MADRID (AFP) - Lionel Messi continued his sublime form by netting his 31st La Liga hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Levante 5-0 on Sunday (Dec 16) to regain their three-point lead at the top of the table.
The 31-year-old Argentinian arrived in Valencia having scored two free-kicks in last weekend's derby thumping of Espanyol. He took his goals tally for the season to 20 after a virtuoso display, while also teeing up Luis Suarez's 35th-minute opener and Gerard Pique's late fifth.
Barca were under pressure after Atletico Madrid and second-placed Sevilla had both moved level on points with the Catalan giants.
But after resting his key stars for their final Champions League group-stage match against Tottenham in midweek, coach Ernesto Valverde saw his refreshed side cruise to a third straight league win without conceding a goal.
Levante started the game brightly and visiting goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was forced into an early save by Ghanaian Emmanuel Boateng.
But Barca did not take long to start moving through the gears, with Messi curling wide from long range before testing Oier Olazabal in the Levante goal with a free-kick.
Just seconds after Boateng hammered a left-footed strike against the crossbar, the reigning Spanish champions broke the deadlock as Messi jinked through a mesmerised home defence and picked out Suarez who volleyed home.
But Levante, who had ended Barcelona's dreams of going through last season's La Liga campaign unbeaten with a remarkable 5-4 victory in the penultimate game, came close to a quick response as Jose Luis Morales fired over.
The match was all but ended as a contest when Messi bore down on goal two minutes before half-time and drilled low into the net.
He wasted little time after the restart to add his second in the 47th minute, sweeping home Jordi Alba's clever cutback, before completing his treble with a simple tap-in from Arturo Vidal's square pass on the hour mark.
Messi has scored five goals in two league games since finishing only fifth in the voting for the Ballon d'Or earlier this month.
A bad evening for Levante worsened with 14 minutes to play, as left-back Erick Cabaco was sent off for a reckless lunge on Ousmane Dembele.
Centre-back Pique added further gloss to the scoreline in the 88th minute, rampaging forward to collect Messi's pass, before keeping his cool and rolling the ball home.
Sevilla keep up the paceÂ
Sevilla reclaimed second place earlier on Sunday as second-half strikes from Ever Banega and Pablo Sarabia sealed a 2-0 win over Girona.
Pablo Machin's side are unbeaten in seven league games since a 4-2 loss at Barcain October.
The hosts had to wait until the 55th minute to break the deadlock, when striker Andre Silva was tripped in the area by Girona defender Juanpe.
Argentinian Banega stepped up to send visiting goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz the wrong way from the penalty spot.
The points were wrapped up only nine minutes later, as Wissam Ben Yedder cut the ball back for the onrushing Sarabia to slide home his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
"In the first half they (Girona) were very good," said Machin.
"They were very organised and had good chances, when (Sevilla goalkeeper) Tomas (Vaclik) was splendid.
"In the second half we were the better team." Elsewhere, Villarreal were plunged further into crisis as Samuele Longo's 93rd-minute strike saw them held to a 2-2 draw at bottom club Huesca.
Villarreal, who replaced Javier Calleja with Luis Garcia Plaza as coach in midweek, are only one point and one place above the relegation zone.
Real Betis eased to a 3-1 win at Espanyol to move into fifth place after a third successive league victory.
Giovani Lo Celso scored and missed a penalty for Betis, with Cristian Tello also on the scoresheet.
Espanyol, who led the table earlier in the season, have lost five straight matches to slip into the bottom half.
Juventus manger Massimiliano Allegri has claimed he is 'confident' Cristiano Ronaldo will be fit to take on Ajax this week.. The attacker sat out Juve's 2-1 victory against AC Milan on
Juventus' Ronaldo a doubt to face Ajax in Champions League
global.espn.com/football/juventus/story/3810925/juventus-ronaldo-a-doubt-to-face-ajax-in-champions-league-allegri
Cristiano Ronaldo is a doubt for the Champions League quarterfinal against Ajax after being left out of the Juventus squad to face Empoli on Saturday with a muscular injury. Ronaldo pulled up with an injury half an hour into Portugal's 1-1 draw with Serbia on Monday and will miss his third Serie A game in a row after being rested for the 4-1
Cristiano Ronaldo Doubtful For Ajax Clash, Says Coach
Jordan Henderson hailed the importance of Liverpool's clean sheet in Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League quarterfinal win over Porto.. Jurgen Klopp's side was far from its best against the Portuguese champion but has given itself a glorious chance of making the last four for the second consecutive season.
