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Tag: Lionel Messi

  • Messi must accept ‘when he loses’ – Tite

    Brazil coach Tite has criticised Lionel Messi for his complaints against the Copa America refereeing.

    Brazil beat Messi’s Argentina lineup in the semifinals and clinched the title Sunday with a 3-1 win over Peru for their first Copa since 2007 and ninth overall.

    “He has to have more respect and needs to accept when he loses,” said Tite, who had praised the Argentine playmaker ahead of the semifinals.

    Messi boycotted the medal ceremony after Argentina beat Chile in the third-place game on Saturday. He said he was protesting against the refereeing and “corruption” in the Copa America.

    Messi and Chile’s Gary Medel were red carded after their physical confrontation in the first half.

    Messi said afterward that Argentina was not treated fairly and hinted that Brazil was benefiting as a result.

    Read Also: Messi sent off as Argentina beat Chile to win Copa America bronze

    Tite said he didn’t think Messi should have been sent off against Chile and that a yellow card would have been enough.

    “You have to have a little more respect and be careful,” Tite said. “We played clean against Argentina. Messi was unfairly sent off against Chile. It was a yellow card. But be careful.”

    Brazil captain Dani Alves said that the comments by his former Barcelona teammate shouldn’t take away from Brazil’s win.

    “I do not agree with what [Messi] said. Here we have professional players who have worked a lot in this competition and who have fought for it.

    “Deservedly [Brazil] eliminated [Argentina in the semifinal]. This is a very special achievement. We do not have to think about what other people say, even if it’s Messi.”

    (ESPN)

  • Messi fumes after Copa America defeat to Brazil

    Lionel Messi accused Copa America officials of favouring hosts Brazil after Argentina’s hopes were ended in Belo Horizonte.

    Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino handed the Selecao a place in Sunday’s final with a 2-0 win over their most bitter rivals in Wednesday night’s semi-final.

    Argentina had chances themselves, with Messi and Sergio Aguero both striking the woodwork, and were arguably the better side throughout the 90 minutes.

    However, it was the officials who drew the ire of Messi after the game with the Barcelona superstar scathing in his assessment of referee Roddy Zambrano and the Video Assistant Referee.

    Messi had approached the officiating team at full-time for a frank exchange of views.

    READ ALSO: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi scores 600th career club goal

    Messi was furious at a decision not to award Aguero a penalty after he appeared to be cleaned out when running through on goal shortly before Firmino doubled the hosts’ advantage.

    The challenge on Aguero wasn’t even looked at by VAR, something which – given the use of VAR at the tournament – left Messi enraged.

    He fumed: “They were not better than us. They found the net early and the second goal came from a penalty [to Aguero] they didn’t award,” Messi told reporters.

    “They [the officials] had called a lot of bulls**t, but they didn’t even check the VAR, that’s unbelievable.

    “That happened all over the game. At the first glance of contact, they ruled in their [Brazil’s] favour and this kind of bulls**t distracted us from the game.”

     

  • Football super stars FIFA U-20 World Cup produced

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    All is set for the 22nd edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup taking place in Poland.

    The competition, which will hold from 23rd May to 15th June, 2019, will see players from all around the world compete for the biggest prize in the youth category.

    It is one tournament the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) uses in discovering talents who turn out to become world class stars.

     It was formerly referred to as the FIFA World Youth Championship until 2005.

    Argentina is the most successful team in this competition, so far with six titles. They are followed by Brazil with five titles. Portugal and Serbia have both won two titles and Ghana is the only African country so far that have won the title- once in 2009.

    There are football legends we know today, produced from this age-grade competition. Notable amongst them are:

    Diego Maradona

    At the 1977 World Youth Championship in Japan, a certain Diego Maradona was discovered.  He won the golden ball of the competition, after scoring six goals, which included the last goal of the competition.

    He went on to win the 1978 FIFA World Cup in his homeland, and in 1986, he scored a controversial, “hand of God goal” and a goal voted in 2002 as the “goal of the century’.

    Maradona, who later in life went on to become the head coach of the national team,  is today regarded by many football writers, players, and fans as the greatest football player of all time.

    Ronaldinho

    Brazilian legend, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, popularly called Ronaldinho was part of the team that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1997 and graduated to the U-20 competition in Nigeria two years later where Brazil reached the quarter-finals.  He scored three goals in Nigeria ’99, displaying a freakish ability to control and contort the football.

