Lionel Messi breaks Barcelona's all-time scoring record

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, from Argentina, reacts after scoring against Granada during their match on Tuesday. (Manu Fernandez/Associated Press)

Lionel Messi hit a hat trick to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer and keep the defending Spanish champions in the title chase with a 5-3 win over Granada on Tuesday.

Less than two weeks after scoring a Champions League record five times, the three-time world player of the year took his career club tally to 234 goals, beating a 57-year-old milestone held by Cesar Rodriguez by two goals.

Messi set up Xavi Hernandez's opener before extending Barcelona's lead in the 17th.

And after Granada surprisingly rallied with two quick goals after halftime, Messi scored twice more to secure the win, recording his eighth hat trick of the season.

"Messi doesn't score goals, he scores incredible goals," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. "Messi has entered into the history of the club. I want to thank the entire team for the great game and Messi for his achievement."

Barcelona's sixth consecutive league victory reduced leader Real Madrid's advantage to five points, turning up the pressure on its arch rival to avoid a costly slip at Villarreal on Wednesday that would tighten the title hunt further.

"When it looked like we had the game under control they scored off a set piece, but then we got it together and got back to creating scoring chances," said Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. "Mathematically, we still have options for the league."

Messi has 17 goals during a seven-game scoring streak and leads La Liga with 34 goals, two ahead of Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

The hat trick was Messi's 18th for Barcelona and gave him 154 goals in his last 153 games over three seasons. His six hat tricks in La Liga this season tie the record set by Ronaldo last year.

Barcelona playing their game

True to its style, Barcelona dominated possession from the start and soon began toying with the visitors after Xavi put his team ahead four minutes in.

Xavi volleyed in a headed pass from Messi, sending a bouncing shot into the right side of the net as goalkeeper Julio Cesar was caught flatfooted. It was Xavi's 10th goal — the midfielder's previous best scoring haul for a league campaign was seven — and Messi's 10th assist in league play so far this season.

Julio Cesar saved Messi's hard strike shortly after, but could do nothing but look on as Messi made club history in the 17th.

Messi appeared alone on the right flank to slice in Isaac Cuenca's cross with a left-footed volley that hit the far post before settling into the back of the net.

Granada did what it could to hold back Barcelona's attacking waves, and Messi uncharacteristically misfired a low cross from Cuenca with only the keeper to beat at point-blank range at the start of the second half.

Barcelona, however, soon let its guard down, and Granada pulled one back through defender Diego Mainz, who lifted a floating header over keeper Victor Valdes in the 55th.

The contest then briefly swung in the promoted side's favour seven minutes later when Barcelona's Dani Alves fouled forward Dani Benitez on the edge of the area and Siqueira stroked home the penalty to even the score at 2-2.

But just when the nerves at Camp Nou began to show, Messi burst free behind the defence in the 67th, controlled Dani Alves' lobbed pass with one touch, and flipped the ball over Julio Cesar with the next.

"After the penalty, we were right there," Siqueira said. "We just couldn't hang on."

Substitute forward Cristian Tello fired in a rebound of a shot by Messi for Barcelona in the 82nd as the game spiraled to a wild finish.

Dani Alves again passed for Messi to round the goalkeeper and grab his hat trick in the 86th, only to give away a second penalty three minutes later when the Brazil right back handled a ball in the area for Siqueira to score his second spot kick.

Messi matched his best ever league haul of 34 goals in 27 games so far from two seasons ago when he also scored 34 goals, albeit in 35 games.

"Messi is the best because in the most difficult moments the rest of his teammates know that he will step up," Guardiola said.

Earlier on Tuesday Osasuna was held to a 0-0 home draw by Getafe.

Also on Wednesday, it's: Real Sociedad vs. Levante, Valencia vs. Zaragoza, Atletico Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao and Sporting Gijon vs. Mallorca.

On Thursday, it's: Racing Santander vs. Sevilla, Real Betis vs. Espanyol and Malaga vs. Rayo Vallecano.

