Granada 0-4 Barcelona: Griezmann and Messi continue Barca revival
January 9, 2021 19:46 MYT
Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi combined to devastating effect as Barcelona thumped Granada 4-0 to claim their fourth consecutive away LaLiga win.
Ronald Koeman's team continued their recent revival as Messi scored twice for the second straight game, with Barca taking a three-goal lead into half-time.
Griezmann also netted a double and assisted one of Messi's strikes in one of his finest showings in a Barca shirt after what has been a difficult spell since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019.
The victory moves Barca up to third and within four points of Atletico and two of rivals Real Madrid, who are at Osasuna later on Saturday.
10 - @FCBarcelona's Lionel Messi has scored 11 goals in @LaLigaEN 2020/21 (two goals against Granada), the only player to score 10+ goals in 15 consecutive seasons in the competition’s history. Extraterrestrial. pic.twitter.com/oMLAvotCAf
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 9, 2021
Marc-Andre ter Stegen was called into action inside two minutes, making a superb one-handed save to keep out Antonio Puertas' drive from outside the box.
That proved key when Barca moved into a 12th-minute lead, with Griezmann reacting sharply and comfortably beating Granada goalkeeper Rui Silva after Sergio Busquets' pass had deflected into his path off Roberto Soldado.
Ousmane Dembele shot wide but Barca did double their lead after 35 minutes. Griezmann led a counter-attack and fed Messi, who set himself before dispatching a wonderful finish into the top corner from 18 yards.
The hosts complained Busquets – who was making 600th Barca appearance in all competitions – had handled much earlier in the move, but the goal stood.
Messi then struck again three minutes before the break, arrowing a free-kick from the edge of the area into the bottom corner after Yan Eteki had blocked off Pedri in a dangerous position.
48 - Lionel Messi has scored 48 direct free-kick goals for @FCBarcelona in all competitions (37 in @LaLiga), one more than Cristiano Ronaldo in his profesional club career (47, 32 in league). Stars. pic.twitter.com/sKujVwD6p6
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 9, 2021
Barca made it four when Griezmann struck again shortly after the hour mark, the France forward controlling Dembele’s chip and sending an excellent right-footed finish beyond Silva.
With the result beyond doubt, Koeman promptly took the opportunity to give Messi, Dembele, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong a rest.
And Granada rounded off a miserable day when Madrid loanee Jesus Vallejo was sent off 12 minutes from time for tugging back Barca substitute Martin Braithwaite as he bore down on goal.
What does it mean? Barca finding form
Key Opta facts:
- Barca have four straight away wins in LaLiga – three of which have come with clean sheets. This is their best run under Koeman.
- Busquets was the fourth Barca player to reach 600 games – only Xavi (767), Messi (752) and Andres Iniesta (674) had done so before him.
- Messi has scored 10 or more goals in 15 of his 17 LaLiga seasons, and the last 15 in a row.
- The Argentina forward scored his 48th direct free-kick for Barcelona in all competitions, 37 of them in LaLiga.
- No other player has scored more direct free-kick goals in LaLiga than Messi in the 21st century (37, 17 more than Cristiano Ronaldo).
- Messi has been involved in five of the eight Barcelona goals in LaLiga in 2021 (four goals, one assist).
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