A brace of free kicks from Lionel Messi has helped Barcelona to come from behind and lead Sevilla 3-1 at the halfway stage of the UEFA Super Cup in Georgia this evening.
It was Sevilla who made the dream start to the match when, just three minutes in, Ever Banega curled a free kick of his own past a statuesque Marc-Andre ter Stegen and into the top corner.
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Not to be outdone by his compatriot, Messi responded in kind just four minutes later, floating his set piece over the wall and beyond the reach of Beto - the first time in Super Cup history that two direct free kicks have been scored in a single game.
Messi would make a little slice of his own history less than 10 minutes later as he scored a second direct free kick in the same match for the first time in his career, this time firing home from a more central position.
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It could, and perhaps should, have been 3-1 to the Champions League holders just before the half-hour mark as Luis Suarez finished a typically slick Barcelona move, only to be wrongly flagged for offside.
Sevilla, who lost last year's Super Cup to Real Madrid, tried to respond towards the end of the half and almost managed it when Vitolo's drilled cross nearly found Kevin Gameiro, only for Dani Alves to make a crucial interception.
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The fourth goal of the game would go the way of Barca, however, as Rafinha tapped home after Suarez had been denied by Beto right on the stroke of half time.
Unai Emery's side could not find a response in what little was left of the half as the Catalan giants went into the break with a two-goal cushion over their La Liga rivals.
Barney Corkhill
