Messi nets 2 in record-tying 505th Liga match

Barcelona: Twice a pack of Alaves defenders thought they had Lionel Messi under control. Twice Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer proved them wrong. Messi scored two screamers in his record-equalling 505th Spanish league appearance for Barcelona to help them stay in touch with leaders Atletico Madrid. Messi struck twice from well outside the area as Alaves were beaten 5-1. Messi matched former teammate Xavi Hernandez’s club record for the most league appearances by starting the match at Camp Nou. Atletico got goals from Marcos Llorente and Angel Correa to win at Granada 2-1. Diego Simeone’s side are eight points clear of Barcelona. On Sunday, Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos were on target in the first half as Real Madrid easily beat a listless Valencia side 2-0 at home to make it three wins in a row in La Liga. The victory took Real back into second place on 49 points, five behind leaders Atletico Madrid. Reuters