Suarez piles on Real’s pain

BARCELONA’S Luis Suarez destroyed Real Madrid with a hat-trick in a 5-1 win at the Nou Camp that surely rubber-stamps Julen Lopetegui’s imminent sacking.

Everybody wondered who would light up the first clasico without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for 11 years. Suarez took care of business, with former Liverpool team-mate Philippe Coutinho and Arturo Vidal also in the goals.

‘It’s better to have the best player in the world on the pitch but we should be very proud that we achieved this without him there,’ said Suarez of Messi after the win.

He lifted his Barcelona jersey to reveal a ‘Welcome Lautaro’ message dedicated to his third child, born this week, after he scored his first goal.

He ran to the side of the pitch to high-five his two elder children after he netted his second. And they joined him on the pitch for a picture with the match ball at the end of the game. ‘It was nice to have my children sharing it with me,’ he said.

Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro defended Lopetegui, saying: ‘It’s not the coach. We are all playing badly.’ The club are unlikely to see it that way.

Madrid were physically, tactically and mentally second best for most of the game. Jordi Alba set up Coutinho for the first after 11 minutes.

Suarez scored a VAR-awarded penalty for the second before the break. Marcelo pulled a goal back in the second half but Suarez netted twice more before substitute Vidal got the fifth.