MADRID — Lionel Messi lost his World Player of the Year crown to Cristiano Ronaldo but got sweet revenge Sunday by upstaging the Portuguese forward in his own backyard with a hat trick that fired Barcelona to a 4-3 victory over Real Madrid. Messi, World Player four times in a row before Ronaldo scooped his second award, leveled an action-packed ‘Clasico' at 2-2 just before halftime with an opportunistic strike through a crowd of Real defenders. He then kept his cool at a bubbling Bernabeu to net two second-half penalties, including the winner six minutes from time, blowing the Spanish title race wide open. The defeat left Real, which had captain Sergio Ramos sent off midway through the second half, and city neighbor Atletico Madrid tied at the top on 70 points. Barca, chasing a fifth title in six years, closed the gap to one point and sit third with nine games left. “It was an extremely important win for us,” Messi, who missed two months of the season with a thigh injury but has been in scintillating form since his return in January, told reporters. “It was a brilliant game for the fans and for us,” added the 26-year-old Argentine. “This team always responds on the big occasions but we have to continue. “We cannot be satisfied with this win. We have to forget what happened quickly and focus on the future.” Messi's treble put him clear in the list of top scorers in the ‘Clasico' on 21 goals, three ahead of Real great Alfredo di Stefano. He also moved up to second in the ranking of all-time leading La Liga marksman on 236 goals, two ahead of former Real striker Hugo Sanchez, and he is fast closing in on record scorer Telmo Zarra, who netted 251. Messi was quick to downplay his personal achievements and keep the focus on the team. “The most important thing is that we won the match,” Messi said. “Things are going well for me individually but what we should remember is the great performance of the group.” Ronaldo also netted from the spot to take his tally for the season in Spain's domestic league to 26, three ahead of Atletico forward Diego Costa and five more than Messi. Like his teammates, he was furious with referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco and suggested he should not be allowed to officiate another ‘Clasico'. “The referee made some incredible decisions but we have to carry on,” Ronaldo told reporters. “In a Real Madrid-Barcelona game you have to have a referee who is up to the task,” the 29-year-old added. “I don't want to use the referee as an excuse but if you analyze the 90 minutes there were a lot of mistakes.” Ronaldo even suggested that some people with influence, whom he did not identify by name, had wanted Real to lose and the referee had not been entirely objective. Real now needs to regroup for Wednesday's game at Sevilla, when Barca hosts Celta Vigo and Atletico is at home to Granada. In the other late match, Valencia beat Villarreal 2-1. — Agencies
