Lionel Messi helped Barcelona avoid a rare loss at Camp Nou.
Manu Fernandez/AP
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- There were no tears from Lionel Messi as he left the Camp Nou pitch after this Champions League game - just that familiar smile after another multiple-goal performance that secured a come-from-behind victory.
Messi scored a late brace Wednesday to bring Barcelona back to win 3-2 over Spartak Moscow and successfully launch its campaign for a fourth European title in eight seasons.
The Argentina forward walked off that same pitch in tears after his last Champions League game, when Barcelona was eliminated by Chelsea in the semifinals last season. For a while, it looked like Spartak would spring another upset at Camp Nou, as Spartak fought back after Cristian Tello's 14th-minute opener to lead 2-1 in the second half. The Russian club leveled through Dani Alves' own goal in the 29th and Romulo then struck in the 59th to give the visitors an unexpected advantage.
But Messi, who equaled a European Cup record with 14 goals in the last campaign, tapped in Tello's pass to make it 2-2 in the 71st and headed in Alexis Sanchez's cross in the 80th to keep Barcelona undefeated in 17 straight home games in Europe.
Last April, Messi's failure to finish had left him distraught and cost Barcelona a place in the final. But after being held in check by Spartak for the most of the game, the Argentina forward exploded for two quick scores to ensure Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova enjoyed his European debut.
Celtic drew 0-0 with Benfica in the other Group G game on Wednesday.
Cesc Fabregas entered the starting lineup in place of the injured Andres Iniesta in midfield, while Messi was accompanied by Pedro Rodriguez and Tello in attack, with Alexis on the bench after just being cleared by team doctors. Javier Mascherano started in defense in place of Carles Puyol, out with a knee injury.
Tello had Barcelona's first clear chance 10 minutes in after Messi met his perfectly-timed run from the left flank, only for the young forward to fire wide past the upright with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Barcelona's injury problems mounted just two minutes later when defender Gerard Pique had to be replaced by Alex Song after he hurt his left foot.
Tello soon made up for earlier miss to give the hosts the lead when the 21-year-old forward took Xavi Hernandez's short pass, used one touch to get a better angle and then let loose a bouncing shot from outside the area that curled into the far corner of the net.
After not threatening Barcelona's area, Spartak suddenly equalized when Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike surged by Mascherano and sent in a low cross that Song failed to intercept and Dani Alves redirected into his own net in a botched attempt to clear.
Xavi almost put Barcelona back in front before halftime, first serving a corner for Sergio Busquets to head wide before lobbing a pass to Fabregas, whose header forced goalkeeper Andriy Dykan to tip the ball over his bar.
Spartak continued to soak up Barcelona's pressure after the restart and soon found themselves on the verge of an upset.
Romulo capped a nice team build-up by taking a pass from Aiden McGeady, dribbling past Barcelona's Adriano before slotting under goalkeeper Victor Valdes to deservedly put Spartak ahead and send shudders through the Camp Nou crowd.
After weathering some more scares by the emboldened Spartak, Tello cued Messi's first goal by squirming down the left side of the box, drawing the defense to him and laying off for Messi to fire in.
Barcelona pressed for the winner with forwards David Villa and Alexis on as substitutes, and the Chile international soon picked out Messi at the far post to head in his cross to claim the hard-fought win.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
20 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/09/19/lionel-messi-barcelona-moscow.ap/index.html?eref=si_mostpopular
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