BARCELONA, Spain -- Lionel Messi scored two goals and set up another to lead Barcelona to a 4-1 comeback victory at Sevilla on Sunday, moving the defending champions into a three-way tie for the Spanish league lead. Despite Barcelona showing the same vulnerability in defence, Messis best performance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff ensured that his side bounced back from a defeat by Valencia in the previous round. Barcelona is now level with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the top of the standings after 23 rounds. Sevilla dominated the first half hour on the Sanchez Pizjuans water-logged pitch and went ahead through Alberto Morenos 15th-minute goal. But as the rain showers turned into a downpour, Messi supplied a free kick for Alexis Sanchez to equalize in the 34th before the Argentina forward blasted in his first goal in open league play since Sept. 28, before his injury. With Sevilla surging forward after halftime, Messi stepped up once more to score from Andres Iniestas pass in the 56th. Substitute Cesc Fabregas capped the win with Barcelonas fourth goal two minutes from time. "Leo always shows up," Iniesta said. "He is one of those few players who can change a game if you give him a few meters, and he almost always does so." Last week, Messi converted a penalty in the loss to Valencia, but otherwise he hadnt scored in the league since returning in January after being sidelined for two months with a left hamstring tear. Messis double on Sunday gave him 11 league goals this season despite his extended absence. Alexis leads the team with 14. Elsewhere, Osasuna beat Getafe 2-0 at home to move four points clear of the relegation zone. Real Sociedad was held 0-0 at its Anoeta Stadium by Levante and the inspired form of goalkeeper Keylor Navas, while substitute Humberto Osorio scored twice as Valladolid came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Elche. Sevillas players must have wondered how they went into halftime losing 2-1 after bossing the first half on a wet pitch that slowed the ball but not the frenetic pace. Unai Emerys side only allowed Barcelona to create two clear scoring chances, and both ended in goals, while the hosts provoked havoc in Barcelonas box throughout. "It hurts of course because we had done a good job," Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic said. "But when you play against the best they punish you for any mistakes you make." Rakitic helped to open the scoring by steering a team buildup more similar to Barcelonas passing prowess than Sevillas counterattacking style. He combined with two players inside Barcelonas area before the ball reached Moreno for a shot that flew off Marc Bartra and into the net. Sevilla pressed its advantage and every corner and free kick inspired panic in Barcelonas defence. Carlos Bacca headed Rakitics free kick off the upright in the 20th, and Bacca set up Rakitic in the 29th only to see him stroke the ball wide. Alexis scored against the flow of play when he used the back of his neck to glance Messis free kick beyond goalkeeper Antonio "Beto" Bastos - while appearing to be in an offside position. Messi had been kept quiet until he broke loose in midfield and passed wide for Pedro Rodriguez, who returned the ball for the Argentine to strike a left-footed shot into far corner the net. After halftime, the game opened up and both sides exchanged scoring opportunities. But after Sevillas Victor Machin had squandered a one-on-one and Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes saved back-to-back shots from Bacca and Kevin Gameiro, it was Messi who again showed that he has recovered his form. Messi controlled Iniestas crisp pass with one touch while at full trot and unleashed another left-footed effort that skipped off the soggy turf before bouncing in off the post. "Those who say something negative about Messi risk challenging his pride," Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said. "The next rival up pays the price, like today." Fabregas scored from close range after Alexis provided the pass, with Sevillas defence in tatters. Barcelonas veteran defender Carles Puyol was dropped from the squad early in the day due to back pain. NHL Jerseys 2020 .J. Hardy to avoid a three-game sweep after blowing a big early lead. Odour had a leadoff single in the seventh and scored the tiebreaking run with the help of two errors by Hardy as the Rangers went on to beat the Orioles 8-6 on Thursday night. NHL Jerseys China . Auld made 37 saves in a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. It was Ottawas first game without starter Anderson, who is out indefinitely after cutting his hand Wednesday night, and it was evident the team wasnt sure how to deal with the change in goal. https://www.cheapnhljerseysjustwholesale.com/ .com) - Jenny Boucek is the new head coach of the Seattle