MADRID - Argentine Lionel Messi scored a vital 77th-minute winner as Barcelona labored to a 2-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday to restore its five-point lead over Real Madrid at the Spanish first division summit.

Barcelona looked set to drop two more points after Andoni Iraola's penalty had canceled out David Villa's third-minute opener, however, Messi popped up with his 25th league goal of the season to clinch the points at Camp Nou.

"We couldn't afford another slip-up as Real Madrid were close," said Messi. "We won a very important match. There isn't that much left of the league to go now and every game is vital."

It was Pep Guardiola's 100th league match in charge of Barcelona and the manager was a relieved man as his side bounced back from its 2-1 Champions League defeat to Arsenal in midweek.

Real Madrid had closed to within two points of Barcelona with a 2-0 win over Levante and the Catalan club responded with a hard-fought victory.

Earlier, Villarreal missed the chance to close the gap on Champions League rival Valencia, squandering more points in a 1-1 home draw against basement side Malaga.

Valencia's 0-0 draw with Sporting Gijon on Saturday meant Villarreal could have gone third with victory, but Uruguayan Sebastian Fernandez scored an 82nd-minute equalizer to cancel out Marco Ruben's first-half opener.

Villarreal stays fourth, two points behind Valencia, after collecting just one point from the last nine.

"We have let two points get away and we are not happy," said Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido. "We could and should have won this match.

"In the build-up to their goal, it looked like there was a penalty for a foul on Nilmar, but it wasn't awarded and the subsequent counter-attack ended with their goal."

It was a satisfactory return to El Madrigal for Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini, who spent five successful years at Villarreal before leaving to become Real Madrid coach, although his side continues to prop up the table four points from safety.

Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 02/22/2011 page22)