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Messi scores four as Barca jump above defeated Madrid before Clasico
MADRID, Feb 23, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Lionel Messi scored four goals and
Barcelona reclaimed top spot in La Liga as Real Madrid suffered a surprise
defeat by Levante on Saturday, a week before the Clasico.
Madrid’s nightmare afternoon was made worse by another injury to Eden
Hazard, who was forced off in the second half of their 1-0 defeat in Valencia
and is now doubtful to face Manchester City on Wednesday in the Champions
League.
“It doesn’t look good,” said Real coach Zinedine Zidane afterwards.
Messi, meanwhile, ridiculed talk of a drought by scoring four goals against
Eibar after four games without one, while emergency signing Martin
Braithwaite made two assists off the bench, teeing up Messi and then Arthur
Melo in injury-time.
Their 5-0 rout, coupled with Madrid’s defeat, means Barca move back to the
summit of La Liga, two points ahead of Zidane’s side ahead of next Saturday’s
showdown at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“We’ve had good times this season and now this is a bad time,” said Zidane.
“Now we have a week where everything is at stake.”
It amounts to a considerable shift in momentum, with Barcelona away at
Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.
Madrid host City a day later and the plan had been for Hazard to regain
form and fitness in what was only his second start since returning from three
months out with a broken right foot.
But the Belgian sat in the dug-out with an ice pack around the same foot
after going off and Zidane suggested it was a repeat injury after the match.
“It can be weak where you’ve had an injury,” he said. “It’s sore now but we
will see tomorrow after more tests.”
Madrid were shaken by Hazard’s departure and Levante capitalised as Jose
Luis Morales banged a shot into the top corner from the angle, even if
Thibaut Courtois pulled out of a save he should have made.
For Madrid, playing catch-up again next weekend will be a particularly
heavy psychological blow, especially given the series of off-field problems
engulfing Barcelona in recent weeks.
Yet on the pitch, Messi showed no sign of distraction as the 32-year-old
completed the second fastest of his now 36 league hat-tricks, after less than
40 minutes at Camp Nou.
“There’s nothing left to do but stand up and applaud,” Eibar wrote on
Twitter afterwards. “I won’t wash my kit after hugging Messi,” said
Braithwaite.
Braithwaite’s arrival from Leganes drew criticism after Barcelona
capitalised on a curious La Liga rule that allows clubs to sign outside of
the transfer window if they have lost a player to serious injury.
Leganes, without their top scorer, were beaten earlier by fellow strugglers
Celta Vigo but Braithwaite made the perfect start with his new team.
– Brilliant Messi –
Messi quickly got to work, scoring a brilliant first goal in the 14th
minute after collecting the ball centrally, around 30 yards out. He had three
Eibar defenders in front of him but found a way through, nutmegging Anaitz
Arbilla before chipping delicately into the corner.
The second came in the 37th minute as Sergio Busquets found Arturo Vidal,
who feathered a flick into Messi’s path. Messi surged forward, past his
stumbling opponents, and fired in.
His third, three minutes later, was the simplest of the trio and arrived
only after he tried to play in Antoine Griezmann. His generosity was rewarded
as a sloppy Griezmann touch meant the ball cannoned back to Messi, who
apologetically poked in.
Coach Quique Setien was able to take Griezmann off with 18 minutes left and
introduce Braithwaite for his debut. Braithwaite’s first contribution was a
skewed cross but things improved immeasurably from there, as two passes
across goal gave Messi his fourth and Arthur his first.
Madrid were never in control of a chaotic contest against Levante but might
have taken the lead if Hazard had done better with a long ball over the top
from Marcelo, which he failed to control and then scuffed into the hands of
Aitor Fernandez.
He limped off and Madrid lost their way, finally punished with 11 minutes
left by a straight ball through to Morales. Luka Modric, exposed on the right
side of Madrid’s defence, was unable to recover and Morales caught Courtois
by surprise by firing early past the goalkeeper and into the top corner.
Real Sociedad moved into fourth and above Atletico Madrid with a 3-0
victory over Valencia, whose miserable form continued following their 4-1
Champions League loss at Atalanta in midweek.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0855 hrs