BARCELONA — Lionel Messi and Neymar both scored to help Barcelona come from behind twice to beat Villarreal 3-2 and stay in the hunt for the Spanish league title Sunday. Messi and Neymar netted their 22nd and 15th league goals of the season respectively as Luis Enrique's Barcelona never lost its nerve, and answered sixth-place Villarreal goal for goal to end the visitor's club record run of 18 games without a loss. “With those guys up front, it can't get any better,” said midfielder Rafina, who took full advantage of a rare start to score Barcelona's other goal. Villarreal's Denis Cheryshev struck on the half-hour mark to start the free-scoring match at Camp Nou. Neymar made it 1-1 just before halftime, only for Luciano Vietto to finish off another Villarreal counterattack in the 51st. But Barcelona hit back, and this time delivered a quick and decisive double blow. Rafina pulled the host level for a second time in the 53rd, and two minutes later Messi fired home a long-range shot — his 32nd goal in 30 games in all competitions this season. Villarreal, however, didn't fade and both sides provided a thrilling second half of back-and-forth action that bodes well for their Copa del Rey semifinal starting in two weeks. Barcelona has won eight in a row and stayed one point behind leader Real Madrid, which has a game in hand against Sevilla Wednesday. Elsewhere, Sevilla striker Iago Aspas scored with one minute left to snatch a 3-2 win over 10-man Espanyol, taking some measure of vengeance for its elimination from the Copa del Rey as it rose into a provisional fourth place. Aritz Aduriz scored twice in the second half to give Athletic Bilbao a 2-0 victory at bottom side Levante and end its seven-round winless streak. Almeria also edged Getafe 1-0 for its first win in 10 home games this season to move out of the relegation zone in a match both ended with 10 men. Milan wins AC Milan won for the first time since the Christmas break when it beat bottom-of-the-table Parma 3-1 Sunday. Frenchman Jeremy Menez scored twice for Milan, the first a penalty, to take his tally to 12 league goals this season and lift his team to joint eighth alongside Genoa with 29 points. Monaco and Lyon draw French league leader Lyon asserted its title credentials ahead of a crucial game against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain with a gritty 0-0 draw at Monaco Sunday. The stalemate cut Lyon's lead over Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain to two points, but the seven-time champion extended its unbeaten run to eight league matches and produced a sixth consecutive clean sheet against a Monaco side that has been unstoppable in recent weeks. In rainy conditions, midfielder Julien Feret scored the winning goal as Caen beat lackluster Saint-Etienne 1-0 to secure a third straight win and move further away from the relegation zone. In Sunday's other match, Bordeaux drew 1-1 at home to Guingamp. — Agencies
