Messi hat trick helps lift Barcelona to Spanish title

MADRID — Unbeaten Barcelona added to its domestic dominance by winning the Spanish league title for the third time in the last four seasons on Sunday.

Lionel Messi claimed a hat trick and Philippe Coutinho also scored to give Barcelona a 4-2 win at Deportivo La Coruna as the Catalan club took an insurmountable 11-point lead over Atletico Madrid.

Third-place Real Madrid is 15 points behind Barcelona.

It was Barcelona’s seventh league title in 10 seasons and 25th overall. Madrid, last year’s champion, remains the all-time winner with 33 La Liga trophies.

Barcelona has also thrived in the Copa del Rey, the country’s second-most important club competition, winning it for the last four seasons.

Barcelona’s next goal is to try to finish the league unbeaten, something which has never happened in the competition’s current format.

Andres Iniesta, who last week announced he won’t return for a 17th season with the club, started from the bench because of a small muscle problem. He entered the match at the end to applause from most of the crowd at Riazor Stadium.

Iniesta and Messi each have won nine Spanish league titles.

Sunday’s result relegated Clarence Seedorf’s Deportivo.

The hosts paid tribute to Barcelona even before the match started, with its squad lining up outside the tunnel and saluting the rivals as they entered the field. Most of the opposing fans at Riazor also applauded the Barcelona players.

Coutinho opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a well-placed shot into the top corner after a pass by Ousmane Dembele, and Messi added to the lead in the 38th with a strike from near the far post after a perfect cross by Luiz Suarez.

Messi put Barcelona ahead in the 82nd from close range after exchanging passes with Suarez inside the area, then sealed the victory in a breakaway in the 85th.

Messi has 32 league goals, leaving him with eight more than Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for top scorer.