- Lionel Messi got a brace as Barcelona made it seven wins out of seven in the La Liga
- Busquets opened the scoring for the Spanish giants in the 49th minute. The goal was his first goal for the Spanish giants since 2014
- The game was played behind closed doors due to the protests surrounding Catalonia's independence referendum
Barcelona maintained their 100% start in the Spanish La Liga after an emphatic 3-0 victory over Las Palmas on Sunday, October 1, thanks to goals from Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi (2).
The game was played behind closed doors after hours of uncertainty if it will take place due to the protests surrounding Catalonia's independence referendum.
Barcelona released a statement shortly before kick-off asking for the game to be called off but it was rejected by the Professional Football League.
According to reports, Barcelona would have faced a six-point deduction in La Liga and be charged with a fine if the game was postponed, hence forcing them to play behind closed doors to avoid any sanctions.
After a goalless first half, Barcelona finally found the breakthrough in the 49th minute after Busquets got his head to an in-swinging corner-kick from Lionel Messi.
Busquets celebrates his goal. Photo: Reuters
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That was his first goal for the Spanish giants since 2014 but unfortunately he had no-one to celebrate in front of aside his teammates and opponent.
Lionel Messi soon after turned a goal scorer after getting an assist as he doubled the lead for Barcelona in the 70th minute.
Denis Suarez played Messi onside and into a one-on-one situation with Las Palmas goalkeeper Chichizola. In traditional style, the Argentine danced past the goalkeeper before slotting home.
Messi got his second goal of the game in the 76th minute after an incredible build-up play from Rakitic.
The Croatian passed short to Luiz Suarez who then played the ball first time for Messi whose run met the ball in perfect timing and slotted it past Chichizola.
The goal was Messi' 11th goal of the season and it was a beauty.
Messi celebrates his first goal. Photo: Reuters
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The game ended 3-0 in favour of Barcelona as they now sit top of the La Liga with 21 points from seven games.
There was also time for a little drama as a fan somehow managed to find his way into the pitch. But after invading the pitch he is quickly taken away by security.
But despite the joy on the field of play, there is still tension as Catalonia’s referendum on independence have heightened as they are voting to secede from Spain.
Riots have broken out in Barcelona as the police have tried to intervene with the protesters while the citizens cast their votes in defiance of the Spanish government.
The Spanish government does not recognize the vote, but thousands went on to vote on the referendum as many Barcelona footballers have pledged their support for the referendum.
Meanwhile, watch this video of the National stadium in Surulere as Nigeria celebrates her 57 years of independence
Source: Sports.naij.com