VIDEO: Messi shakes off injury scare to score in 500th Barcelona match
Reuters
Lionel Messi marked his 500th appearance for Barcelona on Wednesday with his 425th goal for the storied club, allaying fears of a head injury in the process.
Moments earlier, Messi appeared to be hurt after a nasty head-on collision with Real Betis goalkeeper Antonio Adan. Barcelona scored off the ensuing penalty.
But Messi dismissed all doubts in the 33rd minute, when he latched onto a short pass from Neymar and slotted the ball into the net.
The goal put his side 2-0 up on Betis, but also put this Barcelona squad in a tie with Real Madrid's 2014 squad for the most goals scored in a calendar year (178) by a Spanish club.
Luis Suarez scored a third and a fourth in the second half to give Barca a record 180 tallies.
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