MADRID: Barcelona’s Luis Suarez scored twice and Lionel Messi was also on target as they thrashed Las Palmas 5-0 with a ruthless second-half display at the Nou Camp on Saturday to provisionally go second and move to within two points of La Liga leaders Real Madrid.
Real remain very much in pole position, though, with two games in hand, the first of which was at third-placed Sevilla on Sunday.
Uruguay international Suarez scored his 101st Barca goal by stroking in Andre Gomes’ cutback in the 15th minute as the Portuguese midfielder got his first assist since his 35 million euro ($37.24 million) move from Valencia last summer.
Messi scored for the seventh straight competitive game by pouncing on a loose ball in the 52nd after Rafinha’s shot was parried by goalkeeper Javi Varas, while Suarez curled in a pass by Rafinha for his second and Barca’s third in the 57th.
Suarez spurned the chance to seal a hat-trick a minute later but Arda Turan pounced after Varas saved again to score the fourth, while out-of-favour right back Aleix Vidal netted his first goal for the club in the 80th minute.
Victory eased a growing sense of unease around the Camp Nou this week with divisions between the squad and the club’s board over ongoing talks to extend Messi’s contract beyond 2018.
Suarez criticised Barca CEO’s Oscar Grau’s claims that the club must show financial “common sense” in negotiating the Argentine’s new deal, that looks set to make him the world’s highest paid player.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Pere Gratacos was sacked from his role as Barca’s director of institutional relations with the Spanish football federation for claiming Messi “wouldn’t be as good” without the help of his star team-mates.
“Renewing Messi’s contract is indispensable to our club,” Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu told Catalan TV station TV3 “I always say to Barca fans to be calm. I am personally handling Leo’s renewal.
“I have spoken a bit with his team. We will speak when there is news to give. For now things simply have to run their course.”
Atletico Madrid are fourth on 34 points, four behind Barca in fourth, after beating Real Betis 1-0 in a poor game at the Vicente Calderon.
Argentine international Nico Gaitan got the only goal after just eight minutes as he stretched to turn home Sime Vrsaljko’s deflected cross at the back post.
Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2017
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