Messi breaks Spanish hat-trick record as Barca go top

By Tim Hanlon

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Lionel Messi broke a Spanish hat-trick record and Luis Suarez struck twice as a rampant Barcelona took over top spot in La Liga with a 6-1 hammering of Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Messi came alive after halftime at the Nou Camp to net his 32nd treble for Barca in all competitions in the space of just 12 minutes.

It meant he eclipsed the record of the most hat-tricks ever recorded in Spanish football that he had shared with Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra.

The Argentine's second half tour de force against a side reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of Tito -- Barca themselves had Dani Alves sent off late in the game -- included a goal scored from a retaken penalty after he had seen the first saved.

It helped put Barca back in control at the head of La Liga, after an equal amount of games played, for the first time since the start of November.

They moved on to 62 points, a point clear of Real Madrid, who were beaten by Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, and are now in pole position two weeks ahead of Madrid's visit to their Nou Camp fortress in El Clasico.

Atletico Madrid stayed third after a 1-1 draw at home to fourth-placed Valencia.

"Being leaders is not something that we are concentrating on much at the moment as there is still a long way to go in the league," defender Gerard Pique told reporters.

"We started the season well, then we had a drop in form and it looks like we are playing well again now."

Barca scored with their first shot on goal after five minutes with Xavi releasing Suarez, who tucked a clinical shot into the corner with the outside of his right boot.

Four minutes after halftime, the floodgates opened when Gerard Pique knocked in from close range following a Jordi Alba header from a corner which came back off a post.

When Suarez was felled in the penalty area in the 56th minute by Tito, who received a red card, Messi's penalty was saved by keeper Cristian Alvarez but the referee ordered a retake due to encroachment in the area.

Inevitably, Messi made no mistake second time around and he then knocked in a rebound after 63 minutes, before completing his historic hat-trick, the 24th of his La Liga career, five minutes later. He now has 32 Spanish hat-tricks, compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's 27.

Alberto Bueno netted a consolation penalty for Rayo after he had been fouled by Alves, who was given his marching orders.

Messi then set up Suarez for his second in injury time to complete the rout.

"We were only able to score one goal in the first half although we had other openings," Barca coach Luis Enrique told a news conference.

"Our objective is to be leaders at the end of the championship. I think there will be defeats for both of us (including Real) and there are areas where we need to improve."

Koke, back in Atletico's lineup following injury, brokethe deadlock against Valencia after 33 minutes with a volley.

Tiago should have extended their lead with a shot inside the six-yard box which came back off the crossbar after 70 minutes and Atletico were made to pay for his miss.

A free-kick crossed into the box by Daniel Parejo came back off the Atletico crossbar with keeper Miguel Angel Moya caught out and Shkodran Mustafi reacted quickest to nod home.

Valencia's Javi Fuego was given a second yellow card a minute from the end.

(Editing by Justin Palmer)