Messi increases goal haul as Barca draw with Eibar

Messi increases goal haul as Barca draw with Eibar
Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - Eibar v FC Barcelona - Ipurua, Eibar, Spain - May 19, 2019 Barcelona's Lionel Messi REUTERS/Vincent West Copyright VINCENT WEST(Reuters)
Copyright VINCENT WEST(Reuters)
By Reuters
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button

EIBAR, Spain (Reuters) - Barcelona captain and La Liga top scorer Lionel Messi rounded off a spectacular season by netting twice in a 2-2 draw away to Eibar in the champions' final game on Sunday, taking his tally to a remarkable 36 goals.

Eibar went ahead in the 20th minute with a strike from Barca's on-loan midfielder Marc Cucurella which squirmed under keeper Jasper Cillessen but Messi levelled in the 31st, sneaking into the box to meet a pass from Arturo Vidal and score.

Messi struck again a minute later, racing through the middle unchallenged and calmly chipping the outstretched keeper Marko Dmitrovic, but Eibar's Pablo de Blasis levelled right before halftime with a superb one-touch strike from long range.

Malcom and Gerard Pique missed second-half chances for the champions while Cucurella spurned an even better opportunity for Eibar. Barca finished the campaign on 87 points, 11 clear of runners-up Atletico Madrid and 19 ahead of Real Madrid in third.

(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Toby Davis)

Share this articleComments

You might also like

UEFA Champions League draw: Real Madrid face Chelsea in quarter-finals

Want to find out which city is best for running? Here’s the world’s top 10 cities

England's stunning 8-0 win over Norway in women's European Championship