Suarez nets hat trick as Barcelona thrash Athletic Bilbao
It's hard enough to keep up with Barcelona with eleven men. Athletic Bilbao spent 87 minutes with ten Sunday night in the Camp Nou and never had a chance to slow down the Catalan express.
Luis Suarez scored a hat trick after he won the penalty which changed the game, while Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Ivan Rakitic added the others in a 6-0 rout that was never in doubt after an early sending off. Atletico Madrid remain top of the table after another weekend when all three title challengers won. Barcelona is two points back, but has a game in hand against lowly Sporting Gijon, while Real Madrid remain four off the pace of the leaders.
The red card drama came before the crowd really time to settle, Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz dismissed for bringing down Suarez on Barcelona's first attack of the night. It was a decision which not only cost the visitors their keeper but also one of their most creative midfielders, Iker Muniain, who was pulled when replacement keeper Iago Herrerin took his place between the posts.
It was also a decision by referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz that some of the Bilbao faithful might question, not because there was any doubt that Iraizoz took out Suarez, but because replays suggested that Suarez may have bundled defender Xavier Ebxeita aside before churning into the box and being fouled by the keeper. The referee didn't see it that way, flashed the red card and the die was cast.
Messi made no mistake with his penalty, driving it to the low right corner, and Barcelona never looked back. The Balon d'Or winner was not as sharp as always, missing two chances that he might normally take, so it was left for Neymar to give the fans a second goal to cheer before the break. It was a special one, too, a chip finish over the advancing Herrerin after Messi's back heel had sprung Suarez. The Uruguayan saw Neymar open on the left and made his 31st minute pass ideal.
The game was probably finished as a contest by halftime, but if it wasn't Suarez' goal a minute after the restart put it beyond doubt. A brilliant touch pass by Neymar opened the door for Suarez to register a precise finish. A minute after Athletic's Javier Eraso should have scored, Neymar created Barcelona's fourth for Rakitic after he drew four defenders to him before laying off the pass in the 62nd minute. Suarez then got his second in the 69th minute, chesting down a cross before tapping it into the far corner, and his third with eight minutes to go when he headed a cross.
Luis Enrique took off Messi at the interval -- there was no report of any injury -- with Arda Turan coming on for the second 45 minutes. Jordi Alba appeared to pick up a late injury as he limped off after 67 minutes. It was the first of three meetings in 10 days since the sides are drawn together in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey which begin Wednesday with the first leg in Bilbao.
