Lionel Messi’s 500th La Liga game for Barcelona resulted in the Argentine providing his 300th assist for the club. The 33-year-old setup Dutchman Frenkie De Jong for the game’s only goal as the Catalans returned to winning ways after a disappointing draw with Eibar at home in the midweek fixture. Ronald Koeman’s men have closed the gap on the top four and will be hoping to build on this win. Lionel Messi Makes 500th Appearance for Barcelona in La Liga, Achieves Feat During Match Against Huesca.

The Argentine who sat out Barcelona’s draw midweek was once again the catalyst as the Catalans marginally got over the line following a sluggish display. However, a clean sheet will give the team much boost going further considering their defensive woes this season. Lionel Messi after the game posted these photos on his social media.

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Despite not being up to their desired level, Barcelona can still take positive from the game. Ousmane Dembele who once again has been plagued with injuries managed to play the entire 90 minutes, while Frenkie De Jong continued his goal-scoring form and has now netted three times in the last five La Liga outings.

Barcelona have closed the gap on the top four and now find themselves just one point behind Villarreal in the final Champions League spot while having a game in hand. The Catalans since their defeat to Juventus, have gone unbeaten for six games, winning four of them but need to improve their defensive performances if they are to challenge for any trophies.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 04, 2021 03:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).