Perennial rivals
Barcelona, Madrid win in day marked by Catalonia protests
MADRID — In a day marked by demonstrations over Catalonia's disputed independence vote, Barcelona won its seventh game in a row and Real Madrid earned its first victory at home in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Barcelona defeated Las Palmas 3-0 to stay perfect with two goals by Lionel Messi and one by Sergio Busquets in a game played in an empty Camp Nou Stadium to protest the Spanish government's attempt to halt Catalonia's referendum.
Real Madrid beat Catalan club Espanyol 2-0 with a pair of goals by Isco in a match in which Madrid fans displayed cards with the Spanish flag colors.
The cards were raised in the 12th minute in a reference to the supporters being the club's 12th player.
Some of the few Espanyol fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium held up the colors of the Catalan flag, although coach Quique Sanchez Flores did not want to get involved.
"I'm not going to mix sports and politics," he said. "I'm not going to be part of this spectacle."
Las Palmas added a Spanish flag to the shirts that the players wore against Barcelona to show its support for a unified Spain.
By day's end, Catalonia's health services said 844 people had been treated in hospitals for injuries, including two in serious condition, as Spanish authorities tried to stop the independence vote that the central government said was unconstitutional. Thirty-three police were also injured.
Barcelona, which openly backed the referendum, wanted to postpone the game but its request was denied by the Spanish league. It decided to play to avoid losing points, but kept the stadium empty "to show the entire world that we were not pleased with what happened (in Catalonia)," club president Josep Bartomeu said.
Barcelona maintained a five-point lead over second-place Sevilla, which on Saturday defeated Malaga 2-0 at home. AP