MADRID: Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to emphatically break La Liga’s all-time scoring mark in Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Sevilla on Saturday.

Messi, already Barcelona’s all-time scorer, surpassed Athletic Bilbao great Telmo Zarra’s milestone of 251 goals that had stood untouched since 1955.

Messi, 27, moved level with legendary Basque striker Telmo Zarra when he opened the scoring with a trademark free-kick to register his 251st goal in his 289th appearance in the Spanish top flight.

A Jordi Alba own goal briefly brought Sevilla level early in the second-half, but Neymar swiftly restored Barca’s advantage before Ivan Rakitic made the game safe when he headed home Luis Suarez’s enticing cross against his old club.

Messi then took over as he slid in to convert Neymar’s low cross to set the new record and extended it moments later with a precise low finish to round off a fine evening for Luis Enrique’s men who remain two points adrift of league leaders Real Madrid.

“When I scored this goal, I couldn’t imagine I could break any record, let alone this one previously held by the great Telmo Zarra,” wrote Messi on his Facebook page alongside his first Barca goal against Albacete in May, 2005.

“I was only able to achieve this because of the support I have had from so many people during my time here and I would like to dedicate this achievement to you all.”

Messi’s record-setting effort eclipsed rival Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the first player to reach 20 goals in the first 12 rounds of a season after he scored twice to keep Real at the top of the table with a 4-0 win at Eibar.

James Rodriguez nodded Real in front in the 23rd minute at Eibar’s tiny Ipurua stadium in the Basque Country, which holds fewer than 6,000 spectators, and Ronaldo’s scuffed shot made it 2-0 just before the break.

Karim Benzema cracked the third in the 69th minute and Ronaldo netted from the penalty spot seven minutes from time as the European champions swept to a 14th victory in a row in all competitions and put them two points clear at the top with 30 points.

Atletico Madrid are four points adrift after the defending champions beat 10-man Malaga 3-1 at home after midfielder Tiago scored one goal and created another for Diego Godin.

POGBA SCORES TWICE AS JUVE ROMP TO ANOTHER WIN

ROME: Paul Pogba scored twice and Carlos Tevez was also on target as Serie A leaders Juventus romped to a 3-0 win at Lazio on Saturday.

Pogba, 21, broke the deadlock with a classy finish in the 24th minute when he collected Tevez’s chipped pass and slotted past Federico Marchetti from the edge of the area.

Tevez finished off a counter-attack to grab his ninth league goal of the season in the 55th minute. Pogba struck again just after the hour and champions Juve coasted home despite having Simone Padoin sent off with 19 minutes left.

Juventus have 31 points from 12 games while AS Roma stayed three points behind in second place with a 2-1 win at Atalanta.

Adem Ljajic scored one goal and set up another as Roma overcame an opening-minute lapse for a win in Bergamo.

Maxi Moralez scored for the hosts 57 seconds in after Ashley Cole was beaten down the left flank, prompting Roma fans to throw flares and other objects at Atalanta supporters.

Ljajic dribbled by three defenders to equalise with a long, angled shot in the 23rd, and then set up Radja Nainggolan for a similar goal in the 42nd.

BAYERN GO SEVEN POINTS CLEAR

BERLIN: Undefeated champions Bayern Munich continued their seemingly unstoppable charge towards the Bundesliga title, crushing Hoffenheim 4-0 on Saturday to extend their lead at the top.

With second-placed VfL Wolfsburg losing 3-2 at Schalke 04, Bayern go seven points clear, having yet to lose in any of the three competitions they are in this season while third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach also lost ground with a 3-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt to fall 10 points behind the Bavarians.

Mario Goetze opened the scoring with a fine effort from distance inside the top corner in the 23rd minute. Arjen Robben crossed for Robert Lewandowski to score in the 40th, and then sealed the result himself with a delicate chip in the 83rd.

Substitute Sebastian Rode completed the rout to lift Bayern to 30 points.

Bayer Leverkusen beat Hanover 96 3-1 and are fourth on 20 points, level with third-placed Moenchengladbach.

Last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Paderborn to stay a point above the relegation spots and Mainz 05 drew 2-2 with Freiburg.

LYON MISS CHANCE TO GO SECOND AFTER BASTIA DRAW

PARIS: Olympique Lyon extended their unbeaten Ligue 1 streak to ten matches on Saturday, with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Bastia, but wasted the opportunity to climb above Olympique Marseille into second spot.

Lyon dominated possession but failed to crack an aggressive Bastia side which finished the match with four yellow cards and moved three points behind league leaders Paris St Germain and one behind Marseille.

Monaco playmaker Joao Moutinho came off the bench to salvage a 2-2 draw with Caen by converting a cross from Yannick Ferreira Carrasco in the 75th minute. Monaco lost ground in the race for a Champions League spot, trailing PSG by 10 points.

In the night’s other matches, Rennes forward Paul-Georges Ntep scored in the 37th to help his side beat Guingamp 1-0 in the Brittany derby and climb to sixth place, Lorient eased their relegation fears with a 1-0 win over fellow-strugglers Lens and Nice were held 0-0 at home by Reims.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2014