Plenty Left to Say

From right, Neymar celebrated a Barcelona goal with Lionel Messi, while Real Madrid’s Pepe confronted Cesc Fabregas.

Messi’s pass prompted Barca’s first goal, a strike of quite astonishing velocity by Andres Iniesta.

But after that, it was Messi, Messi, Messi.

Three goals, two of them penalty kicks, took the little Argentine beyond the bigger Argentine, Alfredo di Stefano, and his record for goals in the Madrid-Barcelona Clasico.

The hat trick also took Messi to 236 goals in La Liga, sending him past another former Madrid star, Hugo Sanchez, for No.

Yes, two of Messi’s goals were penalties, but so was the only goal scored by Ronaldo.

Aside from the penalties, there was the wonder of Iniesta’s technique in scoring his goal, and the second of Karim Benzema’s two strikes came through a wonderful ability to control a fast-moving ball on his right thigh and then volley the ball into the net without letting it fall to ground.

And Atletico Madrid, still going powerfully strong, still the third force in this tumultuous Liga season, also plays in its own stadium against Granada.

The final game of this Liga season is between Atletico and Barcelona.

Messi has that same time to put his affairs in order, put his injury fears behind him and put some more goals into the net against Vigo.