BARCELONA, Spain — Lionel Messi scored a record-setting hat trick to help Barcelona rout Rayo Vallecano 6-1 and take the lead of the Spanish league on Sunday.
Messi’s three second-half goals completed his 32nd career treble in all competitions for Barcelona, breaking a Spanish record held by former Athletic Bilbao great Telmo Zarra with 31.
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Messi also became the all-time leader in hat tricks scored in the league with 24, one more than rival Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentina forward made sure Barcelona capitalized on Madrid’s latest slip — a 1-0 loss to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday — to move one point ahead at the top of the standings with the fierce rivals set to meet in the Catalan capital in two weeks.
Luis Suarez got Barcelona going in the sixth minute at Camp Nou with his first of two goals before Gerard Pique tapped in a ball Jordi Alba had headed off the post four minutes after halftime.
Messi’s treble in a 13-minute span came after he missed his second penalty in as many weeks following Roberto “Tito” Triguero’s sending off for a second booking. But the referee ordered the spot kick to be repeated because a Rayo player had entered the box, and the Argentine wasn’t denied a second time.
He then struck twice more to equal Ronaldo’s competition-leading tally of 30 goals in 26 rounds. Ronaldo had once looked set to run away with the league’s individual scoring title when he led Messi by a margin of 25-13 goals through 15 rounds.
The three goals took Messi’s season tally overall to 41 goals in 38 games, as he reached the 40-goal mark for a sixth consecutive season.
Thumbnail photo via Manu Fernandez/The Associated Press
