Lionel Messi blew the La Liga title race wide open when the unstoppable Argentina forward netted a hat-trick in a 4-3 comeback win for the champions at 10-man Real Madrid in an action-paced `Clasico` on Sunday.
Chasing a fifth title in six years, defeat for Barca at Real`s Bernabeu stadium would have all-but killed off their challenge and they came out swinging and took a seventh-minute lead when playmaker Andres Iniesta burst clear on the left and lashed the ball into the roof of the net.
It was fitting start to a game featuring some of the world`s most expensive and best-paid talent and watched by millions around the world that also set the stage for one of the most entertaining encounters between the game`s two richest clubs of recent times.
Real, looking to restore their three-point lead at the top and undefeated in 31 matches in all competitions, were reeling but hit back with a Karim Benzema double before Messi`s first, a close-range snap shot through a crowd of players to make it 2-2 at the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo put Real ahead from the penalty spot 10 minutes into the second half after he was tripped by Dani Alves and the match turned when home captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for felling Neymar when he was through on goal in the 63rd.
Messi clipped home the resulting penalty to level at 3-3 and after some relentless Barca pressure struck the winner from the spot six minutes from time after Iniesta was knocked to the ground in the area.
The Real players were furious about both penalty decisions but Barca played a courageous game as they had promised and dominated possession, particularly after Ramos was dismissed, and thoroughly deserved the victory.
