Lionel Messi registered his sixth goal in La Liga this season as Barcelona was held by Valencia at the Mestalla on Sunday. The Argentinian and his teammates failed to consolidate their spot atop the league log by earning just a point after Real Madrid was dealt a shock defeat away to Alaves over the weekend.
The Catalans settled into the encounter with Los Che on the back foot with defender Ezequiel Garay giving the host the lead in just two minutes after kick-off. A moment of magic from Lionel Messi inside the 23rd minute, however, restored parity for the Blaugrana.
Following an exchange of passes between the Catalans' No. 10 and his attacking sidekick Luis Suarez, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner unleashed a low-effort from long-range to the admiration of fans. Although Barcelona eventually ended proceeding by extending its winless run in La Liga to four, the little spark of light in the crisis cloud was found in the corner of the club's stalwart.
27 - Luis Suarez has now assisted more @LaLigaEN goals for Lionel Messi than any other @FCBarcelona player, surpassing Dani Alves (26). Duet. pic.twitter.com/iQVhyGtrmh
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 7, 2018
Lionel Messi's goal landed him the record of being one who has the most goals from outside the penalty area than any player in Europe's top five leagues in over a decade. The striker's current goal tally from the position stands at 57.
His team Barcelona heads into the international break on 15 points, level with Atletico who sits in second. Sevilla surprisingly assumed the status as league leaders with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo whereas Real Madrid currently occupies fourth on 14 points following the weekend's loss to Alaves.
