A week ago, Lionel Messi propelled Barcelona to an impressive 3-2 win over Sevilla thanks to a goal and a well-timed play at the end of the match. This week, he had two huge chances to show off his quality in both the Spanish League and Champions League. His rival Cristiano Ronaldo was afforded this same opportunity and the chance to draw even with Messi on the weekly "Messi vs. Ronaldo" recap series.
Heading into Week 5, Messi held a 3-2 lead, but could he hold on?
Ronaldo got things started on Tuesday when he led Real Madrid to a decisive 6-1 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League. The Madrid superstar was absent for most of the first half but was a dominant force in the second 45 minutes of the game. He scored his first goal off a rebound before setting up Karim Benzema for his second. His second goal was yet another rebound off a Sergio Ramos header, but his third goal was an individual masterpiece during which he dribbled past three defenders and fired the shot into the far corner.
A day later Messi proved that he would not let Messi take all the Champions League glory. The diminutive Argentinean scored a hat trick of his own, including a brilliant free kick in the first half to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead when it needed it most.
On Saturday, Messi continued to exhibit his prowess by helping Barcelona to a 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano; Messi did not score but provided an assist, his second of the season.
However, Ronaldo would not be outplayed and gave Madrid a tremendous performance against Getafe on Sunday. With the team down 1-0, Ronaldo got a shot on goal off an Isco free kick. The shot was batted away by the keeper and went to Pepe who slotted it home for a 1-1 tie; if not for Ronaldo's effort, the cross probably goes wide. Ronaldo then scored his own goal off a penalty shot before setting up Isco for the third goal of the game. With time winding down, Ronaldo added a second goal for good measure, his fourth of the Spanish League and his fifth of the week.
Winner: Messi had a terrific week, but Ronaldo was a notch above with five goals and one assist; he probably deserved an additional two assists for helping create the other two goals against Getafe on Sunday. The score is tied 3-3 between the superstars after Week 5.
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