A double from Lionel Messi helped Barcelona move four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a 2-0 win at Eibar on Saturday.
Messi overcame his recent penalty misses to score from the spot and then headed in his side’s second from Ivan Rakitic’s corner.
Real Madrid has the chance to reduce the gap to one point when they face Levante on Sunday, ahead of next weekend’s El Clasico between the two sides.
Context and Response ¶
Champions Atletico Madrid are now nine points off the top after having Miranda sent off in a 0-0 draw at Espanyol.
Barca boss Luis Enrique made seven changes to his team, considering the upcoming Champions League meeting with Manchester City and the El Clasico.
It took the Catalans half an hour to break down Eibar’s defense, leading to Borja Ekiza handling a shot from Messi and resulting in a penalty.
Consequences ¶
Messi’s goals moved him two clear of Cristiano Ronaldo in the fight to be La Liga’s top goalscorer.
Atletico remains in fourth, a point behind third-placed Valencia, and will focus on overcoming a 1-0 first leg deficit when they host Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The recovered account cited reporting by Capital FM.
