Perfect six for Messi
MADRID: Argentine sensation Lionel Messi scored for the sixth game in succession as Barcelona overpowered Atletico Madrid 3-0 on Sunday to stay in touch with leader Real Madrid.
AC Milan's Brazilian star Kaka may have won the FIFPro award for Player of the Year but Barcelona believes its striker Messi is the best player on the planet. On current form it is hard to disagree.
The 20-year-old Argentine was sensational at Camp Nou scoring his sixth league goal to stay at the top of the goals-coring charts.
It was Barcelona's fourth-straight league win but the club still trails Real Madrid by two points after the champions defeated Recreativo Huleva 2-0.
Dutch international Ruud van Nistelrooy, the league's top-scorer last season, scored on 72 minutes before Gonzalo Higuain netted in the final minute to keep Real at the summit.
"It was a deserved victory against a rival that we have had problems with in the past," explained Barca coach Frank Rijkaard.
"We scored twice in quick succession and then we controlled the match using aggression and with the team attacking and defending as a unit."
Rijkaard drafted Ronaldinho back into the starting line-up. The Brazilian, who had missed the last three league matches with a calf injury, started alongside Thierry Henry and Messi in attack.
Barcelona had thumped Atletico 6-0 on its own ground towards the end of last season so the visitors were out for revenge but its quest was not helped when it conceded twice inside four minutes.
On the quarter-hour mark Italian goalkeeper Christian Abbiati let a routine Messi cross slip out of his hands and Deco could not believe his eyes as he rolled home into the empty net.
Four minutes later Messi played a great one-two with Ronaldinho and rifled a shot past Abbiati for his sixth goal of the season and Xavi added a third late on.
"Conceding two early goals inside four minutes is not easy to turn around especially against Barcelona," admitted Atletico coach Javier Aguirre.
Atletico had won its last three matches but Barcelona was streets ahead and Atletico's promising Argentine striker Kun Aguero, 19, was overshadowed by compatriot Messi - as everyone was.
AFP
(China Daily 10/09/2007 page23)
