Almeria 2-2 Barcelona: Lionel Messi Scores Twice To Rescue Barca

The Argentine playmaker and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was in top form at the weekend, although his club could only secure a 2-2 draw away to Almeria in La Liga.

Almeria’s Domingo Cisma first headed home the ball from a corner-kick in the 12th minute after Carlos Puyol had failed to properly clear an attack from the home side.

Barcelona controlled the game, trying to create productive chances on every occasion; but they were deprived of mental power before the break when their coach Pep Guardiola saw red following some protests against the official.

FIFA Player of the Year Lionel Messi then pushed Barcelona back into the game on 42 minutes through a superb free-kick, but his goal was however controversial, as the referee’s decision to let Barcelona score from a set-piece was debatable in the first place.

An own goal from Carlos Puyol on 57 minutes put Almeria back in front, and a few minutes later, things got even worse for Barcelona as their striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was also sent off for needlessly kicking an Almeria player inside the penalty area.

Lionel Messi grabbed his second goal of the night on 66 minutes to refresh the game for a 10-men Barca side, subsequent to a bullet left-footed shot from close range.

Several trademark runs from Messi through the end of the game seemed deadly enough to give Barcelona the winner, but his finishes kept being parried away by the Almeria keeper.

After 90 minutes of proceedings, the Almeria vs Barcelona game ended 2-2, and with Real Madrid earning a vital 3-2 victory over Sevilla at home also on Saturday night, Barcelona now find theirselves in second position in the La Liga standings.

Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

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