Lionel Messi rolls back the years to lead Barcelona to victory against Elche

Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona beat Elche 3-0.
Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona beat Elche 3-0.

For 45 minutes, it looked like Barcelona were on their way to dropping points once again. Then Lionel Messi decided to do change things.

The Argentinian has been Barcelona’s go-to man for a decade a half and continues to bail them out in tough games. On Wednesday, Messi was once again at it when the Blaugrana hosted Elche in the La Liga.

After a goalless first-half, the 33-year-old stepped up and produced a magical performance to earn Ronald Koeman’s side all three points. He opened the scoring in the 48th minute before doubling it after the hour mark.

Jordi Alba then completed the rout with a close-range finish after being set up by Martin Braithwaite. A 3-0 result is emphatic as it comes and it was a well-deserved win for the Blaugrana.

Messi masterclass against Elche

While this was a convincing result, the team's performance wasn’t perfect. It took Messi’s individual brilliance to break down Elche's resilient defence.

The Argentine played one of his best games of the season and ended up having a hand in all three goals that Barcelona scored on the night. At this point, the world is running out of superlatives to describe him.

It was just like old times: once he got into his stride, no player could get close to him. Aside from his double, Messi often dropped deep to dictate play and continuously troubled the Elche defence.

Messi’s two goals on Wednesday take his tally in the La Liga this season to 18, making him the league’s top scorer, a goal ahead of Atletico Madrid’s Luis Suarez. Even at 33, delivering a masterclass at the Camp Nou is not beyond the Argentine.

Barcelona return to winning ways after a tough week

Ronald Koeman could not hide his joy following his side’s 3-0 win against Elche. The result signalled an end to Barcelona’s two-game winless run.

It’s been a tough week for the Blaugrana, who lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League before drawing with minnows Cadiz in the La Liga over the weekend.

However, a return to winning ways is exactly what the club needed after their underwhelming performances in the last week.

“We needed to win after the two results,” Koeman said, as quoted by Goal. “We played a great second half and we made the difference. In the first half, we should have done better.”
"Surely, having won today, tomorrow will be different. It is normal if you leave two points against Cadiz when it was time to cut back with those at the top. You have to close this bad feeling with good games and good results," Koeman added.

Now third in the La Liga and five points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, it’s not far-fetched to suggest Barcelona can still win the league if they can remain consistent in the upcoming months.

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar