Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman heaped praise on captain Lionel Messi after two scorching strikes set up a 5-1 rout of Alaves to warm up for their upcoming Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain in style.
Portuguese forward Francisco Trincao put Barca in front and Messi thought he had doubled the lead later on when knocking in on the rebound but the goal was ruled out for a marginal offside against Antoine Griezmann.
There was no doubting the legitimacy of Messi's next strike as the Barca captain thumped the ball off the far post with such venom that it landed just inside the opposite post.
Alaves' Luis Rioja pounced on a mistake by 18-year-old debutant midfielder Ilaix Moriba to reduce the deficit in the second half but Barca came roaring back with a second strike from Trincao, another long-range missile from Messi and then a fifth goal crafted by Messi and Griezmann and finished off by left-back Junior Firpo.
"Messi is in a fantastic moment of form," said Koeman. "We know how decisive he is and right now he is in the mood. With him playing in this form, everything is easier. If we want to beat PSG, we need Leo and everyone else at the top of their game."
A seventh consecutive league win took Barca up to second in the standings on 46 points, eight behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
Koeman expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance after making several changes and said they were feeling confident ahead of Tuesday's showdown against PSG, who will be without an injured Neymar.
"We believe we can get through the tie. They have some injuries but so do we and we'll have to play very well to knock them out," added the coach.
"We have to be more efficient than ever in attack and strong in defence. I'm sure it'll be a marvellous game."
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GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
