Lionel Messi did what Lionel Messi does 12 minutes into Barcelona’s match against Sevilla on Saturday. Then he did something uncharacteristic for the prolific Argentine: he got hurt.
In a scary moment for Barça fans, Messi was taken off with an apparent arm injury after an awkward fall in the 16th minute, moments after he scored his 12th goal of the season. He was eventually taken off in the 26th minute, unable to continue, a rare injury for a player who has averaged more than 52 appearances per season the last 10 years.
26 First change for Barça
@Dembouz on
#Messi off
#BarçaSevilla (2-0) pic.twitter.com/fQ8bgMKptV— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 20, 2018
Everything was going perfectly for Barcelona to start the match. Philippe Coutinho scored less than two minutes in on a nice assist from Messi.
Messi made it 2-0 with one of his signature goals, taking the ball from the right wing, cutting inside and placing a perfect shot inside the far post.
But soon after, Messi fell on his arm after a heavy tackle from Franco Vazquez. Messi tried to continue, but was taken off within 10 minutes.
Barcelona (and all fans of the beautiful game) will hope it’s nothing serious with a big Champions League match against Inter Milan at the Cam Nou on Wednesday. The two teams are tied atop the Group B standings with six points apiece.
Initial reports suggest it’s not pretty for Messi.
Catalunya Radio are reporting the initial diagnosis from inside the club is “it looks bad” re: Messi’s injury. He’s gone straight to hospital.
— Andrew Gaffney (@GaffneyVLC) October 20, 2018
We’ll be sure to update you on the Messi injury as more information becomes available.
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