Madrid, Paris: Lionel Messi was away attending the birth of his son but Barcelona still had more than enough to beat 10-man Malaga 2-0 on Saturday and move 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.
Messi was watching the game on a television in hospital as Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho put his team two up inside half an hour at La Rosaleda Stadium, before Samuel Garcia was sent off in the 30th minute for a dangerous tackle on Jordi Alba.
Down a man and without a win in 12 matches, Malaga might have feared a rout but Barca settled for a straightforward victory, perhaps with one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 clash against Chelsea.
Messi is expected back at the Camp Nou, where the score is 1-1 from the first leg, but Ernesto Valverde will have been delighted with how his attackers filled the void, as Suarez, Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele all delivered excellent displays.
In particular, Dembele’s brilliant turn and pass was bettered only by Coutinho’s flicked finish for what was a superb second goal.
The win means Barca extend their advantage over second-placed Atletico Madrid, who can pull the deficit back to eight points with a win over Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Malaga, meanwhile, remain rooted to the bottom of the table.
Earlier on Saturday, Zinedine Zidane labelled Cristiano Ronaldo as “from another galaxy” after the striker’s double dragged Real Madrid to a 2-1 win over Eibar.
Ronaldo headed in an 84th-minute winner at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium, having earlier put Real in front with an emphatic near-post finish. Eibar’s Ivan Ramis had equalised in between to give the home side hope.
But Ronaldo’s two goals mean he has now scored in seven consecutive games and boasts a remarkable 13 goals overall in that period.
The 33-year-old’s tally for club and country this season stands at 35 goals in 37 appearances.
“For me he’s from another galaxy,” Real coach Zidane said. “He knows that he will score. He is a different, special player. The statistics speak for themselves.”
Real move four points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid, while Eibar stay eighth.
In Paris, Paris Saint-Germain brushed aside bottom club Metz 5-0 in Ligue 1 to ease some of the pain of their Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid in midweek.
Twenty-year-old Christopher Nkunku scored twice for PSG at the Parc des Princes, with Thomas Meunier, Kylian Mbappe and Thiago Silva also on target.
The result restores PSG’s 14-point lead over reigning champions Monaco at the top of the table with just nine games left, keeping them on course to reclaim the title.
A clean sweep of the domestic trophies for the third time in four seasons is on the cards, although that will not completely make up for the disappointment of another underwhelming campaign in the Champions League.
Tuesday’s 2-1 home defeat against Madrid condemned them to a second consecutive exit from that competition in the last 16 and effectively ended any prospect of Spanish coach Unai Emery still being in charge next season.
Elsewhere, at least a hundred angry Lille supporters invaded the pitch at their Stade Pierre-Mauroy after their struggling side drew 1-1 at home to Montpellier.
