Barcelona overcame the absence of Lionel Messi to win 2-0 at basement club Málaga, goals from Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho sending them 11 points clear at the top of La Liga while Real Madrid left it late to win 2-1 at Eibar. Messi missed a league game for the first time this season so he could attend the birth of his third son Ciro. Barcelona are still unbeaten in the league and lead the table with 72 points, 11 clear of Atlético Madrid who host Celta Vigo on Sunday. Real Madrid are third on 57 after seeing off dogged Eibar with two strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo. “This victory makes me feel very good, because they were the better side for a while, they played very well,” said the Real Madrid coach.

Source: The Guardian March 10, 2018 14:34 UTC