Barcelona resume title hunt as pitch invader crashes win at Mallorca

Barcelona's pursuit of a third La Liga crown on the spin resumed in fine fashion Saturday with a 4-0 victory at Mallorca.

Arturo Vidal needed just 65 seconds to give the visitors the advantage on a header. Martin Braithwaite's first goal for the club eight minutes prior to the interval gave Barcelona a commanding lead.

The last quarter-hour wasn't particularly kind to a Mallorca side that showed glimpses of an attacking threat in the opening stanza.

Jordi Alba cemented the result in the 79th minute, receiving a deft pass from Lionel Messi before beating Mallorca 'keeper Manolo Reina at the near post. Messi made it 4-0 in injury time when he unleashed a right-footed effort near the penalty spot for his 20th league goal of the campaign.

The Argentine talisman recovered from a thigh worry picked up in training during the hiatus to make Quique Setien's starting XI. Luis Suarez, meanwhile, made his first appearance since suffering a knee injury against Atletico Madrid on Jan. 14, coming off the bench in the 57th minute for Antoine Griezmann.

The match was staged behind closed doors, but that didn't stop an enterprising individual sporting a Messi Argentina shirt from invading the pitch minutes after the interval. He apparently intended to snap a selfie with Alba before being escorted out by security.

Barcelona now boast a provisional five-point lead atop the standings ahead of Real Madrid, who welcome Eibar to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

Spain's top flight returned from a three-month hiatus stemming from the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, with Sevilla scoring a 2-0 victory over local rivals Real Betis.