Lionel Messi found himself on the grass and grabbing his face after an opponent grabbed the Barcelona star briefly around the throat during a goalless on draw on Wednesday.
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As the teams gathered for a corner kick in the 82nd minute, Messi spoke to Malaga defender Weligton and appeared to initiate contact with a minor shoulder-to-shoulder bump.
Weligton then turned, briefly grasped Messi by the throat and pushed him backwards.
Messi fell to the pitch and grabbed his face, though he was quickly helped to his feet by Malaga goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.
Weligton received a yellow card for the incident, though only after Barcelona's Gerard Pique was also booked for his furious reaction.
Messi remained in the match for the final 10 minutes, but Barcelona could not find a winning goal.
Barcelona were held without a shot on goal in a league game for the first time in the past 11 seasons. They also completed their fewest amount of passes (530) and created fewer chances (seven) than in any other game this season.