Barcelona 3 vs 0 alavès

Two goals from Lionel
Messi either side of a
Philippe Coutinho strike
allowed Barcelona to start
their defence of the
Spanish title with a 3-0
win over Alaves at the
Camp Nou on Saturday
night.
Wearing the captain's armband following the
departure of Andres Iniesta to Japan, Messi
stepped up to send a cheeky second-half free-
kick under the jumping wall and into the net for
the opener, and Barca's 6 000th La Liga goal.
Coutinho, who had come off the bench, lashed in
the second goal before Messi added gloss to the
scoreline in stoppage time, with the clock having
ticked past midnight in Catalonia.
While they took their time to get going, it was an
ideal opening result for Ernesto Valverde's side,
who are hoping to once again see off the
challenges of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in
the battle for the title.
While Cristiano Ronaldo has left Real for
Juventus, Messi remains as the figurehead at
Barcelona and he won his 33rd trophy with the
club in the Spanish Super Cup victory over Sevilla
last weekend.
The 31-year-old will be aiming to put behind him
the desperate disappointment that was
Argentina's World Cup campaign, and he was
unlucky not to get a hat-trick here.
Messi saw a free-kick crash back off the bar late
in the first half after going over the wall, so when
he was handed another chance from a similar
position in the 64th minute, he changed tack.
This time, 22 yards out, he surprised the jumping
Alaves defenders by going underneath and giving
Fernando Pacheco in goal no chance. He then
sent another curling effort off the post soon after.
Coutinho started the match on the bench
alongside summer signings Arthur, Malcom,
Clement Lenglet and Arturo Vidal. However, he
was sent on at the start of the second half and
his goal seven minutes from the end effectively
killed the game.
The Brazilian had just squandered one chance
after being played in by Messi when he picked up
a pass from compatriot Arthur before lashing in,
ensuring victory on the opening weekend for
Barca for the 10th consecutive season.
Messi, the top scorer in La Liga last season, then
controlled a ball into the box on his chest before
slotting in his second and his team's third in
stoppage time.
After the departures of Ronaldo and Zinedine
Zidane, Real play their first league game under
new coach Julen Lopetegui on Sunday night when
they entertain near neighbours Getafe.
Last season's runners-up Atletico, fresh from
beating Real 4-2 after extra time in the Uefa
Super Cup in Tallinn in midweek, start at Valencia
on Monday.