Messi scores hat-trick, Barca removes Real from record list

Coach Luis Enrique's team set a new record of 35 consecutive unbeaten matches in Spanish football history when they defeated Rayo Vallecano 5-1 in round 27 of La Liga.

Messi is rapidly advancing in the race for the top scorer. Photo: Reuters

Goals: Manucho 57' - Rakitic 22', Messi 23', 54', 72', Turan 86'

Coming to Madrid to play Rayo Vallecano, Barca had no trouble in making a resounding victory. After goalkeeper Juan Carlos's mistake in handling the ball led to Ivan Rakitic's opening goal, Lionel Messi scored three goals in a row from simple, effective finishes. Rayo Vallecano had an honorable draw thanks to striker Manucho, before midfielder Arda Turan made his first accurate shot after two months playing for Barca.

With a big win in round 28 of La Liga, Barca not only restored their eight-point lead over Atletico, but also broke the unbeaten record held by both themselves and Real from the previous round. The Catalan giants are now on a 35-match unbeaten run in all competitions, including 29 wins and six draws.

In fact, the result of the latest match of round 28 of La Liga could have been slightly different if Rayo Vallecano had taken advantage of the opportunity in the fourth minute. In this preemptive attack, Adrian Embarba shot hard from outside the box, forcing goalkeeper Bravo to show his talent to save the goal for Barca. This was also the brightest chance the home team had in the first half.

Overcoming the initial difficulties, Barca had more luck in the remaining time. Rayo only played well in the first 20 minutes but could not maintain concentration for too long. The opening goal even came from a rare mistake by goalkeeper Juan Carlos. In this situation in the 22nd minute, the home team's goalkeeper jumped up to block a cross into the penalty area and then dropped the ball, allowing Ivan Rakitic to shoot into an empty net.

Rakitic (number 4) has a "gift from heaven". Photo: Reuters

The opening goal could have been the game-changer for Barca. After the excitement, the leaders only had to wait a minute for their second, this time Messi slotting home from Neymar's left-wing pass.

Besides the incident of "giving" the opening goal to the opponent, Rayo also had bad luck with the referee. As if wanting to promote the spirit of protecting beautiful football, "king of the field" Inaki Vicandi pulled out two red cards for the home team. The first card was given to Diego Llorente after a dangerous tackle on Ivan Rakitic in the 42nd minute, and the second card belonged to Manuel Iturra for a tackle on Sergio Busquets' leg in the 67th minute.

With one man down, Rayo could not avoid a heavy defeat against Barca. Right at the beginning of the second half, the situation was quickly decided with a shot from the middle of the penalty area by Messi to increase the score to 3-0. Rayo scored an honorary goal in the 57th minute thanks to a close-range header by Manucho but it was just a drop in the bucket. In the last 15 minutes of the match, Messi shot directly at Juan Carlos to complete his hat-trick, while Turan headed in to seal the 5-1 victory.

While Messi scored three goals with ease, the two strikers playing together were unlucky despite having many opportunities. A typical example was the play in the 54th minute: Neymar's free kick hit the crossbar, Suarez rushed in and hit the post before M10 received the ball to increase the score to 3-0. Suarez even lacked luck on the 11m mark when he missed a penalty in the 69th minute. Without scoring any goals, Barca's striker wearing the number 9 shirt remained at the same place with 25 goals after 27 rounds of La Liga, while Ronaldo had 23 goals and Messi followed with 19 goals.

Suarez was upset because he missed the penalty.

After a heavy defeat at home, Rayo dropped to 17th place out of 20. This team is only ahead of 18th-placed Granada on additional indexes, and faces a fierce relegation battle in the last 11 rounds.

According to VNE