La Liga: Lionel Messi's 700th career goal does not help Barcelona defeat Atletico Madrid as they draw 2-2

Despite Lionel Messi reached the milestone of scoring his 700th career goal, it did not help Barcelona edge past Atletico Madrid as they drew 2-2 at the Camp Nou.

The match started at a furious pace with Barcelona taking a 1-0 lead after Diego Costa scored an own goal in the 11th minute. However, the lead only lasted eight minutes as Saul Niguez successfully converted a penalty to level the scores.

June 30, 2020

The second half barely began and Barcelona was awarded a penalty. Lionel Messi took the charge and made no mistake to put Barcelona ahead of Atletico Madrid.

However, Atletico Madrid again scored an equalizer and it came from the third penalty of the match. Niguez took the second penalty and brought the scoreline to 2-2 in the 62nd minute.

Messi reached the milestone after scoring through a penalty in the 50th minute of the match. "Leo Messi's penalty against Atletico Madrid was the 700th of his professional career -630 for Barca and 70 for Argentina, including official and friendly games. Counting friendlies for Barca too, he has 735 goals," Barcelona said in a statement.

July 1, 2020

Messi's first goal came on May 1, 2005, at the Camp Nou against Albacete. Barcelona was restricted to a 2-2 draw by Atletico Madrid during their clash.

However, with this draw, Barcelona failed to pip Real Madrid to reclaim its top spot on the La Liga table. Barcelona now has 70 points, one point behind the table toppers, while Atletico Madrid holds the third spot with 59 points.