Argentina wizard Lionel Messi hit a treble to help Barcelona destroy Almeria 8-0 in a La Liga match on Saturday. Messi opened the scoring on 17 minutes with a pinpoint low effort before scoring the fifth from close range on the rebound 20 minutes later. He completed a hat-trick seven minutes past the hour mark when he tucked into an empty net. Strikes from Andres Iniesta and Pedro Rodriguez, a brace from Bojan Krkic and an own goal from Santi Acasiete completed the rout. Defending champions Barcelona now lie in second place with 31 points, one behind leaders and arch-rivals Real. Both teams clash with each other next week.
