The ‘MSN’ reached 100 goals for the season on Sunday as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both scored in Barcelona’s 4-0 La Liga win at Eibar.
Munir started out on the left of La Blaugrana’s attacking trident alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez after the Brazilian had picked up a fifth yellow card of the season against Rayo Vallecano midweek. Elsewhere, Dani Alves came in for Sergi Roberto at right-back, with Jordi Alba ousting Jeremy Mathieu on the other flank, while Arda Turan was Barca’s fourth and final change, the midfielder named at Andres Iniesta’s expense.
The Basques set their stall from the first kick as they adopted a high-intensity game and tried to take the match to the champions, but they were ultimately undone by an early goal from Munir, who tapped in Suarez’s low ball across goal after the Uruguayan was picked out to perfection by Messi’s clipped ball into the box.
The goal allowed Barca to settle into their usual rhythm, although they were forced to weather a momentary Armeros storm, Gonzalo Escalante cushioning a deep cross inches wide of the target, with Claudio Bravo beaten, before Sergi Enrich’s pullback deflected off Sergio Busquets and almost into the back of the Chilean’s net.
Not for the first time this season, Barca brutally made their opponents pay for such profligacy. Ander Capa’s failure to deal with a clearance allowed Messi to lead a three-on-three with Eibar defenders, and the full-back continued to back for the Argentine, before the latter angled a low strike past Riesgo.
Eibar tired after the break as Barca proceeded to dominate the play, but with chances few and far between, a controversial moment was needed to shake things up, and it came when Ivan Ramis slide in front of Messi at the left-hand byline, only for the No 10 to feint his cross and the defender’s arm to brush the ball.
Barca’s penalty struggles had been well-documented after they failed from the spot nine times in 2015-16 before the game, but Messi made no mistake when his latest opportunity presented itself as he sent a Panenka attempt down the middle of Riesgo's goal.
Suarez, who became the League’s top assist maker with his cross for Munir’s opener, then ended his mini-drought in front of goal to make it 100 goals for the ‘MSN’ in all competitions, the No 9 taking down Bravo’s long kick out and firing the ball across Riesgo.
Eibar 0-4 Barcelona
Munir 8, Messi 41, pen 76, Suarez 84
Eibar: Riesgo; Capa, Pantic, Ramis, Junca; Escalante (Hajrovic 84), Garcia, Radosevic, Adrian; Borja (Saul 68), Enrich (Inui 90)
Barcelona: Bravo; Alves, Pique (Bartra 80), Mascherano, Alba; Busquets (Vermaelen 80), Rakitic, Arda (Sergi 80); Messi, Suarez, Munir
Referee: Undiano Mallenco
