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April 25, 2017

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Messi milestone in Clasico win

LIONEL Messi yesterday hailed Barcelona’s dramatic 3-2 Clasico victory over arch-rival Real Madrid as an “important step” in the race for the La Liga title.

Messi’s last-gasp goal marked his 500th for Barcelona and blew the La Liga title race wide open at Real Madrid on Sunday.

Victory takes Barcelona top of the table, thanks to its better head-to-head record with both sides locked on 75 points, but Madrid has a game in hand.

“We went to the Bernabeu to win and to continue to fight for La Liga,” the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said on his Facebook page. “There is still a long way to go, but we left with the joy of having taken an important step,” added Messi, the top scorer in La Liga with 31 goals, alongside a photo of himself celebrating one of his goals.

The stand-out player in a magnificent match, Messi was a nightmare for Real Madrid whose captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for a hasty two-footed lunge at the Argentine while Casemiro was lucky to avoid red for repeated fouls on the No. 10.

“(Messi) even makes a difference when he’s at home having dinner,” joked Barcelona coach Luis Enrique after the game.

“He’s the best of all time and I have seen a lot of football matches and videos. Now people are better prepared and he makes the difference. And this was his 500th goal.

“Just imagine, his 500th goal coming here, a winner in the 92nd minute at the Santiago Bernabeu. It’s very nice for Leo and it’s nice for everyone associated with Barcelona.”

Casemiro went into the book for a foul on Messi in the 12th minute as Barcelona’s all-time top scorer frequently dropped into midfield to help the team develop moves.

“He allowed us to have superiority in midfield, we wanted him on the ball as often as possible,” added Luis Enrique.

Luis Enrique — and Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta — called on Messi, whose contract expires at the end of next season, not to follow him in leaving the Camp Nou.

“Barcelona is an incredible club with many years of history, but without doubt an important part of that history is Leo Messi,” he said.

“I think the great thing about Leo is that he continues to surprise,” said Iniesta. “After so many years he is still decisive. It is an honour and a blessing for the club to have him.”

Real Madrid was dealt a fresh injury blow for the remainder of its league season and upcoming Champions League semifinals against Atletico Madrid as Gareth Bale faces another spell on the sidelines.




 

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