Benched Messi inspires Barcelona to end winless LaLiga run | OneFootball

Lionel Messi was left to watch the first half from the bench but came on to lead Barcelona to their first win in five LaLiga games on Saturday.

Scorers: Dembélé 22′, Griezmann 49′, Messi (pen) 61′, Messi 82′, Pedri 90′; Sanabria 45+2′, Loren 72′

Real Betis started well and Antoine Griezmann had the better of Barcelona’s early chances but it was Ousmane Dembélé who struck the game’s opener. The Frenchman cut inside from the right flank and drove the ball home brilliantly with a left-footed strike from the edge of the area.

It could’ve been two soon after when Ansu Fati was brought down inside the box but Griezmann (who had clipped the post minutes earlier) continued his day to forget as ex-Barça Claudio Bravo denied the Frenchman’s effort from the penalty spot.

Toni Sanabria made the most of that save to equalise right before the break, directing a deflected cross home from short range.

Messi was introduced at the break and he turned the game within minutes, brilliantly leaving a low ball into the box for Antoine Griezmann to convert.

Then he got on the scoresheet for himself from the spot after Aissa Mandi handled on the line and was sent off.

The game wasn’t finished there and Barça were caught out on the break for Loren to make it 3-2 with almost 20 minutes to go.

It was, of course, Messi who put the game beyond doubt, narrowly beating the offside trap to smash the ball past Bravo at his near post. It was only the offside flag, this time against Sergi Roberto, that stopped the Argentine from completing his hat-trick.

There was a fifth, as Pedri tapped in a low Roberto cross for his first LaLiga goal, but the takeaway from this one was settled before that; Koeman will think twice before leaving Messi on the bench again.