MADRID: Lionel Messi hit his 21st Barcelona hat-trick as his 10-man side edged a thrilling 5-4 victory at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
Jordi Alba and Cristian Tello got the other goals for Barca, who had Javier Mascherano sent-off on 48 minutes, while a Pizzi double, a Alex Bergantinos strike and an Alba own goal kept the home side in the game.
The win means Barca go three points clear of Atletico Madrid, who play on Sunday, at the top of La Liga.
Messi now has 11 league goals, two more than Cristiano Ronaldo who earlier scored for Real Madrid in a 2-0 win over Celta Vigo that kept Madrid right points behind the Catalan side.
Alba put Barca ahead on the north-west coast after only two minutes, bursting into the area to meet a Cesc Fabregas pass and finish well and, five minutes later, the lead was doubled.
Messi dinked the ball out wide for Tello who moved from right to left and then back to his right foot before hitting an unstoppable shot past Dani Aranzubia in the Deportivo goal.
Barca’s third 10 minutes later was the pick of the evening.
Mascherano played a forward pass from the halfway line that Fabregas controlled and back-heeled into the path of Messi who powerfully struck a left-footed shot into the top right hand corner.
Deportivo had been undone by Barca’s clever passing play in less than 20 minutes but came back quickly to earn a dubious penalty when Mascherano fouled Riki on 25 minutes that Pizzi converted.
Then, on 37 minutes, Bergantinos hit a shot from the edge of the area that Victor Valdes seemed to have covered but suddenly fumbled over the line to make it 2-3.
Barca appeared stunned only for Fabregas to then conjour up another brilliant pass for Messi to finish, this time with his right foot, to regain a two-goal cushion at the break.
However, Depor were not finished and within two minutes of the re-start Pizzi had smashed in his second from a free-kick.
Three minutes later Mascherano was given his marching orders for a second questionable clash with Riki who went down holding his face after the two tussled for a ball.
Messi then hit the bar from a free-kick and the action was non-stop as the home side tried to find an unlikely equalizer.
It was Messi who struck again for his third, wrestling to get the ball away from Spain’s World Cup winning defender Carlos Marchena before running at the remaining defenders before hitting a shot home to make it 5-3.
Again Depor hit back straightaway as Alba turned a ball into his own goal as he tried to stop Pizzi from hitting his own hat-trick.
Goalkeeper Aranzubia came forward for a last-minute corner but it was not to be for a battling Deportivo and Barca took the points in a breathtaking match.
Earlier Gonzalo Higuain and Ronaldo hit a goal apiece as Real Madrid eased past their unambitious opponents.
Higuain put Madrid ahead in the 12th minute when he powered down the left wing and hit what looked like a cross that curled into the far corner.
Madrid had further chances but needed the help of the referee more than an hour later when he awarded what seemed a controversial penalty after Mesut Ozil went down under a challenge from Gustavo Cabral on 68 minutes.
Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot to make it nine league goals for the season and give Madrid the points.
Valencia came from behind on two occasions to beat Athletic Bilbao 3-2.
Their former striker Aritz Aduriz twice put the visitors ahead, but a fighting performance, including a penalty from Roberto Soldado and a goal apiece from Tino Costa and Nelson Valdez in the last two minutes, gave the home side some respite from growing supporter displeasure after previously only winning two of their first seven games.
Malaga came from behind to beat Valladolid with a hard earned 2-1 home victory to stay in third position
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Messi hits 21st Barca hat-trick in nervy win
Messi hits 21st Barca hat-trick in nervy win
Real Madrid lose second straight and miss chance to close gap on Liga leader Barcelona
- Getafe held on to secure a historic win, its first at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008, and a vital three points in its bid to stay in La Liga
MADRID: Real Madrid lost a second straight La Liga match when a stunning volley from Martín Satriano gave Getafe a shock 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Monday.
The result prevented the capital club from cutting the four-point gap to leader Barcelona.
Getafe had lost all eight of its previous league encounters with Real Madrid and early saves from goalkeeper David Soria kept it from falling behind.
Soria turned over a shot from Arda Güler midway through the first half, not long after frustrating Vinicius Junior when he was through on goal.
Madrid had more of the ball but lacked punch up front and it paid a price for its profligacy six minutes before halftime when Getafe took the lead.
A hopeful cross from the right was headed clear but it fell to the feet of Satriano, who volleyed into the roof of the net from 20 meters out.
It was the second goal in three games for the Uruguayan, who joined on loan from Lyon during the last transfer window.
Madrid continued to dominate possession in the second half and Antonio Rüdiger and substitute Rodrygo were among those who came close to grabbing an equalizer.
But it could not find a way past Getafe’s stuffy rearguard and an in-form Soria.
Madrid’s task became even harder when Franco Mastantuono was sent off for dissent in stoppage time and although the numbers were evened up in the last minute when Getafe’s Adrian Liso was also shown a red card it came too late to make any impact.
Getafe held on to secure a historic win, its first at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008, and a vital three points in its bid to stay in La Liga.
“Coming here is always very difficult,” Getafe defender Kiko Femenía told broadcaster DAZN. “We have to congratulate the team, we did a superb job at the back and we scored when had the chance. We might even have scored more on the counterattack.”
They jumped three league places into 11th and were eight points above the relegation zone.
