Lionel Messi elegantly skips past Napoli defenders with stylish 'Cryuff turn'; watch video

Barcelona produced an underwhelming display in Italy as they managed a mere 1-1 draw against Napoli. A Dries Mertens goal gave the home side the lead in the first half before Antoine Griezmann equalised for the Catalan side in the second period. Lionel Messi led Barcelona's attack in Italy. He had a rather decent outing as Blaugrana failed to really test the Napoli defence throughout the game. 

Also Read | Napoli Vs Barcelona Highlights: Griezmann Strike Helps Lionel Messi and Co. Escape Italy With Draw

Napoli vs Barcelona highlights: Lionel Messi's Cryuff turn steals the show

However, Lionel Messi gave his fans a moment to savour when he produced a fine Cryuff turn to evade several Napoli defenders in one go. Napoli were looking to sit back and hit Barcelona on the counter. With Messi struggling to impact the game upfront, the Argentine dropped deep to create some magic for the LaLiga side. In the second half, Lionel Messi produced one moment of magic after he produced a quick 'Cryuff turn' to leave the Napoli defenders chasing shadows.

Watch: Lionel Messi's Cryuff turn

Napoli defender Nikola Maksimovic and Diego Demme closed in on Lionel Messi. However, the 32-year-old evaded them with ease with an elegant turn. 

Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Lionel Messi was influential for Barcelona. Messi completed seven dribbles against Napoli but was usually dispossessed, thanks to Napoli defending in numbers.  

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Napoli vs Barcelona highlights: Dries Mertens goal opens the scoring for Napoli

Piotr Zielinski stole the ball off Junior Firpo before finding Dries Mertens with an inch-perfect cutback. The Belgian attacker showed great composure to send a wonderful curling effort past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. With the goal, Dries Mertens became the joint-highest scorer in Napoli history with 121 goals, tied with Marek Hamsik.

Also Read | Napoli vs Barcelona highlights: Lionel Messi Unstoppable Claims Gennaro Gattuso

Napoli vs Barcelona highlights: Antoine Griezmann goal

Barcelona's equaliser came in the second half after Sergio Busquets found Nelson Semedo in space. The right-back showed great incisiveness to skip past Napoli defenders to find Griezmann for an easy finish. 

Antoine Griezmann goal: An important landmark for Barcelona?

After another poor performance, Barcelona manager Quique Setien will be looking for some answers. His side will head to Santiago Bernabeu next to face Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid.

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