Lionel Messi lost his cool after another Barcelona breakdown on Sunday, hitting a rival away from the ball and being shipped off unexpectedly while playing with the Catalan club in the team’s 3-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the last of the Spanish Super Cup.
Iñaki Williams’ objective in additional time gave Athletic the lead and a dig out from a deficit win. Barcelona had minimal possibility of recuperating when Messi swung his correct arm toward the top of an Athletic player while attempting to free himself. Messi was indicated the red card following a video survey.
The card came in his 753rd appearance with Barcelona. He has been shipped off twice with Argentina, remembering for his public group debut in 2005. The other red card with Argentine came in the 2019 Copa America.
Messi could confront a protracted suspension for his discharge on Sunday.
After Athletic scored in the 90th moment to seal a 2-2 draw and power additional time, Williams got the title-securing objective with a slick twisting shot from simply inside the territory, with the ball hitting the far post prior to going into the top corner.
“Because of what it meant for the team, this is the best goal of my career,” Williams said.
The goal three minutes into additional time made sure about Athletic its third Super Cup title, and first since it beat Barcelona in the 2015 last. The Basque Country club additionally won the title in 1984.
Barcelona was looking for its fifteenth Super Cup title, and third in the last five seasons. It was additionally hoping to end its title dry spell in the wake of abandoning a prize last season, something that hadn’t occurred since 2007-08. The group got having a hard time this season and trails Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid in the Spanish association.
Messi, who requested to leave Barcelona in the offseason yet had his solicitation denied, had been suspicious to play in the last due to a vague wellness issue that had caused mentor Ronald Koeman to avoid him with regards to the elimination round against Real Sociedad on Wednesday, when Barcelona won in a punishment shootout.
He assisted set with increasing Antoine Griezmann’s first objective on Sunday yet was a long way from his best all through the match at the La Cartuja Stadium in Seville.
Barcelona opened the scoring with a shot from the center of the zone by Griezmann in the 40th moment however Athletic balanced two minutes after the fact with a short proximity strike by Óscar de Marcos after a very much positioned cross by Williams. Griezmann put Barcelona ahead with one more shot from inside the zone in the 77th yet Athletic leveled the match again with Asier Villalibre finding the net after a set piece in the 90th.
Villalibre was the player hit by Messi in the last minutes as the players tangled together external the zone. The ball was at that point on the left half of the territory when the episode occurred.
Athletic, which beat guarding champion Real Madrid 2-1 in the other elimination round, had a 57th-minute objective refused by video audit due to offside after a header by Raúl García, who had gotten twice in the elimination round.
The last was the third match in control for Athletic mentor Marcelino García Toral. His presentation had been against Barcelona in an alliance game at home, when Messi scored twice to assist the Catalan club with recuperating an early objective by Williams and secure a 3-2 triumph.
“The players deserve all the credit for this achievement,” the new coach said. “They defeated Real Madrid and Barcelona to be able to win this trophy.”
Going with the Athletic crew in Seville was Aritz Aduriz, the club’s previous striker who had to resign last season in view of a hip physical issue.
At the point when Athletic vanquished Barcelona in 2015, the Spanish Super Cup last was as yet played in two legs between the Spanish association and Copa del Rey victors.
The current year’s version was moved to southern Spain after the Covid pandemic prevented it from being played in Saudi Arabia briefly straight season. The competition’s redone Final Four organization remembers the main two finishers for the Spanish class and the finalists of the Copa del Rey from the past season.
