Barca maintain perfect start
LA LIGA Two own goals and Suarez’s strike helps them beat Girona and keep winning streak going
GIRONA: Barcelona were helped by two own goals from Girona as they eased to a 3-0 win and kept their perfect record in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Barcelona increased their lead of the league to four points after Atletico Madrid beat Sevilla 2-0 to leapfrog the Andalucian club into second place.
Barcelona went ahead at Montilivi Stadium when Girona defender Aday Benitez deflected Jordi Alba’s off-target shot back into his net.
Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and Aleix Vidal did more to help provoke a second goal three minutes after halftime, when Suarez deftly let Vidal’s dangerous short pass go through his legs, where it hit surprised goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz and went into the net.
Suarez capped Barcelona’s sixth victory in as many league matches — to go with a victory over Juventus in the Champions League — when he was left all alone to take Sergi Roberto’s lobbed pass and beat Iraizoz.
It was a second goal in six matches for Suarez, who missed two matches because of a right knee injury.
The decision by Girona coach Pablo Machin to man-mark Lionel Messi with Pablo Maffeo succeeded in preventing the Barcelona star from adding to his best ever start to a Liga. Messi scored nine goals in the first five rounds.
“Messi worked for the team,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “I like the team spirit we are showing. We are mentally focused to get to work.”
Girona, who are playing for the first season in the top flight, are in 15th place with just one win. Barcelona visit Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Barcelona defender Jordi Alba credited new boss Valverde with masterminding the team’s perfect start to La Liga.
“The coach is managing the squad to perfection, we are all getting a chance to play,” Alba told Movistar. “We are responding to his methods and, while there is a lot of football to be played, I feel as though everyone has a positive feeling.” a comfortable 3-0 victory over Girona with a clinical finish to reach a remarkable tally of 86 goals in his century of league games.
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the more impressive given that it took Suarez almost two months to break his duck in Catalonia and that his form has been erratic this season. Before Saturday, he had just one league goal to his name and he sat out Tuesday's 6-1 thrashing of Eibar. Suarez has been a mainstay in the Barca frontline since moving to Spain from Liverpool in 2014.
he has also laid on 51 goals in the league for team-mates with his 100 games comprising 77 wins, 11 draws and 12 losses.
for goals. They can be low on confidence at times but they score and everything changes,” coach Ernesto Valverde said of Suarez.
all their six league games this season and are only two wins away from equalling their best start to a season which was achieved in 2013-14. Malaga 3 Getafe 4 Espanyol 4 Barcelona Atletico Sevilla
Valencia 6 6 6 6 5 Aday 17-og Iraizoz 48-og Suárez 69 Bilbao 3 Villarreal 0 Deportivo 1 6 0 0 18 18 420 8 14 4 1 1 4 13 32 1 5 11 230 6 9
Real Madrid