Barcelona | A Complete Guide to Barcelona
AD
MADRID: The wife of Spain's World Cup-winning captain Iker Casillas, Sara Carbonero, has announced that she has undergone surgery for cancer just three weeks after the goalkeeper suffered a heart attack. Casillas, who made 167 appearances for Spain and 725 for boyhood club Real Madrid before departing in 2015, fell ill during a training
After Casillas heart attack, wife says she has had cancer op
Football: Pochettino takes blame but slams 'sloppy' Spurs. Pochettino takes blame but slams 'sloppy' Spurs. "Watching now of course I can accept it was a mistake the shape we used. But
'I made a mistake': Pochettino takes blame but slams 'sloppy
Source: ABC Queensland, "Mick, Sarah, and Ian - The Stakes are High for Problem Gamblers." Feb. 21,2008 It can start so innocently. So you had a little bet on the Melbourne Cup and lost, or you overspent a little on…
High Stakes Gambler - facebook.com
Luis Suarez says Barcelona "looked like schoolboys" defending Divock Origi's winning goal for Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final second leg. Trent Alexander-Arnold's quick corner found
We Looked Like Schoolboys: Luis Suarez after Barcelona
Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out of Manchester City's derby encounter at Manchester United on Wednesday. Guardiola also said he expects Riyad Mahrez to stay at the Etihad beyond the summer
Pep Guardiola expects Liverpool to bounce back from Barcelona
Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge Keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was dropped by Chelsea Gonzalo Higuain struck the post for Chelsea after five minutes Tottenham's Harry Winks was also denied by the woodwork Pedro put Chelsea ahead after the break from a tight angle Kieran Trippier's comical own goal sealed Chelsea's win Tottenham face Arsenal next, Chelsea visit Fulham
Mauricio Pochettino has said Tottenham Hotspur "need to be ready for a new project" after moving into their new stadium. Spurs play the first game at their £1bn White Hart Lane-based arena on Wednesday night against Crystal Palace after months of delays.
Spurs cause problems in the Chelsea dressing room - Spurs Web
I've endured/enjoyed a bit of a weird mix of viewing choices this week but some of them are at least partly relevant to my eventual point so please bear with me: The Crown (unsure as to whether
Premier League quotes of the season: Jose Mourinho, Maurizio
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United . 26th February 2019 Football, Sport. By AFP "They've been part of our training for a long time now," said Solskjaer.
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United
en.rfi.fr/wire/20190226-injuries-open-way-sanchez-and-lukaku-shine-united
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United. is confident Sanchez and Lukaku have the quality to impress if given a sustained run in the team. Sorry but the period of time
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United
Breaking News. Metro Exodus is on the Xbox Game Pass for PC; Analyst: If Bitcoin (BTC) Breaks Below $7,500, a 10% Drop Would Be in Play; Soccer: Parris and White strike to give England victory over Scotland
Football: Parris and White strike to give England victory
sportstons.com/soccer/football-parris-and-white-strike-to-give-england-victory-over-scotland/
Football: Parris and White strike to give England victory over Scotland NICE (REUTERS) - England's Nikita Parris and Ellen White scored first-half goals as the Lionesses defeated neighbours Scotland 2-1 on Sunday (June 9) to make a strong start to their women's World Cup campaign.
Soccer: Parris and White strike to give England victory over
Aston Villa returned to the Premier League, after a three-year absence, beating Derby County 2-1 in the Championship playoff final at Wembley on Monday.
Villa return to Premier League with win over Derby County
Postmedia Solutions gives you the power to grow your business. We blend media expertise with smart marketing. It's the perfect balance of creativity and science to propel brand awareness, engagement, conversion and loyalty.
Obituaries - , - Your Life Moments
Atletico Madrid moved level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona after Antoine Griezmann's second-half penalty was enough to see off Espanyol 1-0 on Saturday. Griezmann smashed home from the
Football: Griezmann fires Atletico level with Barcelona
sportstons.com/soccer/football-griezmann-fires-atletico-level-with-barcelona/
Football: Griezmann fires Atletico level with Barcelona MADRID (AFP) - Atletico Madrid moved level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona after Antoine Griezmann's second-half penalty was enough to see off Espanyol 1-0 on Saturday (Dec 22).
Football: Griezmann fires Atletico level with Barcelona
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen