Francis Coquelin Invented A New Method To Stop Lionel Messi

How to stop Lionel Messi?!

Is there a harder task in world football?

Well, last night, ex-Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin had the unenviable duty of marking the Barcelona ace during Valencia's Copa dey Rey semi-final second leg.

And the Frenchman resorted to an unconventional method to stop him in his tracks.

Forget sticking to him like glue or sitting back, Coquelin literally stripped him of his shirt, pulling it over his head.

We are not shitting you. This actually happened.

Coquelin on Messi.

Coquelin on Messi.

Coquelin on Messi.

What's crazier, a free kick was NOT awarded to Barcelona. WHAT?!

Needless to say, Coquelin's tactics sent social media into meltdown:

While Messi didn't find the back of the net, January signing Philippe Coutinho opened his Barcelona account scoring four minutes after entering the fray thanks to a sublime assist from Luis Suarez.

He then created Ivan Rakitic's goal who put the tie to bed, sending Barcelona into a record fifth successive Copa del Rey final.

Topics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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