Messi-led Argentina national team to play in Kerala next year
World Cup-winning Argentinian football team led by iconic Lionel Messi will play in Kochi next year, Kerala State Sports Minister V Abdurahiman announced on Wednesday.
Barcelona coach Quique Setien has expressed his satisfaction after his team’s dominating victory over Mallorca on their La Liga return after a gap of three months due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The feelings are good. There are always things that you want to improve, but I am satisfied with the game we have made,” he told reporters after the match as quoted by Goal.com.
“We have had an effectiveness…but we were fine with the ball. We have had a break, but I am very satisfied.
Advertisement
“To be the first game without playing, we could be accused of a lack of rhythm, but I think it is a good start to face this sprint that we have 10 games left. I have good feelings in general,” he added.
The table-toppers Barcelona outplayed the relegation-threatened Mallorca in all departments at an empty Iberostar Stadium on Saturday. The visitors got the breakthrough as early as in the second minute after Chilean midfielder scored with a diving header off a delivery from Jordi Alba.
Lionel Messi proved to be a striking difference between both the teams as he provided for two of the four goals for his team before scoring one himself. With that stoppage-time strike he took his La Liga goal tally to 20 in 12 consecutive seasons, becoming the first-ever player to achieve that.
Barcelona got the breakthrough as early as in the second minute after Chilean midfielder scored with a diving header off a delivery from Jordi Alba.
The second one saw Messi performing his usual brilliance outside the opponent box before finding Martin Braithwaite who completed a calm finish. The Argentine veteran was back at spewing his magic again in the 79th minute when he found Jordi Alba who took them 3-0 up.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner deservingly got his name on the scoresheet in the dying minutes of the game to announce his grand return to top-flight football after the COVID-19 break.
Advertisement
