MADRID: Lionel Messi scored two late goals on Sunday as Barcelona came from behind to win 2-1 at Osasuna in the Spanish league.
The hosts looked took the lead after Joseba Llorente’s acrobatic 17th-minute goal and it wasn’t until the 76th that Messi leveled, guiding Alexis Sanchez’s short pass beyond goalkeeper Andres Fernandez.
Osasuna went down to 10 men when Francisco Punal was red carded for arguing the goal was offside.
Messi then latched on to Jordi Alba’s cross in the 80th for the winner.
Barcelona were left fuming, however, when coach Tito Vilanova was dismissed from the bench for an excessive protest to the referee.
Barca will appeal against what they believe was an excessively harsh dismissal of coach Vilanova, the club said on Monday.
Vilanova, who was making his away debut in the league after taking over from Pep Guardiola at the end of last season, was sent from the bench in the second half when he protested the referee’s decision not to award a free kick for a challenge on Sergio Busquets.
The referee said in his match report he had punished Vilanova “for angrily protesting a passage of play, having been warned by the fourth official”.
“The expulsion was excessive because I didn’t say anything that was out of line,” Vilanova told a post-match news conference on Sunday.
“I told the linesman that it was a clear foul and he told me not to protest.”
“It seems that this is enough to get you booted from a game,” he said bitterly. (Reuters)
