Winning again in La Liga, Barca successfully starts the big match with Chelsea
After two draws with Espanyol and Getafe, Barca regained their winning feeling by beating Eibar 2-0.
Goals: Luis Suarez 16', Jordi Alba 88'
Learning from his two missed chances to win three points, coach Ernesto Valverde restored the starting lineup to the one from the beginning of the season. Midfielder Paulinho played from the start alongside Busquets, Iniesta and Rakitic, while new compatriot Coutinho had to sit on the bench due to not being able to adapt to the general playing style.
With a balanced squad, Barca did not need to make much effort to attack the ball but still created more dangerous chances. While Eibar had four shots in the first 12 minutes without scoring, the visitors only needed their second shot to open the score.
Messi continued to play the role of set-up man when he passed the ball from midfield to Luis Suarez, who received the ball and dribbled past goalkeeper Dmitrovic to finish into an empty net.
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Luis Suarez dribbles past goalkeeper Dmitrovic to open the scoring. Photo: Reuters |
Eibar had to wait until the 19th minute for a real clear chance, after Fabian Orellana lobbed a shot from outside the box,instead of going into Barca's goal,The ball went beyond the reach of goalkeeper Ter Stegen and bounced off the crossbar.
Barca also had a situation where the goal was denied by the goalpost in the 37th minute. This was the opportunity for Messi with a left-footed shot that hit the post, after a pass back in the penalty area from Suarez.
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The goalposts denied both teams. |
Eibar managed to maintain a stalemate with Barca until midway through the second half. Both teams had several more shots but lacked the accuracy to score.
Barca began to dominate from the 66th minute, when Eibar were down a player. For protesting against the referee by knocking the ball off the field, Orellana received a second yellow card.
Successfully exploiting the numerical superiority, Barca created many clear-cut opportunities. Messi and Aleix Vidal both had one-on-one situations with goalkeeper Dmitrovic but failed to finish. In the 88th minute, after another shot from Messi, Alba rushed in to score the rebound to seal the 2-0 victory.
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Eibar's defense couldn't stop Alba from kicking the ball accurately into the near corner. |
Having regained their winning touch in La Liga, Barca have 62 points after 24 matches. Coach Valverde's team is also 10 points ahead of Atletico Madrid, who played late in round 24.
The win over Eibar was also a successful warm-up for Barca for the big match against Chelsea in the Champions League. On February 20, Messi and his teammates will visit Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the round of 16.