Here's a wire report
BARCELONA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a 3-1 win over a dogged Leganes side on Sunday, creating one goal and scoring another to keep the Catalans five points clear at the top of La Liga.
Messi, left out of the starting line-up for only the second time this season when fit, was called on with 64 minutes on the clock and the game poised at 1-1 after Leganes forward Martin Braithwaite had cancelled out Ousmane Dembele’s first-half opener with a 57th-minute strike.
The Argentine quickly provided the spark Barca needed by firing a venomous shot from the outside the area which was too powerful for goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar to hold, and Luis Suarez pounced to stab home on the rebound in the 71st minute after a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) review.
La Liga’s top scorer made sure of the victory in stoppage- time, sweeping across the area and hammering the ball past a helpless Cuellar for his 18th goal of the season in Spain’s top flight, taking leaders Barca on to 46 points, five clear of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid, after 20 games.
Full-time
It took Lionel Messi’s magic to win it, and he came on just as Leganes, thanks to that goal from Martin Braithwaite, believed they could get something from the match. The magician needed just 30 minutes to find an assist, a goal and another win.
90+6 mins: Messi, on a charge, forces a corner he takes himself. Then links up again with Alba, whose centred pass finds Suarez, who can’t beat Cuellar this time.
90+5 mins: Barcelona want more. Rakitic, who has been key to their gaining control of this game, fires a rocket of a shot just wide of the goal.
90+3 mins: That was telepathy between Messi and Alba. There is no better panic button in football than Messi, who has won this game with those two interventions.
Goal! Barcelona 3-1 Leganes (Messi, 90+2)
Alba and Messi combine, exchanging passes twice over, and Messi is found in the box. He has space to fire in a right-foot shot. It’s over.
Updated
90 mins: Into time added on, of which there will be seven minutes. There have been plenty of stoppages.
89 mins: Barcelona trying to see this one out and look a little nervy. A wayward pass from Coutinho goes down badly with the crowd. Each one of those must be a pang in his heart.
86 mins: Leganes now on the attack, but Silva is stopped by Pique and the ball is on the edge of the opposite box in a flash. Messi and Malcom almost create something.
Meanwhile, El Zhar is on for Leganes, but probably too late for his genius to change the path of this match.
83 mins: Barcelona playing at a tempo that suits them. Leganes sitting off them. Coutinho, a minor player in this half, has a shot blocked. There was a brief flurry when Santos, the Leganes sub, almost found space in the box after another long ball, but Alba recovered his positioning just at the right time.
Updated
81 mins: Leganes have lost the fight they showed in that revival at the start of the second half. They are totally scared of Messi, who almost creates another goal for Suarez. This time, the ball is hacked clear.
79 mins: Nearly an amazing goal as Messi and Suarez link up, and the Uruguayan gets the shot in. Then Cuellar, with vengeance on his mind, leaves one on Suarez. The ref didn’t see that one and VAR ignored it, too.
77 mins: Back to that goal. It was allowed to stand as Suarez got there first to a ball that was begging to be hit. Cuellar had just pulled off a tremendous save but couldn’t react quick enough.
75 mins: Valverde might want to take Messi off but he has used up all of his subs.
73 mins: Real confusion over whether the goal stands as Cuellar is given treatment to what looked a damaged arm. The crowd never really got to celebrate properly, one of the pitfalls of VAR.
Goal! Barcelona 2-1 Leganes (Suarez, 71)
His first real intervention and Messi has created the goal. A thunderous shot and Cuellar spills the ball on to the bar with a fine save, and Suarez bundles in. VAR is called for as Suarez clatters into Cuellar. It will stand.
68 mins: Dembele hobbles round the field to go down the tunnel. This will be Barcelona’s final change as Malcom comes on. Rakitic came on for Arthur before.
65 mins: Dembele is down in the Leganes half. He fell nastily on his left leg as he slipped. That looked painful and he is receiving treatment on his ankle. He doesn’t look capable of continuing. A sad end for the best player on the field. Malcom will come on for Dembele.
