download video: Barcelona 3 – 2 Sampdoria [Club Friendlies Pre-Season] Highlights 2016
Lionel Messi scored two goals and set up another as Barcelona prevailed 3-2 over Sampdoria to lift the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Luis Enrique fielded a strong side that showed little of the defensive frailty that allowed Liverpool to hammer them 4-0 in the International Champions Cup on Saturday, and there were only 16 minutes on the clock when Messi performed an overhead kick in the box that was headed into the net from close range by Luis Suarez.
With Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza watching from the stands, Messi – who retired from international football following more Copa America heartache – made it two when he finished a move that he started himself, latching onto Ivan Rakitic’s chipped pass before rounding Sampdoria goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano to leave himself with a simple finish.
Sampdoria hit back quickly when a defensive error allowed Luis Muriel to break into the box and slide the ball past Claudio Bravo, but Messi restored Barcelona’s two-goal lead with a trademark free-kick that he bent past Viviano from all of 25 yards.