Messi eclipses hat-trick mark as Barca goes top
Print Edition
Lionel Messi broke a Spanish hat-trick record and Luis Suarez struck twice as a rampant Barcelona took over top spot in La Liga with a 6-1 hammering of Rayo Vallecano yesterday.
Messi came alive after halftime at the Nou Camp to net his 32nd treble for Barcelona in all competitions in just 12 minutes.
It meant he eclipsed the record of the most hat-tricks ever recorded in Spanish football that he had shared with Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra.
The Argentine’s second-half tour de force against a side reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of Tito — Barcelona itself had Dani Alves sent off late in the game — included a goal scored from a retaken penalty after he had seen the first saved.
It helped put Barcelona back in control at the head of La Liga, after an equal amount of games played, for the first time since the start of November.
It moved on to 62 points, a point clear of Real Madrid, which was beaten 0-1 by Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, and is now in pole position two weeks ahead of Real’s visit to its Nou Camp fortress in El Clasico.
Barcelona scored with its first shot on goal after five minutes with Xavi releasing Suarez, who tucked a clinical shot into the corner with his right foot.
Four minutes after halftime, the floodgates opened when defender Gerard Pique knocked in from close range following a Jordi Alba header from a corner which came back off a post.
When Suarez was felled in the penalty area in the 56th minute by Tito, who received a red card, Messi’s penalty was saved by ‘keeper Cristian Alvarez but the referee ordered a retake due to encroachment in the area.
Inevitably, Messi made no mistake second time around and he then knocked in a rebound after 63 minutes, before completing his historic hat-trick, the 24th of his La Liga career, five minutes later. He now has 32 Spanish hat-tricks, compared to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 27.
Alberto Bueno netted a consolation penalty for Rayo after he had been fouled by Alves, who was given his marching orders.Messi then set up Suarez for his second in injury time.
“We were only able to score one goal in the first half although we had other openings,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. “Our objective is to be leaders at the end of the championship. I think there will be defeats for both of us (including Real) and there are areas where we need to improve.”
Later, third place was at stake when Atletico Madrid, on 54 points, entertained Valencia, which is a point behind.
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