Messi keeps the fire burning as Barcelona run riot over Osasuna

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring one of his two goals against Osasuna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on April 26, 2017. Barcelona won 7-1. Lluis Gene / AFP

Barcelona 7 Osasuna 1

Barca: Messi (12’, 61’) Gomes (30’, 57’) Alcacer (64’, 86’) Mascherano (67’ PEN)

Osasuna: Torres (48’)

BARCELONA // Three days after Barcelona’s clasico heroics, the club’s second lowest crowd of the season – 63,989 – saw Luis Enrique’s side hammer bottom club Osasuna 7-1 on a rainy night where Lionel Messi was again the main man.

With optimism high among supporters, a huge flag was unfurled before kick off declaring “Thank you Leo – 500 goals”. Camp Nou was applauding again 10 minutes into the game, a minute’s applause to signify Messi’s shirt number. He responded immediately with the opening goal – his 501st in a Barcelona shirt – pouncing on Fausto Tienza’s stray pass and then driving at goal and chipping goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.

Fans in the north end of the stadium who do not normally wear Barca shirts held up the same with Messi’s name on the back to replicate the celebration of his late, great, match-winning clasico strike against bitter rivals Real Madrid on Sunday.

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The Catalans were two up after 29 minutes when Ivan Rakitic crossed for Andre Gomes to shoot cleanly past Sirigu from the edge of the area. The Portuguese, who has been the subject of much criticism in his first season since joining from Valencia for €35 million (Dh140m), looked more relieved than happy as he was surrounded by congratulatory teammates.

“Andre Gomes!” chanted supportive fans after his encouraging performance, though he will be judged more harshly and accurately against better opponents, for his side enjoyed 76 per cent possession in the first half against opponents who struggled to get out of their own half.

Having already lost at home to another struggling team in Alaves and away at Deportivo La Coruna and Malaga, Barca did not want a repeat of those nervy performances, nor when they struggled to overcome Granada 1-0 at home.

Those fears seemed justified two minutes into the second half whenRoberto Torres curled a free kick over Arda Turan in the Barca wall as goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen moved the wrong way.

But Barca immediately reasserted their dominance and Javier Mascherano headed goalwards two minutes later only for Sirgu to push the ball onto his post.

Gerard Pique saw a 55th-minute header also hit the post after he had chested the ball down and shot. This time the rebound came straight to Gomes to volley home to make it 3-1. Barca were ascendant and Messi made it 4-1 after 60 minutes, running at several Osasuna defenders before curling a shot beyond Sirigu for his 502nd goal for his employers.

The Argentine was substituted a minute later, handing over the captain’s armband to Pique as he left the field to a standing ovation.

The goals didn’t stop though.

Paco Alcacer made it 5-1 on 63 minutes, converting from close range after Turan’s forward pass to Mascherano, who knocked the ball towards Alcacer. Mascherano would be the recipient of the biggest cheer of the night five minutes later when a penalty was awarded.

Mascherano, who had never scored for Barcelona in 318 previous outings, stepped up to take the spot kick after Denis Suarez was brought down. The Argentine smashed the ball into the centre of the net to make it 6-1, with fans later singing the name of former manager Tito Vilanova, a day after the third anniversary of his death.

Alcaer put the icing on the cake on 85 minutes as he ran onto a Suarez pass and rounded Sirigu to make the final score 7-1.

With only 18 points from 34 games and only four matches remaining, Osasuna are surely going down after only one season back in Spain’s top flight. Survival is now only a mathematic possibility for the Pamplona club who have been Primera Liga mainstays for much of this century.

The win put Barcelona three points ahead of Real Madrid, who played in last night’s late game at Deportivo La Coruna. With only four games left, the title race is more exciting than at any point this season.

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