red card to Athletic Bilbao keeper Gorka Iraizoz
allowed Barcelona to run out 6-0 winners at the
Camp Nou on Sunday.
Iraizoz was sent off for bringing down Suarez, who
was through on goal, though Athletic complained
that the Uruguayan had fouled defender Xabier
Etxeitia to get into that position.
Lionel Messi converted the penalty for his sixth
goal already in January.
The game was well in hand in the 31st minute
when Suarez played across for Neymar to score
with a chip.
The advantage allowed Barcelona manager Luis
Enrique to take Messi off at half-time with what he
called "a small strain" in his hamstring, but that
didn't slow the team down as Suarez got on the
scoresheet just two minutes into the second half.
Neymar made a fabulous run to the touchline and
fed Ivan Rakitic in the 62nd minute to make it
4-0, and seven minutes later Suarez did well the
bring the ball down and score his second of the
day.
His hat trick was complete with a header on 82
minutes as Barca stayed two points back of
Atletico Madrid in the Primera Division table.
Real Madrid netted four goals inside the first 18
minutes to walk to a 5-1 win over Sporting Gijon.
Gareth Bale needed only seven minutes to build
on last week's hat-trick against Deportivo La
Coruna as he headed home at the far post from a
corner. And just two minutes later, Ronaldo
produced a neat turn in the box to beat Gijon
keeper Pichu Cuellar.
Karim Benzema then latched onto a precise Bale
cross to slam home his side's third with just 12
minutes on the clock, and Ronaldo did nothing to
dampen thoughts of another record-breaking
victory when he grabbed his second in the 18th
minute after sweeping home from a neat cross by
Daniel Carvajal.
Benzema then bagged a third before half-time
and Isma Lopez picked up a consolation for Gijon
in the second half.
Bale left the game after the first half, but Real
coach Zinedine Zidane said he is "hopeful" the
Welshman's latest calf injury is not too serious.
Benzema also left the game after suffering a
knock, but Zidane said he was not seriously hurt.
A goal from Filipe Luis and a double from Antoine
Griezmann gave Atletico Madrid a 3-0 win at
struggling Las Palmas to keep them top of the
Primera Division for another week.
Defender Luis sent Juanfran's pass into the far
corner on 17 minutes to score his first goal since
returning to Atletico from Chelsea, while on 68
minutes top scorer Griezmann finished off a
through-ball from Koke to double the lead.
The France forward made the most of another
precise pass from the midfielder in the last
minute to round off the victory.
Paco Alcacer's late equaliser saved Gary Neville's
blushes by earning a haphazard Valencia a 2-2
draw with relegation-threatened Rayo Vallecano.
Rayo took a 15th-minute lead through Jozabed
but early in the second half Alvaro Negredo
scored a stunning goal from 50 yards to give
Valencia an equaliser they barely deserved, only
for Diego Llorente to restore Rayo's lead on 69
minutes.
Valencia's frustrations then reached boiling point
when Alcacer had what looked to be a legitimate
goal ruled offside, but the striker netted again
with 88 minutes gone to avoid what would have
been a disastrous result for Valencia, with the
home supporters greeting both the half-time and
full-time whistles with more whistling of their own.
Neville's side sit 10th in the Primera Division table
after 20 games, 16 points behind the final
Champions League spot, and have not won a
game since Nov. 7 when they thrashed Celta 5-1.
Rayo's last victory came that same day, against
Granada, and the Vallecas club are in the midst of
their worst run since 2003, when they were
relegated, and they remain in the drop zone.
Getafe moved into the top half of the table by
rallying for a 3-1 win at home against Espanyol.
After Hernan Perez had given the visitors the lead,
Getafe struck back less than three minutes later
through Pedro Leon, and Pablo Sarabia then put
them ahead.
Moi Gomez added a third Getafe goal late on to
seal the three points.
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