adminBARCELONA. — Two goals from Lionel Messi either side of a Philippe Coutinho strike allowed Barcelona to start their defence of the Spanish soccer title with a 3-0 win over Alaves at the Camp Nou on Saturday night.
Wearing the captain’s armband following the departure of Andres Iniesta to Japan, Messi stepped up to send a cheeky second-half free-kick under the jumping wall and into the net for the opener, and Barca’s 6 000th Spanish La Liga goal.
Coutinho, who had come off the bench, lashed in the second goal before Messi added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time, with the clock having ticked past midnight in Catalonia.
While they took their time to get going, it was an ideal openig result for Ernesto Valverde’s side, who are hoping to once again see off the challenges of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the battle for the title.
While Cristiano Ronaldo has left Real for Juventus, Messi remains as the figurehead at Barcelona and he won his 33rd trophy with the club in the Spanish Super Cup victory over Sevilla last weekend.
The 31-year-old will be aiming to put behind him the desperate disappointment that was Argentina’s World Cup campaign, and he was unlucky not to get a hat-trick here. — AFP
Online Reporter