    In 2002, he became a FIFA World Cup winner, scoring a wonder-goal against England in the quarter-finals. He went on to win the 2006 UEFA Champions League title with F Barcelona and was a force to reckon with in World football.

    Angel Di Maria

    Angel Di Maria was called upon to represent Argentina at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. He scored three goals in process, helping the young Albicelestes win the title.

    He has gone on to feature in big clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Paris Saint German (PSG), where he has so far gotten sixteen goals for the club.

    On the international scene, he scored the goal that won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and has also represented them at three FIFA World Cups, reaching the final in 2014. He was named on the ten-man shortlist for FIFA’s Golden Ball award for the 2014 World Cup’s tournament’s best player

    Davor Suker

    Davor Suker is remembered for his excellent display for Croatia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France but his success story dates back to 1987 when he finished as the second highest scorer with six goals at the World Youth Championships in Chile.

    He set a Championship record with 22 goals scored altogether with Yugoslavia going on to win the title with a generation of future talents. He went on to represent Croatia at the 1996 European championship and was part of those named as the Team of the Tournament.

    He scored the bronze-medal winning goal against the Netherlands in the 1998 World Cup, winning the tournament’s top scorer. He later on became the President of the Croatian Football Federation.

    Samson Siasia

    Former Nigerian striker, Samson Siasia was part of the bronze-medal winning team for Nigeria at the 1985 World Youth Championship in the Soviet Union, where he scored a goal against Canada.

    He played 51 international matches for Nigeria, over a period of eleven years, winning the bronze medal at 1992 African Nations Cup in Senegal and the trophy two years later in Tunisa with the Super Eagles. He is referred to as the third leading scorer for the National Team.

    He was later appointed as coach of the U-20 national team, the dream team, and eventually, coach of the Super Eagles

    Read Also: Africa team will lift U-20 World Cup – Garba

    Paul Pogba

    Turkey 2013 produced a certain young boy named Paul Pogba, who was part of the French team that won the tournament.  Pogba, who was made captain, scored the team’s second goal in a 3–1 win.

    He played every minute of all of France’s matches except for the final group match against Spain where he was an unused substitute and was adjudged the best player of the tournament.

    Pogba later went on to represent Manchester United and Juventus, featuring in the 2015 UEFA and also won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with the national team, scoring in the final

    Luis Suarez

    Luis Suarez, a great icon for FC Barcelona and the Uruguay national team, is a product of the 2007 U-20 World Cup in Canada. It was not a great tournament for Suarez as he only scored two goals in Canada against Spain in the group stages and against the United States in the round of sixteen, which they lost, but he was noticed.

    He went on to feature for the national team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he made a major statement, stopping a goal-bound header from Ghana, which would have given Africa a spot in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the first time ever.

    Suárez now has 18 trophies to his name, including six league titles and a UEFA Champions League title at club level, and a Copa América with Uruguay, scoring over 400 senior career goals for club and country. He was named player of the tournament IN THE 2011 Copa America, after scoring four goals.

    John Mikel Obi

    John Mikel Obi was a product of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands where he finished as the second best player, behind Lionel Messi. He scored a single goal throughout the tournament, against Switzerland.

    He went on to be a part of the Super Eagles team at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations and also made it to the AFCON in 2013, where Nigeria emerged winners. H was named alongside the team of the tournament.

    He was involved in a controversial transfer issue between Chelsea and Manchester United where he finally settled for the London Club. In 2012, he was a UEFA Champions League winner. He is currently with Middlesbrough, after leaving Tianjin TEDA, where he joined on a free transfer.

    Lionel Messi

    Lionel Messi, current holder of five ballon d’or, was the best player of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship where he scored the two goals that gave Argentina the title, scoring six goals in the process.

    He went on to represent his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, at the age of 18, making him the youngest Argentine to play in the World Cup, and he has featured so far in four FIFA World Cups.

    He has been compared with legend, Diego Maradona, who has also referred to him as his successor because of his style of play, as a, left-footed dribbler.

    He joined FC Barcelona in 2004, and has risen to become one of the greatest forces in the Catalan Giants. He has ten La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League trophies and six Copas del Rey titles to his name.

