Messi Scores 50th Goal of the Season

Villa slid in the opener from close range before half-time, his first goal since February, while Messi came off the bench to finish inside the box and continue an astonishing season of football for the Argentine. The win re-extends the gap at the top of La Liga to eight points. Earlier Real Madrid had hammered Valencia 6-3 at the Mestalla in a statement of intent on the title race, but Barca responded with enough to edge closer to retaining their crown.

There was a buoyant atmosphere inside the Catalan cathedral despite the sapping midweek Copa del Rey final loss to Real Madrid. With the third Clasico of this historic quadruple coming up on Wednesday, the Champions League semi-final first leg in the Bernabeu, Pep Guardiola rested stars Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Pedro, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique. And the lack of star quality showed, with Barca struggling to break down their opponents and not dominating possession to the level now expected of them.
Striker David Villa summarized, stating “It was a complicated game but 3 more points. We were a bit tired from Wednesday’s game. The goal? Of course it’s nice but main thing is of course that the team wins. Now we rest a bit and then we’ll be trying to reach the final of the Champions League.”