Lionel Messi came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a 3-2 win over Real Betis with Francisco Trincao scoring an incredible late winner.
It took Messi just two minutes to stop Borja Iglesias’ first half opener after coming on in the 57th minute. Ten minutes later, he turned supplier, making a connection with Jordi Alba before Victor Ruiz turned it into his own net.
Barca’s lead was short-lived, with Ruiz making up for his mistake at the other end to bring Betis back up, just for Trincao’s first goal for the club, a stunning effort from the edge of the box. box, to steal the points for Ronald Koeman side in the 87th minute.
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For the second time this week, Barca came from behind to win a game – they won 5-3 against Granada on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey. No one can accuse this side of lack of fighting.
The Blaugrana they are now unbeaten in 11 league games, winning their last six, and are seven points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who have two games to go.
For the winner of the match, Trincao, this was his first goal for the club, coming in his 27th appearance. It was unfortunate not to score against Granada, running down the bar, but he could not have hoped for a more important goal to open his account.
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Negatives
Barca were defended defensively by Betis, conceding two free goals, one from a set piece, and that remains a concern with Paris Saint-Germain to pay at Camp Nou in nine days. In further defensive problems, Ronald Araujo went off with a sprained ankle after 11 minutes. With Gerard Pique also out, Barca’s midfield options are very limited.
At the same time, the difference between Barca with Messi and without Messi was again apparent – there is still a measure of Messi ‘s dependence.
Manager ranks out of 10
7 – Koeman’s decision to make so many changes looked like a backlash before his agents saved him. Dutch coach Messi, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong left on the bench with a view to the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday against Sevilla.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players not included after 70 minutes are not rated)
GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 7 – Not available for one of the goals and made several clever saves to keep the score level at 2-2.
DF Oscar Mingueza, 6 – Struggling defensively at first but growing into the game. He didn’t attack enough, although he made a save from Joel Robles early in the second half.
DF Ronald Araujo, N / R – With difficulty before the game even started going.
DF Clement Lenglet, 6 – Playing in a moving backline did just fine. No one came out of the second goal admitting Barca looked good.
DF Jordi Alba, 6 – Roasted for speed by Emerson Royal for Betis’ first goal. Up the other end, he came into the game once Messi came on and helped set up Barca’s second goal.
MF Sergio Busquets, 6 – Struggling when the game opened and gave the free kick from which Ruiz came.
MF Miralem Pjanic, 5 – Looking strange in front of Busquets and apparently they lacked confidence.
MF Riqui Puig, 6 – Sloppy with the ball early but made progress before coming off in the second half. Nonetheless, it felt like a missed opportunity on a rare start.
FW Ousmane Dembele, 7 – Barca’s most interesting player in the first half. He was always a threat when he carried the ball and brought players forward but missed a good chance in the second half after being released by Griezmann.
FW Antoine Griezmann, 6 – He didn’t do enough in the first half but as Barca as a team, he improved as Messi came on. Fluffed his best chance so it must have been a relief to see him end up in the net no matter what defender Betis Ruiz.
FW Martin Braithwaite, 5 – He has been asked to play wide left and struggle for any victory before coming off at halftime.
Agents
DF Frenkie de Jong, 6 – Bad position for Betis opener but he was playing out of position. As expected, he was better when he moved into midfield late.
MF Pedri, 7 – Defending from the front in a way that only a few more can. Fed up with Barca’s performance in the second half.
FW Lionel Messi, 8 – He immediately changed the game, scoring his 13th league goal of the season within the post. Play a great pass to Scotland in the run up to goal.
FW Francisco Trinaco, 7 – He has been waiting a long time for his first Barca goal since signing Braga for € 30 million in the summer. It was worth it.
DF Samuel Umtiti, N / R – We advanced for Busquets at 2-2 to add stability to Barca’s defense.