IN SPORT.ES
Barcelona beat Las Palmas 3-0 to make it nine wins in a row in all competitions in a game which was played behind doors at Camp Nou.
The decision was taken to go ahead with the game despite the political situation in Catalonia surrounding Sunday’s independence referendum.
President Josep Maria Bartomeu said there were no security concerns, but that the game was played without fans in protest to the events in the region, which had seen Spanish police shut down polling stations.
On the pitch, though, Barca were able to focus on their football as they recorded their seventh successive win in La Liga.
It took a while for the first goal to come, with Sergio Busquets getting it, but once it did two more followed from the boots of Lionel Messi, who now has 11 league goals in seven games.
Messi came close with a free kick in the first half while Calleri handed Barca a scare when he hit the post.
The opening goal eventually came in the second half, when Busquets headed home a Messi corner in front of an empty Camp Nou.
Denis Suarez’s brilliant pass freed Messi to make it 2-0, before the Argentine added his second and Barca’s third following a brilliant team move.
There was bad news in the form of an injury to Andres Iniesta, but that will be the least of Barcelona and Catalonia’s concerns in the coming days.