The Day Lionel Messi Proved He is an Alien vs Real Madrid

Roberts, Correa, Alba won. I mean, this is an example. Ramos has a swagger in the step of Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo. Carvajal, he has the freedom. Carvajal has options right across the face of goal. Rakitic, here's Lionel Messi. His first touches on the ball. Here's Toni Kroos. Kroos to Cristiano Ronaldo. He still has that speed. He's an old friend. Gerard Pique. Ronaldo! Touchdown for the confidence-building side. Taken on by Lionel Messi. Messi from a deep position. Messi, you can't pin him down to a position. Jordi Alba. Suarez has hung deep. Whistles one in. That's a chance, Rob. Good strike. No room for experimentation tonight against Real Madrid. Messi gets past Casemiro. He's going to have to watch his step tonight, Casemiro. That's his job. To stop the flow in midfield. Very early booking. That's dangerous. That's one of the things he needs to improve on for me. Ronaldo. So close to finding Messi. Midi closed down. Messi. Here's Modric and Casemiro on his way. Messi going solo. He tried to pass it on to Luka Modric. What a key player he has developed into for Real Madrid. What a run. To Benzema. Benzema has a chance, but it was a soft shot. Still better, I think, Rob, than Agribia. Barcelona strike straight back, and this comes to Suarez. And the two number nines getting chances within 25 seconds of each other. Ronaldo with some work space. Benzema fighting for a position in the centre. Ronaldo. Big hand from Ter Stegen. That was important, because not only did he stop his ability, this is not good. Look at this. Lionel Messi is down. That's not a sight you want to see for any footballer. When he comes in here, does he catch an arm, an elbow? He catches the elbow of Marcelo. It looks an accident, Rob, but it catches him plumb on the face. Looks like his mouth or teeth here. Ball over the top. Bale! Well, he went for the element of surprise and tried to take it first time. There would have been a whole steam ahead for the Real Madrid full-back. Over-stepped by Benzema. Cristiano Ronaldo tries to create something out of nothing at all. He had an option to play the ball into the path of Messi. Casemiro has another little dig at him. He has to watch his step after that. It's a flowing move. Gareth Bale. Pique. Close to the corner. Ter Stegen fighting. Zolan Pique. Marcelo. Ter Stegen stays. It's Ramos. It's the post! Scrambled over the line. It's an unlikely hero. Casemiro! Maybe an ugly goal, but a goal of great beauty in the eyes of those Real Madrid supporters. That's his fourth goal, Rob. He scored already this season, but you can see when the cross comes in for Marcelo. Lionel Messi. Busquets. Rakitic. Leaves it for Messi. Messi full steam ahead. Brilliant! Lionel Messi! Hasn't scored in six Clasicos, but he's back to haunt Real Madrid. Cut and thrust. Absolutely superb. He's on his 46th goal now, Rob. And the little man does what he does best. Clever play. Now Modric. Shoots. Is the cry! It was some shot. That was another excellent save from Ter Stegen. It's been out of play there. What a super strike from Modric. That's a great strike. Suarez. Casemiro by Suarez. Steals it off him. Messi. It's a slip from Ramos. Well run back, but it's only to Lionel Messi. And Messi. Tries to curl it in. He is convinced that it took a... Oh, brilliant ball. Suarez. Alcacer makes the angle. Jordi Alba comes in and... Well, he got a connection on it. Two additional minutes to the first half. Brilliant ball from Suarez. Waiting for Rakitic to make the move. And Rakitic doesn't have that turbo charge. Messi does. With Casemiro again. Referee felt that was the... He'd move along. You don't think they're planning on play of the first half. Rakitic ran across the face. The goalkeepers missed it. Oh, what an escape for Kele Navas. With all the people. It was Messi who crept in somehow unnoticed at the far post. Lionel Messi very rarely misses chances like that. Eyes down. Seconds out. Here we go again. To Lionel Messi. Oh, slips past Ramos. Asensio. The replacement for Gareth Bale. Asensio continues the run. Benzema on the outside. Oh, Benzema can't get there. But ahead of him was Gerard Piquet. That was a brilliant run. And that was top-class defending. Wonderful defending. How do we put out... He's had an excellent week. And we know what he can do. He dances with Rakitic. And a swinger from Kroos. And another important save from Ter Stegen. Well, he knows all about