BARCELONA moved four points clear at the top of La Liga with victory at home to Malaga on Saturday.
The Nou Camp crowd, that included Hollywood stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, did not have to wait long for the action to begin. Former Everton man Gerard Deulofeu scored his first-ever goal for the Catalans after just two minutes - but the breakthrough came in controversial circumstances following a horrific error from the officials.
An attack down the left led to Lucas Digne crossing - but with the ball a yard behind the byline and out of play.
The referee and his assistant failed to spot it, and Deulofeu flicked home from close range.
Understandably, Malaga were furious but were forced to get on with the game despite their rage. And spare a thought for the visiting goalkeeper Andres Prieto.
He was making his La Liga debut, and he had not even touched the ball before he was scooping it out of his net. Barca remained in control but had to wait until after the break to double their advantage, despite the best efforts of Luis Suarez.
And, no surprise, Lionel Messi was heavily involved. Cheered on by his Iranian doppelganger Riza Parstish from the stands, the Argentine provided a piece of magic for his fellow Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta to net.
He played a delightful throughball for the veteran midfielder, who pulled the trigger 16 yards out on the half-volley that beat the 'keeper via a deflection.
And that goal further enhanced the hundreds of staggering stats Messi has accumulated throughout his career. He has now been directly involved in 500 goals in 391 La Liga matches for Barcelona, scoring 360 times and providing 140 assists.
Rivals Real Madrid will be hoping to close the gap on the table-toppers and second-placed Valencia when they face Eibar on Sunday night.
They are currently eight points behind Barca and four off Los Che Els Taronges.
From The Sun
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