La Liga: Lionel Messi On Song As Barcelona Thrash Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid Edge Past Alaves

Lionel Messi scored twice on Sunday as Barcelona trounced Actual Sociedad 6-1 to maintain the stress on Atletico Madrid, who squeezed previous Alaves due to a late penalty save from Jan Oblak. Oblak’s 86th-minute heroics ensured Luis Suarez’s five hundredth profession objective was sufficient for a 1-0 victory on the Wanda Metropolitano, that means the hole on the prime of La Liga stays at 4 factors, with 10 video games left to play. However the distinction between Atletico’s nervy win towards Nineteenth-placed Alaves and Barca’s demolition of a Actual Sociedad aspect with hopes of qualifying for Europe spoke volumes about the place the momentum lies within the Spanish title race.

Atletico will hope Oblak’s save can show to be a turning level after a difficult few weeks, whereas the worldwide break would possibly supply Diego Simeone’s aspect an opportunity to reset and refresh forward of the run-in. 

“There are video games the place you endure however that is what makes soccer stunning,” mentioned Oblak.

Simeone mentioned: “Like all nice groups, there may be all the time one which scores a variety of targets and one which makes a variety of saves. They’re each decisive gamers who make the staff stronger.”

Barcelona have hit their stride, their six targets towards Actual Sociedad a minimum of they deserved for a scintillating attacking show, and maybe their finest since Ronald Koeman took cost.

“The staff has improved so much not too long ago,” mentioned Koeman. “We have gone a variety of video games with out dropping within the league, which was the one strategy to get again within the struggle for th title.

“However we’re nonetheless behind Atleti, Actual Madrid are stronger. We have now to maintain going to the tip.”

Messi breaks look report

Messi scored his eleventh and 12 targets in his final 10 video games, and made it 16 in 12 this 12 months. The 33-year-old has additionally now handed Xavi Hernandez’s report of 767 Barcelona appearances, which he had equalled towards Huesca on Monday.

Messi didn’t plough a lone furrow on the Reale Enviornment, the place Sergino Dest scored twice both aspect of half-time after Antoine Griezmann slammed within the opener.

Ousmane Dembele and Actual Sociedad’s Ander Barrenetxea — with arguably the objective of the evening — each registered between Messi’s double within the second half.

For Barcelona, it’s a ninth consecutive away win within the league, with a membership report tenth inside their grasp in the event that they beat Actual Madrid within the Clasico on April 10.

Actual Sociedad subsequent play Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao within the postponed Copa del Rey closing from final 12 months on April 3.

Dest had already hit the crossbar when Messi set Jordi Alba free down the left and whereas Dembele’s end was saved, Griezmann was readily available to transform the rebound.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen needed to rectify his personal poor clearance by getting down low to disclaim Alexander Isak however Actual Sociedad’s resistance was temporary.

Messi slipped in Dest to fireplace in after which Alba pulled again from the opposite aspect for the American to make it three.

Messi snuck in behind early within the second half, poking in Sergio Busquets’ ball excessive earlier than Dembele was allowed to glide by means of unchallenged, and impressively drove into the far nook.

Barrenetxea put his aspect on the scoreboard, and brilliantly, by nipping inside Frenkie de Jong and thundering a shot into the highest nook however Messi had the final phrase, a crisp end curling contained in the close to publish.

Suarez strikes

Messi stays forward of Suarez within the La Liga scoring charts, regardless of the Uruguayan’s wonderful end 9 minutes into the second half towards Alaves.

Thomas Lemar turned the ball across the nook to Marcos Llorente, who fed Kieran Trippier racing down the proper, and he curled a cross in on the run to the close to publish, the place Suarez headed in.

Promoted

However with no second objective, Alaves all the time had an opportunity they usually got a golden one after Stefan Savic was judged to have put an arm throughout Luis Rioja simply contained in the penalty space.

Joselu stepped up and struck it nicely to his left however Oblak learn it proper and, together with his left foot nonetheless pinned to the road, sprung out and pushed the ball away.