Lionel Messi scored four as Barcelona thrashed Eibar at Camp Nou to extend their lead at the top of La Liga.
Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Galvez brought down Nelson Semedo , and then Paulinho headed home Denis Suarez's corner to double Barcelona's lead.
The Argentine playmaker turned on the style in the second half, contributing in the build-up to Suarez's third, before Sergio Enrich pulled one back in the 57th minute.
Messi wasn't having it and netted the fourth with a pin-point accurate effort from the edge of the area, and the fifth after Paulinho slipped him in.
There was still time for him to get a sixth as Barca cruised late on.
Here are five talking points from the game...
BARCELONA -- Ernesto Valverde was almost at a loss for words after another astonishing Lionel Messi performance helped Barcelona beat Eibar 6-1 and extend their winning start to the season in La Liga to five games.
Four of Barca's goals in the win at Camp Nou came from the boots of Messi, with Paulinho and Denis Suarez also on target for the second game running.
Messi, who has now scored 39 hat tricks for his club, has already scored 12 times in just eight games in all competitions this season and has nine in five league outings.
"I don't know what to say about Messi," Valverde said in his postgame news conference. "He is one of the most intelligent players I've seen on a football pitch. He's extraordinary. Today we played in a different way, without Luis [Suarez], but Messi is the same wherever you put him.
"From a play where it looks like nothing's going to happen, he can create something good for us... and bad for the opposition.
"That he scores four goals isn't news anymore. He's done this time and again, on many nights and in many games. He repeats it, he repeats it and he repeats it. He loves football, he enjoys it and he never tires of winning."
While it was the Messi show once again, there was also a role for summer signing for Paulinho to play for the second game running.
0 comments:
Post a Comment