Superstar Lionel Messi gave a big boost to his hopes of defending Barcelona’s La Liga title with a late goal in a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the 15th round of La Liga.

Messi is said to be the one who will win the 6th Golden Ball award at the awards ceremony in Paris and the Spanish superstar has proved no doubt about his talent with a goal. Help Barca leave the Wanda Metropolitano with 3 points. “In fierce matches, having Leo is always a great advantage. It is most important that the three points have greatly boosted morale before entering the Christmas season”, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said of his beloved pupil.

Messi’s goal came in the 86th minute after Luis Suarez’s assist to bring Barcelona back to the top of the table when Real Madrid was over goals-lost difference (the two teams had 31 points). Meanwhile, the defeat has forced Atletico Madrid to be more arduous in the race for the highest throne La Liga fell behind with 6 points less but played more than 1 match. Messi’s shine warmed up the “Super Classics” match with Real Madrid at the Nou Camp on December 18.

Antoine Griezmann was whistled when he returned to his former club after he had just left to join Barcelona for 120 million euros this season. However, every reaction of Atletico Madrid fans was overshadowed by Messi’s name when the superstar scored the 12th goal of the season and the 6th in the last 5 matches. More specifically, Messi continues to become a thorn in the eyes of the Madrid team when there have been 25 shootings for Barcelona in 27 clashes with the Wanda Metropolitano.

However, for Messi to be praised, the Catalan team had to rely on the luck and excellence of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. It was the defender Pique was lucky to escape the second yellow card in the second half with a bad foul on Alvaro Morata. Barcelona also avoided having to chase down when Marc-Andre ter Stegen made two brilliant saves in the first half.

In the early matches, Sevilla rose to third place only after Real and Barcelona were only 1 point behind the 1-0 victory over Leganes. Coach Julen Lopetegui’s team has extended the unbeaten series in all competitions to 10.