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Barcelona open six-point lead in Spain

  • Story Highlights
  • Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-0 with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi (2)
  • Win takes in-form Barcelona six points clear at top of Spanish standings
  • Arch-rivals Real Madrid lose 3-1 at Getafe to lose ground in title defense
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(CNN) -- Barcelona returned to winning ways in the Spanish Primera to open up a six-point lead on arch-rivals Real Madrid who were beaten 3-1 at Getafe on Saturday.

Eto'o (far right) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring Barca's opener.

Barcelona stretched their unbeaten run to 19 matches in all competitions with a superb 3-0 victory at fellow title rivals Sevilla, bouncing back after being held to a draw by improving Getafe in the previous round.

Samuel Eto'o opened the scoring in the 20th minute with the mercurial Lionel Messi scoring two late goals to seal the victory.

Argentina ace Messi all but wrapped up the points with a superb 78th minute volley and then rounded home keeper Andres Palop to complete the scoring in injury time.

Fourth-placed Sevilla ended the match with 10 men as Luis Fabiano was sent off with five minutes remaining.

Real coach Bernd Schuster is under renewed pressure after the second league defeat in three games for the two-time defending champions and is also battling a lengthy injury list.

They badly missed strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gonzalo Higuain and were missing seven regular first team squad members.

Juan Angel Albin scored the first of his two goals to give the hosts the lead in the third minute, heading over goalkeeper Iker Casillas from close-range.

The Uruguayan midfielder then streaked in along the left before sending a crisp left-footed shot past Casillas inside the near post to double the lead in the 47th.

Javier Saviola, starting in the absence of van Nistelrooy and Higuain pulled one back for Madrid in the 55th with a rising shot.

But Getafe secured a fourth win over Madrid in nine meetings when Albin laid off to Ikechukwu Uche to score from inside the area in the 82nd.

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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