Messi reaches 82 goals as Barca stay clear
Lionel Messi struck twice as Barcelona won 4-0 at Levante on Sunday
to remain three points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Messi's goals were both laid on by Andres Iniesta who also hit the
target himself before supplying Cesc Fabregas for the fourth.
The Argentine's brace means he now has 82 goals in 2012, just three
short of German legend Gerd Mueller's all-time calendar record of 85 set
in 1972.
He also tops the La Liga charts for the season with 19 goals.
Atletico had earlier beaten Sevilla 4-0 to keep pace at the top and
go eight points ahead of city rivals Real Madrid in third who had lost
1-0 at Betis on Saturday.
Barca's win increased their gap over Real Madrid to 11 points.
They have also equalled Real's record for the best start to a La Liga
season set in 1991-92.
But coach Tito Vilanova does not see the league as being won so early
in the season.
"The league is not over, we're only a third through and Atletico are
three points behind us. There is a lot to play for. We have been 11
ahead of Madrid before and we suffered a lot in the end," he said.
Barca had struggled in the first half and their cause was not helped
by losing Dani Alves after only 13 minutes with what appeared to be a
recurrence of a recent hamstring injury.
When his replacement Martin Montoya took the pitch it meant Barca's
full side had also starred for the club at youth level.
Afterwards Xavi Hernandez praised a blueprint set out by former coach
Louis Van Gaal.
"It's an amazing and extraordinary feat, we're proud of the work of
our youth system, I've lived through this since it was just Puyol and me
in the first team. Van Gaal always said it, we have to play to with an
eleven from the club. I take the opportunity to send my regards to Van
Gaal," he said.
Jose Maria Barkero had the best chance of the opening exchanges for
Levante, drawing Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes into a save with a
12th-minute drive.
Barca took 10 minutes to react, Messi hitting a low shot that missed
just wide right, a minute before Xavi Hernandez hit a similar drive that
went to the left.
The Catalans' intricate build-up play was comfortably contained by
solid defending from the home team in a tight first period.
Levante, in the meantime, looked dangerous on the counter-attack and
Obafemi Martins narrowly glanced a header wide just before half-time.
However, Barca finally found a way through just after the break and
it was from a perfectly threaded pass from Iniesta that allowed Messi to
coolly slot home.
Five minutes later, Iniesta was the provider again, the little
midfielder pulling back the ball for Messi to double the lead.
Another five minutes had passed before Iniesta buried Levante's
challenge for good with a drive from the edge of the area.
The fourth came on 63 minutes, this time Fabregas was given the
simple task of finishing off another Iniesta pass.
Barca had solved what had at first seemed a difficult task with four
goals in 18 second-half minutes and for Levante there was no way back.
AFP
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