Magician Messi is Barca’s late hero

LIONEL MESSI’S stoppage-time winner against 10-man Real Madrid breathed life into his side’s title challenge.

Messi — sporting a black eye and damaged teeth after Marcelo’s first-half challenge — struck twice in a dramatic 3-2 win to take Barcelona to the top of La Liga with his 500th goal for the club.

Ivan Rakitic was also on target for Barcelona, while Casemiro and James Rodriguez — the Colombian having equalised in the 85th minute — scored for hosts Real, who had captain Sergio Ramos sent off in the final quarter.

Ramos received an El Clasico red card after leaving the ground recklessly. Messi was lucky the Spaniard’s two-footed lunge did not make contact as it could’ve been a serious injury.

Barcelona go top with a better head-to-head record than Real, but Zinedine Zidane’s team have a game in hand with six matches to go. This was a thrilling spectacle from start to finish, but one man stood tall on a dramatic night.

Messi’s double took his goals in this fixture to 22 to set a new El Clasico LaLiga record of 16, eclipsing former Real great Alfredo Di Stefano.

But Messi kept his best for the final seconds, sweeping home Jordi Alba’s cross as the clock ticked into the second minute of injury time.

Real took a 28thminute lead after Ramos hit the post and Casemiro tapped home.

But Barcelona were level within five minutes thanks to the bloodied but unbowed Messi’s swerved effort.

Rakitic gave Barcelona the lead with a ferocious left-footed drive from 20 yards and Real’s fate appeared sealed when Ramos was banished.

Pique missed the chance to secure victory and Rodriguez, who’d only been on the pitch three minutes, looked as if he’d handed Real a point.

But that was not taking into account the brilliance of Messi, who simply continues to take the breath away on a football pitch.