Lionel Messi Hit in Head by Bottle as Valencia Vow to Ban Perpetrator for Life

Valencia have released an official statement condemning the individual who threw a water bottle at Lionel Messi during the frantic last moments of Barcelona's 1-0 win at the Mestalla on Sunday.

The offending individual—who appeared to hit Messi on the head with the throw—will be banned for life, according to Valencia's official statement:

"

Valencia CF regret and condemn the isolated incident in the game against FC Barcelona, in which a small, uncapped bottle of water was thrown from the stands at opposition player Lionel Messi.

The Club will endeavour to locate the person who threw the bottle, and they will be banned for life from Mestalla. Valencia CF operate a zero tolerance policy on such actions and rigourously enforce all security measures set out by legislation.

"

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Valencia could face a possible investigation from the Spanish FA. ESPN FC's report suggests the governing body is "likely to look into the incident, but no comment has yet been made."

The incident occurred when Messi joined a mass celebration with his team-mates after Sergio Busquets finally broke the deadlock in the dying seconds. The Barca players piled on, and moments later, a bottle was flung toward the Argentinian from the stands, highlighted by Football Vines:

"

Messi got hit by a bottle. Disrespectful from Valencia fans http://t.co/QfTvyRp7S4

— Football Vines (@FootballVines) November 30, 2014"

Messi was seen to be holding his head after the bottle struck him. He protested to the referee, who issued him with a yellow card at the conclusion of an entertaining match, per WhoScored.com. Barca confirmed they will look to get this decision overturned, tweeted by SPORT:

Busquets' goal rounded off a thrilling pattern of play in which Barca ramped up the pressure to grab a late winner. A fortunate bounce saw Messi receive a one-on-one chance moments earlier, but Nicolas Otamendi made up the ground and slammed the ball away with an excellent sliding tackle.

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Previously, Diego Alves set the tone for his performance with a diving save from Luis Suarez, who was once again unable to open his La Liga account. The Uruguayan was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out for offside, a decision which appeared to be incorrect, before being substituted with 10 minutes to go.

Both Sofiane Feghouli and Alvaro Negredo tested Claudio Bravo, who had Gerard Pique to thank when Rodrigo's well-angled shot was cleared off the line. Alves made another unlikely stop with his chest moments before Busquets' goal, which broke Valencia hearts in a dramatic climax to a fine showing from the home side.

"We were lucky in the last minute to grab the three points," said Busquets, per The Guardian. "A draw is never enough and we had to try until the very end."

The fixture was also notable for an incident in which Neymar appeared to headbutt Otamendi after the defender challenged his rival with 20 minutes on the clock, as seen below:

No punishment was given, although both Pique and Antonio Barragan received yellow cards in the resulting melee.

Barcelona remain two points behind Real Madrid after the weekend's play. Los Blancos overcame Malaga to extend their winning streak to a historic 16 consecutive games, while Valencia dropped to fifth with the loss.

Luis Enrique's men will now be looking to put a run of victories together with a Copa del Rey tie against Huesca approaching before the league derby with Espanyol and Champions League fixture against Paris Saint-Germain.

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The Blaugrana played well in spurts against Valencia, who opted for a compact defence and speedy breakaways up top. While the incident involving Messi will continue to grab headlines, Barca will be extremely pleased to move on with three points.