After the awful loss to Paris Saint-Germain and last-minute draw to Cadiz, FC Barcelona have returned to their winning days. And all thanks to Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba as well as Martin Braithwaite who wrapped a comfortable 3-0 win over Elche CF on Wednesday.
Messi’s double treat, and Jordi Alba’s graceful brace have moved the Catalan giants onto the third position in La Liga. They however stand shy of 2 points below rivals, Real Madrid and 3 points beneath leaders, Atletico Madrid.
Yet having said that, with this win, Messi is now ruling the top scorer’s chart in the league. Argentine legend has scored 18 goals this season, two more than former teammate Luis Suarez.
Lionel Messi is also appearing to be a favorite in the ongoing race for the Pichichi Trophy. He is also reigning the 2021 goal scorers chart for having scored 13 goals in Europe’s top 5 leagues. This famous trophy is awarded by Spanish news giants Marca to La Liga’s top goalscorer each season. Messi has won The Pichichi Trophy for a record seven times.
Messi and Alba’s courtesy aided Barcelona to grab 3 important points:
After a dull first half, Barcelona somehow got through Elche’s white wall and managed to score 3 impressive goals.
In the later minutes of the second half, Braithwaite’ back-heel pass ushered Messi to score the breakthrough goal for the team. Following Frenkie de Jong‘ assist, the Blaugrana captain once again, after 20 minutes scored past Edgar Badia.
Further at the 73-minute mark, Messi made a cross to Braithwaite who calmly headed to Alba. The Spaniard then drove the ball at the back of the net, from a six yards distance.
Ronald Koeman and his side will now face Sevilla on Sunday, away from home. Barcelona will likewise host Julen Lopetegui and his men in the Camp Nou in March, during the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
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