It was all easy for Barcelona at Camp Nou tonight, as they defeated a struggling Atletico Madrid side 3-0 behind a Lionel Messi hat trick. The visitors hardly put up a fight and the 3-0 scoreline, 29% possession, and 15 shots to nine statistic actually flattering Atleti. Barcelona let off the gas considerably in the second half, and Messi managed to find a third goal anyway.
Barcelona Vs. Atletico Madrid: 3-0 Full Time, Lionel Messi Hat Trick Spurs Blaugranes On
Barcelona have now won a record 15 consecutive games in La Liga, with their only loss of the season coming in Round 2 to Hercules and their last draw coming in Round 6 against Mallorca. Ahead of Real Madrid’s Sunday clash with Real Sociedad, the Blaugranes have a 10 point cushion at the top of La Liga. Thanks to this loss, Atletico Madrid are now seven points outside of Europe, trailing sixth placed Espanyol. They’re much further out of Champions League, with fourth placed Valencia having an 11 point cushion, in addition to a game in hand.
There were some big expectations coming into this season for Atleti, so Quique Sanchez Flores’ days as manager could possibly be numbered. As for Pep Guardiola, it would probably be impossible for his job security to be higher.
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