Lionel Messi sends warning to Arsenal with another hat-trick

Lionel Messi sends warning to Arsenal with another hat-trick

Lionel Messi sent a warning to Arsenal ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona by scoring a superb hat-trick in a 4-2 victory at Real Zaragoza tonight. It was Messi's second hat-trick in two league games, after he had blown away Valencia in similar fashion last Sunday, and it would have made grim viewing for Arsenal.

The victory moved Barcelona level on points at the top of the table with Real Madrid but they remain second on goal difference. Madrid had put the pressure on Barcelona last night by beating Sporting Gijon 3-1 at the Bernabéu.

Not only is Messi scoring with remarkable regularity but the quality of his goals is astounding. Zaragoza were no match for the little Argentinian and it took him only five minutes to open the scoring tonight. The old accusation against Messi was that he could not head a ball but he rubbished that notion in the Champions League final against Manchester United last May and did the same against Zaragoza.

The forward's second goal, a stunning solo effort after 66 minutes, was more what we have come to expect from him. Holding off a dogged challenge in the middle of Zaragoza's pitch, he ran at a retreating defence down the left before bewildering the last defender, turning him inside out and firing a low left-footed shot across the goalkeeper, Jiménez Gago Roberto, and into the bottom corner.

There were team-mates available for a pass as Messi went it alone but the delight with which every member of Barcelona's line-up greeted the goal showed how highly he is regarded. They must simply be relieved to be playing with and not against the young man who is lookingthe best player in the world at present.
Messi completed his hat-trick with 12 minutes remaining, this time popping up on the right and arcing an effort with his left foot into the near post. That should have been that but Zaragoza surprised Barcelona by making a game of it as two goals from the substitute, Adrian Colunga, briefly made it uncomfortable for Barcelona.

They should have known better, though. As the game entered stoppage time, Messi embarked on another forage into the area and terrorised the Zaragoza defence to the extent that he was brought down just as he seemed certain to grab his fourth. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has been somewhat left in the shade by his fellow forward, gratefully slammed the penalty home to seal the points for Barcelona. Arsenal are warned.