BARCELONA, Spain (AP) " Lionel Messi scored his 40th and 41st goals in all competitions this season to lead Barcelona to a 4-2 victory over 10-man Valencia in the Spanish league on Sunday. "We had to remain patient, fight back and increase the pace of the match," Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. Messi and his strike partners led Barcelona back after Valencia's Eliaquim Mangala headed in from a corner in the 29th minute. Mangala had already been booked for fouling Messi when Suarez deftly let a pass by Messi run past as he spun around the Valencia defender. Sporting Gijon scored three goals in an eight-minute span to beat Granada 3-1 and climb to within five points of Leganes.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 19, 2017 17:38 UTC