LIONEL MESSI STRUCK twice to surpass Pele’s best goal tally in a calendar year as La Liga leaders Barcelona survived a second-half spell of pressure from Mallorca to win 4-2 at the Iberostar Stadium tonight.
Xavi Hernandez, Messi and Cristian Tello got first-half goals for the Catalans before Victor Casadesus and Michael Pereira reduced the lead after the interval.
Messi then hit his fifteenth in the league to wrap up the game and make it 76 goals now in 2012, beating Pele’s record of 75 from 1958 and taking him to within nine of Gerd Muller’s all-time record of 85 set in 1972.
Mallorca enjoyed the better early chances and Barca keeper Valdes had to be alert to tip wide a header from Israeli international Tomer Hemed on 22 minutes.
However, five minutes later Barca were ahead when Xavi curled a perfect free-kick over the defensive wall after Jose Luis Marti had fouled Fabregas on the left edge of the area.
Messi got his first on 43 minutes when he hit a well struck shot on the run, though Dudu Aouate in the Mallorca goal should have done better than allow the ball to squirm out of his hands and into the net.
A minute later and Tello controlled a pass on the left-wing before cutting inside and unleashing a right-footed drive that went across Aouate and into the far corner.
Half-time arrived and Barca suddenly had a three-goal cushion they hardly deserved.
Mallorca began to find their way back into it early in the second-half and Michael Pereira converted a right wing cross to reduce the lead on 55 minutes.
Two minutes later Busquets’ outstretched hand made enough contact with the ball for the referee to award a penalty that Casadesus converted to reduce the arrears to 3-2.
Mallorca rallied before Messi smashed home his second on 76 minutes to make the game safe after Alexis Sanchez had cleverly chested a cross into his path.
Watch his second goal below:
YouTUbe credit: Samuel Eto’o