FC Barcelona vs Granada 5-3 All Goals (March 20th, 2012)

March 20th, 2012 Barcelona 5 -- Granada 3 (March 20, 2012) The Catalans scored with their first effort on goal in the third minute as Messi's cushioned header was converted by Xavi's half-volley. Lionel Messi then scored his 232 career Barcelona goal in the 17th minute to equal Cesar's historic goal-getting record. Granada shook up the Nou Camp early in the second half when Diego Mainz halved the deficit with a header, and in the 61st minute the visitors pulled level as Dani Benitez won a (soft?) penalty under a Alves challenge and Guilherme Siqueira made no mistake from the spot. Granada's parity was short-lived as Lionel Messi (who else!) scored his record breaking 233rd Barca goal with a lovely lift over keeper Cesar in the 67th. Nine minutes from time Barca wrapped up the win courtesy of Cristian Tello's curled finish to leave them five points behind Real Madrid. But there was still time for the crazy finale as Lionel Messi rounded Cesar in the 86th minute to complete yet another career hat-trick, before Dani Alves was sent off giving away his second penalty of the game and Guilherme Siqueira beat Valdes with a cheeky panenka penalty.

Hat trick earns Messi Barca’s top-scorer title

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his second goal during their Spanish First division soccer match against Granada at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona March 20, 2012. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)

MADRID: Lionel Messi became Barcelona’s all-time top scorer Tuesday when he scored a hat trick to take his Barcelona tally to 234 goals in the club’s 5-3 win over Granada at the Nou Camp.

The win against Granada took Barca to within five points of Madrid, with the league leaders playing away at Villarreal Wednesday.

Argentina international Messi hit the record-equaling goal, held by the great Cesar Rodriguez, when he made it 2-0 to Barca in the 17th minute, volleying the ball in off a post from a deflected Isaac Cuenca cross before scoring the record-breaker in the second half with a beautiful chip. Messi then added his third goal of the game with five minutes to go, rounding the goalkeeper and finishing high into the net.

The 24-year-old World Player of the Year, who now has 53 goals in all competitions this season, matched the mark set by Cesar in the 1940s and 50s in his 314th appearance. Cesar needed 354 official games.

Previously, Cesar was believed to have scored 235 goals for Barcelona.

But “a study has revealed that the legendary Cesar Rodriguez in fact scored 232 goals, or just one more than the Argentinean, who could equal or beat that score against Granada,” Barcelona said earlier Tuesday on their website.

Cesar played in the 1940s and 1950s and died in 1995 at the age of 74.

Cuenca was also the architect of Barcelona’s first goal, beating his man down the left wing before crossing to the far post where Messi headed the ball to a waiting Xavi who volleyed in from close range.

Diego Mainz got Granada back into the game 10 minutes into the second half, glancing a free kick past a stranded Victor Valdes.

Siqueira pulled back a surprise equalizer when he converted a penalty after Dani Benitez was clumsily brought down by Dani Alves on 60 minutes.

Seven minutes later Messi hit his historic goal, latching onto Alves’ through ball before lobbing it over the onrushing goalkeeper.

Christian Tello iced the game in the last 10 minutes, smashing in a rebound from Messi’s shot into the far corner of the net before Messi scored his hat trick goal in the 90th minute.

Siqueira scored again from the spot for a late consolation goal.

Real Madrid go into Wednesday’s game against struggling Villarreal looking to rebound from a draw that boosted rival Barcelona’s slim hopes of winning a fourth straight Spanish league title.

The Spanish leader conceded a stoppage time equalizer Sunday in a 1-1 draw against Malaga that allowed Barcelona to move to within eight points of the lead.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said his team’s chances of winning the championship were near zero before Madrid’s draw, but Madrid’s players were weary of falling into any kind of motivational trap to aid their Catalan rivals.

“I don’t care what Guardiola says, what I worry about is what my coach says and thinks about us. We never thought the league was done,” Madrid captain Iker Casillas said. “We’ve won enough to be in this position and now we have to defend our lead game by game, and that’s what we intend to do.”

Villarreal coach Miguel Angel Lotina will make his debut for the struggling club, which have lost four of their last five games to hover just above the relegation zone. Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Levante led to the club firing Jose Molina to make a third coaching change of what has been a miserable season.

Since 1998, the 11 previous teams to make a coaching change before playing Madrid have gone on to lose nine times and draw twice.

“It would be odd if Madrid doesn’t end up champion but in football many things can happen,” said Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini.

