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Luis Suarez marked the first anniversary of his debut for the Catalan club with a hat-trick against Eibar at the Camp Nou as Barcelona ran out 3-1 winners on Sunday night. Eibar had initially taken the lead as early as the 10th minute before Suarez levelled things to keep the teams level at the break. The Uruguayan striker then scored twice in the second half with Neymar assisting both goals.
Before the game, the Barcelona players had come out on the pitch wearing t-shirts in support of club legend Johan Cruyff. The 68-year-old Dutchman, who was addicted to smoking cigarettes but quit later when his health was in jeopardy, was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this week.
First Half: Eibar take early lead before Suarez restores parity
Barcelona had not kept a clean sheet in their last six games in La Liga and Eibar ensured that streak continued into a seventh game. In the 10th minute, Eibar carved open the Barcelona defence with a pass that saw Keko through on goal. Although goalkeeper Claudio Bravo blocked his shot, the Chilean goalkeeper could do nothing about the follow-up shot from Borja Baston.
But the Catalan club wasted no time in drawing level with Luis Suarez getting on the end of a cross from Sandro on the right. Sergio Busquets had found him with a lob over the defence and, although there was a question of offside, the flag stayed down and the Uruguayan striker finished from close range.
There were instances when Barcelona could have taken the lead towards the end of the first half. But Sandro’s volley from a Suarez went wide as did a Neymar free-kick. But Eibar did give the home side a scare when Keko rounded Bravo only to see his effort cleared. The teams went into the break with the scoreline reading 1-1.
Second Half: Suarez completes hat-trick as Mascherano is sent off
Two minutes into the second half, Suarez struck again. Just after Eibar missed out on an opportunity to take the lead, Neymar danced into the box and found Suarez with a well-timed pass after losing his marker. The Uruguayan needed just one touch to set himself up for a low shot to the near post and find the back of the net.
Eibar’s night took a turn for the worse when Simone Verdi had to come off with an injury after Ivan Rakitic fouled him in the 54th minute. The Croatian midfielder was even booked for the challenge. The Basque club seemed to want to punish Barcelona and even Gonzalo Escalante was booked for a foul on Neymar just four minutes later.
For all the fouls going their way, Neymar was unable to get his free kicks to talk as he failed yet again with another set-piece, this time hitting the wall. Escalante was flirting with danger when he clattered into Neymar at the edge of the box with the referee not giving into crowd pressure as they called for a second booking.
With Suarez looking for his hat-trick, he tried to lob the goalkeeper from long range but the shot was too high. Although some of his teammates were begging for a pass, Suarez only smiled as Eibar got a goal kick. Rakitic took over free-kick duties when Neymar was fouled in the 75th minute, but he too was unable to get a shot on target. Barcelona were getting closer to a third goal and Eibar goalkeeper Asier Riesgo was even forced into a clearance outside his box in the 79th minute.
Things turned worse when Javier Mascherano was sent off in the 83rd minute for saying something to the referee after a free-kick was awarded to Eibar. But just as Eibar looked like they were asking Luis Enrique’s side some questions, Suarez completed his hat-trick a minute later from another Neymar assist. Suarez chested the ball down from a lob and took a shot that beat goalkeeper Riesgo.
Although four minutes were added on, there was little Eibar could do to change the end result as Barcelona moved above Celta Vigo in the La Liga table. They are now tied with Real Madrid on 21 points after nine games.
