La Liga finally kicked off in Spain again on Thursday evening after 93 days since matches were suspended on 12 March. Each of the top league’s 20 clubs will play their final 11 games behind closed doors. There will be matches played nearly every day for the next 39 days – concluding on Sunday 19 July.
Lionel Messi returned with a goal and two assists as Barça resumed their La Liga title challenge on Saturday with a 4-0 victory away to Mallorca.
Barça burst into the lead after just 64 seconds when Arturo Vidal headed in – and then Martin Braithwaite struck a second from a Messi headed assist.
Jordi Alba latched onto a Messi pass to add a third but not before play was briefly stopped by a pitch invader, despite the match being closed to fans. Messi then scored a fourth in injury time for his 25th goal of the season.
Messi is crucial to Barça’s hopes of holding off Madrid but their captain, who turns 33 this month, may have to pace himself, especially after an injury-interrupted season.
‘I’m happy because starting like this is an enormous boost for what’s to come,’ said Barcelona coach Quique Setien after the match.
The first match back on Thursday saw Sevilla beat Real Betis 2-0.
Mallorca’s defeat, combined with losses for Leganes and Celta Vigo, made it the perfect day for Espanyol, who made up ground on their relegation rivals by beating Alaves.
Chinese striker Wu Lei, who tested positive for Coronavirus in March, scored on his first game back to seal a 2-0 victory and put Espanyol within three points of safety.
They are now level on points with Leganes, who lost 2-1 at home to Real Valladolid, and three behind Celta, who conceded in the 91st minute for a 1-0 defeat by Villarreal.
On Sunday, Real Madrid beat Eibar 3-1 to maintain their pressure at the top of La Liga.
La Liga results: Matchday 28 (of 38) played between 11-14 June
Played on Thursday 11 June
Sevilla 2 Real Betis 0
Played on Friday 12 June
Granada 2 Getafe 1
Valencia 1 Levante 1
Played on Saturday 13 June
Espanyol 2 Alaves 0
Celta Vigo 0 Villarreal 1
Leganes 1 Valladolid 2
Mallorca 0 Barcelona 4
Played on Sunday 14 June
Athletic Bilbao 1 Atletico Madrid 1
Real Madrid 3 Eibar 1
Real Sociedad 1 Osasuna 1
La Liga Table – Monday 15 June
(Played, Won, Drawn, Lost, Goals For/Against, Points)
Barcelona 28 19 4 5 67 31 61
Real Madrid 28 17 8 3 52 20 59
Sevilla 28 14 8 6 41 29 50
Real Sociedad 28 14 5 9 46 34 47
Getafe 28 13 7 8 38 27 46
Atletico Madrid 28 11 13 4 32 22 46
Valencia 28 11 10 7 39 40 43
Villarreal 28 12 5 11 45 38 41
Granada 28 12 5 11 35 33 41
Athletic Bilbao 28 9 11 8 30 24 38
Osasuna 28 8 11 9 35 39 35
Levante 28 10 4 14 33 41 34
Real Betis 28 8 9 11 38 45 33
Valladolid 28 7 11 10 25 34 32
Alaves 28 8 8 12 29 39 32
Eibar 28 7 6 15 28 44 27
Celta Vigo 28 5 11 12 22 35 26
Mallorca 28 7 4 17 28 48 25
Leganes 28 5 8 15 22 41 23
Espanyol 28 5 8 15 25 46 23
