La Liga: Real Madrid drop points, Barca and Atletico win
Real Madrid dropped two points in the race for the La Liga title, being held to a 1-1 draw away to Rayo Vallecano.
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez returned to form after he scored two goals beating Leganes 3-0 to remain top of La Liga.
Saturday’s title means Barcelona have won 11 of their first 12 games of the campaign, taking 34 points from a possible 36, reports Xinhua news agency.
Luis Suarez had gone 459 minutes a week without a goal before the game kicked off, but needed just 28 minutes before putting Barcelona ahead as he swept the ball home after Leganes goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar failed to deal with an angled shot from Paco Alcacer.
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His second of the game arrived on the hour as he reacted faster than anyone after Cuellar had parried another Alcacer shot, with Suarez’s effort deflecting off a defender on its way to goal.
The result was harsh on Leganes, who created plenty of chances of their own as Barcelona again failed to find the fluency which typifies their best football.
Meanwhile Aleix Vidal, who came into the game for the injured Nelson Semedo, should have done better than fire over the bar from 10 yards out, before a double save from Cuellar denied Leo Messi and Suarez with a double save.
Semedo looked to be suffering from a muscle injury and his loss is a problem for Barca as Sergi Roberto was also injured, while Gerard Pique picked up a fifth booking of the campaign, which means he will miss next weekend’s trip to Valencia through suspension.
Paulinho sealed the win with a late goal which he prodded from a close range following a goalmouth scramble.
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