This archive report was first published on 21 December 2019.
La Liga leaders Barcelona are heading into the Spanish winter break on a high note, thanks to a stellar performance from Lionel Messi in their 4-1 win over Alaves on Saturday.
With Real Madrid drawing 0-0 against Barcelona in the midweek Clasico, the defending champions can draw level on points but trail on goal difference if they win their upcoming match against Atletico Bilbao on Sunday.
Seville secured third place in the league table with 34 points after their 2-0 victory over Mallorca.
French star Antoine Griezzman opened the scoring for Barcelona with a beautiful snap-shot from outside the area, assisted by Messi, in the 14th minute.
"I needed to score a goal before the holidays, now I can go into them happy with myself," Griezzman said, who has scored just seven goals since his summer move.
"We have a great team with some of the best players around and when we don't click, well, there's always Messi," Griezzman added.
Messi had a goal ruled out by a VAR decision earlier in the match, while Arturo Vidal tried a dramatic overhead effort that the Alaves goalkeeper barely stopped with his feet.
Vidal scored his second goal just before halftime, putting Barcelona 2-0 ahead, but they should have been more ahead by the break.
Alaves pulled one back through Pere Pons in the 56th minute, but Messi was unstoppable in the 69th minute, unleashing a trademark left-foot strike from outside the box.
The goal showcased Messi's exceptional skills, which earned him a sixth Ballon d'Or recently.
Luis Suarez sealed the win with a sweetly-struck penalty in the 75th minute, making it 4-1 for Barcelona.
