Messi Red Card | Lionel Messi SENT OFF for violent conduct | Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao
Lionel Messi was shown the first red card of his Barcelona career as his side suffered a stunning late collapse to deny Ronald Koeman his first silverware.
The Argentine was given his marching orders after lashing out in the dying seconds of a dramatic Super Cup final. With Barcelona desperately searching for an equalizer, Messi’s frustrations boiled over when Asier Villalibre attempted to block his run.
The referee watched the incident on the VAR monitor and showed no hesitation in brandishing a red card to cap a miserable night for Barca.
Koeman won the Super Cup three times as a player for the Catalan giants but was on the touchline to see his side throw away the trophy with just minutes to play.
Antoine Griezmann looked to have settled matters when he bagged his second of the night with 15 minutes to play.
But as the clock ticked into the 90th minute, Barcelona’s fragile defense was exposed yet again.
Iker Munian’s brilliant delivery from a free-kick was met by Villalibre who hammered it into the roof of the net to send the game into extra-time.
With the wind in their sails, Inaki Williams took four minutes to bag the winner when he curled in a stunning winner to leave Barcelona deflated.
It was the club’s third Super Cup success with their first coming in 1984 and second six years ago.
But the defeat will put further pressure on Koeman with his side seven points adrift in the title race.
leo messi