BARCELONA: Lionel Messi turned hero for Barcelona on his 250th appearance for the Catalans by scoring in the 78th minute to overcome a stubborn Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at Nou Camp this morning.

Barca went ahead in just three minutes through striker David Villa after a move initiated by Dani Alves. But the hosts struggled after that and Bilbao equalised shortly after the break, when Andoni Iraola scored from the penalty spot after Fernando Llorente was fouled by Sergio Busquets.

And just when it looked as if Josep 'Pep' Guardiola's side would have to settle for a disappointing draw, Messi — who had two good penalty shouts turned down — popped up with a priceless winner to keep Barca five points clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid after 24 matches.

That was his 25th goal in the league.

Messi is content with the three points earned.

"We could not afford another blow as Real were close," he told AS.

"We won an important game. It is a short season now and every game is vital."

Messi also praised Bilbao, who performed well, forcing Barca to play at their best to gain the three points.

"They always complicate. They are a great team, very organised when pressuring and always play well. These are three very important points," he said.

Barca head into this weekend's visit to Mallorca, while Real face an equally daunting task of playing away to Deportivo.

Guardiola said Barca showed their worth this morning to earn the narrow win.

"What we saw tonight is another demonstration of what these players are capable of," he told AS.

"No matter what happens at the end of the season, nothing will change about the opinion I have about these players.

"We have faced our rivals on many occasions, and we always try to do certain things. Certain players are always present, but we try to find the superiority over them. It is a very physical team with an excellent manager.

"We played a good first-half, but we were somewhat unbalanced in the second. After the penalty not awarded to Messi, we went looking for the result. Now, we are five points clear of an impressive team, and I don't see a better team in Europe than Real."

The not-so-good news for Barca is that goalkeeper Victor Valdes may be out of action for six months because of an injury.

Reports from Spain suggested that he could be out of action for as long as six weeks. And Jose Pinto, who played against Bilbao, may well be required to take over his role for Barca as the season enters its crucial stages.

NASTY! Azizulhasni Awang of Malaysia is treated by a medic after crashing and suffering a leg wound in the men's Keirin Final during the second day of the fourth round of the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics last Saturday. Azizulhasni survived a nasty accident (circled in red) to sprint to a bronze medal in the keirin event – with a nine-inch wooden splinter embedded in his calf. His brave effort earned him a historic third successive overall title — AFPpic

LONDON: Malaysian star rider Azizulhasni Awang underwent surgery yesterday to remove a shard of wood from his leg after a crash at the UCI World Cup in Manchester on Saturday.

As Chris Hoy surged to victory in the keirin final, carnage unfolded behind him with four of the six riders wiped out on the final bend.

Azizulhasni's calf was pierced by a 20cm splinter but he got up to win bronze — and in the process earned him a historic third successive overall title.

BBC Sports reported Azizulhasni tweeted yesterday saying: "Operation done. Splinter taken out cleanly. Thanks for the prayer and support."

The 23-year-old, unfortunately, has been ruled out of the World Championships, which begin on March 23 in Apeldoorn, Holland.

A scan late on Saturday night at Manchester's Royal Infirmary assessed the injury but medics opted to wait to tackle the shard of wood.

"They said it's best if they do it with all their experts around and when everyone's fresh," said Malaysia head coach John Beasley.

"The only way they can do it is by surgically going in from both ends and spreading it apart and pulling it out."

Azizulhasni had attempted to squeeze through a gap and appeared culpable for the crash, which also resulted in Australia's Jason Niblett, Kamil Kuczynski of Poland, Edward Dawkins of New Zealand and Spain's Juan Peralta Gascon being knocked off their bikes.

A foot race to the line ensued in an attempt to gain valuable Olympic qualification points, with bloodied and bruised Niblett taking silver. Beasley was unaware of the splinter and helped Azizulahasni back to his bike, having checked the rider's head and state of mind, but not assessing his body for injuries.

"I feel really bad because I didn't even see it," he said, adding adrenaline probably took Azizulhasni across the line.

"It wasn't until later I knew he had the splinter."

After being stretchered away, Azizulhasni was unable to receive his bronze medal on the podium, with Kuczynski fourth, Dawkins fifth and Peralta Gascon last after forgetting to carry his bike to the line.

"Azizulhasni will be right for the Olympics. Hopefully, Hoy will be in second place and he'll be on the top."

FINAL WORLD CUP STANDINGS

1) Azizulhasni Awang (Malaysia) - 28 points
2) Chris Hoy (Britain) - 24 points
3) Simon van Velhooven (New Zealand) - 18 points
4) Scott Sunderland (Australia) - 16 points
5) Fabian Fernando Zapata (Colombia) - 13 points