Cristiano Ronaldo continued his remarkable scoring streak with four goals as Real Madrid beat Girona 6-3 in LaLiga. The Portugal star hit a 50th career hat-trick to take his league tally to 22 goals for the season in another commanding performance at the Bernabeu.

However Lionel Messi scored for the sixth consecutive game as Barcelona tightened their grip in the title race with a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao. Messi took his goal tally for the season to 38 with a fine finish from the edge of the penalty area.



In the capital, Ronaldo, who has now hit an incredible 17 goals in his last eight appearances in all competitions, was joined on the scoresheet by Lucas Vasquez and Gareth Bale. Ronaldo scored three goals in the second half, the pick being when he beat the offside trap to collect Karim Benzema’s perfectly weighted pass and dispatch it off the underside of the crossbar

For Barcelona, Paco Alcácer had already given the hosts the lead at the Nou Camp and the leaders went on to canter to a routine victory against a Bilbao side grateful they were not more soundly beaten.

Barcelona were missing Luis Suárez through suspension but the Uruguay striker’s absence did not seem to affect them too much. They went ahead after eight minutes, with Messi predictably at the heart of the move.

The Argentina forward, fresh from his two goals in the midweek Champions League win against Chelsea, danced his way into the area before laying the ball off to Jordi Alba. The defender reached the byline before cutting the ball back to Alcácer, who was left with a simple side‑footed finish past the Bilbao goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Philippe Coutinho was inches away from doubling Barcelona’s lead moments later when he met another Alba cut-back with a volley which crashed back off the crossbar.

Messi had already had a couple of sighters when he got on the scoresheet on the half-hour. Ousmane Dembélé picked out his strike partner, who had been left unmarked on the edge of the penalty area, and Messi punished the visitors by drilling the ball unerringly into the bottom corner.

Coutinho was again denied by the woodwork before half‑time when his deft lob grazed the crossbar.

The second half was played at almost a testimonial pace with Barcelona content to knock the ball around at their leisure. A Mexican wave broke out 10 minutes from the end as the home fans decided to amuse themselves.

Atlético Madrid’s faint hopes of catching Barcelona were dealt a major blow after a 2-1 defeat at Villarreal.

Atlético took the lead thanks to a penalty which was converted by Antoine Griezmann in the 20th minute. But two goals in the final nine minutes from the substitute Enes Unal secured the victory for Villarreal and left Atletico 11 points adrift of the leaders.

In Germany the runaway Bundesliga leaders, Bayern Munich, suffered only their third defeat of the season as the substitute Timo Werner grabbed an impressive 2-1 win for RB Leipzig.

Werner’s 56th-minute effort gave his side their first win over Bayern at the fifth attempt and left the visitors with more work to do to seal another crown. Bayern had looked set to consolidate their status at the summit when Sandro Wagner headed the opener with 12 minutes on the clock.

But a stirring performance by the home side led to Naby Keita – who will move to Liverpool in the summer – equalising just before half-time before Werner, a 10th-minute replacement for the injured Marcel Sabitzer, fired home to give Leipzig their shock win.