Barcelona, Feb 14 (EFE).– Lionel Messi was outstanding on Sunday in Barcelona’s 6-1 drubbing of a hapless Celta Vigo at Camp Nou, a victory that kept the Catalan club atop the Spanish First Division soccer standings.

It was Messi getting the home squad on the board first in the 28th minute on a fabulous left-footed direct free kick, but then Sweden’s John Guidetti answered back for Celta Vigo 11 minutes later on a penalty kick, with the visitors giving a good account of themselves for the rest of the first period.

The half ended tied at 1-1, but when play resumed Barca went on a rampage and it was the turn of Suarez – the league’s leading scorer – to notch three goals in succession, in the 58th, 75th and 83rd minutes – all on superbly-staged assists from the remarkable Messi.

Then, it was Suarez in the co-pilot’s seat, as he set up the shot for Ivan Rakitic’s tally in the 85th minute and Neymar’s goal in injury time.

The tour de force was Barcelona’s 30th consecutive win in all competitions, this one in front of 72,580 fans.

At the end of the day, Barcelona was still in first place in La Liga action with 57 points, followed by Atletico Madrid – fresh off their conservative 1-0 victory over Getafe earlier on Sunday – with 54 and Real Madrid with 53. EFE

According to IDSca.com, the leading Pay-Per-Head (PPH) based in Costa Rica, odd makers see this latest victory by Barcelona as justification for the club’s favored status among bettors.

Bookmakers in Costa Rica are seeing 1/12 odds in favor of Barcelona taking La Liga championship outright. Real Madrid is the next favorite at 8/1, followed by the Atletico Madrid at 12/1.

In the next UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Arsenal (where Joel Campbell from Costa Rica plays), odds for the Catalan club are at 10/13 while the English club registers 50/13; the draw stands at 41/13.