Messi mesmerises in a classic

Madrid, You may bloody him and bruise him, but you will not stop him.
Two strikes from Lionel Messi, including a curling winner with the last kick of the game, hauled Barcelona back into the title race on a night where Real Madrid had, for six heady minutes, appeared to have secured the championship.
Madrid’s late equaliser, glanced home at the near post by James Rodriguez, would have been enough for 2-2 and the maintenance of a points buffer that was unlikely to ever disappear.
But as Barca’s support celebrated in the top corner of the Bernabeu, the home fans left with a fresh uncertainty. The teams are level on points. Madrid still have a game in hand but they also have a Champions League campaign to fight. It will go down to the wire, just as this engrossing Clasico did.
With Barcelona solving the will-he, won’t-he saga over Neymar’s inclusion with a terse statement released some hours before kick-off, Real Madrid solved their own should-he, shouldn’t-he by including Gareth Bale from the outset despite his lack of fitness.
The answer, it turned out, was that they shouldn’t have, with the Welshman lasting just under 40 minutes before being taken off injured again.
By that point it was already 1-1, his substitution breaking up and slowing an enjoyably open first half laced with the testiness, artistry and violence we have come to expect from this fixture.
We have also come to expect questionable officiating, and this renewal was no different.
Real Madrid should have had a penalty when Cristiano Ronaldo got to a loose ball ahead of Samuel Umtiti but, even at a packed-out and unusually noisy Bernabeu, it is a strange convention of football that referees are reticent to give penalties early in games. This one, after 90 seconds, fell into that quirk of the rules and gave Barcelona a lifeline.
The game felt like it could easily have tilted violently in either direction on refereeing decisions, with the penalty decision costing the hosts but Madrid also fortunate not to lose Casemiro to a second yellow card when he cynically fouled Luis Suarez and then a third for yet another foul on Messi just before the break.
The Brazilian would punish them, becoming the unlikely scorer of the opener as he was first to react to Sergio Ramos’ header hitting the post. He was punishing in other ways too, repeatedly clashing with Lionel Messi as the Argentine danced around him but it was his compatriot Marcelo who did the most damage to the Barcelona number 10, leaving him bleeding from the mouth after an elbow. It was, of course, unpunished by the officials.
The beginnng
Messi’s first goal for Barcelona came in stoppage time against Albacete, on May 1, 2005. Ronaldinho’s chip set up Messi, who, even as a 17-year-old, cooly lobbed the goalkeeper.
“Leo, my brother, I am sending you a message to congratulate you on your 500 goals. I gave your the first of those 500 so I’m very happy, congratulations and all my love” Ronaldinho
Best of all time
“(Messi) even makes a difference when he’s at home having dinner. He’s the best of all time and I have seen a lot of football matches and videos. 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 Barca.” Luis Enrique, Barcelona coach
“Leo’s greatness doesn’t stop surprising us. He is an honour for us and a blessing for the club. We all have to stay with him to have a chance of lifting the title.” Andres Iniesta, Barcelona captain
92 percent — Andres Iniesta’s passing success rate. With 14 successful passes, Cristiano Ronaldo registered his third-least active game of the season. He shot at goal just three times.
12 saves made by Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Real’s Keylor Navas made six saves
On paper, Real’s run is easier of the two. They play only two of their six games at home, but face only two teams who currently sit in the top half. For Barcelona, the derby against Espanyol and Villarreal’s visit will both be key.

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