MADRID, March 2 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona extended its lead at the top of La Liga on Sunday with a comfortable 4-0 win at home against Real Sociedad.
The victory puts Barca a point ahead of Atletico Madrid and three points clear of Real Madrid. Coach Hansi Flick will be pleased with the result, which allowed him to rest key players ahead of Wednesday's Champions League tie with Benfica.
The match was effectively decided in the 17th minute when Aritz Elustondo was sent off for pulling down Dani Olmo, with VAR confirming he was the last defender for Real Sociedad.
Gerard Martin opened the scoring for Barcelona shortly after the red card, and Marc Casado doubled the lead when the ball deflected off him following a wayward shot by Olmo.
Ronald Araujo made it 3-0 after halftime, and Robert Lewandowski added a fourth. Flick then substituted Raphinha, Pedri, and Pau Cubarsi to preserve their fitness for the midweek European clash.
In other matches, Valencia remained in the bottom three but managed a 3-3 draw away to Osasuna in a thrilling contest. Aimar Oroz twice equalized for Osasuna after goals from Diego Lopez and Umar Sadiq for Valencia. Ante Budimir's penalty just before halftime put Osasuna ahead, but Sadiq salvaged a point with a backheel goal in the 88th minute.
Diego Garcia's overhead kick secured a crucial 1-0 victory for Leganes over Getafe, boosting their fight against relegation. His spectacular goal was the only shot on target in a rain-soaked match with few chances.
Mallorca and Alaves played to a 1-1 draw, a result that does little to help either side, with Alaves remaining in the bottom three. ■
