Messi dazzles as Barca rout Almeria

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Barcelona matched their biggest away victory with an 8-0 rout of Almeria in La Liga on Saturday.

The World Player of the Year took his tally for the season to 13, while substitute Bojan Krkic scored twice. There was also one apiece from Andres Iniesta and Pedro and an own goal from Santiago Acasiete completed the scoring.

It was Barcelona’s biggest away win since hammering Las Palmas by the same scoreline in 1959, and showed the impending ‘clasico’ against arch rivals Real Madrid was far from a distraction for them.

“It wasn’t a normal game. I don’t know if it was because we did well or they did badly but we made the most of our chances,” Bojan told Spanish television.

“They are three important points and the clasico is only another three points, but it’s true the result helps us to keep moving forward.”

Barcelona, who host unbeaten Real in nine days’ time, climbed top on 31 points from 12 games, two clear of their arch-rivals who were hosting Athletic Bilbao in the late game.

Earlier, an equaliser from Giuseppe Rossi earned Villarreal a 1-1 home draw with Valencia to keep them third on 24 points, three clear of their local rivals.

The Italy striker stole in to net his eighth goal of the campaign in the 73rd minute after Aritz Aduriz’s 21st-minute opener for Valencia.

Injury-hit Valencia had Lithuanian defender Marius Stankevicius sent off 10 minutes from time but Villarreal were unable to complete the comeback and lost their 100 percent home record this season.

Pep Guardiola rested Gerard Pique and put youth team player Andreu Fontas alongside Carles Puyol at the back, but he had little to do as his side tore apart their hosts.

David Villa’s backheel amidst a crowd of defenders completed a neat one-two with Messi, and the Argentine fired past Diego Alves from the edge of the area in the 17th minute.

Almost immediately, Iniesta made it 2-0 pouncing to score as a defender could only deflect a pass in the area with his leg, and in the 27th similar panic led to Aacasiete steering Maxwell’s cross into his own net.

Fontas demonstrated his class with a majestic long pass out of defence for Pedro to scamper clear and score in the 35th, and two minutes later, Messi burst into the area on to Pedro’s pass and scored at the second attempt.

Guardiola took off Xavi and Iniesta for the second half and Almeria forced Victor Valdes to touch a shot on to the crossbar, but the action was soon back down the other end.

Bojan picked up Messi’s through pass and made it 6-0 after squirming between three defenders in the 62nd, and Messi completed his hat-trick after Alves could only parry Villa’s long-range shot.

Messi set up Bojan for his second in the 73rd and a bewildered Alves could only smile and shake his head as he went to pick the ball out of the back of the net yet again.