MADRID — Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid remain at the top of the Spanish league football championship Saturday.
Lionel Messi took just three minutes to score on his return from injury as Barcelona thrashed Deportivo la Coruna 4-0.
Yannick Carrasco’s hat trick and Nicolas Gaitan’s first two goals for Atletico inspired a storming fightback by Diego Simeone’s men to flatten Granada 7-1 after falling behind early on.
Real kept pace with its city rival with four first-half goals in a 6-1 win at Real Betis to snap a streak of four straight draws.
Barca was already 3-0 up thanks to Luis Suarez and a double from Rafinha when Messi was introduced after nearly a month out with a groin problem and wasted no time in scoring his ninth goal of the season.
Real had dropped down to fourth due to results earlier in the day, but roared back to a share of the lead and put a poor run behind them with their best display of the season to blow Betis away.
Raphael Varane headed home Toni Kroos’s free-kick before the German also teed up Karim Benzema to double the visitors’ advantage.
Marcelo’s mishit effort found the far corner for Real’s third, but there was no such luck needed for a stunning fourth as Madrid marched from one end of the field to the other in seconds before Isco rounded off a stunning team move.
Betis improved at the start of the second period and got their reward through Alvaro Cejudo’s consolation.
However, Madrid’s quality shone through once more when Isco curled expertly into the top corner before Cristiano Ronaldo got his name on the scoresheet 12 minutes from time.
Real still trails Atletico on goal difference as Los Rojiblancos went one better in smashing seven past Granada.
The Vicente Calderon was briefly stunned by Isaac Cuenca’s sensational volley from outside the area to open the scoring.
Carrasco turned the game around before half-time thanks in part to some poor goalkeeping from Guillermo Ochoa.
However, the Mexican was faultless as Carrasco completed his hat trick with a thumping finish from Griezmann’s fine cut-back on the hour mark.
Gaitan had only been on the pitch a minute before he added a fourth and then fired in his second nine minutes from time at Ochoa’s near post.
And Carrasco teed up two more for Angel Correa and Tiago in the final five minutes as Atletico made light of a dependence on Griezmann for goals so far this season.
Sevilla is just a point behind in third after ending a 17-month wait for an away league win in a 3-2 triumph at Leganes.
Franco Vazquez and Samir Nasri put Jorge Sampaoli’s men well on course to end that barren run before David Timor and Alexander Szymanowski brought Leganes level.
However, Pablo Sarabia proved the match winner off the bench when he curled a stunning winner into the top corner five minutes from time. — AFP
