BARCELONA: Barcelona beat closest challengers Atletico Madrid 1-0 because of an extraordinary free kick from Lionel Messi on Sunday to move eight focuses clear at the highest point of La Liga and more like a 25th Spanish title.
Barca's untouched best scorer Messi wrapped his left foot around the ball to send it flying over the divider and inside the best corner in the 26th moment to enlist his 600th profession objective.
Atletico, who secured the 2014 title at the Nou Camp however have not won there since 2016, could have sliced the hole with Barca to two focuses with a triumph yet mentor Diego Simeone selected a normally moderate approach.
Thomas Partey's wayward strike from separate was Atletico's just danger and despite the fact that Simeone made two assaulting substitutions his side couldn't compel Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen into making a spare.
Kevin Gameiro had an objective effectively discounted for offside late on for Atletico not long after Luis Suarez was additionally denied by the collaborator arbitrator's banner, and the Uruguayan put a chipped endeavor only wide of the far post in stoppage time.
Barca lead the standings on 69 focuses after 27 amusements, Atletico have 61 and champions Real Madrid 54.
"It was a tight diversion. Messi is a one of a kind player and on the off chance that he had been wearing our shirt rather than Barca's maybe we would have won," Simeone told correspondents.
The Argentine mentor let it be known was hard to see Barca losing their grasp on their extensive lead at the best.
"The numbers don't lie and you expect Barca won't lose four or five recreations yet this is football and it's sublime so you never know," he said.
Atletico had pounded Sevilla 5-2 and Leganes 4-0 in their last two recreations and ventured out to the Nou Camp on a keep running of eight back to back wins in all rivalries and with one more day's rest than Barca, who were held to a 1-1 draw by assignment debilitated Las Palmas on Thursday.
Both mentors could approach full-quality groups and Barca director Ernesto Valverde began record marking Philippe Coutinho however lost chief Andres Iniesta to damage in the main half and was compelled to approach the regularly reprimanded Andre Gomes.
Flawless SET PIECE
What ought to have been a confrontation for the title neglected to satisfy desires as Atletico concentrated on counterbalancing Barca and constraining Messi to as meager space as could be allowed.
They had not relied on the Argentine's striking capacity to score from free kicks, in any case, and Messi chose the diversion, and perhaps the title race, with a third dazzling set-piece objective in the same number of amusements.
Barca mentor Valverde said his side couldn't sit back and relax until the last shriek in spite of Atletico's lack of shots.
"They didn't have clear possibilities yet you're never casual in light of the fact that they have incredible advances. We needed to endure, in light of the fact that on the off chance that you need to beat Atletico Madrid you generally need to endure," he said.
"Most importantly, I'm pleased with how we contended. In recreations like this all through the season we've satisfied desires and today we did it once more."
Likewise on Sunday, Valencia fixed their hang on fourth spot subsequent to beating Real Betis 2-0 at home as Italian striker Simone Zaza scored out of the blue since December, including the second objective right on time in the second half after Rodrigo Moreno had hit the opener.
Genuine Sociedad beat Alaves 2-1 to scale to twelfth in the standings while Espanyol drew 1-1 at Levante with damage time equalizer by Leo Baptistao.
Levante sacked mentor Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz after the amusement following a keep running of 15 group diversions without a win which has abandoned them one point over the transfer zone in seventeenth.
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