on scoring that high percentage of free-kicks. You can't compare him to any player. He's just the best."
Twitter has erupted since and has been praising the Barcelona talisman:
