Lionel Messi equals Pelé’s 643 club goals, Barça held by Valencia
Barcelona, Dec 20: Lionel Messi has another individual scoring milestone, but he sure doesn't have a team that looks like a champion.
Messi equalled Pel 's all-time club scoring tally on Saturday in a 2-2 draw with Valencia. His 643rd career goal for Barcelona since his 2004 debut matched Pel 's tally for Santos from 1957-74.
Messi is Barcelona's and the Spanish league's all-time leading scorer.
In January 2018, he became the most prolific scorer among Europe's top leagues when he reached 366 league goals, surpassing Gerd Mueller's Bundesliga mark of 365. Messi had already surpassed Gerd Mueller's single-year goal mark by scoring 86 times in 2012.
Pel congratulated the Argentina forward on social media: "Like you, I know what it's like to love wearing the same shirt every day. Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place we feel at home.
"Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel," Pel added.
"But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona. Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately will be increasingly rare in football."
Pel 's comments went right to the heart of Messi's uncertain situation at Barcelona.
Messi has yet to recant on his announcement last summer that he wanted to leave the club which is no longer the dominant force that he had done so much to forge over the past two decades.
His contract expires in June, and he will be free to negotiate with other clubs come January.
The latest setback by Barcelona left Ronald Koeman's team in fifth place and eight points adrift of league leader Atl tico Madrid, which got two goals by Luis Su rez to beat Elche 3-1.
Messi cancelled out Mouctar Diakhaby's opener for Valencia when he scored in first half injury time moments after Jaume Dom nech saved his penalty shot.
Jordi Alba recovered the rebound of Dom nech's save and crossed it to the far post where Messi headed it in.
Central defender Ronald Ara jo scored his first career goal for Barcelona with an acrobatic kick for 2-1 at Camp Nou in the 53rd.
But Jos Gay set up Maxi G mez to hit back for Valencia in the 69th and split the points.
GROWING PAINS
Koeman attributed the slip to the youth of his team, which he is trying to build around a veteran core. Koeman gave consecutive starts to Ara jo and scar Mingueza, both 21, and entrusted playmaking duties to 18-year-old Pedro Pedri Gonz lez. Sergi o Dest, at 20, has become his undisputed starter at right back with Sergio Roberto injured.
"The age of some players can explain why there is a certain inconsistency because consistency comes from playing together for a long time," Koeman said.
"We lacked control and lost too many balls in defense sometimes. I saw my team have doubts."
A botched marking scheme made it easier for Diakhaby to head in Valencia's opener in the 29th when Antoine Griezmann -- who is significantly shorter than the center back -- lost his mark of him during a corner kick.
"We don't have many tall players to defend their tallest ones but we cannot leave anyone wide open," Koeman said.
"We have to at least be there, be engaged."
SU REZ SCORES
Su rez's goals were his first since he recovered from the coronavirus. He isn't the voracious scorer he used to be at Barcelona before changing clubs this summer, but he is still a world-class finisher when his teammates get him the ball in scoring position.
Substitute Diego Costa, who replaced Jo o F lix after he took a hard knock, put the result beyond doubt for Atletico when he earned and converted a penalty with 10 minutes remaining in his first appearance after missing seven games due to injury.
The league leaders moved three points clear of Real Madrid and Real Sociedad, which lost at Levante 2-1.
SOCIEDAD UPSET
Levante overcame an opening goal by Sociedad to get a win that pulled it out of the relegation zone. Levante outplayed Sociedad in the second half and Jorge de Frutos blasted in the winner with three minutes remaining.
OTHER RESULTS
Spain striker Gerard Moreno scored his league-leading seventh and eighth goals to lead fourth-place Villarreal's 3-1 victory at 10-man Osasuna, leaving it one point behind Madrid.
Sevilla missed the chance to move ahead of Barcelona after conceding a late goal in a 1-1 draw with Valladolid.
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Indian passengers stuck in Abu Dhabi heave sigh of relief on arrival at Bengaluru airport
Bengaluru (PTI): Relief was writ large on the faces of Indian passengers who arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport here from the UAE, ending a period of high tension fueled by the conflict in West Asia.
Upon arrival on Monday night, the passengers recollected the tense moments of a missile attack in the Gulf nation, before flying towards safety.
Travellers thanked Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi government and the Indian government for ensuring their safety and providing accommodation and transport during the disruption.
Saurabh Shetty, who hails from Mangaluru and works for an oil company in Abu Dhabi, described the situation as “worrisome and scary”.
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“When I came to catch my flight on February 28, everything seemed alright. Suddenly, near the check-in area, we got an alarm and were asked to sit down. We were cautioned not to sit near the windows because of a missile threat,” he told PTI videos.
“Someone said, ‘Missile is going to hit.’ We were shocked. We were like we are in the safest city — Abu Dhabi. How can this happen here? Later, when we looked outside, we saw a missile. We never thought such things could happen here. Everyone was calling to check if we were safe. Thankfully, we were safe inside the airport,” Shetty added.
Calling it a “life-breaking moment”, he said, “When you see a missile in front of you, you feel it may hit you any moment. From my (hotel) room, I could see interceptions happening in the sky. At that time, I thought about how the Indian Army faces such situations. We have great respect for them.”
He also expressed condolences for those who lost their lives. “We survived and returned home. If one missile had hit, we would not be here. All we wanted was to see our families,” he said, while appreciating the authorities in Abu Dhabi for taking care of stranded passengers.
Mahesh, who was travelling from Boston, lauded the airline’s arrangements.
“One flight has landed from Abu Dhabi. The service was great. They provided us a good hotel and arranged food. We stayed comfortably. Around 15 to 16 flights operated today, and they are expecting more to resume. Only partial airspace is available right now,” he said.
Ramya, a Bengaluru resident who had travelled to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, said, “Our return flight was cancelled initially. Today (March 2), Etihad arranged another flight for us. As of now, the situation seems peaceful, but as a precautionary measure, they had closed the airspace. Only about 15 flights have been allowed.”
Bharat said the situation has improved. “The last two days were a little scary. But, today it is better. They arranged flights for us to return. Special thanks to the Indian and UAE governments for extending our stay and accommodating us,” he said.
Niruban from Coimbatore said there was some delay due to drone activity, but the journey back was smooth. “Thanks to Etihad Airways, we reached safely....The Abu Dhabi government took very good care of us. Within four to five hours, they arranged transport to good hotels and ensured everyone’s safety. Even while returning to the airport, proper transportation was arranged.”
Prasad, a software developer working in Bengaluru, said while Abu Dhabi was relatively stable, the atmosphere remained tense.
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“We heard sounds and felt vibrations. There were interceptions happening, and some debris reportedly fell near the airport. Dubai was said to be worse. But the authorities provided accommodation free of cost and coordinated well with the Indian authorities. My advice to those there is to follow government guidelines,” he said.
Girimalappa Kerur, originally from Bilgi in Bagalkot district and currently based in Bengaluru, said he was travelling to Paris on a business trip but got stranded.
“We could hear explosions, and we were told around 15 missiles were intercepted in Abu Dhabi. One person reportedly died due to debris. Etihad arranged a safe hotel away from the airport. They are operating about 15 flights a day between 5 am and 5 pm to clear the backlog from February 28. I cancelled my onward trip to Paris and returned to Bengaluru. I’m relieved to be back,” he said.
