Messi wins a free kick in the attacking half, putting Barcelona on the front foot early.

Messi draws another foul in Espanyol’s half, earning Barcelona a dangerous free kick.

Messi’s left‑footed direct free kick from outside the box crashes against the bar, inches from a spectacular goal.

Messi fires a right‑footed shot from the right side of the box but it is blocked after a neat setup from Xavi.

Messi attempts a through ball to Luis Suárez, but the Uruguayan is flagged offside before he can latch onto it.

Messi threads a pass to Jordi Alba, whose close‑range left‑footed effort is saved by Kiko Casilla.

Gerard Piqué looks for Messi with a through ball, but the Argentine is caught offside as he breaks the defensive line.

Messi curls a left‑footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner to equalize, finishing Xavi’s layoff with precision.

Messi wins yet another free kick in Espanyol’s half right after the restart, maintaining constant pressure.

Messi arrives in the centre of the box to sweep a right‑footed shot into the bottom left corner after a clever assist from Luis Suárez.

Messi tries to release Neymar with a through ball, but the Brazilian’s run is mistimed and he is ruled offside.

Sergio Busquets sends a through pass toward Messi, yet the forward is caught offside by Espanyol’s back line.

Messi earns another attacking‑half free kick after drawing a foul from Espanyol, keeping Barcelona camped forward.

From a direct free kick outside the box, Messi’s left‑footed strike sails just over the bar, narrowly missing the target.

Messi completes his hat‑trick with a composed right‑footed finish from the centre of the box, slotting Pedro’s assist into the bottom left corner.