La Liga: Lionel Messi bags hat-trick as Barcelona blast Levante

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in his 300th Primera Division match as Barcelona thumped Levante 5-0 on Sunday.

Neymar opened the scoring, with Messi adding the second in the 38th minute as Barcelona looked totally comfortable against their lowly opponents.

The Argentina striker added his second and Barcelona’s third in the 59th minute as Luis Enrique’s side continued to dominate the match.

Messi then completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 65th minute before Luis Suarez added the gloss with a fifth goal courtesy of a bicycle kick.

The win means Barcelona are now back to within a point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who defeated Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 on Saturday.