Messi hits 40-goal milestone

Barcelona got back to its winning ways in La Liga – after its surprise, post-Champions League comeback loss at Deportivo la Coruna – beating 10-man Valencia 4-2 in a thrilling match. Outgoing coach Luis Enrique stuck with the three-man defence of Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Javier Mascherano that worked so well in the 6-1 win over PSG, and although Valencia exploited some gaps in a breathless first half, Barcelona came out on top, and with lots of positives to boot.
For starters, Andres Iniesta completed his first 90 minutes since the start of January, while Andre Gomes, victim of boo-birds and a former Valencia player, scored his first goal for the club right at the death.
Then there’s Lionel Messi, who made it 40 goals again for his season in all competitions–an astounding eighth year in a row he has done that–while the club closed the gap on leader Real Madrid to just two at the top (though Real does maintain its game in hand).
“La Liga is still alive for us, our obligation is to be prepared if an opportunity arises,” Luis Enrique said. “We have to keep fighting in the event that a chance to take a step further arises.”