BARCELONA (Reuters) – Lionel Messi’s
Barcelona team mates and coach Ernesto
Valverde were singing his praises after the
Argentine scored an inspired free kick where
he sent the ball under the wall and into the
net in their 6-1 thrashing of Girona on
Saturday.
Messi had already given Barca a 2-1 lead
after a mesmeric dribble from the byline but
he pulled an altogether different trick from up
his sleeve to score their third, hitting the ball
straight across the floor and taking visiting
goalkeeper Bono completely by surprise.
Barca have become used to Messi’s
spectacular strike rate from free kicks but he
had never before scored by hitting the ball
under a defensive wall.
“He tricked us all with the goal, it’s incredible
how good he is, he seems to play better with
every game,” midfielder Philippe Coutinho told
reporters.
Coutinho, who also mastered the under-the-
wall free kick while playing for former club
Liverpool, netted a cracking first league goal
for Barca in the second half while Luis Suarez
hit a hat-trick.
Yet it was Messi who took the bulk of the
praise for the mesmeric attacking display, in
addition to wowing his team mates with his
enterprising set-piece strike.
“It’s difficult to get used to things like this.
You think he has done everything and then he
goes and surprises you like that,” said coach
Valverde.
“We were waiting to see how the wall would
cope with him and then he goes and puts it
under it. Then when you see it happen you
think ‘ah, of course.’ Leo makes it look easy,
but it isn’t easy.”
Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets added: “He
always makes the difference, and that’s what
makes him the best player in the world and
the best in football history.”
(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Toby
Davis)
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