SoccerVideo

Lionel Messi Did Lionel Messi Things To Help Rescue FC Barcelona (Video)

Barcelona wasn’t having its best day. Midway through the second half of its Champions League matchup against Spartak Moscow, Barca found itself down 2-1. All due respect to Spartak – not many people would have guessed they’d be in that position. Could they pull an early-tournament stunner?

Well… no, they couldn’t, as it turned out. And the man who made sure they couldn’t: Lionel Messi. (Now that, people might have predicted.) The world’s best player stepped up when he needed to, netting goals in the 71st and 80th minutes to quash the upset bid and continue his side’s solid start under new coach Tito Vilanova. And while neither goal will count among Messi’s most spectacular, as both were scored from point-blank range and came off good setups from teammates, they certainly will count. They won Barcelona the match. That’s all that matters. See the goals here (Messi’s highlights begin at the 40-second mark):

And another view of the winner: