Messi, Ronaldo each score twice as Barca, Madrid draw

• The two superstars each scored twice and are tied for second in the Spanish league with eight goals
• Barcelona remains tied atop the league standings with Atletico Madrid, which beat Malaga 2-1
• Real Madrid stayed in fifth place, eight points behind the league leaders

BARCELONA (AP) — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dueled each other to an entertaining stalemate on Sunday, with both superstars scoring twice as Barcelona drew 2-2 with Real Madrid to keep an eight-point lead over its archrival intact.

The result ended Barcelona's perfect start to the league campaign as it dropped points for the first time in seven games, but provided yet another memorable chapter in the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo, the two biggest names in the sport.

"It should be prohibited to say which is the best in the world," Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said. "They are both from another planet."

Ronaldo put Madrid ahead at Camp Nou stadium in the 23rd from a pass by Karim Benzema to extend his scoring streak in "clasico" matches to six.

Then it was Messi's turn, as he took advantage of a defensive slip to level for Barcelona in the 31st, before adding a second goal in the 61st with a perfect free kick from almost 25 yards out.

But as Barcelona looked to seal the result, Mesut Oezil unlocked Barcelona's makeshift defensive line to set up Ronaldo to respond five minutes later and split the points.

It was, perhaps, a fitting end to the latest head-to-head duel between arguably the two best players in the world, who for the last two seasons have engaged in a two-way scoring race unlike anything the Spanish league has seen before. Messi and Ronaldo are the leading candidates for the world player of the year award, and both showed they more than deserved it with standout performances on Sunday night.

Ronaldo added to his pair of hat tricks from the previous week, while Messi recorded his 17th career goal against Madrid, leaving him one short of equaling Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano's record.

"(Messi and Ronaldo) both try to do everything they can to help their teams and score goals," Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova said. "If Ronaldo hadn't coincided with Messi, perhaps he would get even more recognition."

Not to be outdone, Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao also scored twice on Sunday, including a 90th-minute winner, to earn a 2-1 win over third-place Malaga. The Colombian international leads the league with nine goals, one more than Messi and Ronaldo.

Atletico's sixth straight victory lifted it even on points with Barcelona at the top of the standings.

Camp Nou was bedecked with independence flags and the game started with the 90,000-plus fans holding up colored cards to form a mosaic of the red-and-yellow Catalan flag before shouting "Independence" in unison in the latest manifestations of the surge of separatist sentiment in the northwestern region of Spain.

But politics aside, the home fans quickly returned their attention to Barcelona's thinned backline, which was without both center backs Carles Puyol (elbow) and Gerard Pique (foot). To compensate, Vilanova, in a minor surprise, left new signing Alex Song on the bench, and aligned Adriano alongside Javier Mascherano in the center of his defense.

Ronaldo caught Barcelona off-balance at the back to open the scoring when he took Benzema's pass and used one sharp touch to drive the ball between the near post and goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Ronaldo's goal seemed to stun Barcelona, and Madrid had two golden chances to double its advantage two minutes later when Benzema scuffed a close-range shot, sending it off the bar, and Angel Di Maria punched the rebound wide.

Barcelona's injury troubles in defense mounted in the 27th when Dani Alves had to be replaced by Martin Montoya.

Just when Barcelona was suffering the most, Messi stepped up to level the score. Madrid defender Pepe failed to clear a high ball from a deflected cross by Pedro Rodriguez, and Messi slipped in to poke the loose ball past goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

"(Messi) is still very young and we don't know where his limits are, seeing how he trains every day, the desire he brings to get better," Vilanova said. "I don't think we will ever see a player like him again."

Messi started the second half with a long gallop from deep in his own half, passing two defenders before sending a cross into the area the defense had to scramble to intercept.

The Argentina forward then put the hosts in front, winning a free kick before looping it over the wall and beyond Casillas' diving grasp.

But Ronaldo hit right back when Oezil threaded a pass through the defense for the Portugal forward to slot past Valdes.

Montoya almost snatched the win for Barcelona in the 89th when his long strike hit the crossbar after an elaborate team buildup, and Pedro fired just wide of the post after a long sprint to get behind the defense in injury time.

"We let slip an opportunity to leave Madrid 11 points behind, but they are a great team and took advantage of the balls we lost," Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said. "But overall it was a great match and we deserved the victory in the last 15 minutes."

The draw spoiled Vilanova's bid to become the first coach to lead Barcelona to seven wins in as many games to start the season.

Also on Sunday, Levante beat Valencia 1-0 thanks to Obafemi Martins' first-half goal, Granada downed Mallorca 2-1 for its first home loss, and Athletic Bilbao edged out Osasuna 1-0.