64 mins: The cheers mean Messi is on. Alena is off, instead of Coutinho, who will drop into midfield.
62 mins: Another Leganes attack. Mauricio Pellegrino has played this well. It’s as if his team tried to just get through the first half and have preserved their energy for this forward push.
61 mins: Booking for Roberto as Braithwaite makes a marauding run down the middle. Roberto was lucky Pique was on the scene or else that was a red card.
60 mins: Here he comes. The tracksuit is off.
58 mins: First shot, first goal for Leganes. Ridiculous. At least the Messi fans will see Messi now. Poor Pip Coutinho.
Goal! Barcelona 1-1 Leganes (Braithwaite, 57)
Wow! The Pulis combo of Nyom and Braithwaite make that goal in a fashion their mentor would approve of. A long ball, and Braithwaite scores after a deflection off Alba.
56 mins: More magic from Dembele takes him past Silva, before some agricultural fouling stops him in his tracks. Alena, who has been decent so far tonight, plays the ball to Suarez, who gets a shot in, but can’t direct it.
54 mins: “Messi, Messi, Messi,” the Messi fans sing. Alena gets a yellow for a late tackle on Omeruo.
52 mins: Messi is warming up, and the crowd finds its voice. There will a few tourists waiting to see if they will get to see the great man.
50 mins: Beautiful pass from Dembele and Roberto is send down the wing, before being fouled by Silva. Dembele playing with the confidence that Coutinho lacks. Barca don’t make much of the free-kick.
49 mins: Magic from Dembele, when a backheeled flick finds its way to Coutinho whose shot is deflected, even if the referee doesn’t spot that Barca are owed a corner.
47 mins: Barcelona resume as they left the first half, with heavy possession but Jonathan Silva tries a long cross to find Braithwaite. Ter Stegen collects to smother the danger.
46 mins: Back underway, and how long do we have to wait until Messi comes on? He needs his fix of goals.
And from Charles Antaki: “You have to wonder what personal misgivings Luís Enrique has, or had, about Jordi Alba for the national team - on the showing tonight he’s been pretty fantastic all round. Is there a better left back anywhere at the moment? He can be a bit over-affectionate in the goal celebrations, true, and Enrique looks to be on the less sentimental side.”
Emails, first from David Morgan: “Despite all the doom mongering before he left, Liverpool didn’t miss a beat after Coutinho left. And that was even before Van Dijk and Allison were signed. But, of course he was doomed to disappoint at Barcelona where he can never hope to fill the boots of Iniesta and Xávi.”
Reminder of Saturday’s action from La Liga.
Real Madrid breathed new life into their stuttering season as they secured a 2-0 La Liga victory at home to Sevilla. Having wasted any number of chances, they were on course to drop further points and leave their manager, Santiago Solari, under increasing pressure, until Casemiro brilliantly curled in from long range in the 78th minute and then Luka Modric added a late second.
While they are still truly to join the title race led by Barcelona, the three points maintained the pressure on Atlético Madrid, who later won 3-0 at Huesca. Real’s victory moved them ahead of Sevilla, who fell to fourth.
With Sevilla content to attack on the counter from the outset, the hosts dominated possession but struggled to create chances.
The second half began in similar fashion, but Modric began to exert greater influence and, as he sent a dipping effort into the side netting on the hour mark, the opening goal felt imminent.
Dani Ceballos struck the crossbar from 30 yards before Casemiro gave Real Madrid the lead. Modric then sealed victory in stoppage time. Finding himself in space in the penalty area, the Croatian drew the goalkeeper before curling the ball past inside the near post.
Updated
Half-time
45 mins: Leganes look satisfied that this ended up with just a 1-0 deficit. Barcelona dominated without looking completely on their game. Dembele deserved his goal, which was artfully crafted, while Coutinho seems to be trying a little too hard.
44 mins: Leganes holding on for half-time here but Dembele escapes down the right. The ball comes back for Coutinho but his shot is wide. The pain is apparent on his face. A big chance missed.
42 mins: Another wayward pass from Coutinho. This has not been a good night for him. In fact, with no Messi to shadow him, it’s been poor. This is his big chance.
