Big derby win, Barca shortens gap with Real

Barca defeated city rivals Espanyol 4-1 in the late match of round 16 of La Liga.

Goals: Suarez 18', 67', Alba 69', Messi 90' - David Lopez 79'

Suarez and Messi both played very well in the match on the evening of December 18 at the Nou Camp. The star wearing the number 9 shirt scored a double, while M10 had a hand in three of the four goals. Espanyol, a team that has caused trouble for Barca many times in previous confrontations, only managed to get a consolation goal thanks to a shot into the top corner by David Lopez.

Thanks to the win over Espanyol, Barca returned to second place in La Liga with 34 points. This result is only three points behind Real, who played one game less due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Suarez scored twice to lead Barca to victory. Photo: Reuters

For Barca fans, the first star to mention in the derby is Luis Suarez. On a day of high form, Suarez continuously had clever dribbling and finishing moves. A typical example was the one where he pressed the opposing defender and then finished to open the score in the 18th minute. In this move, the Espanyol defender was very close to him but still could not prevent the goal. Suarez was also the one who managed to score the rebound to increase the score to 2-0 after Messi's solo run, and at the same time, he was the author of the pass to his teammate wearing the number 10 shirt to seal the victory.

While Suarez impressed with his skillful handling of the center forward, Messi seemed to be returning to being a solo dribbler. In just three minutes from 67 to 69, M10 continuously made two breakthroughs past four opposing players. The author of these two moves could not finish successfully, but Suarez and Jordi Alba promptly scored for Barca.

After two breakthrough efforts to bring goals to his teammates, Messi was finally rewarded in the 90th minute. When receiving a high pass from Suarez, M10 only needed to lightly touch the ball to "thread the needle" of the opposing goalkeeper to seal the score.

Messi is also in good form.

Espanyol also created many chances but were not sharp enough to defeat Ter Stegen. The away team's fans had to wait until the 79th minute to have a chance to rejoice, when David Lopez finished with a one-touch shot from inside the box into the top corner.

After the derby, Barca only have one match left in 2016: against Hercules in the second leg of the King's Cup round of 32. After that, the team will have a Christmas and New Year break until January 8th when they will play again: away at Villarreal.

According to VNE