Lionel Messi once again showed the world why he is four times winner of the FIFA Ballon d’Or when he scored a hat trick to help Barcelona beat a 10-man Real Madrid 4-3in an action packed El Classico on Sunday blowing the La Liga title race wide open.
The game featuring some of the best and highest players proved to be a mouth-watering encounter watched by millions of people around the world as the football’s richest clubs in the recent times came head to head.
Barcelona took the lead in the seventh minute when play maker Andres Iniesta bust clear on the left and lashed the ball into the roof of the net to revive Barca’s hopes of lifting a fifth title in six years
Karim Benzema’s double brought Real back in the game and a chance to safe-guard their 31 match unbeaten run, but that was short lived when Messi’s close-range snap shot through a crowd of players made it 2-2 at the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty 10 minutes into the second half put Real in the lead but that also was just for a while as Sergio Ramos was sent off for felling Neymar to award Barca with a penalty which Messi converted comfortably to level it 3-3
Barca’s efforts were fruitful as they struck the winner from the spot six minutes from time after Iniesta was knocked to the ground in the area.
With only nine games to play, Real are now level with Atlectico Madrid who won 2-0 at bottom side real Betis with 70 points.
Messi’s treble, his second in two games after his hat-trick against Osasuna last weekend, puts the four-times World Player of the Year ahead of Real Madrid’s great Alfredo Di Stefano who scored 18 to become the all-time top scorer in Clasicos’ with 21 goals.
The Argentinian also moved into second on the list of record scorers in La Liga on 236 goals, ahead of former Real striker Hugo Sanchez on 234, and he is fast closing in on Telmo Zarra’s mark of 251.
Atlectico initially struggled to overcome Betis,Midfielder Gabi, hit a long-range stunner in this month’s 2-2 draw at home to Real, cracked the ball into the corner from distance two minutes later and Diego Costa added a second from Koke’s neat headed layoff in the 64th, his 23rd La Liga goal of the campaign.
Atletico’s fine season under Coach Diego Simeone has left them in with a real chance of becoming the first team other than Real or Barca, the world’s richest clubs by income, to win La Liga since Valencia 10 years ago.
Villarreal’s hopes of securing a place in Europe suffered another blow when they lost 2-1 at regional rivalsValencia, their fourth consecutive game without a win, following the results Villarreal are seventh on 45 points, one behind Real Sociedad.
AUTHOR:VINCENT BARAZA