Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann scored twice each to lead a commanding 4-0 rout at Granada as Barcelona continued to improve in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Barcelona’s first three-match winning run in the league under Ronald Koeman left it just two points behind second-placed Real Madrid before the defending champion visited Osasuna later.
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Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann scored twice each to lead a commanding 4-0 rout at Granada as Barcelona continued to improve in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Griezmann got Barcelona started with his first goal in nearly a month in the 12th minute. Griezmann set up Messi to double the lead with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area in the 36th.
Granada played the last 12 minutes with 10 men after Jesús Vallejo was sent off for fouling Martin Braithwaite with only Silva to beat. Braithwaite had gone on in the 65th to give Messi a rare bit of rest with the game well in hand for the visitors.
Sevilla drew level on points in the standings with Real Sociedad, which was ahead on goal difference in fifth place. Sevilla, in sixth, also has three games in hand.
While his first goal was a simple tap into an open net, En-Nesyri's second goal in the seventh minute was a work of beauty. The Morocco striker dribbled past three defenders before beating the Sociedad goalkeeper with a low strike.
En-Nesyri leads Sevilla with 12 goals in all competitions this season.
Leader Atlético Madrid was four points ahead of Barcelona with three games in hand. Its home game scheduled for Saturday against Athletic Bilbao was postponed due to a blizzard that has shut down the capital and made transit almost impossible through much of central Spain.
Barcelona's head coach Ronald Koeman embraces Barcelona's Lionel Messi after being substituted during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada and FC Barcelona at the Los Carmenes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (AP PhotoJose Breton)
Griezmann got Barcelona started with his first goal in nearly a month in the 12th minute. Griezmann set up Messi to double the lead with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area in the 36th.
Messi got his league-leading 11th goal in the 42nd when he drove a free kick under two players who jumped in the defensive barrier. It was his first goal from a free kick this season.
Griezmann rounded off the big win in the 64th when he beat goalkeeper Rui Silva from a tight angle after Ousmane Dembele played him clear with a lobbed pass.
Barcelona's Sergino Dest, left, vies for the ball with Granada's Dimitri Foulquier during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada and FC Barcelona at the Los Carmenes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (AP PhotoJose Breton)
Granada played the last 12 minutes with 10 men after Jesús Vallejo was sent off for fouling Martin Braithwaite with only Silva to beat. Braithwaite had gone on in the 65th to give Messi a rare bit of rest with the game well in hand for the visitors.
EN-NESYRI HAT TRICK
Youssef En-Nesyri scored a hat trick for Sevilla to beat Real Sociedad 3-2 in a thriller that featured four goals in the opening quarter of an hour.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi runs with the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada and FC Barcelona at the Los Carmenes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (AP PhotoJose Breton)
Sevilla drew level on points in the standings with Real Sociedad, which was ahead on goal difference in fifth place. Sevilla, in sixth, also has three games in hand.
En-Nesyri opened the scoring in the fourth minute from a pass by Fernando.
Just one minute later, an own goal by Sevilla's Diego Carlos came when he attempted to knock the ball away from Aleksander Isak.
Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann controls the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada and FC Barcelona at the Los Carmenes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (AP PhotoJose Breton)
While his first goal was a simple tap into an open net, En-Nesyri's second goal in the seventh minute was a work of beauty. The Morocco striker dribbled past three defenders before beating the Sociedad goalkeeper with a low strike.
Isak made it 2-2 in the 14th from a corner kick that reached him unmarked at the far post. But En-Nesyri netted the winner in the 46th after firing in a low cross by Lucas Ocampos.
Sevilla defender Jules Kounde cleared a header by Mikel Merino in the second half to ensure the three points.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi, right, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada and FC Barcelona at the Los Carmenes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (AP PhotoJose Breton)
En-Nesyri leads Sevilla with 12 goals in all competitions this season.
“This could be the best game (of my career)," En-Nesyri said after his second career hat trick in Spain. “When you get those chances, you have to make the most of them and finish them off."
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Barcelona's Pedri eyes the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Granada and FC Barcelona at the Los Carmenes stadium in Granada, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (AP PhotoJose Breton)