Barca 3-0 Alaves: Messi nets landmark double to start the new season with a bang

Lionel Messi scored Barcelona's 6000th goal in LaLiga as the champions sealed a 3-0 win over Deportivo Alaves on Saturday.

Match Events

6' CLOSE! Alba hits the side netting

19' CHANCE! Suarez's shot over the bar

38' OFF THE BAR! Messi's free-kick hits the bar

39' CHANCE! Dembele's shot saved by Pacheco

48' CHANCE! Alba's shot from near post denied by Pacheco

64' GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Alaves (Messi)

Barcelona score their 6,000th goal in their LaLiga history. Messi goes low, firing the ball underneath the men leaping in the wall. Pacheco unsighted cannot get across before the ball finds the bottom corner. A super strike from the Argentine to open his account for the new campaign.

83' GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Alaves (Coutinho)

Coutinho gets off the mark for the campaign with a trademark finish. He receives the ball from Arthur on the left before cutting in from the left flank. He feints the shot once to create room for the angle. The Brazilian smashes his effort beyond the reach of Pacheco to find the back of the net.

92' GOAL! Barcelona 3-0 Alaves (Messi)

GOALLLLLLLLL!!! MESSI HAS HIS SECOND GOAL!!!! BARCELONA 3-0!!! 

The Argentine notches his second of the game as he collects Suarez's cross into the box. Messi controls the ball on his chest before fending off the challenge of Maripan. He has space and time to pick his spot, striking his effort into the bottom corner. A fine performance from Messi to start the term.

Match reports

Lionel Messi sealed a 3-0 win for Barcelona against Deportivo Alaves in his first LaLiga match as the club's full-time captain.

The Argentina star swept in a clever free-kick midway through the second half before Philippe Coutinho netted a fine second, with Messi doubling his tally late on to secure all three points for Ernesto Valverde's side.

Alaves did little to trouble Barca's goal even after going behind, but it was far from a convincing display from the hosts, who handed league debuts to Arthur and Arturo Vidal in the second half.

Barca looked laboured despite all their possession in the first half, with creativity at a premium in Coutinho's absence, although captain Messi hit the bar with a free-kick and Ousmane Dembele fired straight at Fernando Pacheco when through one-on-one.

Coutinho was introduced at half-time for full-back Nelson Semedo, but there was little to get the 52,356 fans inside Camp Nou out of their seats until the 64th minute, when Messi sent a free-kick under the wall and into the net.

The Argentina star struck the woodwork again despite nearly slipping over in the build-up, before Luis Suarez – making his 200th appearance for the club – was denied by Pacheco when capitalising on a defensive slip.

Barca secured an opening-day win for the 10th time in succession eight minutes from time, though, when Coutinho rifled home from just inside the area, before Messi brought down Suarez's pass and slotted home with the last kick.

Line-ups

Barcelona XI: L. Messi, L. Suárez, Piqué, I. Rakitić, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, M. ter Stegen, S.Roberto, S. Umtiti, Semedo, O. Dembélé

Subs: Vidal, Philippe Coutinho, Jasper Cillessen, Rafinha, Lenglet, Arthur, Malcom

Deportivo Alavés XI: Wakaso, M.García, D.Torres, Laguardia, Ibai, Jony, Sobrino, Fernando Pacheco, Maripán, R.Duarte, Martín Aguirregabiria

Subs: Bastón, X.Navarro, Patrick Twumasi, Burgui, Antonio Sivera, A.Marín, Antonio Perera

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