BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi scored one goal and set up another to help Barcelona beat Villarreal 3-1 on Wednesday in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal.
Messi netted from Luis Suarez's pass after the Uruguay striker had won the ball back in the 41st minute at Camp Nou Stadium. Hunkered down in the first half, Villarreal went looking for a goal after the break and leveled through substitute Manuel Trigueros' blistering strike in the 48th.But Andres Iniesta answered for the hosts a minute later before Gerard Pique headed in Messi's corner kick in the 64th. Neymar could have extended Barcelona's winning margin but had his penalty kick saved by Sergio Asenjo.
"The result is good, but it could have been better," said Pique. "And we know El Madrigal is a tough ground so we will have to be very careful. We have earned a good advantage but the tie is far from over."
Messi's goal was his 11th in Barcelona's 10-game winning streak and his 34th goal in 32 games this season. Athletic Bilbao hosts Espanyol later in the other semifinal. Barcelona dominated possession from the start, but a disciplined Villarreal defense slowed the tempo and left the hosts without clear scoring chances until the final minutes of the first half. From there on Villarreal was fortunate to avoid a rout.
The visitors were hurt by the loss of holding midfielder Bruno Soriano, who had to be replaced by Trigueros after he was carted off the field with a right-leg injury on the half-hour mark. Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen wasn't forced into action until 40 minutes were up when he punched out a dangerous free kick.
Meanwhile, Suarez's troubles in front of goal continued as he was unable to muster on-target shots from two opportunities. Suarez made up for his misfires by helping Messi to score. Suarez's pressure on center back Mateo Musacchio paid off when he won the ball and sprinted free before passing to Messi, who used one precise left-footed strike to drive it home.
Ter Stegen made his first save before the halftime whistle when he did well to get low and palm Luciano Vietto's effort wide. After halftime Barcelona's goalkeeper could have done more to stop Trigeros' long strike that was blasted directly at him after the midfielder intercepted Suarez's poor pass.
But as Barcelona has done during its winning run, it responded by hitting right back. This time Iniesta combined with Suarez before Villarreal's Mario Perez poor clearance fell to him. Villarreal's Jonathan Dos Santos was then substituted for injury, and the visitors soon retreated into their area.
Messi was still able to spot Pique as he maneuvered around Musacchio and jumped over him to turn in Messi's corner kick, giving Barcelona a two-goal cushion for the return leg on March 4. Musacchio's rough night got worse when he handled the ball in the box while trying to defend Messi, but Asenjo bailed him out by blocking Neymar's spot kick in the 71st.
Suarez almost caught Asenjo off his line in stoppage time with a long strike from the center circle that just missed.
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