Toni Kroos, doesn't he? Marcelo. Kroos. Oh, just over the head of Cristiano Ronaldo, who does have the greatest spring in football. Well, there was two of them at the far Sergei Ramos. Marcelo makes an excellent run. Benzema's in there. Oh, what a save by Ter Stegen. Cutting reflexes from the German. Yeah, pure reflexes, Rob. You're spot-on. He can't believe it. Karim Benzema. Rakitic. Jordi Alba. Rakitic touch. Alcaceres. Big chance. And Keylor Navas to Real Madrid's rescue. What a chance. Busquets. First touch let him down. Real Madrid. Oh, tremendous save. It's Piquet who threw himself at it. And Navas who makes his second stunning save of the second half. And Benape was stunned by that. Oh, that's a chance. Offside. Wow. Have a look at this again, Rob. Here's Marcelo. Marcelo gets around. Rakitic good cross in. Emergency action taken by Alba. Super. Super defended. It's a goal for Toni Kroos. Asenso. Digs it in. Ronaldo! In mind. Well, escaped the victory, I think. That's in mind. That's really interesting. Asenso. He's the youngster. Sutton's got a big chance here. Pass it on to Ronaldo! He wants the ground to swallow him up with the whole world watching. Wow. Iniesta. And there's Suarez. Top class. Once more from Keylor Navas. Wow, wow, wow. Adding to his collection of saves. End-to-end stuff we've got here, Rob. Both sides should have scored. Good play, Andres Iniesta. In the gap with Bale, Rob. Ronaldo makes an angle for him. Asenso! This is Jordi Alba. Lionel Messi. Rakitic. Teases Real Madrid. Tries to find the gap. Rakitic! Oh, what a goal. Stunning goal! Patience pays off! And you can see what it means to Luis Enrique. That has stunned the crowd here at the Bernabeu. It's his eighth goal of the season, Rob. That's his best goal of the season, I'll tell you. It's going to keep the league title ahead. Comes from nothing. 1-2-1-7. It's a big space in the box. Ronaldo! Looks like Ronaldo. Not finishing like Cristiano Ronaldo. Rock-like figure for Barcelona. Those tackles where Ramos had committed himself to the ball. Straight red! Ramos is off. The referee didn't even consider that. He turned it. He was about to speed past him. Ramos had committed himself. For the second season in a row, Sergio Ramos is sent off against Barcelona by the same referee. Brilliant ball by Suarez. Andre Gomes. Pique is in the centre-forward position. Pique! Keeps this game alive. Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo slips. Pique. On two. That's a yellow card. He's taken one for the team. Yellow card. Messi. Mendes in corner. Messi! De Linares. Ramos runs a gamble. That took a deflection. Strike from James Rodriguez from outside the box. Hits with hope. Brilliant run. Oh, my goodness. It is James Rodriguez who does write his name in the history books. Well, you said it, Rob. Two minutes ago. Ten-man Real Madrid. Five minutes to go. And he gets in at the near post and puts it in. That's a fabulous goal. It's the seventh goal of the season for James Rodriguez. And I don't think he's going to score a more important goal than that. Really massive, massive goal for Real Madrid. Asensio. Cuts inside. James. Doesn't get it. He gets it now from Ronaldo. James across. Barcelona scrambling. And now he's touched Stegen who's in the line of duty. I just think they're finishing poor Real Madrid. I think they've had some... There's Asensio. He's the youngest man on the pitch. Asensio! The danger won't go go. Asensio's in there. Oh, and Ronaldo had a chance to win it. But even he couldn't turn himself inside out to get the winning goal. This is where the extra man is paying off for Barcelona. One final roll of the dice. Can they hit the jackpot? Gomez. Jordi Alba. Lionel Messi! Superhuman! Lionel Messi has just exploded La Liga into life. Another chapter in the incredible story of this little man. Oh my goodness. You cannot write the script for this, Rob. This is unbelievable stuff. Look at the faces of Real Madrid fans and Real Madrid players. Unbelievable. It's blown the league wide open. His 500th goal for Barcelona. It's possibly the most significant one. How much is that shirt worth? He's got a good boot, but he don't care. He's got a good boot. Book me, jail me, handcuff me. He doesn't care what they do to him tonight. Extract his teeth. He has scored the goal. The slightest of gaps, the biggest of goals from Lionel Messi. Black eye, missing teeth and a shirt that is going to go in the club museum forever. He's got the winning goal yet again.