Lionel Messi's dead-ball hat-trick puts Barcelona back on top

Lionel Messi delivered an incredible dead-ball hat-trick to steer Barcelona to a 4-1 victory over Celta Vigo and ease pressure on his coach Ernesto Valverde. Messi scored with a penalty and n a pair of sumptuous free-kicks eir side of half-time after Lucas Olaza had briefly pulled Celta level with a free-kick of his own at Camp u on Saturday. Sergio Busquets drove home to make sure of win late on. 34th treble in La Liga puts Messi equal with Cristia Ronaldo, while a much-needed win sends Barca above Real Madrid on goal difference and back to top of table at end of a testing week.

"It is impossible t to depend on Messi, he illuminates everything," said Valverde.  "We depend on him like any team would depend on him. He unlocked game." 

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Messi's dead-ball hat-trick puts Barca back on top

Madrid had briefly claimed first place after continuing ir own goal-surge by hammering Eibar 4-0, a game in which Karim Benzema scored twice and Eden Hazard exploded into life. But while Madrid appears to be hitting ir stride, Barcelona's momentum had stalled. After losing to Levante and failing to break down Slavia Prague in Champions League, scrutiny had again turned on Valverde and his future as Barcelona coach. Barcelona's disgruntled fans had whistled ir team against Slavia in midweek and when Olaza equalized for Celta, that tension and restlessness threatened to return.

Instead, Messi took command, this hat-trick taking his tally to nine goals in seven games, 612 in total for his club. "Obviously when it's tight we have advant of having best player in world and best free-kick taker in world," said Busquets.

Yet his precision from free-kicks is a skill 32-year-old has worked on and improved in recent years, his conversion rate currently at four goals from his last seven attempts in league. last time a player scored a hat-trick from set-pieces in La Liga was when Messi himself achieved same feat in 2012 against Espanyol, albeit with two penalties and one free-kick. re was good news for Barcelona too in return of Luis Suarez, who came off bench after recovering from a calf strain.

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Messi scored his penalty in 23rd minute after Joseph Aidoo had blocked Nelson Semedo's cross with his hand. It was Messi that conceded foul for Olaza's curling free-kick that was well-hit eugh to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen, even if goalkeeper might have been disappointed t to be able to get across. re was little Celta keeper Ruben Blanco could do about Messi's efforts, first in stopp time before interval and second three minutes after restart. y were almost carbon copies of each or, bending over wall and nestling in top right-hand corner.

Celta, under ir new coach Oscar Garcia, never looked like mounting a comeback and Busquets put result beyond doubt with a low shot five minutes from finish. Real's players might have been watching on ir way home from Ipurua, where y went three up inside 29 minutes, Sergio Ramos scoring a penalty between two Benzema strikes, second also a spot-kick after Ramos delegated to his teammate. Fede Valverde added a fourth in second half. Benzema's double takes him to 157 goals for Real Madrid, above Ferenc Puskas into sixth in club's all-time list, but his excellent display was trumped by a creative masterclass from Hazard.

"His first half was very impressive," said coach Zinedine Zidane. "We are happy and he will be a huge player for Madrid, for sure." 

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Hazard's vint performance

Benzema latched onto Hazard's pass in 17th minute and after Valverde and Luka Modric missed, ball spilled back to Frenchman, who found corner from an acute angle. Three minutes later it was two, Hazard creator again, his feet too quick for Pablo De Blasis, who caught his opponent's right leg. Ramos slid penalty home. Hazard sparkled, with a brilliant nutmeg, a 'rabona' cross and too many glides past defenders to count. Ramos passed on second Madrid penalty, awarded for a foul on Lucas Vazquez, to allow Benzema to make it three before Valverde had added a fourth, cracking in Modric's pass for his first goal in La Liga.

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