Watch Messi's unique penalty shot: a pass to Luis Suarez, who got his hat-trick
Barcelona thrashed Celta Vigo 6-1 with the highlight of the night being Lionel Messi's spectacular assist from a penalty in the 81st minute.
Barcelona thrashed Celta Vigo 6-1 in the La Liga on Sunday. Five of those goals came in the second half – Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick with both Lionel Messi and Neymar getting on the scoresheet.
Not surprising, right? Barcelona have eviscerated most teams this season, so Vigo hardly had a chance. What did stand out in the match was a rare display of unselfishness from, who else, the peerless Messi.
At 3-1 up, Messi won himself a penalty in the 81st minute. But rather than adding to his goal tally, Messi decided to allow team-mate Luis Suarez to get his hattrick, laying the ball with a soft touch to his right – instead of shooting at goal – from where Suarez stepped in and slammed it in.
It brought back memories of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff who did something similar for Ajax Amsterdam in 1982, taking it even further in terms of audacity.
It also raised the question whether this could become a new strategy altogether.
But of course, faking a penalty isn't as easy as it looks. Just ask Arsenal legends Robert Pires and Thierry Henry who seemed to be trying to do something similar against Manchester City in 2005... and were made to look painfully silly.
