Barcelona didn't play like its normal, dominant self in the first half of Saturday's Catalan derby at Espanyol. And the players looked frustrated, knowing they needed to deliver in the second half or else rival Real Madrid would sit alone in first place in La Liga and inch closer to the title. And Barca responded in a big, big way.
Three goals in the second half carried Barca to a 3-0 win to move back into first place just hours after Real Madrid beat Valencia 2-1. Barca and Real both have 81 points atop the standings, with Barca ahead on head-to-head.
Luis Suarez, who had gone five matches without scoring, finally snapped the drought with the opener on 51 minutes, capitalizing on an error from Espanyol:
THE DROUGHT IS OVER! @LuisSuarez9 grabs the lead after a bad giveaway from @RCDEspanyol #beINLaLiga pic.twitter.com/vwIl761JMz
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) April 29, 2017
Barca made it 2-0 with just over 10 minutes to go when Lionel Messi set up Ivan Rakitic with a no-look assist:
GOAAAAAL! @ivanrakitic makes it look so easy. Impeccable run from @TeamMessi #beINLaLiga pic.twitter.com/EthfeollsP
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) April 29, 2017
And then Suarez killed the match off late after another error from Espanyol:
GOAAAL! Another gift for @LuisSuarez9 to score and earn his brace. #beINLaLiga pic.twitter.com/rRTdOaYZ0y
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) April 29, 2017
Another round of matches, and Barca and Real both win. The teams will return to league play next Saturday, when Barca hosts Villarreal and Real goes to relegated Granada.
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