Lionel Messi scores 651st goal as Barcelona beat Real Betis, extend winning run to 6 games in all competitions

Lionel Messi scores 651st goal as Barcelona beat Real Betis, extend winning run to 6 games in all competitions

Oluwatomiwa Babalola
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:41 PM
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- Real Betis vs Barcelona's La Liga clash ended in favour of Ronald Koeman's men

- Lionel Messi started the game from the bench and his introduction in the second half helped the Catalans claim maximum points in the end

- Trinicao scored the winning goal for the visitors after delivering an unstoppable ball from close range

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Barcelona stretch their winning streak to six games in all competitions after coming from a goal down to beat Real Betis 3-2 at Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday, February 7.

The Catalans have once again returned to the second position on the La Liga table with 43 points - same as their bitter rivals Real Madrid after 21 rounds of games.

Borja Iglesias gave Manuel Pellegrini's men the lead in the 38th minute after powering home a close-range effort from Emerson's low cross.

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The goal that gave Manuel Pellegrini's men the advantage heading into the dressing room for a half-time pep talk after an impressive first 45 minutes.

Real Betis vs Barcelona
Lionel Messi celebrates 651st goal for Barcelona in their 3-2 win over Real Betis on Sunday, January 7. Photo by Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images
Source: Getty Images

Ronald Koeman rang a few changes to his team before the second half kicked off with Pedri coming on for Martin Braithwaite.

In the 57th minute, the Dutch manager made double substitutions with Lionel Messi and Pedri taking the places of Ricard Puig and Martin Braithwaite for the remainder of the game.

And just 120 seconds on the pitch, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner restored parity for the Catalans with a stunning finish from the 18-yard box.

Ousmane Dembele provided the assist for the goal after hustling his way out of a difficult situation from the right flank before laying the pass to Messi, who then tucked the ball into the bottom right corner of the post.

The Nou Camp side took the lead for the first time in the encounter in the 68th minute following an own goal from Victor Ruiz after intense pressure on the hosts.

But, he managed to redeem his image in the 75th minute with an outstanding header from a Nabil Fekir's free-kick.

Trincao sealed the victory for the guests with less than three minutes left on the clock with a superb delivery that went beyond Joel Robles' reach and the away team ran off with three points.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has been crowned the world's best player of the decade between 2011 and 2020 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

The 33-year-old beats arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo who came second on the list and eight other superstars to win the prestigious award.

Other big names on the 10 man shortlist are Andres Iniesta, Neymar, and Sergio Ramos but they didn't do well enough to earn the gong.

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