Messi scores doubly Barcelona dispatch Elche
Lionel Messi soared history Luis Suarez to be La Liga's leading scorer on Wednesday with the addition of his 17th and 18th goals of the season in a much-needed 3-0 triumph for Barcelona over Elche.
Barca had followed up last week's crushing Champions Group reduction to Paris Saint-Germain by drawing in the home to Cadiz on Sunday but eased any risk of strain with a comfortable get at the Camp Nou.
Messi's double owed much to a pair of superb assists, with a supreme dribble by Frenkie de Jong approaching after a good sublime flick from Martin Braithwaite, who also create Jordi Alba to score a third.
After failing woefully to take full good thing about group leaders Atletico Madrid's defeat by Levante on Saturday, this victory puts Barcelona back third, five points off the top, having played a casino game more than Atletico.
"We cannot shed any more," stated Ronald Koeman. "The problem was we weren't good enough in the beginning and we have to win all of the games now if we want to do something in the league."
Even if Atletico prove too much ahead to get, a positive performance was significant, specifically with a semi-final second leg to arrive in a few days against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey, which may be their only chance of winning a trophy this term.
Messi's return to top form shows up as an enormous boost too. The 33-year-good old emerged off unfavourably in comparisons made with Kylian Mbappe the other day but these types of performances show he is definately not finished yet.
This was Messi's fifth and sixth goal in his last four games while no player from the top five European leagues has scored more than his 13 this year in every competitions. Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski is usually closest on 12.
"When we discuss old players, that isn't Leo," stated Koeman. "His quality and his video game continues to be impressive. There are good old players and then there are players that contain to help make the difference.
"He has shown again today that he is an extremely, very important player because of this team."
Francisco Trincao and Frenkie de Jong had early on chances for Barcelona while Elche must have scored but Lucas Boye blazed over.
Yet a frantic beginning gave approach to a disjointed initially 50 % and Koeman reacted by bringing off the ineffective Miralem Pjanic at half-period and replacing him with Ousmane Dembele.
Barcelona scored within two minutes of the restart, Messi driving a vehicle from midfield towards the region and rebounding off Braithwaite, whose sweeping flick in back of his standing leg gave the scuttling Argentinian a straightforward finish.
Elche's early threat got dissipated and Barca added two considerably more in five minutes.
The first originated from a breathtaking run from De Jong, who dribbled forward from the halfway collection, past three Elche defenders, before cutting back for Messi. He glided past two considerably more and prodded in.
Messi started the maneuver for the third, with a familiar, curving pass to Braithwaite at the trunk post, whose cushioned header across found Alba unmarked in the centre.
