BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi hit his 400th career goal for the La Liga leaders deep into stoppage time to seal a 2-0 win over a Valencia side that will rue their missed chances on Saturday.

Barca’s Uruguay striker Luis Suarez continued his lethal form with a low strike inside the area after being set up by Messi with less than a minute on the clock at the Nou Camp.

Suarez scored two wonderful individual goals as Barca all but secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 3-1 win away to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Messi scored on the counter-attack deep into added time for his landmark 400th goal and his 35th league goal of the season, knocking the ball into the net after his first shot was saved by keeper Diego Alves.

Barca are now provisionally five points clear of Real Madrid while third-placed Atletico Madrid can open a four-point gap over Valencia, who are fourth, if they win their game in hand.

Valencia had missed a golden chance to equalise in the 10th minute when Dani Parejo’s penalty was saved by Claudio Bravo after Gerard Pique had barged into the back of Rodrigo Moreno.

Valencia’s Paco Alcacer also hit a post as Barcelona hung on and then in a second half which was played at a slower tempo Messi also struck the woodwork with a free-kick.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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