    He has most official goals in a calendar year, and  most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions Leaguebut still looks forward to winning a major title with his national team after the 2005 World Youth Championship and the 2008 Olympic Games gold medal.

  • Messi hits out at Barcelona fans for ‘ugly’ Coutinho whistles

    Lionel Messi criticized Barcelona fans for jeering Philippe Coutinho when he was taken off in the second half of Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League winagainst Liverpool at Camp Nou.

    Messi struck twice in the second half, bringing up 600 Barca goals in the process, to leave his side in a commanding position heading into next week’s semifinal second leg at Anfield.

    But Barca’s win was tainted by the treatment former Liverpool playmaker Coutinho received when he was replaced by Nelson Semedo just before the hour mark. The club’s record signing endured a difficult night against his ex-teammates but Messi didn’t believe his performance was deserving of the whistles aimed at him by his own fans.

    The Argentina international even celebrated his first goal — which made it 2-0 in the 75th minute following Luis Suarez’s opener — by telling the home supporters not to whistle their own players.

    “We’re at the defining stage of the season and we have to be more united than ever,” Messi told reporters after the game. “I said that at the start of the season. It’s not the time to criticise anyone.

    “We have to support each other and stick together for the rest of the season. It is ugly to treat a player like that when they’re taken off.”

    While Coutinho’s Camp Nou struggles endured, it was another electric performance from Messi, 14 years to the day since he scored his first goal for the club against Albacete. His second goal was a sublime free kick from 30 yards.

    He now has 12 goals in Europe this season and 48 in all competitions, with Barcelona on the verge of a first Champions League final since 2015 and with a treble in their sights. They’ve already won La Liga and have a Copa del Rey final to come against Valencia later this month.

    Read Also: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi scores 600th career club goal

    However, the scoreline did flatter Barca slightly. Liverpool had their chances throughout the game, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen making three good stops and Mohamed Salah missing a great late opportunity to grab an away goal when he struck the woodwork.

    “We’re not used to not having the ball and we struggled a little,” Messi admitted. “But that’s how the game went and we had to find a way through in whatever way necessary. They didn’t manage to score and that’s important.

    “We were better in the first half and they pressed well in the second, but they didn’t have too many chances. Of course, they wanted to get a goal, an away goal is huge. We have a good advantage but we know it’s not over. Anfield’s a really tough place to go.”

    Coach Ernesto Valverde also warned that the tie is far from over. Barca were knocked out in the quarterfinals last season by Roma when, despite winning the first leg 4-1, they were beaten 3-0 at the Olimpico.

    “Liverpool had some clear chances — one off the post,” Valverde said in his postgame news conference. “And there was a great save by [Ter Stegen]. They had their moments and we had to suffer at times but, in the end, we got a good result against a really strong team.

    “But it’s a similar result to last year. We also had a three-goal lead against Roma.”

    ESPN

  • As it was in the beginning! Messi, Rocuzzo throwback tickles fans

     

    Argentinian newspaper La Capital has published  a picture, showing Lionel Messi  and the stunning mum of their three sons as children nearly two decades before they became man and wife, enjoying themselves in the Atlantic holiday resort of Punta Mogotes. Messi was playing in a youth football tournament in the nearby city of Balcarce.

    Antonela, who was about to turn 10 and was already a close friend of the footballer, had travelled to the area with her parents to see her cousin Lucas Scaglia, who was one of Messi’s teammate

    The photo, showing the pair with other children including Lucas and another team-mate called Matias Pecce, was taken in January 1998.

    Antonela’s parents were among the mums and dads who took the youngsters to Punta Mogotes during a day off from the boys’ football tournament but Messi’s mum and dad, Jorge and Celia, stayed in their native city of Rosario, an eight-hour drive away

    It was not clear on Monday if the footballer, who the Pope insisted was ‘very good’ but not God in a recent interview, has ever seen the picture.

    It is going viral after the work of a La Capital journalist tracking it down and publishing it.

    The paper said it had taken three years to uncover it after several members of its editorial team had set about trying to find a photo of Messi in Mar del Plata, a famous resort which most Argentinians visit at some point in their childhood

    Messi travelled to the area in January 1998 to play for Newell’s Old Boys, one of Rosario’s two best-known teams.

    Local reports said his youth team won the tournament they played in – known as El Mundialito and featuring youngsters from Argentinian teams like Boca Juniors, River Plate and Velez Sarsfield – that year.

