MADRID: Lionel Messi followed up his remarkable performance against Real Madrid with another two goals as Barcelona trounced Osasuna 7-1 to remain at the top of the Spanish league on Wednesday.
Second-place Real Madrid kept pace by defeating Deportivo La Coruna 6-2, despite playing without Cristiano Ronaldo and several other regular starters.
Barcelona and Madrid are level on 78 points, but the Catalan club is ahead on the head-to-head tiebreaker. The two-time defending champion has four games left, while Madrid — seeking its first league title since 2012 — has five to play.
Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer also scored twice for Barcelona, and Javier Mascherano netted his first goal with the Catalan club to complete the rout at the Camp Nou.
Messi had also scored two goals in the “clasico” against Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday, including a last-minute winner that gave him 500 career goals with Barcelona. He was honored for the milestone before Wednesday’s game, with a huge banner displayed on the stands with the words: “Thank you Leo.”
“With Messi, everything is easier,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said.
Messi opened the scoring against Osasuna with a lob over the goalkeeper after breaking free from his markers and surging into the area with only goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu to beat. He neatly headed the ball down before unleashing his 12th-minute strike.
Messi, who has scored 16 goals in his last 11 league games, netted his second with a well-placed left-foot shot from just outside the area in the 61st, two minutes before being substituted to a standing ovation by the crowd at the Camp Nou.
It was the 11th time this season that Messi had scored two goals in a league game.
“We all know about Messi’s quality, about what he can add to the team,” Alcacer said. “It’s a great joy to be able to play alongside him. He is a unique player and few have the honor to say that they played with him.”
Messi has scored twice in the last five games in which he has found the net. He is the league’s leading scorer with 33 goals, nine more than teammate Luis Suarez and 14 more than Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gomes scored in the 30th and 57th minutes, and Alcacer netted in the 64th and 86th. Defender Mascherano, who had yet to score after 318 matches with Barcelona, was allowed to end his drought by taking a 67th-minute penalty kick.
Suarez was rested by coach Luis Enrique in Wednesday’s game. Neymar could not play because of a suspension.
Osasuna, which was mathematically relegated with the loss, played in orange-colored shirts made specifically for the match, as its other shirts were too similar to Barcelona’s outfit.
Roberto Torres scored the team’s lone goal from a 48th-minute free kick.
Deportivo La Coruna 2 Real Madrid 6: Madrid was in control from the start against relegation-threatened Deportivo in La Coruna, taking the lead through Alvaro Morata in the first minute.
Rodriguez scored in the 14th and 66th minutes, Lucas Vazquez added in the 44th, Francisco “Isco” Alarcon netted in the 77th and Casemiro rounded off the scoring in the 87th.
Messi strikes twice again as Barcelona routs Osasuna 7-1
Messi strikes twice again as Barcelona routs Osasuna 7-1
Carrick relishing Frank reunion as Man Utd host Spurs
- Carrick has enjoyed a perfect start to life as interim United boss
- Frank remains under intense pressure in his first season at Spurs
LONDON: Michael Carrick will go head to head with Thomas Frank just months after interviewing the Tottenham manager for television as Manchester United seek a fourth successive Premier League win on Saturday.
Former Spurs, United and England midfielder Carrick has enjoyed a perfect start to life as interim United boss — beating Manchester City, Premier League leaders Arsenal and Fulham.
Next in line for United are Spurs, 14th in the table after a miserable Premier League season so far.
Carrick, who replaced the sacked Ruben Amorim last month, interviewed Frank ahead of the Dane’s first Champions League game in charge of Tottenham.
“(Life) certainly can change,” said Carrick as he reflected on the Amazon Prime interview in September. “I really enjoyed it, actually.
“We got on really well. It’s the first time I’ve met him properly and we had a good chat just about general kind of football things... I enjoyed it, so it will be good to see him again.”
Former Brentford boss Frank remains under intense pressure in his first season at Spurs despite their impressive Champions League campaign and a recent uptick in results.
Last week’s 2-2 draw at home to City extended their unbeaten run to four matches.
“They certainly bring a challenge,” Carrick said. “I think you can see especially the way they finished the game the other day.
“They’ve had players injured and ins and outs, and a lot of changes to the team, which makes things a lot more challenging, a lot more difficult from their perspective. But they’re getting players back.”
Tottenham won all four of their meetings against United last season, including May’s Europa League final in Bilbao.
Carrick hopes to end that run against a club at which he spent two seasons before moving to Old Trafford in 2006.
“Coming here (United) was a jump and a big jump at the time,” he said. I certainly felt that pretty quickly and then I think once you step inside this place as a footballer, it turns you.
“So, pretty much from the first day walking into the dressing room and meeting the manager, from then on in that was me.”
