BARCELONA (AP) ― Lionel Messi scored four goals to become the youngest player to pass the 200-mark in the Spanish league and set a La Liga record with goals in 11 consecutive games, leading Barcelona to a 5-1 rout of Osasuna on Sunday night.
With his 22nd hat trick for Barcelona and fifth game of four goals or more, Messi increased his La Liga total to 202 goals in 235 games.
The 25-year-old became the eighth player to reach 200, joining Telmo Zarra (251), Hugo Sanchez (234), Raul Gonzalez (228), Alfredo di Stefano (227), Cesar Rodriguez (223), Quini (219) and Pahino (210). Zarra had been the youngest to reach 200, achieving the feat when he was 29.
Messi has 44 goals this season, including 33 in La Liga. He has scored in his last 16 starts overall and in a record 11 consecutive La Liga games, breaking the old mark of 10 he tied last season. Mariano Martin (1942-43 to 1943-44) and Brazil’s Ronaldo (1996-97) also scored in 10 straight matches, both for Barcelona.
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Hamburg’s Korean striker Son Heung-min scores during a Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen on Sunday. Hamburg won the north German derby 3-2. (Penta-Yonhap News) |
Barcelona hosts Real Madrid on Wednesday in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.
“We went out there and took care of business like always,” Messi said. “It was important to put the game away because it isn’t easy when everyone is talking so much about the clasico.”
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 20th career hat trick in an 11-minute span to lead defending champion Real Madrid over Getafe 4-0.
Ronaldo has 302 goals over 499 club games in all competitions for Sporting Lisbon (2002-03), Manchester United (2003-09) and Real Madrid (since 2009).
Barcelona (19-1-1) reopened an 11-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid (15-3-2), which lost 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao. Real Madrid (13-4-4) trails Barcelona by 15 points.
England
Liverpool and Tottenham lost to lower-league opponents in the FA Cup on Sunday, joining a lengthy list of Premier League teams to exit in the fourth round of soccer’s oldest knockout competition.
Oldham, in 19th place in the third tier, stunned visiting Liverpool 3-2.
Despite a goal from American Clint Dempsey, Spurs lost 2-1 at Leeds, which is 11th in the second-tier League Championship.
Chelsea was spared a similar fate when Fernando Torres scored in the 83rd minute for a 2-2 tie at third-tier Brentford, forcing a replay.
The FA Cup is famous for upsets. On Saturday, Luton defeated Norwich 1-0 to become the first non-league club in 24 years to beat a top-tier opponent.
Italy
Edinson Cavani scored the go-ahead goal in the 85th minute, and Napoli won 2-1 at Parama to close within three points of Serie A leader Juventus.
Marek Hamsik scored in the 20th minute but Parma tied it in the 74th on an own goal by Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro, playing his first game since a suspension for match-fixing was overturned.
Germany
Mario Mandzukic scored a goal and set up another as Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 2-0 to open an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga. Mandzukic scored in the 50th minute, when he intercepted a backpass from defender Christian Molinaro.