40 mins: Penalty claim for Suarez! He goes down after Cuellar collides with his right foot. It’s not given, by dint of Suarez having lost the run of the ball. VAR confirms the decision, though Suarez disputes it. He and Cuellar have a nip at each other.
Updated
39 mins: Kári Tulinius emails in: “I read and hear a lot about how Dembélé’s not doing too well at Barcelona, but everytime I see him play, he’s good at pressing as well as creative and sharp in attack. Is there some flaw in his play I’m missing? Enjoy the rest of the match!”
He does seem to give the ball away a bit, but then again so does Messi. Dembele just went on a dribbling run there and gave it away when he ran out of options to pass to.
38 mins: If Messi is to be required, then it will be in place of Coutinho, it would seem likely.
36 mins: It’s only been a year since Coutinho arrived but he has a way to go to convince that Liverpool, in using his £142 huge fee to buy Van Dijk and Alisson, didn’t get the best part of that deal. £142m!
34 mins: That goal came from Barcelona’s most reliable outlets today, Dembele and Alba. Some intelligence from Coutinho, too, though he follows that up with a wayward pass and the failure to get to a through ball. It isn’t happening for him at Barca, is it?
Goal! Barcelona 1-0 Leganes (Dembele, 32)
Lovely move, and a goal after Pique starts off with some great skill, and the ball finds itself to Dembele who releases it to Alba. They were queueing up and Dembele finishes.
Updated
31 mins: Dembele and Suarez go close to a link-up in an inside-right position. Nice improv from the Frenchman but Suarez can’t keep his shot down.
30 mins: Nyom on the overlap is the outlet for a rare attack, but his cross is miles away from Braithwaite. Omeruo collects the third yellow of the evening for Leganes after a foul on Suarez. Both Tarin and Nyom were already in the book.
28 mins: Leganes look comfortable if incapable of creating a chance. The long ball is the order of the day. More Pulisian overtones.
Updated
26 mins: Free-kick for Barca and it is in Messi range. But Suarez can only drill it off the wall, and into the hands of Cuellar. Meanwhile, Nyom and Alba get involved. Alba shoves Nyom who falls to the floor in Oscar-winning fashion.
24 mins: Suarez takes a swing at a shot and it balloons into the crowd. The spectator who catches it takes a selfie with the ball. With another ball, goalkeeper Cuellar is booed as he takes his time with the goal-kick. Time-wasting already.
22 mins: Dembele again looks lively, but his pass is wayward. There is a real player within him, but all the pieces are not quite together.
19 mins: Suarez tries to make a turn on the edge of the box but is stopped in his tracks, as Barcelona build up a head of steam.
17 mins: Dembele, who looks the major danger down the flanks, again makes an escape down the left. Leganes only just clear the danger.
Updated
16 mins: No Denis Suarez on the Barca bench; does that mean he is headed to Arsenal?
14 mins: Barcelona almost get Alba down the left flank for an opening but the ball gets stuck under his feet. Then Alena makes a lovely solo run from midfield which is stopped just before he can make the final pass.
12 mins: Busquets is booked for a swipe to the chin of En-Nesyri. That’s an early card to have to protect for the veteran.
Updated
11 mins: Do Braithwaite and Nyom discuss the golden days with Tony Pulis? They surely must do.
9 mins: A blazing run by Dembele down the right, but his cut-back is not quite precise enough. Omeuruo was left for dead.
7 mins: A first glimpse of the Dembele skill set, but his magic trick does not set Barcelona off. Braithwaite is booked for a high kick on Pique, having made the type of challenge Tony Pulis would approve of.
6 mins: Leganes keeping their shape here. Allan Nyom, the West Brom and Watford legend, is getting involved. The ball is pressed all the way back to Ter Stegen, but the keeper is typically comfortable on the ball.
4 mins: Coutinho has chance to show his class but his pass is just too long for Roberto to keep in. A slow start to this game and it looks as if Braithwaite will be the target man for Leganes.