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Messi 1st player with 5 goals in Champion League

BARCELONA, Spain—For all the astonishing feats in his young career, Lionel Messi had never scored five goals in a professional game. And no one had ever scored five times in a Champions League match.

Well, check both of those off.

With another mesmerizing performance, Messi helped defending champion Barcelona crush Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals with a 10-2 aggregate win.

"Without Messi, Barca is the best team," Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt said. "And with him, they are in another galaxy."

The three-time FIFA player of the year scored in the 25th, 42nd and 49th minutes for a 3-0 lead and his 17th career hat trick for Barcelona, then added goals in the 58th and 84th minutes for the first five-goal game of his professional career.

"We'll never see a player like him again," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. "He is one of a kind."

The last time a player scored five goals in European soccer's top club competition had been when Ajax's Soren Lerby did it against Omonia in the old Champion Clubs' Cup in 1979-80.

"Messi is a joke. For me the best ever," Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney wrote on Twitter.

Messi scored his first goal when Xavi Hernandez's long pass sent him in alone, he took a touch and chipped goalkeeper Bernd Leno with his left foot from 12 yards. On the second he cut across from the right after a pass from Andres Iniesta and sent a left-footed shot in from 14 yards through a crowd of defenders.

He scored the third with a chip from 9 yards off his weaker right foot. Cesc Fabregas made a pass from just past midfield and Messi held off defender Daniel Schwaab as he took three touches.

He became the first player to score four goals twice in the Champions League -- he accomplished the feat against Arsenal two years ago -- when Leno batted a ball knocked toward the goal by a defender right to Messi, who poked the ball in with his left foot from an angle.

Messi's fifth was on a curling left-footed shot from 19 yards.

He has 48 goals for Barcelona this season, including 12 in the Champions League. He increased his Champions League career total to 49, tying Alfredo Di Stefano for fourth on the European Cup/Champions League career list.

"I can't remember the last time I scored five goals, so I'm very happy," Messi said. "It's nice to score five goals."

Just 24 years old, he has 228 goals for Barcelona and is seven from tying Cesar Rodriguez for the club's career scoring record. Messi has seven hat tricks this season.

"He's the best. There is no other like him," Guardiola said. "The numbers speak for themselves. One day he'll score six. We're very fortunate to have Messi, so we have to take advantage of him."

Substitute Cristian Tello added a pair of goals for Barcelona, which extended its home unbeaten streak to 50 games. Leverkusen became the first German club since 1964 to lose an aggregate series by nine goals.

"What was important was to win," Messi said. "That's what we wanted to achieve, now we're in the quarterfinals and we did it impressively."

In the night's other game, Cyprus' APOEL Nicosia beat Lyon 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 1-0 win that left the aggregate and away goals both tied in the series. Gustavo Manduca scored in the ninth minute, and goalkeeper Dionisios Chiotis saved kicks from

Alexandre Lacazette and Michel Bastos in the shootout. APOEL is the first Cypriot club to advance to the quarterfinals.

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Jermain Defoe took advantage of a rare start to score twice in a 3-1 victory over third-tier Stevenage that advanced Tottenham to the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Joel Byrom's penalty kick put the visitors ahead in the fourth minute of the fifth-round replay, but Defoe tied it in the 26th with a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area. Emmanuel Adebayor converted a penalty kick to put Spurs ahead in the 54th, and Defoe got his second goal in the 75th.

Tottenham defender Michael Dawson was carried off on a stretcher early on with suspected ruptured ankle ligaments while winger Aaron Lennon limped off later in the first half.

Tottenham hosts Bolton in an all-Premier League quarterfinal on March 17 as Spurs seek its first FA Cup title since 1991.

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Juventus was held to a costly 1-1 draw at Bologna, giving AC Milan the advantage in the race for the Serie A title.

Bologna's 35-year-old captain, Marco Di Vaio, put the hosts ahead in the 17th minute. In a match postponed last month by a snowstorm, Mirko Vucinic tied it in the 58th for Juve, which has one win in its last six games.

Defending champion AC Milan (16-4-6) holds a two-point lead over Juventus (13-0-13) with 12 league games left for each team.

Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci picked up his second yellow card in the 84th, leaving his team without its three top center backs for Sunday's game at Genoa. Juventus coach Antonio Conte was ejected in the 72nd for arguing.