La Liga 2017/18: Barcelona 3-0 Las Palmas, 5 talking points
After several back and forths over whether the match would be played or not, Barcelona eventually welcomed Las Palmas to an empty Nou Camp. It may have been a strange build-up to the game but the result was nothing more than routine. Another Lionel Messi brace helped the hosts to a comfortable 3-0 win.
The win means Barcelona maintain their 100% record this domestic season, leaving them 5 points clear at the top. For Las Palmas, the defeat leaves them routed in 17th place, just above the relegation zone.
Here are 5 talking points from Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Las Palmas.
#5 Played behind closed doors
In case you didn’t know, Spain is in the midst of political turmoil right now. Catalonia, the state Barcelona resides in, are currently vying for their independence. The region wants to become a separate entity from the rest of Spain and the vote for that independence was held today. However, the Spanish government have deemed the referendum as illegal and tensions have risen in the past month.
Those tensions have now reached boiling point as thousands of Catalonians who came out to vote this morning were sprayed with rubber bullets, leaving 37 injured. As a result of the violence, the match was almost abandoned, but Barcelona decided to play the match after finding out they would be deducted points if they failed to participate.
In response, Barcelona agreed to play the match but only if security was bolstered. The match went ahead in front of an empty Camp Nou arena, it took away the magic of the match even with Lionel Messi playing. The training ground-like atmosphere gave Las Palmas a new-found confidence, allowing them to mentally compete with the Catalonian giants.