Luis Suárez and Barcelona leave Madrid floundering again in clásico | Sid Lowe

In the last decade, Barcelona had beaten Real Madrid 5-0, 4-3, 3-2, 4-0, 3-1 and 6-2. Now they can add a 5-1 to that list

Sofi Balbi couldn’t be there the day her husband became only the second footballer to score a hat-trick in 70 clásicos going back a quarter of a century, but fortunately the neighbour was available to take the kids to the game for her. They wouldn’t have wanted to miss this for the world and, off work with a broken arm, he didn’t have anything better to do. Besides, he was taking his son anyway. So, Sofi stayed home with five-day-old Lautaro and watched on telly while Benja and Delfina had a day out with Lionel and Thiago Messi, sitting together in the Camp Nou front row cheering as their dad scored three against Real Madrid: an eight-year-old, a six-year-old, a five-year-old and the only other man to have done that (twice, in fact) since Romario snapped Rafa Alkorta’s hips in two in January 1994.

When Luis Suárez scored his first in Sunday’s clásico, he dashed to the camera and lifted up his shirt to reveal a photo of Benja, Delfina and their new little brother, “welcome, Lauti” written on the front; when he scored his second, he ran over to give them a kiss; and when he scored his third, he ducked behind the goal at the north end and held his hand to his ear. Listen to that. The roar rocked the place, they chanted “Uruguayo! Uruguayo!” and then they bounced about, singing: “Boing! Boing! Boing! Whoever doesn’t boing is a Madridista!” By the touchline, Madrid manager, Julen Lopetegui, wasn’t bouncing; he wasn’t even standing any more. Silently, he sat, head in hands. “It hurts,” he said later, but it will all be over soon. Very, very soon.

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