2 mins: Sergi Roberto almost got caught dallying by Martin Braithwaite, who has escaped the clutches of Tony Pulis and joined on loan from Middlesbrough.
Kick-off
1 min: And away we go, and the lower tiers of the stand do look somewhat empty. That Coutinho, Dembele and Suarez combo starts together for the first time in attack.
The midfield trio of Busquets, Arthur and Aleñá takes the eye for Barcelona. No Rakitic, who takes his place on that star-studded bench.
The players are in the tunnel, getting ready for the big one as the Barcelona anthem rings out in what looks a chilly and not particularly full Nou Camp.
Rivkaoppenheim tweets in to point out that Levante’s challenge to the result has already been and gone.
“The sole judge of Competition, Carmen Perez, considers in accordance with the regulations in effect in the RFEF that the complaint presented by Levante UD at 9:33 am on this Friday has been received outside the established deadline,” a statement from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) read on Friday.
“Once the complaint and the corresponding allegations have been studied, the single judge of Competition has decided to maintain the result of the tie and keep FC Barcelona in the draw for the quarter-finals of this afternoon for the reasons previously stated.”
Barca will play Sevilla in the semis.
A reminder that last week’s Copa del Rey win over Levante may not stand for Barcelona.
Memories of the teams’ last meeting.
Last-placed Leganés came from behind to beat Barcelona and hand the defending La Liga champions their second setback in four days.
Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring early, but the hosts rallied with goals in three second-half minutes to earn their first win in six league games. Leganés’ winner came thanks to a blunder by Gerard Piqué, who misplayed a clearance inside the area. Óscar Rodríguez, a former member of Real Madrid’s youth teams who is on loan with Leganés, took advantage of Piqué’s uncharacteristic mistake to score the 52nd-minute winner.
It came just after Nabil El Zhar had equalised with a header from close range following a long ball into the Barcelona area.
The Leganés goalkeeper, Iván Cuéllar, made a series of great saves near the end to preserve the victory. The Madrid side had never earned a point against Barcelona in their three seasons in the first division, and this was their first win of this campaign and moved them out of the bottom three.
Barça manager Ernesto Valverde hinted Messi might sit this one out in his preview press conference.
It’s possible that he might not play one of the upcoming games. We’re reaching the point when we start to count down matches. We need to be stronger than ever to achieve our objectives. The fixture list is tough, we know this month is tough. We’ll have to make some changes and look at certain situations. We need to be smart when rotating.
In analogue fashion.
Barcelona team:
Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Vermaelen, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Arthur, Aleñá; Coutinho, Dembele, Suárez
Leganés team:
Cuéllar; Nyom, Tarín, Siovas, Omeruo, Jonathan Silva; Recio, Vesga, Óscar; En-Nesyri, Braithwaite
Here are the teams. Just as Messi is benched, El Zhar gets the same treatment.
🔵🔴 Barça XI#BarçaLeganés pic.twitter.com/nOmdB8TUJz
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 20, 2019
🗒️TEAM NEWS I This is our team to face @FCBarcelona tonight! #BarçaLeganés #VamosLega ⚽️💪 pic.twitter.com/deOzpJRhCP
— C.D. Leganés 🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@CDLeganes_en) January 20, 2019
This looks a formality for Barcelona, with Leganés one of the strugglers towards the bottom of the table but that ignores what happened when last they met. Along with Real Betis, Leganés are one of two sides to beat Barça in La Liga. That was back in September, when Mauricio Pellegrino’s team began the day bottom of the table yet shocked the champions with a 2-1 win. Two Liverpool luminaries were on the scoresheet in Philippe Coutinho and Nabil El Zhar, the latter of whom might be recalled by Kopites doing the “ten-year challenge”, and his equaliser was followed 68 seconds later by Oscar Rodriguez’s winner.
Not only that, but Leganés beat Real Madrid this week in the Copa del Rey, with the goalscorer being Martin Braithwaite, the Danish forward whose name sounds like someone who was in the year above at school.
Actually, thinking on all that and the fact that Lionel Messi doesn’t start, this is happening. It is on.
Updated
