Barcelona have set a new Spanish football record of 35 games unbeaten in all competitions. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as they thrashed nine-man Rayo Vallecano 5-1 win in La Liga on Thursday night. In other games, Real Betis registered a 3-0 win at Espanyol and Granada beat Sporting Gijon 2-0. Barca now lead Atletico Madrid by eight points at the top of the league standings, while Real Madrid are a further four points behind in third with 11 matches remaining.

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