Messi, Suarez edge Barca past nine-man Atletico

BARCELONA — Barcelona took control of the La Liga title race as goals from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez inspired a come from behind 2-1 win against nine-man Atletico Madrid Saturday. 
Koke handed the visitor a deserved early lead, but Barca turned the game, thanks to two goals in eight minutes before the break through Messi and Suarez. 
Atletico's hopes of salvaging a point were then ruined as Filipe Luis and Diego Godin were sent-off for rash challenges either side of half-time.
Victory takes Barca three points clear of Atletico at the top of the table — having also played a game less — and seven points clear of third-placed Real Madrid, which hosts Espanyol Sunday. 
The clash between La Liga's top two pitted Europe's most feared attack against its strongest defense, but it was Atletico which started on the front foot. 
Saul Niguez's dipping effort was brilliantly turned over by Claudio Bravo after just two minutes. 
However, another Niguez burst provided the opening goal eight minutes later when his cross from the right just evaded Antoine Griezmann and was slotted home at the far post by Koke. 
Atletico could even have had a more commanding lead as Augusto Fernandez flashed a shot inches wide with Barca struggling to get a foothold in the game. 
The European champion had been outplayed by Malaga and Athletic Bilbao in the first-half of its previous two games before reacting after the break, but it clicked into gear in the final 15 minutes of the first-half to turn the game on its head. 
Suarez fired a warning shot that Jan Oblak got down well to save at his near post. 
However, the Slovenian's 483-minute run without conceding was ended when Jordi Alba showed great composure to pull a low cross into Messi's path to smash home. 
Atletico was then caught uncharacteristically flat-footed as Dani Alves's long ball over the top picked out Suarez, who showed great strength to hold off compatriot Jose Maria Gimenez, before slotting between Oblak's legs. 
The game looked over as a contest a minute before the break when Luis was sent-off for high, studs-up, challenge on Messi inside the Barcelona half. 
Yet, despite its numerical disadvantage, Atletico still started the second period the better. 
Yannick Carrasco's lung-bursting run was snuffed out at the last hurdle by Gerard Pique. 
The Belgian then produced a fine cross for Griezmann, but his acrobatic effort from point-blank range was brilliantly saved by Bravo. 
Atletico's resistance was undone by its own stupidity again 25 minutes from time, though, as Godin lunged in on Suarez and was rightly shown a second yellow card. 
Barca then rubbed salt into the visitor’s wounds by introducing former Atletico midfielder Arda Turan for Ivan Rakitic and the Turkish international was inches away from his first goal since swapping the Spanish capital for the Camp Nou when his shot flew just wide of the far post. 
And a horrible day for Diego Simeone's men was rounded off when Fernandez had to be stretchered from the field with what looked like a serious knee injury 15 minutes from time. Dortmund gets past Ingolstadt Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck twice in the final 13 minutes to earn Borussia Dortmund a nerve-wracking 2-0 victory over visitor Ingolstadt Saturday and cut the gap on Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich to five points. 
The league's leading scorer Aubameyang thus took his league goal tally to 20 and lifted Dortmund to 44 points. Bayern, on 49, plays Hoffenheim Sunday. 
Javier Hernandez also struck twice as Bayer Levekusen climbed back to fourth after beating bottom-placed Hanover 96 3-0. 
Leverkusen is on 31 points, three behind third-placed Hertha Berlin, which squandered a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Werder Bremen. 
Schalke 04 bounced back from last week's loss to Werder to ease past Darmstadt 98 2-0. The Ruhr valley club is in fifth place on 30 points. — AFP