Real hit a six, Barca win 7-1

Real Madrid crushed Deportivo la Coruna 6-2 in the La Liga on Wednesday.

Madrid and Barcelona are locked on 78 points at the top of the table, but Real have a game in hand over their title rivals.

Barca remain top thanks to their better head-to-head record as Lionel Messi struck twice to relegate Osasuna in a 7-1 thrashing. Zinedine Zidane made nine changes in all from the side that lost 3-2 to Barca on Sunday to reignite the title race.

Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and the injured Gareth Bale were left out the Madrid squad.

Alvaro Morata smashed home at the near post to give the visitors the perfect start after less than a minute. James Rodriguez then added a second.

Real’s defence was breached when Florin Andone turned home Gael Kakuta’s mishit shot 10 minutes before half-time. Vazquez, though, restored Real’s two-goal lead before half-time. Morata unselfishly teed up Rodriguez for his second goal before Isco sealed a stunning individual display by smashing home 13 minutes from time. Joselu got another goal back for Deportivo but fittingly Real had the final say with Casemiro’s piledriver.

At the Camp Nou, Barca fans paid homage to Messi’s brilliance against Real in scoring the winner in Sunday’s El Clasico.

Messi responded by opening the scoring as he pounced on an error in the Osasuna defence to lift the ball over the advancing Salvatore Sirigu. Andre Gomes then drilled home Ivan Rakitic’s cross to make it 2-0 .

Roberto Torres’s free-kick briefly brought Osasuna back three minutes into the second half. Barca, though, devastated them with a four-goal burst in 10 devastating minutes.

First, Gomes slotted home his second of the night. Messi then curled in his 49th goal this season from the edge of the area. Paco Alcacer also grabbed a double for Barca’s fifth and seventh.

And in between, Javier Mascherano bagged his first goal in 319 Barca appearances by blasting home from the penalty spot.