Lionel Messi scored his 500th career goal for Barcelona to give the Catalan club a dramatic 3-2 win over 10-man Real Madrid in the last minute of the “clasico” yesterday, leaving the Spanish league title race wide open.
Messi netted his milestone goal - his second of the night - with a low left-footed shot from inside the area after a cross by Jordi Alba two minutes into stoppage time.
The two rivals are level at the top on 75 points. Barcelona leads on the head-to-head tiebreaker but Madrid has six games left - one more than Barcelona.
It was the second consecutive win by Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, coming after a 4-0 rout last season that left Madrid in crisis and eventually led to the replacement of coach Rafa Benitez by Zinedine Zidane.
This year’s victory could keep Madrid from winning the league title for the first time since 2012, and give the Catalan club its third straight La Liga trophy.
It was another outstanding performance by Messi, who is the all-time leading scorer in the clasico with 23 goals.
He has scored 14 goals in his last 10 league matches, and is the competition’s leading scorer with 31 goals, seven more than teammate Luis Suarez. The Argentinian playmaker has 47 goals with Barcelona in 46 games this season.
It was a thrilling match at the Bernabeu, with both goalkeepers having to work hard from the start. Casemiro had put the hosts ahead from close range after Sergio Ramos struck the post in the 28th.
Messi equalised five minutes later after evading two defenders inside the area after a pass by Ivan Rakitic for his first goal at the Bernabeu since 2014.
Messi also helped set up Barcelona’s go-ahead goal by Rakitic in the 73rd, a powerful left-footed shot from outside the area.
Ramos was sent off with a straight red card in the 77th after a foul on Messi to stop the playmaker from a one-on-one situation in a breakaway.
Despite that, Madrid still found the strength to equalise in the 85th with substitute James Rodriguez. He redirected a cross by Marcelo only three minutes after he had entered the match to replace Karim Benzema.
Madrid’s Keylor Navas made three remarkable saves in the second half alone - on a close-range header by Gerard Pique, a shot by Suarez and another strike by Pique.
Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen also came up with big stops, including a header by Benzema and a shot by Marco Asensio.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a few good chances but was not able to capitalise on them.
Madrid forward Gareth Bale, who was doubtful before the game because of an injury, came off the field in the 39th. It wasn’t unclear if he left with the same injury as before.
Wearing the green jacket from his first career major victory at Augusta earlier this month, Masters champion Sergio Garcia performed the honorary kick-off before the game. - ANA-AP