Suarez hat-trick extends Barca’s La Liga lead

Luis Suarez hit a hat-trick and Philippe Coutinho scored a brilliant first league goal for Barcelona as the La Liga leaders thrashed Girona 6-1 to open up a 10-point lead at the top of the table.

Lionel Messi continued his return to goalscoring form with a double to reach 30 in all competitions for the season, as Barca extended their advantage over closest title rivals Atletico Madrid, who visit Sevilla on Sunday.

Real Madrid remain off the pace in third, despite a comfortable 4-0 victory over Alaves that saw Cristiano Ronaldo net a double and Gareth Bale back on the scoresheet.

It was the perfect outing for Barcelona after ninthplaced Girona had taken a shock early lead on their firstever visit to the Camp Nou, as Coutinho, Suarez, Messi and Ousmane Dembele shone on their first start together. Portu took advantage of hesitation from Barca centre-back Samuel Umtiti to round goalkeeper Marc-andre ter Stegen and slot into an empty net to put Girona ahead in La Liga’s newest Catalan derby.

The hosts took less than two minutes to get back on level terms, though, as Messi collected the ball in midfield before sending Suarez through to score.

Messi’s wizardry put Ernesto Valverde’s side in front on the half-hour mark, after Suarez touched down a long pass from Andres Iniesta for the Argentinian.

It looked as though the chance had gone when Messi was forced wide, but the league’s top scorer showed trademark footwork to jink past several defenders before slotting into the bottom corner.

The five-time Ballon d’or winner was running the show, and he doubled the advantage just seven minutes later with a low free-kick under the wall.

“It always seems that he has done everything and then suddenly, he surprises us again, as with his free kick. It sounds easy but it is not,” said Barca coach Ernesto Valverde.

Having gone five games without a goal before his crucial equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the Champions League in midweek, Messi has scored three in two games.

Barcelona’s fourth goal came on the stroke of half-time with Girona’s defenders left begging for the interval after Messi’s perfectly-weighted pass found Coutinho to square for Suarez to tap in.

The Catalan giants eased offin the second half.

Winter Olympics legend Marit Bjoergen lifted Norway top of the final Pyeongchang medals table on Sunday, as Russia celebrated a dramatic men’s hockey gold -- but also saw their flag barred from the closing ceremony over doping.

Bjoergen, 37, won her second gold and fifth medal at Pyeongchang in the women’s 30km cross country mass start, extending her record Winter Olympics career tally to 15.

It was a fitting finale as it handed Norway their 14th gold to overtake Germany in the final medal count, after the German team won the four-man bobsleigh earlier on Sunday.

Germany also finish on 14 golds, but Norway take top spot with their record 39 medals overall to Germany’s 31. Canada are third with 11 golds, while hosts South Korea are seventh.

Norway’s celebrations capped a dramatic final day of competition that saw the Olympics Athletes from Russia beat Germany 4-3 in a sudden-death, overtime hockey thriller.

Kirill Kaprizov scored a thumping power-play goal 9:40 into the extra period to trigger wild celebrations and end a 26-year wait for the title to return to Russian hands.afp