Lionel Messi’s stoppage-time goal salvaged a 2-2 draw for Barcelona at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, as leaders Real Madrid moved three points clear after their 7-1 thrashing of 10-man CA Osasuna.
Midfielder Ander Herrera put Bilbao ahead in the 20th minute at the San Mames, before Cesc Fabregas drew the visitors level with a header four minutes later.
Bilbao appeared set to get the win after Gerard Pique scored an own-goal in the 80th minute, but Messi slotted home his league-leading 14th goal in the 91st minute to share the points.
Photo: Reuters
“At the end we showed our mettle,” said Fabregas, whose Barcelona remain undefeated in 18 games in all competitions.
Under steady rain, Barcelona and Bilbao set a frenetic, up-and-down pace from the start.
Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa sought to beat Barcelona at their own game by pressing the European champions and looking for young playmakers Iker Muniain and Ander to create chances for Spain striker Fernando Llorente.
“We aimed to take the game to them,” Ander said.
Bilbao’s daring approach paid off when Ander received a pass from Markel Susaeta on the edge of the area and curled his right-foot shot into the right side of the net for the opener.
Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz did well to block Dani Alves’ strike from a set piece, but he could do nothing when Fabregas rose above his marker to guide home Eric Abidal’s well-placed cross to momentarily silence the crowd.
Puddles of water appeared on the pitch after halftime, slowing down the ball, but not the flow of the game.
Bilbao went ahead for the second time when Abidal’s clearance took a deflection off Llorente, before Pique inadvertently redirected it into his own net, but in the dying moments Messi pounced on his own rebound to fire into the corner of the net and earn the away draw.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was full of praise for both teams.
“How they run, I’ve never seen a team run so much, how they plug the spaces. It’s absolutely [a Bielsa] team,” Guardiola said about Bilbao, who are undefeated in 10 straight games. “What a spectacle these 22 players put on. This is one of the best games that I have been in and that’s because both teams went out to win.”
Even so, it is the first time Barcelona have trailed Real by three points since Guardiola took over as coach of his former team three years ago.
Elsewhere on Sunday, 10-man Getafe jumped from last place to 14th after rallying to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2.
Striker Helder Postiga equalized in stoppage-time to secure a 2-2 draw for Real Zaragoza against Sporting de Gijon.
Miguel “Michu” Perez scored twice as promoted side Rayo Vallecano de Madrid thrashed 10-man Real Sociedad 4-0, sending the side from San Sebastian to the bottom of the table.
Granada against Real Racing Club de Santander and RCD Espanyol versus Villarreal both finished 0-0.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to