On the day Messi made history, Barcelona struggled to beat Real Betis.
(06/05/2025 - Views: 8)
(BongDa.com.vn) - Lionel Messi has officially broken Gerd Muller's record for goals in a year with two goals scored in the first half. However, Barca struggled to resist the home team's pressure throughout the second half. In the end, the complete victory also followed the away team back to leave the Benito Villamarin stadium full of emotions and applause as both teams left the field.
Many fans present to watch this match were not disappointed when they saw the name Lionel Messi in the starting lineup for Barca. The forward wearing number 10 quickly returned from injury midweek and was expected to equal and break the goal-scoring record for a year held by legendary Gerd Muller in this match.In response to the anticipation and excitement of everyone, El Pulga quickly demonstrated his class as well as his lucky charm in recent matches. In the 16th minute of the match, Messi dribbled past the Real Betis goal and took a powerful shot to defeat goalkeeper Adrián. His 85th goal in 2012 equaled the record he was aiming to break.As predicted, teammates supported Messi effectively to showcase his talents. Iniesta was one of them, continuously assisting Messi to score in this match. In particular, Iniesta's backheel set up Messi for a long-range shot to score his second goal at the 25th minute of the match. With his 86th goal, Messi officially broke the old record that people were talking about, and also honored Gerd Muller's name with reverence.On the sidelines, home coach Pepe Mel was visibly angry to see his team being easily defeated and on the verge of losing. Personnel adjustments helped Betis get a goal before the end of the first half. In the 39th minute, Rubén Castro successfully beat Valdes after overcoming the offside trap, bringing the score down to 1-2 for the home team.In the second half, somehow Real Betis players were more spirited and determined. Barca struggled to control the game and retain possession. Messi faced tighter marking while the two wingers were ineffective, making Barca of the second half completely dominated by the home team. Several goalpost and crossbar saves prevented the away team from conceding more goals.Barca also responded with multiple attacks, exploiting the opponent's defensive weaknesses, but it seemed that besides Messi, no one knew how to score against the opposition. Opportunities were created, but Pedro, Alexis, and Thiago all missed them regrettably. Fortunately, the match ended before things went out of control for them, so the three points still went to the away team.