Super sub Lionel Messi wins La Liga title for Barcelona with only goal against Levante
BARCELONA have been crowned the 2018/19 La Liga champions – thanks to super sub Lionel Messi.
Ernesto Valverde’s men moved out of Atletico Madrid’s reach as they retained their title with a 1-0 win over Levante.
Barcelona started with their star man on the sidelines to ensure he was rested and ready for the Champions League showdown with Liverpool.
Valverde’s men needed three points from the clash against Paco Lopez’s men to secure the silverware.
But they failed to break the deadlock in the first half in front of 91,917 fans at the Nou Camp.
Luis Suarez saw a chance denied by Airot Fernandez before Philippe Coutinho saw three shots stopped.
With the score locked at 0-0 at half time, there was only one man that Valverde could call on to score the winner.
The 31-year-old replaced Coutinho during the interval and it took him just 17 minutes to find the back of the net.
After Suarez’s shot was blocked, Arturo Vidal picked up possession on the edge of the box before he found the feet of Messi.
The Argentine ace shifted the ball onto his famous left boot before he effortlessly slotted the strike past Fernandez and into the corner.
He has now scored 24 goals as a substitute in La Liga – which is more than any other player in the 21st century.
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Levante came close to ruining the party for the Catalan giants, but Jose Luis Morales spooned his strike over the bar.
Messi reacted well and returned fire at the other end, but Fernandez kept his cool to deny him at the near post.
Cheers echoed around the Nou Camp at the final whistle as Barca celebrated their eighth league title in 11 years – which is their 26th in history!