Lionel Messi scored with an unstoppable free kick to help Barcelona come from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 Sunday, a record-equaling 34th game without loss that kept the champion on track to retain its Spanish league title. Sevilla's Victor "Vitolo" Machin struck first for the visitors in the 20th minute, but Messi curled home his free kick 11 minutes later before Gerard Pique put Barcelona ahead just after halftime. Barcelona equaled Madrid's record unbeaten streak in all competitions from 1988-89. Barcelona's last loss in any competition was at Sevilla on Oct. 3. "The record means nothing to me," said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. "If we win the title, fine, but if not, then it means nothing to me." Luis Enrique's team is certainly on course to win the league. In fact, it has a chance to repeat its rare treble of league, cup and Champions League trophies from last year. Barcelona's 10th consecutive Liga win maintained its eight-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid. Third-place Real Madrid, which lost 1-0 to Atletico Saturday, fell 12 points behind the pacesetter with 12 rounds to go. Sevilla, which remained dangerous until the final whistle, slipped down to sixth place. Unai Emery's team will have the opportunity to avenge the defeat when it meets Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on May 22. "It's tough for a defeat to strengthen you," Emery said. "To beat Barca you have to find that extra something because we are probably talking about the best team in the world." Elsewhere Sunday, Villarreal eased to a 3-0 win over 10-man Levante to cement its hold on fourth place, while Athletic Bilbao won 3-0 at Valencia in a preview of their Europa League round-of-16 clash. Granada eked out a 1-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna in the debut of coach Jose Gonzalez to escape last place and push Levante to the bottom. Dortmund edges Hoffenheim Borussia Dortmund avoided a major embarrassment at home when it struck three late goals to come from behind and beat 10-man Hoffenheim 3-1 in the Bundesliga Sunday. Hoffenheim held on until the 80th minute, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan kicked off Dortmund's rally, with Adrian Ramos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang adding the other goals. Mainz got two goals from Yunus Malli to beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 and move past its rival into fifth place. In the late match, Eintracht Frankfurt and Schalke drew 0-0. Schalke, which could have moved up to fourth with a win, stayed seventh, while Frankfurt is two points above the danger zone. Earlier, Fabian Johnson's goal in the 55th minute earned Borussia Moenchengladbach a 2-2 draw in Augsburg. — Agencies
