FC Barcelona returned to La Liga action with a convincing 4-0 away victory against RCD Mallorca on Saturday night. The defending champions have extended their lead at the top of the table to five points above rivals Real Madrid.

Arturo Vidal drew first blood within just 66 seconds from kick off. Vidal opened with a deadly header, which immediately showed the hosts who's in charge. The visitors scored another goal before the half courtesy of former Middlesbrough striker, Martin Braithwaite.

In his first competitive match after having knee surgery back in January, Luis Suarez came off the bench and made his presence felt. The Uruguayan striker was initially written off for the season, but the coronavirus pandemic gave him enough time to recover and return to action to help Barca defend their La Liga title.

Jordi Alba scored and buried Mallorca 0-3 by the 79th minute. However, a Barcelona show of force is not complete without Lionel Messi. The Argentine star, who was reportedly suffering discomfort on his thigh just a week before, put his name on the scoreboard with a late stoppage time goal. This marks Messi's 20th La Liga goal this season.

The Spanish La Liga returned to action this weekend after a three-month long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Just like the other sporting events in Europe and many parts of the world, competition was halted in order to mitigate the spread of the deadly virus.

FC Barcelona
Barcelona resumed their La Liga title challenge and thumped Real Mallorca in an empty stadium AFP / JAIME REINA

Following the lead of the German Bundesliga, La Liga returned with the Seville derby opening the competition on Friday. All matches are being played behind closed doors, with a very limited number of players, staff and broadcast personnel allowed inside the venues. However, there have been reports of fans gathering in large numbers to support their teams. Even with tight security, a pitch invader was able to cause a disruption in the Mallorca vs. Barcelona game.

Despite some minor complications, La Liga is in full swing. Title contenders Real Madrid will be seeing action for the first time since the lockdown with an early evening match on Sunday. They will be looking to bring home three points in order to keep Barcelona within striking distance.

Barcelona Real Madrid