The status quo at the top of the Spanish La Liga remains, as Barcelona beat Eibar 3-0 with goals from Xavi, Neymar and Lionel Messi, remaining on top of the league and at a safe distance from anyone else.
Claudio Bravo still hasn’t conceded any goals, and the combination between Neymar and Messi remains the best we’ve seen from two individual players so far this season. Neymar needed one gentle touch to give Messi the opportunity to score a brilliant third goal. Messi got his usual assist, setting up Xavi to open the scoring for Barcelona.
The first half was a frustrating one for the league leaders, hardly getting any shots on goal and going down to the dressing room to a chorus of jeers and boos from the Camp Nou fans. Barcelona were a completely different team in the second half, especially after Andres Iniesta came on in the 55th minute.
A 3-on-1 attack in the 60th minute left Xavi in a comfortable situation to score the opening goal, and it seemed like in that moment everything opened up for Barcelona. Suddenly Eibar didn’t defend with the same crowding tactics and before, while Messi and Neymar suddenly found a lot more space to operate in.
Cristiano Ronaldo is at a record breaking pace, but individual highlights don’t win titles. Messi and Neymar are a two-man wrecking crew instead of one and Messi is now only two goals away from becoming the joint top scorer in the history of the Spanish La Liga.
They’re four points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the table and after the Champions League distraction for each team in the middle of the week, there’s the Clasico to be played at the Santiago Bernabeu. Messi has a chance to reach that milestone and maybe even break that record in front of the the fans of Barcelona’s biggest rivals.