LIONEL MESSI came in for some rough treatment at the hands of Espanyol captain Victor Sanchez today.
Barcelona named Messi as a substitute for their La Liga clash away at Espanyol – but introduced him into the action on 59 minutes.
But Sanchez was keen to get to grips with the little magician, literally, and Messi did finally snap.
Sanchez was seen grabbing his shirt on one occasion, and on another he kicked out at Messi as the Argentine attacker skipped past him.
Messi then had words with his nemesis, with Sanchez seen clipping the Barca man on the face.
As for the game, Gerard Pique scored a late equaliser for Barcelona in a 1-1 draw.
The Spanish league leaders narrowly avoided losing to its crosstown rival for the second time in less than three weeks.
Gerard Moreno put the hosts ahead midway through the second half and Pique equalised with an 82nd-minute header in a heated match at RCDE Stadium.
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Pique had previously made comments criticising Espanyol, and he was jeered nearly every time he touched the ball.
After the equaliser, Pique celebrated by putting a finger in front of his mouth, asking the crowd to be quiet.
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There were shoves and heated discussions throughout the match, which was played under steady rain and on a heavy pitch.
Messi, who provided the cross for Pique’s header, came off the bench near the hour-mark after getting some rare rest time by coach Ernesto Valverde.
Barcelona has a 12-point lead over Atletico Madrid, which hosted third-placed Valencia later Sunday.
Espanyol had ended Barcelona’s 29-match unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on January 17, when Messi missed a penalty kick.
Barcelona eventually eliminated Espanyol by winning the second leg 2-0.
After that match, Pique’s tone when talking about Espanyol infuriated rival fans and prompted an official complaint by the club.
The Espanyol crowd was furious after Pique’s celebration on Sunday. Right after the goal, Moreno fouled the defender, prompting a heated altercation between players from both teams.
Moreno had to be contained as he tried to go after Pique.
Pique’s only other goal this season was also against Espanyol.
The late equaliser allowed Barcelona to extend its unbeaten streak in the league to 22 matches, surpassing the mark set under coach Pep Guardiola in 2009-10.
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