Barcelona beat Atletico 4-1, Madrid held to draw
Barcelona defeated closest rival Atletico Madrid 4-1 in the Spanish league.
Lionel Messi scored his 22nd double of 2012 to reach 90 goals as Barcelona beat closest rival Atletico Madrid 4-1 on Sunday, opening up a nine-point lead and sitting 13 in front of Real Madrid in the Spanish league.
It was Barcelona s league-record 15th victory in 16 rounds and came just after floundering Madrid had conceded in the final minutes to draw 2-2 at home with crosstown rival Espanyol.
Atletico striker Radamel Falcao was brilliant early and opened the scoring in the 31st minute. But Adriano sparked Barcelona s resurgence five minutes later, and Sergio Busquets made it 2-1 before halftime.
Messi put the result beyond doubt in the 57th and had the final word in the 88th minute to prolong his incredible year.
