Real Madrid’s second straight five-goal performance under new coach Zinedine Zidane came at the high price of losing Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to injury on Sunday, while luis Suarez scored a hat trick to lead Barcelona’s 6-0 demolition of 10-man Athletic Bilbao.
As the two powerhouses got goals from their trios of star strikers, Atletico Madrid quietly churned out a 3-0 win at las Palmas to retain its provisional lead of the Spanish league.
Madrid crushed Sporting Gijon 5-1 after Bale opened the scoring, followed by braces from Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema.
lionel Messi presented his record fifth Ballon d’Or award to his fans before kickoff at Camp Nou. He then converted a penalty to put Barcelona on its way before being substituted at halftime because of what coach luis Enrique called “slight pain” without giving further details.
Suarez took his league-leading tally to 18 goals while Neymar and Ivan Rakitic also scored against a Bilbao side that had goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz sent off in the fourth minute.
Atletico stayed two points clear of Barcelona, which has a game to play. Madrid remained four points back in third.
The injuries to Bale and Benzema put a damper on another dominant showing by Zidane’s team, which followed its 5-0 win against Deportivo la Coruna on his debut with a first-half blitz.