Messi double leads Barca to within four points of La Liga summit

FILE PHOTO: December 22, 2020 Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Juan Medina

BARCELONA — Lionel Messi celebrated his record-equalling 767th appearance for Barcelona by scoring two goals in a 4-1 La Liga victory over Huesca which helped the Catalans to move within four points of the top of the table on Monday.

First-half strikes from Messi and Antoine Griezmann looked to have put Barca in the driving seat. However, a Rafa Mir penalty against the run of play halved the deficit on the stroke of halftime.

A first goal for the club by defender Oscar Mingueza restored Barca’s two-goal cushion eight minutes after the restart.

Mir missed a golden chance to pull one back when he headed over from close range as the visitors sought a way back into the game, before Messi rounded off the win in the final minute of normal time.

The victory lifted Barca to 59 points in second place, four behind table-toppers Atletico Madrid.

Huesca, meanwhile, remain bottom of the table on 20 points, four from safety.

Messi equalled Xavi Hernandez’s all-time appearance record for Barcelona.