Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga after winning a testing away clash against Osasuna 3-1 last night thanks to goals from talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, midfielder Isco and substitute Lucas Vazquez.
Osasuna striker Sergio Leon cancelled out Ronaldo’s 24th-minute opener in the 33rd after defender Tano had been carried off with a sickening double leg break.
Isco restored Real’s lead in the 62nd and Zinedine Zidane’s side added a third through Vazquez with the last kick of the game.
Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas needed to produce a string of quality saves to preserve their advantage before Vazquez sealed only a second league win in seven visits to the perennial La Liga strugglers.
Real top the standings on 49 points, leapfrogging Barcelona on 48 after the champions thrashed Alaves 6-0 earlier yesterday.
Zidane’s side have two games in hand on their arch rivals as they bid to win the title for the first time since 2012.
Barcelona sent a stern warning to their La Liga rivals after Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi scored in a 6-0 rout of Alaves yesterday although the win was overshadowed by a serious injury to Aleix Vidal.
Suarez turned in a cross from Vidal in the 37th minute to give Barca the lead over the Basques, who they will meet in the King’s Cup final, and Neymar pounced on an error from goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco in the 40th minute.
Messi hit the ball under a hapless Pacheco for the third in the 59th minute to complete a full house for the ‘MSN’ trident, while an own goal by Alexis Ruano, a thumping strike from Ivan Rakitic and a volley by Suarez completed the rout.
The Uruguayan, who was sent off at the end of Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid which sealed Barcelona’s place in the King’s Cup final, moved one goal ahead of Messi at the top of the league’s scoring charts with 18 strikes.
A brilliant outing for Luis Enrique’s side turned sour, however.
Vidal was left writhing in pain from a harrowing ankle injury sustained in a challenge from Theo Hernandez with five minutes remaining.
Hernandez had given Barca an early scare when he hurtled from his own half towards goal but was thwarted by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Although quick-fire strikes from Suarez and Neymar set Barcelona on their way to a comfortable victory.
“I leave here feeling good from a footballing perspective, for our performance and the result, but frustrated by Aleix’s injury and what it means for him,” Barce-lona coach Luis Enrique told reporters.
“Seeing one of your team mates suffer a serious injury is ugly for everyone.
“We have to try and support him. We have to wait and see but it looks to be very serious.”