BARCELONA: Lionel Messi scored two goals to lead Barcelona to a 3-2 win at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, while Atletico Madrid were ousted from the Copa del Rey by a third-tier side on Wednesday.

Teenager Pedro ‘Pedri’ Gonzalez canceled out Inaki Williams’ opener for Bilbao before Messi added two goals to secure an away win for Barca that lifted them into third place.

Atletico lead La Liga but lost 1-0 at third-tier Cornella in the Copa del Rey’s round of 32 — a result that means Diego Simeone’s side can focus even more on the La Liga title race.

It’s the second year in a row that Atletico lost to a third-tier team in the cup competition, after a 2-1 defeat to Cultural Leonesa.

“Our rivals have played better,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. “We had some good attacking moves, but overall our rivals [Cornella] always played better. They took advantage of the set piece and got their goal. It was even more uphill after the sending off. Now we have to find solutions.”

Atletico are not alone in getting caught off-guard. Third-tier sides also ousted topflight teams Celta Vigo and Getafe on Tuesday.

But Atletico have been the biggest victims of the change in format of the Copa del Rey two seasons ago. Before last season, each round was played over two legs, giving bigger clubs chances to come back at home if they slipped up away. Now, all rounds except for the semi-finals are played in one leg at the lower-seeded side.

Still, a team like Atletico had no business losing at Cornella, a club based in a working-class neighbours on the outskirts of Barcelona.

Atletico are the front-runners to win La Liga. They have only lost once in 15 rounds in the league and are set to face Chelsea in the Champions Leagues round of 16 in February.

Cornella, meanwhile, have had a ho-hum season in their group in the third tier, with three wins, two draws and four losses leaving them in seventh place.

Even before the visitors lost defender Ricardo Sanchez to a second booking in the 65th minute, they had not proven to be superior.

Cornella defender Adrian Jiminez scored the game’s only goal in the eighth minute from a cross by Agus Medina to the near post.

Real Betis had earlier beaten UD Mutilvera 3-1 to reach the next round while Levante, Elche and Granada also made it safely through.

Williams gave Marcelino Garcia Toral a perfect start to his debut match as Bilbao’s new coach in the third minute. The forward broke free down the left flank, cut back inside Clement Lenglet, and drilled a low shot under goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen.

But once Messi and Pedri started to click, Barca dominated the game except for a lone goal by Iker Munian in the 90th minute after a poor pass by Messi.

Pedri equalised in the 14th when he headed in a ball knocked back by Frenkie de Jong after Messi had met his long run into the area with a precise lob from distance.

The 18-year-old Pedri then turned playmaker when he used a no-look pass by rolling the ball backwards to set up Messi in the 38th.

Messi made it 3-1 in the 62nd by firing a pass from Antoine Griezmann off the underside of the bar and into the net.

Messi, who also hit the woodwork twice, tarnished his otherwise brilliant game when his poor pass was picked off by Bilbao near the area, allowing Muniain to score.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2021