Piqué and Messi disagree over free-kick routine
Barcelona’s second goal came from what appeared to be a neatly worked set-play....
In the 69th minute of Barcelona’s Champions League win over PSV, Messi took a free-kick within striking range of the opposition goal.
With the defenders lined-up, Messi stuck the free-kick wide of the wall, to where Piqué was lurking unmarked. The defender only had to deflect the ball to see it nestle in the back of the net.
Piqué says it was practiced...
After the game Piqué proudly revealed that it was a planned manoeuvre. “We’ve practiced that free-kick a lot…” he grinned.
However Piqué’s version was quickly denied by the free-kick taker himself. Over to Messi: “It was not rehearsed. That’s a lie! It was a badly taken free-kick, Piqué was there and the goal was just lucky”.
Valverde for his part found the whole thing highly entertaining. "If Gerard says that then it will have been worked on, but I didn't know about it... " he laughed.