La Liga leaders Barcelona beat Espanyol 3-1 in the Catalan derby on Sunday thanks to a first-half double from Dani Olmo and a goal from Raphinha.
The victory moved Barcelona nine points clear of Real Madrid, who did not play away at Valencia this weekend after their match was postponed due to the devastating floods in the region. Espanyol are 17th, a point above the relegation zone.
Barcelona dominated possession from the outset and Olmo was busy in the first half, scoring two sublime goals after finding space in and around the box, while Raphinha also scored to give the hosts a 3-0 lead at the break.
After VAR disallowed two Espanyol goals for offside, they finally beat the offside trap when Javi Puado scored to deny Barcelona another clean sheet but the home side took the three points and claimed bragging rights once again.
Before the match started, Barcelona and Espanyol players and spectators observed a minute's silence in tribute to the victims of the floods.
Manager Diego Simeone’s son Giuliano netted his first La Liga goal for Atletico Madrid and Alexander Sorloth also scored to secure a 2-0 win over Las Palmas.
Atletico, third in the table with 23 points from 12 matches, have played one match less than Real Madrid.
“I want to mention everything that’s going on in Valencia. For the victims, I send all my strength and support,” Giuliano Simeone said.
On Saturday, after scoring Osasuna’s winning goal, Ante Budimir showed fans a jersey with the words “Be strong Valencia.”
He and teammates dedicated Osasuna’s 1-0 win over Valladolid to the victims and especially to Osasuna coach Vicente Moreno, who is from the area and a day earlier gave an emotionalinterview. Moreno is from Massanassa, one of the cities affected the most by the floods.
Reuters, AP/PTI
