MADRID (AFP) - Lionel Messi continued his remarkable run of form with a second-half double as Barcelona continued their march towards the La Liga title on Saturday (March 30) with a 2-0 win over Espanyol.
The visitors gave their city rivals a tough game at the Camp Nou, but Messi's chipped free-kick with 19 minutes to play and a late second sent the reigning champions 13 points clear at the top ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid's game at Alaves later on Saturday.
Messi has now netted eight times in his last four games for Barca, and leads the way in the La Liga scoring charts with 31 goals, 13 ahead of teammate Luis Suarez.
"I had no idea he would hit (the free-kick) like that," said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.
"I would love to say that we had planned it, but it's not true, it's up to him. He didn't need my opinion and he scored."
It was a fitting way for the Argentinian to mark his 675th Barcelona appearance, which moved him ahead of Andres Iniesta into second on the club's all-time list - 102 adrift of Xavi Hernandez.
He made a low-key return to international action in midweek as Argentina lost a friendly to Venezuela, but Valverde was delighted it did not affect Messi on Saturday.
"Messi is the same player no matter what team he is playing in," he said.
"He would be the same if he played in Australia... We are delighted to have him, it's a luxury for me to coach him."
BARCA FRUSTRATED
Barca struggled to break down Espanyol early on, with Messi, Suarez and Ivan Rakitic all wasting half-chances in the first period.
Barcelona saw a penalty appeal waved away by both the referee and VAR on the stroke of half-time, and Malcom was denied just after the hour mark by away goalkeeper Diego Lopez as the Catalan giants grew frustrated.
But Messi has been consistently unplayable this season, and he dinked in a wonderful effort from a set-piece despite Victor Sanchez's best efforts to clear off the line.
The three points were sealed in the 89th minute as Malcom ran clear on the breakaway, before cutting the ball across for Messi to sweep a trademark finish low into the bottom corner.
Barcelona next visit Villarreal on Tuesday with a second successive title looking even more like a mere formality after a sixth straight victory extended their unbeaten league run to 17 matches.
Earlier on Saturday, fourth-placed Getafe missed the chance to solidify their spot in the Champions League places as they slumped to a 2-0 home defeat by Leganes.
Uruguayan Michael Santos and Spaniard Juanfran scored in the second half for Leganes to give Alaves the chance to move into the top four with a win over Atletico.
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Manchester City could be handed a two-window transfer ban in the coming days. According to UK Sun report, world's football governing body, FIFA are ready to slam Man City with the same ban handed to Chelsea for flouting rules guiding the transfer of minors following series of investigations.
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Van Gaal's claims seem at odds with the more entertaining football played by United since Solskjaer started a reign that looks set to bring him the manager's job on a permanent basis.
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Newly appointed Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he wants to see his players "enjoying their football again" while promising them a "clean slate" under his watch. Former United forward Solskjaer was announced as Jose Mourinho's temporary successor on Wednesday, a day after the Portuguese was sacked at Old Trafford
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Pep Guardiola wants the pain of Manchester City's gut-wrenching Champions League elimination at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur to inspire a charge for an unprecedented domestic treble.
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Meanwhile, U18 National Team Head Coach Fadzuhasny Juraimi has called up six players from Singapore Premier League clubs. Philippe Aw, U15 National Team Head Coach, said: "This tournament is important for our U15 boys as most of them will be playing international matches for the first time.
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Everton led their local rivals by 12 points after victory at Anfield in late February, but Liverpool went on a storming run to win 11 and draw one of their last 12 games to claim the title by two
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