Lionel Messi was rugby tackled on Tuesday and then scored a penalty-kick as Barcelona put the pressure back on Real Madrid by easing to a 2-0 victory over CD Leganes in La Liga.
Messi was hauled to the ground in the first half by a diving Unai Bustinza wrapping two arms around his waist and he was knocked over again in the second — this time earning a penalty, which he converted.
After 33 appearances, Messi now has 26 goals this season. In his past eight games, he has seven goals and eight assists.
Photo: Reuters
The 17-year-old Ansu Fati had earlier given Barcelona the lead, continuing his breakthrough season with a fifth goal in eight league starts.
Leganes could have made the reigning champions feel uncomfortable if Miguel-Angel Guerrero had taken either of two early opportunities, but the first was cleared off the line and the second denied by the post.
“We had a bit of luck at the beginning,” Barcelona coach Quique Setien said.
However, his team’s reward for a rather underwhelming performance is a five-point advantage over Madrid, who can reduce that back to two by winning at home to Valencia today.
The Valencia match promises to be a more thorough examination of Madrid’s sharpness after the three-month break, and Barcelona can expect tougher tests ahead than Leganes, starting with a trip to third-placed Sevilla tomorrow.
Leganes have dropped to the bottom of the table and look doomed to relegation, their chances of survival damaged by Barcelona snatching away their top scorer, Martin Braithwaite, as an emergency signing in February.
Leganes were not alone in feeling that the rule had hurt them disproportionately and their sense of injustice might have been deepened by Braithwaite being left on the bench for the entire match.
Barcelona controlled possession in the first half, but created little and would have been behind early on if Guerrero had been more precise.
First, Javier Eraso sprinted clear and despite taking too long to shoot, the ball spilled out for Guerrero, whose drive hit the foot of Clement Lenglet on the line.
Guerrero had another go moments later, this time from an acute angle, but his rasping half-volley flew across the area and shaved the far post.
Barcelona were labored, even as they dominated the ball, but Leganes might have been tiring by the 42nd minute when Junior Firpo’s bustling run allowed Fati to take an instinctive shot, which he fired through the legs of Rodri Tarin and into the bottom corner.
Not for the first time this season, Antoine Griezmann was quiet, but he thought that he had scored a second early in the second half when he finished off Nelson Semedo’s cross — but Semedo was offside from Messi’s pass.
Yet in the 69th minute, Messi gave his team the cushion that they wanted, earning a dubious penalty with a storming run. He won the ball on the halfway line, stood firm against one defender and held off two more.
After an exchange with Luis Suarez, he was finally knocked over, even if it appeared less of a foul than the previous attempts to stop him.
Messi curled into the bottom corner.
Suarez had come on for Fati, while Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Arthur Melo also departed as Setien turned his attention to Sevilla.
Leganes coach Javier Aguirre was sent off for his protests in stoppage-time.
Earlier, Getafe dropped more points in the race for a UEFA Champions League qualification as they failed to break down RCD Espanyol despite their opponents playing most of the match with 10 men.
A goalless draw represents a missed chance for Jose Bordalas’ side, and they could have lost to Espanyol, who are building steam.
Getafe stay fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Real Sociedad, who are to play their game in hand at Deportivo Alaves today.
Espanyol move to within two points of safety after resuming with a 2-0 victory over Alaves on Saturday last week.
Villarreal stayed in the hunt for the European places by beating RCD Mallorca 1-0.
Carlos Bacca’s early finish leaves Villarreal seventh, three points from fourth, while Mallorca remain in 18th place on the league table.
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