Barcelona 4-0 win at Mallorca features Lionel Messi and pitch invader

Lionel Messi scored one and set up two more goals as Barcelona picked up where it left off before a three-month stopp for pandemic, beating Mallorca 4-0 to extend its Spanish league lead on Saturday.

Messi was as quick and dominant as ever despite t having played a match since early March. He showed signs of being slowed down by right leg muscle pain he suffered last week that put his return in doubt. He darted past defenders with ease.

Messi and or starters behaved and played as rmal on pitch, hugging after first-half goals by Arturo Vidal and Martin Braithwaite and t maintaining social-distance recommendations during cooling breaks.

game was played without spectators as part of league's health protocols to limit contagion risks, but that did t stop one man from invading pitch briefly in second half.

Messi dded on a ball for Braithwaite to get his first goal since joining Barcelona midseason to double second-minute opener by Vidal. Argentine forward assisted Jordi Alba before he scored on his own in stopp time.

Once Messi probed Mallorca for its weaknesses, he began taking opponents on. Messi dribbled past four defenders in one run down middle of pitch in search of ar goal, before halftime gave hosts a brear.

Spanish league became third major European league to resume when Sevilla beat Real Betis on Thursday. Germany started last month. Italy resumed cup action on Friday. England gets underway next week. France went or route and declared Ligue 1 over.

Barcelona increased its lead to five points before nearest challenger Real Madrid hosts Eibar on Sunday. After this round re will be 10 matches left in an accelerated finish to season.

Vidal put Barcelona in charge before Mallorca had even touched ball in match at San Moix Stadium. Alba found Vidal to head home his cross after muscling past his marker.

Braithwaite doubled lead in 37th when Messi kcked a ball into his path.

Messi went close to setting up Braithwaite again in 59th. A minute later Messi crossed for defender Ronald Araújo to hit post in his first start for club.

Messi passed for Alba with a perfect on-touch lob to meet his left back’s run and leave him all alone to beat goalie Malo Reina in 79th.

Luis Suárez, who benefited from long league stopp to recover from right knee surgery, was with rest of Barcelona’s reserve players, wearing face masks and sitting in stands with several empty seats separating m. Uruguay striker went on as one of five allowed substitutes.

Suárez laid off for Messi to speed around two defenders and fire in his right-footed shot into top corner to complete commanding victory.

In an attempt to recreate atmosphere of matches, international television viewers were shown a feed of match with digital “fans” superimposed on vacant stands and recorded cheers similar to those used in video games played over auntic audio track. Spanish television audiences can choose to watch direct feed or one with visual and sound effects.

sound effects include cheers when a team recovered a ball or had a promising attack. But y also included cheers for goals scored by visiting team.

Im credits: Twitter