Messi scores a wonder goal in the 90th minute, Barca snatch a point from Villarreal.

M10's free-kick helped Barca secure a 1-1 draw in their away match against Villarreal in La Liga's 17th round.

Goals: Sansone 50' - Messi 90'

Messi scored with a perfect free-kick in the 90th minute. From about 19 meters, the striker curled the ball over the wall and into the top left corner of the net. Faced with this shot, goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo could only watch as the ball went in, unable to make a save.

Before Messi's brilliance, Villarreal seemed to have secured the three points. The "Yellow Submarine" took the lead in the 50th minute thanks to a diagonal shot from Nicola Sansone.

Messi once again played the role of savior for Barca. Photo: Reuters

Messi's goal only saved Barca from defeat, but it didn't bring any progress in La Liga. The defending champions have dropped to third place with only 35 points. This is one point behind Sevilla and five points behind leaders Real Madrid. If Real win against Valencia in their postponed match, the gap between the two teams will be eight points.

Currently fifth in the league table, Villarreal are working hard to secure a Champions League spot next season. Barca could clearly see this effort through a series of varied attacks toward goalkeeper Ter Stegen's goal. With a bit more luck, Villarreal could have opened the scoring in the 10th minute with Jonathan Dos Santos' shot narrowly missing the crossbar.

With their sharp counter-attacking style, the home team finally got their wish in the 50th minute. In a situation where they broke the deadlock, Pato passed the ball to Sansone, who raced down and fired a low shot diagonally into the net, beating Ter Stegen.

Villarreal nearly secured three points.

Compared to Villarreal, Barca controlled possession more and created more dangerous opportunities. The problem was the lack of variety in their attacks to break through the opponent's defense, coupled with bad luck at crucial moments. Neymar alone missed at least four chances, repeatedly shooting straight into goalkeeper Asenjo's hands or over the crossbar. Messi also failed to make much of an impact, hitting a defender's hand inside the penalty area (the referee didn't award a penalty) and having a curling shot hit the post.

It wasn't until the 90th minute that Barca fans could breathe a sigh of relief. Standing in front of the Villarreal wall, Messi decisively took a free kick, sending the ball into the left corner, not the right as he had often done. The ball curved beautifully, giving no Villarreal player a chance to save it.

This is the second consecutive time Messi has given Barca hope with a direct free-kick. Earlier last week, M10 also scored from a free-kick, reducing the deficit to 1-2 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey round of 16 against Bilbao.

Barca haven't been in good form in the early part of the new year.

According to VNE