Granada vs. FC Barcelona: Messi never gives up and Barça is now set for the Milan trip (1-2)
Two second half goals from Leo Messi turned the result round after Ighalo had put a brave Granada ahead and gave Barça three more points in their title bid. With the World Number One leading the team though, Barça put in an impeccable second half performance and set things up nicely for Wednesday’s trip to San Siro, when the Catalans will be playing AC Milan at the Champions League last 16 first leg.
Barcelona (FCB).- One more win for Barça. Two goals after the break from Leo Messi gave Jordi Roura’s team the win against a brave Granada team who had taken the lead in the first half and gave Barça a good run for their money. With the World Number One leading the team though, FC Barcelona put in an impeccable second half performance and set things up nicely for Wednesday’s trip to Milan for the Champions League last 16 game.
From nearly 0-1 to1-0
With Granada pressing high up the pitch and unsettling Barça’s attempts to play the ball out from the back, the game began at a high pace. Even though the visitors began to get a grip on possession, they lacked a bit of sharpness up front, with Alexis – playing wide on the left – finding spaces, but just falling short in front of goal.
The Chilean had a great one on one chance with the Granada keeper Toño on 24 minutes and as the hosts broke on the counter, Nolito set up Ighalo for a casebook breakaway strike to put the hosts one up.
Messi equalises
Barça’s pressure and domination of possession paid dividends at the start of the second half, when Toño could only parry a long range Cesc shot into Messi’s path and the Argentinean pounced to equalise and score his 300th goal in an official game. FC Barcelona might have a long lead at the top of the table, but they weren’t prepared to sit back and hold out for a point and they shifted up a gear in the last half hour as they went in search of the win.
More Messi
Granada hardly managed a shot in the second half, whilst Alexis – who was eventually subbed by Tello – was constantly causing them problems. Pedro hit the woodwork and had a goal disallowed and Messi came close before making it 1-2 with a brilliant piece of skill to score direct from a free kick.
With Iniesta on the field, Tello could have scored on a couple of occasions and the misses could have cost the team dearly as Brahmi had a great chance to equalise, only for Valdes to make a great stop late on and ensure the three points. Despite that late scare, Barça showed in the second half that they are all set for the big game at the San Siro on Wednesday.