Getty Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his 700th goal
Lionel Messi hit another extraordinary landmark in his incredible career on Tuesday by netting his 700th career goal against Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
The Barcelona captain scored a cheeky penalty on 50 minutes after Nelson Semedo was adjudged to have been fouled in the penalty area:
7️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ has arrived! 🐐
Lionel Messi’s landmark goal comes in the form of a Panenka to give @FCBarcelona a 2-1 lead over @atletienglish!
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Messi has now scored 630 goals for Barcelona and 70 for Argentina:
700 – Lionel Messi has scored his 700th first-team goal for Barcelona (630) and Argentina (70). Iconic.
The strike is also his 22nd of the season in La Liga and his 27th in all competitions for the Catalan giants in 2019-20. He is the leading scorer in Spain’s top flight this season ahead of Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema who has 17 goals.
Drama at the Camp Nou
The goal put Barcelona 2-1 up in the game at the Camp Nou. The Catalan giants went ahead early on when Diego Costa put a Messi corner past his own goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
😳 Diego Costa charged with the own goal as @FCBarcelona move in front of @atletienglish
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The evening got even worse for Costa when he also missed a penalty in the first half. The striker’s effort was saved by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but the kick was taken again because the German was deemed to have been off his line.
This time Saul Niguez stepped up and calmly sent Ter Stegen the wrong way to make it 1-1 on 20 minutes.
🖥 Wild scenes as VAR rules Ter Stegen off his line to save a Costa penalty. Saul steps up for the second attempt and brings Atleti level with Barcelona
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Both sides had more chances to score but Barcelona had to wait until the second half to take the lead. Semedo went down after a challenge from Felipe to win the crucial penalty and Messi made no mistake.
There was more drama 12 minutes later when the referee pointed to the spot yet again, this time in Atletico’s favor. Again Semedo was involved, bringing down Yannick Carrisco for yet another spot-kick.
Up stepped Saul again to squeeze his second penalty of the match just past Ter Stegen and into the far corner to secure a 2-2 draw for the visitors.
Another Draw for Barcelona
The result means more dropped points for Barcelona in their bid to retain their title. They are now a point behind leaders Real Madrid having played a game more than their fierce rivals.
Midfielder Sergio Busquets said after the game it would be “difficult” for his team to be crowned champions now but insisted they would continue to fight in their final five games.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid can extend their lead to four points on Thursday when they host Getafe.
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