- Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick while Lionel Messi grabbed a brace as Barcelona defeat Girona 6-1 at Camp Nou
- The Catalans came from a goal down after Portu gave the away team a surprise lead
- Coutinho scored a stunner and also got an assist in the game
Lionel Messi's brace and Luis Suarez's hat-trick inspired Barcelona to a 6-1 comeback victory against Girona on Saturday, February 24, at Camp Nou.
Coming off the back of a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League round of 16 first leg clash, Barcelona were hoping to keep their season long unbeaten run alive when they hosted Girona in the Catalan derby.
However, the host were stunned as early as in the third minute when Girona took the lead through Portu. The 25-year-old Spaniard capitalized on poor defending from Umtiti before burying the ball from a tight angle.
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But the lead could only last for two minutes as Barcelona got back on level terms in the fifth minutes through Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan received a well timed pass from Lionel Messi before slotting his effort past Girona goalkeeper Bono.
The duo of Messi and Suarez combined again in the 30th minute to give Barcelona the lead. This time, Suarez was the provider as he knocked a pass back to Messi who fired home through the hands of Bono.
Six minutes later, Messi got his brace as he placed a delightful free-kick underneath the Girona wall after the line jump up in unison. There was still more time for one more goal in the first half as Suarez got his double in the 44th minute. Coutinho cuts the ball back for the 31-year-old from a counter, and the Uruguayan taps into an empty net from close range.
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At the start of the second half, Barcelona picked up from where they stopped and it was just only a matter of time before they registered another goal which came in the 66th minute thanks to Coutinho's stunner.
The former Liverpool man who assisted Suarez's second got his name on the score sheet as he drilled an effort into the bottom corner with a rasping strike. Ten minutes later, Suarez had his hat-trick and it is another simple finish for the forward.
The 31-year-old scored from close range after latching on to Dembele's pinpoint cross from the right flank. The game ended 6-1 as Ernesto Valverde's men moved to 65 points on the log - 10 points better than Atletico Madrid who are second but have a game in hand.
Barcelona are also a huge 11 points ahead of bitter rivals Real Madrid.
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Source: Sports.naija.ng