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FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi (left) reacts after scoring his second goal against Racing Santander during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011.

Gonzalo Higuain bagged a remarkable third hat-trick in two weeks to steer Real Madrid to a 4-1 win over Real Betis on Saturday while Lionel Messi's double kept Barcelona top of La Liga with a 3-0 victory over Racing Santander.

Messi, the insatiable World Player of the Year, scored in each half at the Nou Camp to take his goal tally to 10 in the league this season as Barcelona cruised past toothless Racing to make it 17 points from seven games.

Real is a point back in second place after Messi's Argentina teammate Higuain recorded his second consecutive La Liga treble.

Having scored three against Espanyol, he then repeated the feat against Chile on international duty last week. "I'm very pleased. After having to wait so long to play, now I'm enjoying myself a lot," the 23-year-old told Spanish television, referring to the back injury that kept him out for much of last season when he lost his place to Karim Benzema.

"I wasn't playing a few weeks ago and I'm just making the most of my opportunities," Higuain added after his second-half hat-trick against Betis took his tally of league goals to eight this season.

France defender Adil Rami put Valencia ahead at Real Mallorca in the 39th minute but the visitors then conceded a stoppage-time penalty, with Tomer Hemed netting the goal to earn new Mallorca coach Joaquin Caparros a point from his first match.

Valencia is fourth with 14 points, the same as Levante which was hosting big-spending Malaga yesterday.

Elsewhere, it was: Villarreal 0, Getafe 0; and Atletico Madrid 0, Granada 0.

Meanwhile, Ndri Romaric's second-half goal lifted Espanyol to a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano yesterday for its first away victory in the Spanish league since January.

After a first half of few scoring chances, the former Sevilla midfielder received inside the area in the 56th before slotting home a right-footed shot into the low left corner of goal.

Espanyol ended a two-game losing streak, while promoted side Rayo is winless in its last four games.

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