Messi's incredible hat-trick gets standing ovation from opposition fans

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring against Real Betis during a La Liga match on Sunday. Pic/AFP

Even the Real Betis fans were applauding by the end as Lionel Messi scored another spectacular hat-trick to fire Barcelona to a 4-1 victory on Sunday and leave them with one hand on the La Liga trophy.

Messi's treble, his second in a month in Seville, fourth of the season and 51st of his career, moves Barca 10 points clear of Atletico Madrid with 10 games left to play, a gap surely too big to close.

'Great opportunity'
"We had a great opportunity to increase the gap on Atletico. We had to take it tonight," Messi said. Luis Suarez, whose superb flick set up Messi's second, scored his own brilliant goal after a scintillating solo run, but it was ultimately reduced to a footnote, in what became another night all about his Argentinian partner.

The only blot was the sight of Suarez limping off late on, with what coach Ernesto Valverde suspected was a bad sprain to his ankle. Messi now has 29 league goals this season, 39 in all competitions, and together with Suarez's 18 their joint-total of 47 is more than all, but two of the other teams in the division.

A simple finish from Suarez's exquisite assist came between a free-kick perfectly planted into the top corner and a bending lob that grazed the crossbar and dropped in. The Betis fans left at the Benito Villamarin, and most of them were, felt compelled to stand and applaud.

Opposition cheer too
"I don't remember the opposition cheering me for a goal, I am very grateful," Messi said. This was supposed to be one of the more awkward tests in Barcelona's run-in, which includes Atletico Madrid at home and fifth-placed Alaves away. All the rest of their opponents currently sit 10th or lower.

Suarez out with sprained ankle: Valverde
Seville: Luis Suarez suffered a bad sprain to his right ankle during Barcelona's win over Real Betis on Sunday, coach Ernesto Valverde confirmed. Suarez was taken off for Philippe Coutinho in the 89th minute of the 4-1 victory, in which he scored one goal and set up the second of a Lionel Messi hat-trick. "He has a bad sprain," Valverde said. "We'll see what the doctors say but this is the feeling we have." Suarez looks unlikely now to feature over the international break, with Uruguay playing Uzbekistan in the China Cup on Friday.

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