LIONEL MESSI put on a show in Barcelona’s final Spanish league game of the year, scoring once and mesmerizing with his dribbling skills to set up two other goals in a 4-1 win against Espanyol in the city derby Sunday.

    Luis Suarez struck the first two goals and Jordi Alba added another in a victory that left Barcelona three points behind leader Real Madrid ahead of the winter break. Madrid, which won FIFA’s Club World Cup in Japan, has a game in hand.

    Messi dazzled the crowd at Camp Nou for the first time when he cleared four defenders outside the area — including by rolling the ball between the legs of one of them — before having his shot parried. Suarez pounced on the loose ball to score his second goal in the 67th minute.

    “That was a Play Station play by Messi,” Suarez said. “I wish he had ended it with the goal, it would have been one of the best in the last few years.”

    A minute later, Messi used his pace and clever dribbles to get past four defenders again, and then passed for Alba to find the net from inside the area.

    After nearly scoring following a neat feint that fooled two defenders inside the area, Messi finished the night in style by finding the net from close range after a pass by Suarez in the 90th.

    (SD-Agencies)