Associated Press
Madrid, Sept 21: Lionel Messi scored twice and missed a penalty as Barcelona stretched their 100 per cent record in La Liga to four games with a 4-1 win over Levante.
The European champions lead Real Madrid, Villarreal and Celta Vigo by two points with Atletico Madrid a point further adrift in fifth.
Levante frustrated Sunday evening an experimental Barca side shorn of Luis Suarez from the start for 50 minutes at the Camp Nou, before Marc Bartra settled the Catalans’ nerves from Messi’s cross.
The floodgates then opened as Neymar doubled the advantage before Messi converted his first effort from the spot. Victor Casadesus pulled a goal back for Levante 24 minutes from time as he pounced on an error from Barca ‘keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Messi then missed a penalty for the second time this season, but made amends with a stunning individual effort to round off the scoring.
“He (Messi) isn’t human because he scored two goals and provided an assist,” Barca boss Luis Enrique joked when asked if Messi’s struggles from the spot proved he is fallible. “There isvery little that makes him seem human.”
Suarez missed out on Enrique’s starting line-up for the first time this season as he handed youngsters Sandro and Munir El Haddadi a rare start. Yet, both failed to impress as Levante comfortably kept Barca at bay during the first period and could even have taken a shock lead had Nabil Ghilas kept his composure instead of blazing wildly off target midway through the half.
In the absence of Suarez and Andres Iniesta, Messi was playing in a deeper midfield role and it was his creativity that eventually undid Levante as Bartra controlled the Argentine’s inch-perfect cross before slotting past Ruben Martinez.
Neymar added a second on 56 minutes when he squeezed the ball between the legs of two Levante defenders on the line for his second goal of the season.
Messi then confidently dispatched his first effort from the penalty spot after Neymar had been tripped by Angel Trujillo. However, when Barca were awarded a second penalty when Messi was upended by Zou Feddal, the Argentine blazed the ball over the bar to take his tally of missed spot-kicks in his Barca career to 15 of the 65 he has taken.
However, he shrugged off that miss, by dribbling past two Levante defenders before smashing in Barca’s fourth of the night a minute from time.
Earlier, Europa League holders Sevilla’s terrible start to their La Liga season continued as Celta Vigo beat them 2-1 to climb to fourth position.
