FC Barcelona's Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring during a Spanish LaLiga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid on Sunda...
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By Alex Butler, UPI
Barcelona strike Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick to lead his squad to a win against Real Madrid in El Clasico on Sunday at Camp Nou in Barcelona.
Suarez netted scores in the 30th, 75th and 83rd minutes in the 5-1 triumph.
But it was Philippe Coutinho who netted the first goal of the La Liga bout. The Brazilian striker coasted into the box before being picked out by Jordi Alba for a pass. The ball fell into Coutinho, who smashed in a left-footed shot at the near post in the 11th minute.
Then Suarez got going. The Uruguayan superstar netted his first goal with a penalty kick in the 30th minute. The score stayed 2-0 through the halftime whistle before Marcelo added a score for Real Madrid in the 50th minute, cutting the Barcelona advantage in half.
Suarez got his second goal in the 83rd minute. That score came after Sergi Roberto dribbled into the Real Madrid box. Roberto eventually chipped a pass to Suarez, who flicked a header into the left side of the goal.
Ousmane Dembele assisted Suarez's final tally in the 87th minute. Dembele sent a pass to Suarez on the right flank on that play. Suarez finished off the breakaway by chipping Real Madrid goalie Thibaut Courtois.
"On a general level we played a great game," Suarez told reporters. "We knew that they would create more problems in the second half but we defended well as a team."
"It has been an unforgettable night on a personal level but the most important that aside from the goals is that the team won."
Barcelona faces Cultural Leonesa at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Leon, Spain. Real Madrid plays Melilla at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Melilla, Spain.
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