Messi’s Late Strike Sends Barca To Top of Laliga Table In Thriller El Classico

Lionel Messi's late strike at Santigo Bernebeu was the decisive goal that made the difference in a thriller El Classico, sending Barcelona to the top of the laliga table despite leveling on point with Madrid, with the head-to-head meeting making the difference for the Catalans. Casemiro opened scoring for Madrid in the 28th minutes before Lionel Messi struck back in the 33rd minutes to bring Barca back to the game with the Catalans being in possession of the game.

The second half looked a bit tight but Rakitic's goal in the 73rd minutes put Barca in the lead before Sergio Ramos got a red card for a rough tackle on Messi, giving the Catalans advantage. Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane made a super substitution, bringing in James Rodriguez who turned things around for Madrid leveling up the scoreline in the 86th minutes through a cross from Marcelo that sparked up life at Bernebeu within a twinkle of an eye. The match seemed was going to level end in a draw before Sergio Roberto made a last minute move into Madrid defence with a one-two pass which eventually located Messi in the 18-yard box where the Argentine buried the ball in the net to score his 500th Barcelona goal and sending his side to the top of the table. The Argentine celebrated the winning goal widely removing his jersey which eventually earned him a yellow card in a match that was filled with intrigues.