Barcelona news: Antoine Griezmann admits he 'copied' Lionel Messi for his second goal against Real Betis

What’s the story?

Barcelona attacker Antoine Griezmann has revealed that he tried to imitate Lionel Messi for his well-crafted curled finish against Real Betis on Sunday.

In case you didn’t know

Griezmann was the star of the show at Camp Nou, in the absence of Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, as Barcelona thumped Real Betis 5-2 on Sunday.

One of Barcelona’s marque recruitd this season, Griezmann has hit the ground running with his first ever appearance as a Barcelona player at Camp Nou. The Frenchman bagged two goals and an assist to help Barcelona register their first victory of the season.

Nabil Fekir put the visitors ahead with a well-taken finish in the 15th-minute mark, but Barcelona came roaring back and equalized through Griezmann just before half-time.

The Frenchman added the second five minutes into the second half with a lovely curled finish from the edge of the box. Then, Carles Pérez, Jordi Alba and substitute Arturo Vidal, all chipped in for Barcelona as they hit five in front of nearly 80,000 spectators at Camp Nou. Although, Loren pulled one back for Betis, it was too little to late for them to dream about a fairy tale comeback.

The heart of the matter

Lionel Messi 'inspired' Griezmann during his second goal.

Speaking to Movistar after the game, Griezmann has admitted that he tried to copy Lionel Messi for his second goal against Real Betis. The Frenchman revealed,

"Yes, I saw Leo do it in training and I copied him."

"The celebration? I liked what LeBron [James] did and tried to copy him.”

When asked to shed some light on Barcelona’s injury-hit start to the campaign and how difficult it is to cope without their marksmen, the 28-year-old attacker has put more emphasis on the team-play.

"In the end, when important people are missing, the team has to step up and today has been like that."

“I can't do it alone; if I score or give assists it's thanks to my teammates. We're a team.”

"It's the best when, in spite of injuries, people who come in can respond."

What’s next?

Barcelona will play Osasuna next on Saturday as their talisman, Lionel Messi is expected to play some part in it after missing out on the first two matchdays of La Liga with a tier-1 calf injury.

Coach Ernesto Valverde will be happy that Griezmann stepped up in the absence of Barca stars.