Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of tonight's La Liga clash between Hercules and Barcelona!
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FULL TIME! Barcelona end up 3-0 winners and move seven points clear at the top of the table! The pressure is on Real Madrid to win at Osasuna tomorrow, then, and that's 401 goals in 157 competitive games for Barcelona under Pep Guardiola. Phenomenal.
Barcelona are on their way to a record-equalling 15th straight league win then! They've equalled Real Madrid's legendary 1950's team, and could well surpass them against Atletico Madrid next week.
Nolito almost gets onto a low ball through into the box, but is bundled off it by Rodri. Good defending
Barcelona sub: Iniesta off, Afellay on
GOOAL! MESSI SCORES AGAIN! What a team goal that was. Nolito plays a nice goal across goal from the left, which finds Alves. Alves reaches the byline, and drills a low ball across the face of goal which Messi taps in. That's 37 goals for the season for the Argentine. Staggering.
Barcelona subs: Villa and Xavi off, Nolito and Keita on
GOOOAL! MESSI MAKES IT TWO FOR BARCA! It's not been his best game, but that's a cracking finish. He receives the ball in the middle of the pitch, 23 yards out, takes a touch onto his left, and hammers the ball in off the right post. Job done
Messi holds the ball up in the area, and waits to draw a challenge from a defender. None oblige, and Hercules hack clear
RED CARD! HERCULES DOWN TO 10 MEN! That could be it for Hercules! Farinos slides into a very late challenge on Busquets inside the centre circle, and is shown his second yellow card in eight minutes. This is his first appearance in La Liga since May 2006, and it's not been a great 16-minute appearance from him!
The free kick is disappointing, and Barca break clear with the ball! Pedro races along the right in space, before switching left to Villa in space in the box! Villa's touch takes him too far wide, though, and the chance is gone!
Space is starting to open up in the middle as Hercules push forwards. Alves drives into it but is dispossessed by Rodri, before hacking him down on the halfway line. Yellow card for the Brazilian
Farinos pokes a ball through to Tote, whose touch rather lets him down and Pique heads clear
Hercules bring on another former Real Madrid man, then. Can he do his old club a favour with a late goal here?
Hercules sub: Valdez off, Portillo on
Brilliant from Iniesta - stealing the ball away from Valdez on the edge of his own area before winning a throw on the left wing. Hercules line up their final sub...
Barca play the ball wide right from the free kick, where Alves is immediately felled. There's some tired legs out there for the hosts, and it's starting to show in these sloppy challenges
Farinos leaves a foot in as he challenges Iniesta, and is shown a yellow card
The ball is sent deep to Messi, and the Argentine carries the ball to 20 yards out and SHOOTS! SAVED BY CALATAYUD! Lovely effort from the Argentine, but well saved by the Hercules keeper
Hercules are sitting so deep again, just as they were at the start of the first half. Alves wins a corner from Pena on the right wing
We're into the final 15 minutes, and Barcelona are enjoying all of the possession now - probing the Hercules backline