Storm. Authentic NHL Jerseys . Those cheers seemed more special this time because the captains run on Broadway could soon be over. The adoration surely sounded much nicer to Callahan than all the recent trade talk. Cheap NHL Jerseys .com) - Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson each registered a pair of goals, as Washington spoiled the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek by picking up a 6-2 victory in Toronto on Wednesday.TORONTO - Kyle Lowry was the first player on the floor, shooting around before the game. It was just after 4:00pm, three full hours ahead of tip-off at the Air Canada Centre. Lowry has been the subject of trade speculation for the better part of two days but the Raptors point guard, who shrugged off the rumours Friday morning, continued to lead his current team, a team that looked unrecognizable in a wire-to-wire win over the road-weary 76ers. "He was a leader out there on the floor and thats what we need from him, that leadership," Casey said of Lowry, who has now led Toronto in assists in 13 straight games. "He didnt get frustrated because he couldnt get some shots to go down. He still got the ball where it needed to go and that was huge." With his name linked to multiple trade reports, Lowry faced the rumours head-on when he met with the media Friday morning. Instead of sulking or worrying about where he might end up, Lowry smiled, cracked a few jokes and promised to go about his business here until hes told otherwise. In what may have been his last home game as a member of the Raptors, Lowry recorded a season-high 11 assists, committing just one turnover despite shooting just 2-of-9 from the floor. Once again Lowry set the tone and his teammates - three of them making their Raptors debut - followed his lead. Three nights after totalling 23 assists in a loss to the Spurs, the Raptors continued to play a team game in the aftermath of Mondays Rudy Gay trade. DeMar DeRozan - also scoring 27 points - added six assists, including five in a dominant first quarter. His first three set up Terrence Ross, who had a breakout performance scoring a season-high 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. "Thats the way weve got to play," Casey said of Torontos ball movement. "Because were not going to beat anyone with stellar one-on-one play each and every night. Weve got to help each other with the screen and trust the pass." Averaging just 18 assists per contest this season, the Raptors have totalled 66 dimes in three games since Gay was traded. They opened the evening with 12 assists on 14 made field goals, outscoring Philadelphia 36-21 in the first quarter and would later seal the game on a plaay that embodied this teams new offence.dddddddddddd With just under two minutes remaining, the scrappy 76ers down two, DeRozan caught the ball off a screen on a pass from Lowry. Once the double came, DeRozan swung it back to Lowry who hit Ross in the corner for a momentum shifting three-pointer. Amir Johnson scored seven of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, sending the 76ers away with their 10th straight loss on the road. In their Raptor debuts, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Greivis Vasquez were the first three players off Torontos bench. With all three on the floor at the same time to begin the second quarter, Philadelphia ripped off a 20-7 run, cutting Torontos lead to two. The learning curve was apparent. "Theyre learning," Casey acknowledged. "Theyre learning the system, were kind of learning to play with each other." "I like what I saw," he said. "Going forward I think they are going to mix in quite well." Patterson shot just 1-of-5, scoring five points in 18 minutes while Salmons scored three in just under 20 minutes of action. Vasquez was the most impressive of the three but not in the way he would have hoped. "Tonight I did not have that many assists," said the pass-first Vasquez, who recorded just two but hit five of his seven shots for 12 points in 17 minutes. "The thing that stood out for me was that we were moving the ball without me in the game. We were passing and getting shots and that is fun to watch." "If we keep doing what we did tonight we are going to be really hard to guard and we will win a lot of games." For the first time all season, Casey could comfortably rest Lowry without fearing the significant drop-off that would inevitably ensue at the point guard position. With Lowry on the block, Vasquezs role figures to expand. Up next The Raptors travel to Chicago to face the Bulls (9-12) in the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday. Chicago had lost five of six games before defeating the Bucks 91-90 in Milwaukee Friday night. The fourth Raptors newcomer, Chuck Hayes, will not be available to play or practice until he completes routine baseline cardiac tests at the Cleveland Clinic on Monday. ' ' '