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Barca, Real Madrid Win Big

Cristiano Ronaldo got injured after his second goal  and left the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo got injured after his second goal  and left the game.

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored two goals each as Barcelona secured a hugely impressive 5-0 win away to Real Betis on Sunday.

Betis held its goal closed in the first half but had no answer to Barca’s onslaught after the break. Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring before braces from Messi and Suarez capped a wonderful display,  Bein Sports reported.

Messi fired home with aplomb after good play from Sergio Busquets and Suarez finished well from Rakitic’s cross to complete a devastating spell for the visitors and leave the home fans stunned.

A mazy Messi run and finish made it 4-0 with 11 minutes left and Suarez steered his strike partner’s pass high into the net in the 90th minute for a fifth, giving Barca a firmer grip on the title race and a 14th game without defeat against Betis.

The result sends Ernesto Valverde’s side 11 points clear at the top of the table, with Atletico Madrid having drawn with Girona and Valencia losing at Las Palmas on Saturday.

 Bale Returns

Gareth Bale dragged Real Madrid away from the ignominy of a third straight home defeat in La Liga by netting a match-turning brace before Deportivo La Coruna collapsed to a 7-1 defeat.

Cristiano Ronaldo and, in a more unlikely turn of events, Nacho, also notched doubles to boost under-fire boss Zinedine Zidane.

Loses to Barcelona and Villarreal either side of the mid-season break contributed to leaving Madrid fourth and 19 points off the pace in the title race, and further woes awaited when Adrian Lopez capitalized on slack defending to net a 23rd-minute opener.

Amid palpable unrest from the stands, center-back Nacho leveled before Bale took center stage. The Wales star finished exquisitely giving Zidane’s men the lead at the break and he converted Toni Kroos’ corner before the hour to make the points safe.

That Bale is now Madrid’s joint-top scorer in La Liga with six this season owes much to Ronaldo’s trials in front of the goal.

Those were again gruesomely evident until the five-time Ballon d’Or winner followed Luka Modric onto the scoresheet 12 minutes from time and his brave diving header preceded Nacho completing a rout that leaves Deportivo slumped in the relegation zone.

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