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First Division - Day 26

Barcelona 6 - Rayo Vallecano 1

Barcelona: Bravo; Dani Alves, Piqué, Mathieu, Jordi Alba (Adriano 69‘); Xavi, Mascherano (Rakitic 60‘), Iniesta (Rafinha 65’); Messi, Luis Suárez, Pedro. 4-3-3.
Rayo: Cristian Alvarez; Tito, Abdoulaye Ba, Amaya, Insúa; Jozabed (Quini 65‘), Trashorras; Licá (Xavier Aquino 69‘), Alberto Bueno, Kakuta; Leo Baptistao (Manucho 81‘). 4-2-3-1.

Goals:
1-0. 06. Luis Suárez. Ran on to Xavi pass and steered shot inside near post.
2-0. 49. Piqué. Turned ball into net after Jordi Alba header came back off post.
3-0. 56. Messi (penalty). After Tito pulled down Luis Suárez inside the area.
4-0. 63. Messi. Fired shot back into net after keeper saved from Luis Suárez.
5-0. 68. Messi. Picked up Alba centre and rounded Cristian Alvarez to score.
5-1. 81. Alberto Bueno (penalty). After Dani Alves brought down Bueno in area.
6-1. 91. Luis Suárez. Collected Messi pass and went round keeper to score.

Yellow cards: Tito 27’, 54’, Mascherano 29’, Trashorras 56’, Jordi Alba 57’, Xavier Aquino 84’, Adriano 90’ / red cards: Tito 54’, Dani Alves 80’.

Barcelona are back on top of the first division after thrashing Rayo Vallecano 6-1 on Sunday lunchtime! Luis Suárez opened the scoring early on after Xavi put him through, and the striker felt himself unlucky not to have a penalty when Ba brought him down soon afterwards. Trashorras curled a free kick just wide at the other end, but Messi went close with a clever flick, and four minutes after the restart Piqué got the second, following up after Jordi Alba’s header came off the post from a Xavi corner. After that Messi helped himself to a twelve minute hat-trick, the first with a twice-taken penalty after Tito was given a second booking for a foul on Suárez (Cristian Alvarez saving his first spot kick, but referee Gil Manzano ordering a retake). Seven minutes later Messi finished with an easy tap-in after the keeper pushed out a shot from Suárez, and soon afterwards he added the fifth, picking up Alba’s cross and nipping past two defenders and the keeper to score. Numbers were evened up with ten minutes to go when Dani Alves was also red carded for giving away another penalty on Alberto Bueno which Bueno himself converted, but Suárez completed the “set” in injury time after Messi put him through.