ESPN FC's Barcelona correspondent Samuel Marsden checks in from the Camp Nou after the club decided to play behind closed doors amid political tension in Catalonia. A Lionel Messi double led the way as Barcelona cruised past Las Palmas behind closed doors at the Camp Nou. A Lionel Messi double led the way as Barcelona cruised past Las Palmas behind closed doors at the Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi scored a brace as Barcelona eased past Las Palmas 3-0 on a surreal Sunday afternoon at the Camp Nou.
The match was played behind closed doors after earlier calls for it to be suspended due to the situation in Catalonia on Sunday.
There had been tension across the region throughout the morning as Spanish police attempted to shut down various polling stations for a referendum, deemed illegal by the Spanish government, on independence.
That led to calls for Barca to postpone their game amid fears there would not be adequate policing. Shortly before kickoff, the club announced that the match would take place but with no fans in attendance.
In front of a sea of empty seats, Sergio Busquets opened the scoring for the Liga leaders when he headed Lionel Messi's corner home at the near post in the 49th minute.
Messi added a second in the 70th minute, expertly rounding goalkeeper Leandro Chichizola after collecting a through ball from Denis Suarez.
And he completed his double seven minutes later, sliding home a Luis Suarez's pass from close range.
The win makes it 21 points from seven matches, while Las Palmas remain on six points.
Isco scored twice in Real Madrid's defeat of Espanyol.
Meanwhile, Isco scored a pair of his own to help Real Madrid collect their second straight league win with a 2-0 defeat of Espanyol at the Bernabeu.
The Spain international struck on either side of half-time as the defending champs look to recover from a shaky start to the domestic campaign.
And he had them ahead after 30 minutes, running onto a Ronaldo through ball and poking past Pau Lopez from close range.
He then ended Espanyol hopes in the 71st minute. Receiving a Marco Asensio pass in the middle of the box, the former Malaga man fired low past Lopez
Valencia held off an Athletic Bilbao fightback to move to third with a 3-2 win at the Mestalla.
A Simone Zaza effort and Daniel Parejo penalty put Valencia into a 2-0 half-time lead but Aritz Aduriz pulled one back before the hour.
Rodrigo restored a two-goal advantage but Raul Garcia struck 14 minutes from time to force Valencia to negotiate a tricky ending.
Goals were also in plentiful supply at Anoeta, where Real Sociedad and Real Betis played out a thrilling 4-4 draw.
Visitors Betis went ahead after six minutes when Paraguayan striker Antonio Sanabria scored for the third successive game but Willian Jose soon levelled. Mikel Oyarzabal netted in the 26th minute to put Sociedad in front but Zouhair Feddal levelled matters again two minutes later.
Veteran Joaquin put Betis back ahead moments into the second half but Sociedad replied again through Xabi Prieto.
Substitute Sergio Leon looked as if he had won it for Betis six minutes from time but Diego Llorente's 86th-minute header salvaged an incredible draw.
Cedric Bakumbu scored a hat trick as Villarreal beat Eibar 3-0 at La Ceramica.
Comments
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.
Source: espn.co.uk