Lionel Messi hits four as Barcelona thrash Eibar 6-1

Star striker Lionel Messi scored four superb goals as Barcelona thrashes Eibar in a 6-1 win that padded their lead atop the La Liga standings on 19 September evening at Camp Nou.

During the routing, Messi brought his Camp Nou tally to 300 in all competitions.

The Argentine converted a penalty to give the hosts the lead in the 20th minute of the match before Paulinho headed in a second in the 38th minute. With this goal, the 30-year old took his 2017 tally to 40 goals in as many games.

Denis Suarez then struck from a rebound but Sergi Enrich made it 3-1 with a near-post finish.

Messi then scored twice in quick succession in the second half to complete his hat-trick - his second of the season after putting three past Espanyol, reports goal.com.

The star striker did not stop there and exchanged passes with Aleix Vidal for a late fourth in the 87th minute of the game. 

-ANI