Messi fires in Barca win, swings back and forth on future

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez were all on target as Barcelona eased talk of a club crisis with a 3-1 win over La Liga champions Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez were all on target as Barcelona eased talk of a club crisis with a 3-1 win over La Liga champions Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Messi shrugged off speculation surrounding his future at the Camp Nou to cross for Neymar to scramble home the opener and then tee up Suarez to register just his second La Liga goal.

The Argentine also handed Atletico a route back into the game, though, when he was adjudged to have brought down Jesus Gamez inside the area on the hour mark and Mario Mandzukic slammed home from the penalty spot.

However, Messi made amends by sealing the three points when he slotted home from close range three minutes from time to move Barca back to within a point of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Atletico are now four points adrift of Real Madrid, who also have a game in hand over both their title rivals.

"The crisis has already passed and now we need to have our minds on the field," Neymar told Canal Plus. "We don't have a problem. It is in the past and now we are together."

Barcelona had failed to beat Atletico in six meetings last season and wouldn't have been looking forward to facing Simeone's men after an unsettling week at the Camp Nou.