Messi and Ronaldo headed into week six of the Spanish league with a plethora of expectations and a ton of work to do. The two players had two Spanish League matches and were looking to keep their teams at the top of standings with an impressive Atletico Madrid side giving them both a run for their money.
In last week's encounter, Ronaldo marginally beat out Messi due to a five-goal performance through two matches. With the matchup score tied at three through the first six rounds, the two games this week would weigh heavily on which star took the lead.
Messi and Barcelona played on Tuesday in a decisive 4-1 win over Real Sociedad. Messi "only" scored one goal in the match but provided an assist and created chances left and right for Barcelona. Neymar was arguably the superior player in that match, but there is no telling how well Barca would have done without Messi leading the way. On Saturday, the Argentinean got off to a terrific start against Almeria and scored the eventual game-winner; unfortunately he incurred another injury and was forced off the pitch before the half-hour mark had expired.
Ronaldo did not suffer any injuries, but his pride was likely hurt quite a bit as the week unraveled. He was clutch for Madrid on Wednesday as the club defeated Elche 2-1 on the strength of his two goals (and poor refereeing as some might argue). The second goal was a hotly contested spot kick conversion that upon further review should never have happened. Regardless of the calls, Ronaldo delivered when called upon and that is what counts most in this matchup. Despite his terrific performance against Elche, Ronaldo was far from his usual self on Saturday in the derby against Atletico Madrid. He not only failed to score, but was constantly contained by a stingy defense. He had some bad luck, but he constantly tried to force the play and repeatedly fired wide instead of looking for a teammate to help create more plays.
Winner: Both stars scored two goals this week, but one player led his team to two victories; the other barely got his team three out of a possible six. Messi was more consistent overall this weekend in fewer minutes and now leads the matchup 4-3.
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