Lionel Messi left disappointed, shakes his head in stands after Barca's draw against Eibar

Barcelona were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw against relegation contenders Eibar in the absence of their talismanic captain Lionel Messi, who watched on from the stands at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. The Argentine looked visibly disappointed at the full-time whistle as Ronald Koeman's side relied on substitute Ousmane Dembele to savour a point. It was a disappointing end to what has been a poor 2020 at the Camp Nou as Barcelona will head into the New Year sixth in LaLiga standings. 

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Barcelona vs Eibar: Lionel Messi's reaction to 1-1 draw

Barcelona initially had the chance to take the lead in the 15th minute from the penalty spot but Martin Braithwaite skewed his spot-kick wide of goal. The hosts dominated possession for the majority of the game but it was Eibar who took the lead in the 57th minute when Kike Garcia disposed Ronald Araujo to calmly slot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

However, substitute Ousmane Dembele made amends for an earlier miss to draw Barcelona level. Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho limped off in the closing minutes with an apparent injury while the Catalans pushed for the winner which never came. 

Messi - watching on from the stands in the Camp Nou - was also waiting for his team to score the winner but was left visibly disappointed with the result. The 33-year-old was captured turning his back on the game at the full-time whistle before repeatedly shaking his head in dejection and exiting from the stands. 

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The six-time Ballon d'Or winner was given an extended Christmas holiday by Koeman after he suffered an ankle injury and hence, was unavailable for selection. Messi is reportedly set to return to training with the team later this week. 

However, Messi's reaction on Tuesday night hardly dampened speculation of him leaving Barcelona in the summer when his contract ends, with the Argentine having eventually accepted to stay for the current campaign. Man City and PSG are the two clubs that are reportedly keen on signing Messi when his current deal with Barcelona expires. 

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Barcelona remain in sixth place on the LaLiga table, six points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who have two games in hand. The Catalans have already drawn four and lost four games out of their 15 top-flight games this season

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Image Credits - AP, Barcelona Twitter