Lionel Messi made amends for a missed first-half penalty by scoring both goals as Barcelona won 2-0 at Alavés on Saturday. The striker Rubén Sobrino raced into the box ahead of the stranded Spain international but was thwarted by Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Barça goal. Paulinho made his Barcelona debut when he came on in the 88th minute, while Messi was denied a hat-trick when his effort from outside the area bounced off the bar. Jonathan Calleri pulled one back with a second-half header but Koke added two impressive strikes after the break. Thomas Partey completed the rout after the home side’s striker Jonathan Viera had a penalty saved by Jan Oblak.

Source: The Guardian August 26, 2017 23:32 UTC