Messi hat-trick as Barca make history

Posted Sunday, February 06, 2011 by UK.eurosport.yahoo.com

Lionel Messi blasted a hat-trick as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Camp Nou to become the first side in history to win 16 consecutive Liga games.

Messi's strikes - his 22nd, 23rd and 24th in only 19 Liga matches this season - see Barca move 10 points clear of rivals Real Madrid at the summit of the table.

That means he has scored an incredible 40 goals in all competitions this season - this in the first days of February.

"It is an honour for this team to be able to surpass this mark [the record number of consecutive victories] which remained in place for so long because it was very hard to beat it," World Player of the Year Messi said after the game.

The Argentina star was put through on goal by the returning Andres Iniesta as early as the fifth minute, but as he raced into the box he was halted by the referee's whistle - he had caught the heels of a defender.

The opening quarter of an hour was a display of passing and movement, but with no cutting edge in the final third. However that changed when Messi scored his first in the 17th minute.

Right-back Dani Alves played the ball to him and made a run to take the defender away - and the miniature maestro cut in from the right to crash a left-foot strike inside the near post from 20 yards.

Soon after Alves slipped him in again, but surprisingly - given his complete freedom on the right side of the box - Messi curled it wide of the far post.

In the 28th minute he had his second. David Villa played a short pass into the box which Antonio Lopez stretched to get to only to see Messi get a lucky break of the ball; he finished easily from close in.

Atletico striker Sergio Aguero, playing alone up front with Diego Forlan left on the bench, looked every inch his father-in-law Diego Maradona as he spun low into the box past Gerard Pique and away from Maxwell - only to be denied at the last by Eric Abidal.

David Villa produced a trademark touch inside and shot from the left, the ball flying inches wide, while Alves blotted his and Barca's copybook somewhat by taking out Aguero on the byline well after the ball had gone. He could have seen either colour of card, but it was yellow.

In the second period Messi symbolised the Barca work ethic by racing back to nick the ball off Aguero before flicking it past the onrushing Filipe Luis and running around him to collect it.

Atleti boss Quique Sanchez Flores had thrown on Forlan in an attempt to hit Barca more effectively on the break, and despite opening up the game his side looked the more dangerous in the opening minutes.

One such effort arrived when Aguero crossed for Forlan at the far post and his header back found Felipe - he had time to pick his spot but his hard shot was headed off the line by the excellent Pique.

Messi was harshly booked for taking a free-kick too quickly - his effort from 25 yards out came back off the inside of the post - and his second attempt was right in the top corner but lacked pace and was saved easily enough by away keeper David de Gea.

Manchester United target De Gea showed why the world's biggest clubs are looking at him when Messi rose highest to head superbly towards the far top corner: he flung himself across to tip over acrobatically. It was no save for the cameras, however.

De Gea copped a boot in the face as Messi sealed his hat-trick in the 79th minute. The magician played Villa in down the right side of the box and continued his run; after blocking the shot, De Gea was caught by the Spain striker.

To add insult to injury, the ball fell kindly for Messi as Tomas Ujfalusi slid back to stop it going in - and the superstar stabbed home for 3-0.

After the game Flores compared Messi to Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano.

"The thing that struck me most about Messi tonight was not the goals but his tackling back because it shows he's got everything," Sanchez Flores reflected.

"Obviously, we are talking about the Di Stefano of the 21st century. It's just crazy."

Guardiola said it was a great honour for Messi to be compared to the 84-year-old Di Stefano, who has been Real's honorary president since 2000.

"All the great teams in history have to have a player that makes the difference," he said afterwards.

"Di Stefano was different and that is what Messi gives us," added the former Barca and Spain midfielder.

"We would be able to play well without Messi but we would not have been able to win 16 in a row.

"I simply congratulate the players as it is extremely difficult to win matches and this is an amazing success.

"I don't think we'll beat their record of five consecutive European Cups but at least we have this one."

It was nothing extraordinary on this occasion from Barca, but their ability to win games against quality sides with such ease makes them runaway favourites for the three major trophies they are fighting for.