    A broken arm prevented Messi from playing in the same tournament the following year and he had to watch from the sidelines as his team was knocked out in the semi-final stages.

    Bruno Verdenelli, a journalist with La Capital, revealed he was sent the photo by Messi’s old team-mate Matias Pecce after a lengthy attempt to find images of the footballer in Mar del Pla

    Messi, regarded by many as the best player of all time, married Antonela in a glitzy wedding in Rosario on June 30, 2017.  They have three children – Thiago, six, Mateo, three, and Ciro, one.

  • Barcelona reach Champions League semi-finals with Messi exhibition against Manchester United

    Lionel Messi produced another masterful Champions League performance to knock out Manchester United and fire Barcelona into the semi-finals in a 3-0 home win on Tuesday.

    It was Barcelona’s first time of reaching the semi-final of the competition in four years.

    Barca, who toyed with United for the majority of the encounter, sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory and will meet either Porto or Liverpool in the last four.

    Messi had failed to score in his last 12 quarter-final appearances, but he settled his side’s nerves after a bright start from United.

    Collecting a misplaced pass from Ashley Young, Messi curled the ball into the bottom corner in the 16th minute.

    The Argentine then pounced on another lapse from United’s defence four minutes later to win back possession high up the pitch and fire a shot from outside the box.

    The ball then slipped under the arms of visiting keeper David de Gea.

    Philippe Coutinho finished off a therapeutic win for the Catalans, after three quarter-final failures in a row, by curling into the top corner in the second half.

    United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s greatest night as a player came at the Nou Camp.

    But after losing the first leg at Old Trafford 1-0, his team needed to become the first side to win a European game there in 31 matches in order to progress.

    They clung to the hope of another famous European escape act after last month’s miraculous 3-1 win at Paris St Germain and made a strong start as Marcus Rashford hit the crossbar in the opening stages.

    They also survived a scare when a penalty awarded to Barca for an apparent foul by Fred on Ivan Rakitic was overturned after a VAR review.

    Yet their hopes were soon extinguished when Young was caught in possession on the left wing and Messi seized the ball.

    He scurred across the pitch and held off more United defenders before bending a superb shot past the outstretched De Gea.

    The Spanish goalkeeper was left embarrassed for Messi’s second goal as the Argentine’s tame shot crept under his body.

    United looked down and out and Messi nearly dealt them further pain before halftime by sparking another quick break, but this time De Gea thwarted the Catalans.

    De Gea was taunted by Barca fans in the second half, which turned into a procession for the home side and the out-of-form Coutinho turned up the party atmosphere with his sensational strike.

    The nearest United came to finding the target after the break came when Barca keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen turned an Alexis Sanchez header around the post late on. (Reuters/NAN)

  • UCL: Five reasons why FC Barcelona should beat Manchester United tonight

    FC Barcelona host Manchester United in the second leg of the quarter-finals match of the UEFA Champions League in less than two hours.

    The Catalans go into the fixtures with a 1-0 aggregate lead knowing that a draw at the Camp Nou is enough to secure them a semi-final place for the first time since 2015.

    Barcelona on paper is widely adjudged to win on paper, as they are favourites to win virtually every game and also among the favourites to win every title. Five reasons listed below show clearly why the Spanish side should emerge winners over the Red Devils.

    1. Messi factor

    Lionel Messi alone gives any team an upper hand and he will be very essential in Barcelona’s goal to win not just this game but also the UEFA Champions League this season.

    The 31-year old already has 43 goals this season whilst providing 18 assists, more than any other player by far.

    Messi will be a menace for the Manchester United defence.  He is very dangerous, can score, dribble and create from basically all angles.

    1. Home advantage

    The great battle between both sides will take place in Camp Nou in few hours. Records have it that the Spanish sides progress in knockout games when they play the second leg at home. In their last eight quarterfinal ties, they’ve played away first they progressed in six and so expected to be a torrid time for Man. United in the Nou Camp.

    Read Also: Messi succeeds Iniesta, named new FC Barcelona captain

    1. Technical superiority

    Although it is not exactly a golden ticket for the better team to progress but in this case it is very glaring that Barcelona possess a lot more quality in their squad compared to the Reds.

    They are better than Man United in almost all positions and also looking from the team-play perspective. Barcelona are more tactically sound and balanced in both defense and attack with their transition fast and smooth enough to break any team down.

    1. Hunger for UCL trophy

    Barcelona have been champions of La Liga in seven of the last ten seasons and are on course to  winning this year’s edition as they top the table leading second place Atletico Madrid with 8 points. They’re also on course to win their fifth consecutive Copa Del Rey title but have failed to win the UEFA Champions League, a trophy they last handled in 2015.

    Watching Real Madrid win three editions in a row after 2015, they are desperate to clinch the title, now that their rivals are out of the competition. Messi already promised fans at the beginning they will try to bring the UCL home.

    5. Midfield duel

    FC Barcelona will definitely win the midfield war against Manchester United. They have a balanced midfield with Sergio Busquet in defensive midfield role and controller Arthur holding onto possession and resisting press.  Arturo Vidal could also feature, doing the tackling and making life difficult for the Red Devils.

  • Lukaku’s mother celebrates meeting Messi at old Trafford 

     

    You would imagine being the mother of a Premier League star would make you get used to superstardom.

    However it appears that even Romelu Lukaku’s mum can become a fan girl when confronted by Lionel Messi.

    A video has emerged of Adolphine Lukaku barely able to contain her excitement at meeting the Barcelona forward at Old Trafford this week

    Messi was part of the Barca side that earned a 1-0 away win over Manchester United in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.

    Adolphine giggled like a little girl as she posed for a picture with the Argentine and then they shared a warm embrace.

    She muttered ‘Messi, Messi, Messi’ while shaking her head in disbelief as they hugged it out. Apparently being the mother of a player in the opponents camp has nothing to do with, she just got to be herself!

    The 31-year-old was below par and was left nursing a nose bleed and a bloody eye after taking an elbow in the face from Chris Smalling.

    Despite not having a super night his presence alone was more than enough to give some die-hard fans enough excitement.

    Some will say it cannot be called an off night after he placed the incredible pass that forced an own goal by Luke Shaw in the 12th minute.

    The night at old Trafford revolved around Messi who was the subject of discuss before, during and after the match but who had to return home with a broken nose.

    He will hope to be back to his best on Tuesday night when Barca hope to defend their lead at the Nou Camp. Wednesday night did not go without the usual comparison between Messi arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

    The Juventus forward also grabbed attention when he returned from injury to score away against Ajax in a match that eventually ended 1-1 thus handing Juventus an opportunity to carry the day in the return leg just as Messi and his teammates will be looking forward to finish the project at the Nou camp in the return leg.

  • I red-carded Diego Costa for abusing my mum – Referee

    Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa was given a straight red card in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Barcelona at the Camp Nou for crude remarks he made about the match official’s mother, according to referee Jesus Gil Manzano.

    Costa was shown a straight red card in the 28th minute of the top-of-the-table clash for a verbal outburst at Manzano, who later reported the contents of the ex-Chelsea man’s derogatory message in his match report.

    With a man advantage for over an hour, Barca finally found a breakthrough with a wonderful curled strike from Luis Suarez in the 85th minute and Lionel Messi sealed the win with a goal moments later.

    After the match, Atletico coach Diego Simeone cursed his side’s bad luck with refereeing decisions in games against Barcelona

    “I asked the referee if what he said was so bad because we have seen Barca players do the same thing, saying things right in the referee’s face and they did not get sent off, they got away with it,” Simeone told a news conference.

    “If Costa really said what the referee claims he did, then he was correctly sent off, but we must be doing something wrong as we have had seven players sent off in 11 games.

    Read Also: Diego Costa Returns to Atletico Madrid

    “I remember we had Fernando Torres, a global icon, sent off here for making two fouls.”

    Atletico midfielder Koke also aired his frustration.

    “We were doing so well until the red card but all the small details went their way,” he said.

    “Whenever we come here something strange happens, we’ve had a lot of red cards against Barca and not all of them have been fair.”

    Atletico coped well with 10 men and had one glorious opportunity to break the deadlock in the second half from a free kick but midfielder Rodrigo headed narrowly over the bar.

    “The plan was to close space through the middle and invite the opponents to play on the wings so we could have a tiny possibility of winning,” Simeone added.

    “We were better in the second half, we made a huge effort and I felt we were in control until the final five minutes when Suarez got the breakthrough. I’m left encouraged by many things which my team did today.”

     

     

     

     

  • Barcelona increase La Liga lead to 11 points as Messi set new record

    Lionel Messi set a new La Liga wins mark while Barcelona increased their commanding lead to 11 points with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Saturday.

    Diego Costa was given a straight red card in the opening half-hour for something he said to referee Jesus Gil Manzano, putting Diego Simeone’s men a man down in what was a must-win game to keep any realistic title hopes alive.

    Atletico produced a gutsy second-half display, expertly shackling Barca but the Catalans finally found a way past the visitors’ outstanding goalkeeper Jan Oblak with a superb curling shot from Suarez in the 85th minute.

    Moments later Messi sealed victory and quite probably the league title with an irresistibly cool finish into the net and Barca’s fans jubilantly chanted “champions”, crowing at their surely unassailable lead at the top with seven games remaining.

    Atletico realistically needed to win at the Nou Camp for the first time since 2006 to stay in the title race and they played with ambition and intelligence in the opening stages, keeping the ball for long periods and depriving Barca of space.

    But they were rocked by Costa’s moment of madness which killed their early momentum and left them with little choice but to defend for the remaining hour of the game.

    Striker Costa reacted angrily to not being awarded a foul after being tackled by Jordi Alba and gave a long verbal response to the referee, who to his disbelief pulled out a red card.

    Costa had to be shepherded off the pitch by Barca’s Gerard Pique as he struggled to control his temper while his teammates Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez earned bookings for venting their anger over the decision.

    Atletico coped superbly with the setback and numerical disadvantage, controlling the space for the majority of the game.

    Messi still carved his way through the middle of the pitch on two occasions, creating openings for Suarez and himself but both South American forwards were thwarted by the titanic presence of Oblak.

    Atletico naturally had limited opportunities down the other end but were not far from finding a goal when Antoine Griezmann picked out Rodrigo from a free kick but the midfielder headed over the bar when Gimenez was stood behind him, in a better position.

    Diego Simeone’s side could not last the distance, however, and as their legs inevitably tired, Barca’s attacking quality made the difference.

    The win marked the 335th in La Liga for the Argentina international, passing former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas on the all-time list.

    The defending La Liga champions now have 73 points from 31 matches, while second-placed Atletico remain on 62.

    Lionel Messi set a new La Liga wins mark while Barcelona increased their commanding lead to 11 points with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Saturday.

    Diego Costa was given a straight red card in the opening half-hour for something he said to referee Jesus Gil Manzano, putting Diego Simeone’s men a man down in what was a must-win game to keep any realistic title hopes alive.

    Atletico produced a gutsy second-half display, expertly shackling Barca but the Catalans finally found a way past the visitors’ outstanding goalkeeper Jan Oblak with a superb curling shot from Suarez in the 85th minute.

    Moments later Messi sealed victory and quite probably the league title with an irresistibly cool finish into the net and Barca’s fans jubilantly chanted “champions”, crowing at their surely unassailable lead at the top with seven games remaining.

    Atletico realistically needed to win at the Nou Camp for the first time since 2006 to stay in the title race and they played with ambition and intelligence in the opening stages, keeping the ball for long periods and depriving Barca of space.

    But they were rocked by Costa’s moment of madness which killed their early momentum and left them with little choice but to defend for the remaining hour of the game.

    Striker Costa reacted angrily to not being awarded a foul after being tackled by Jordi Alba and gave a long verbal response to the referee, who to his disbelief pulled out a red card.

    Costa had to be shepherded off the pitch by Barca’s Gerard Pique as he struggled to control his temper while his teammates Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez earned bookings for venting their anger over the decision.

    Atletico coped superbly with the setback and numerical disadvantage, controlling the space for the majority of the game.

    Messi still carved his way through the middle of the pitch on two occasions, creating openings for Suarez and himself but both South American forwards were thwarted by the titanic presence of Oblak.

    Atletico naturally had limited opportunities down the other end but were not far from finding a goal when Antoine Griezmann picked out Rodrigo from a free kick but the midfielder headed over the bar when Gimenez was stood behind him, in a better position.

    Diego Simeone’s side could not last the distance, however, and as their legs inevitably tired, Barca’s attacking quality made the difference.

    The win marked the 335th in La Liga for the Argentina international, passing former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas on the all-time list.

    The defending La Liga champions now have 73 points from 31 matches, while second-placed Atletico remain on 62.