A new-look Atletico Madrid suffered a setback in their opening La Liga match of the season when they squandered several chances and twice struck the post in a 0-0 home draw with Osasuna on Sunday.
The pair, who are third and second respectively in La Liga, were hit with the bans by FIFA for breaching rules on signing non-Spanish under-18 players.
Messi stretched Barca's lead by finishing off a brilliant move with Luis Suarez in the 50th minute and the Uruguayan joined his close friend and strike partner on 15 league goals by robbing an Eibar defender and finishing inside the near post in the 68th.
Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez were on scintillating form as leaders Barcelona made light of the absence of injured World Player of the Year Lionel Messi with a 5-0 win at home to Real Mallorca in La Liga on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo fired Real Madrid to a 4-1 win over Celta Vigo on Wednesday to take Zinedine Zidane's side three points clear at the top of La Liga.
Real Madrid moved to within a point of La Liga leaders Barcelona after Karim Benzema, Isco, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo all scored in a 5-1 thrashing at struggling Getafe on Saturday.
Atletico Madrid got their La Liga campaign up and running in less than convincing fashion when Antoine Griezmann's deflected free kick secured an edgy 1-0 win at home to promoted Las Palmas on Saturday.
Real Madrid's faint hopes of retaining their La Liga title receded further when Kaka was sent off and they drew 0-0 at struggling Osasuna on Saturday, while Valencia climbed to seventh with a 2-0 win over Sevilla.
Barcelona have had to overcome many changes to win their 23rd La Liga title, coach Luis Enrique said.
Barcelona's Joao Felix scored in the first half to secure a hard-fought 1-0 home win against his valiant parent club Atletico Madrid in a compelling LaLiga clash on Sunday.
Real Madrid survived an early red card for Sergio Ramos to see off city rivals Rayo Vallecano 2-0 at the Bernabeu on Sunday, matching the wins of La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid over the weekend.
Real Madrid closed to within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona after demolishing nine-man Rayo Vallecano 10-2 while Atletico Madrid missed a chance to seize top spot outright by losing 1-0 at Malaga.
FIFA also announced a newly structured international calendar which its president Gianni Infantino said had been endorsed by the ECA.
Real Madrid's La Liga title challenge was left hanging by a thread after a late Humberto Osorio header earned Real Valladolid a 1-1 draw and Cristiano Ronaldo suffered an injury on Wednesday.
Holders Manchester City will take on RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys in Group G.
Gonzalo Higuain bagged a remarkable third hat-trick in two weeks to steer Real Madrid to a 4-1 win over Real Betis on Saturday while Lionel Messi's double kept Barcelona top of La Liga with a 3-0 victory over Racing Santander.
Despite two goals from Franco Vazquez, Sevilla's defeat leaves them on 68 points, three behind third-placed Atletico Madrid, but now only five clear of fifth-placed Villarreal -- and they still have to visit Real Madrid on May 14.
Real fought back after a calamitous own goal from keeper Keylor Navas gave Betis the lead in the 25th minute, just after the Costa Rican escaped a possible red card. Cristiano Ronaldo pulled the hosts level in the 41st with a diving header.
Lionel Messi completed a sparkling performance by chipping the goalkeeper from the edge of the area as Barcelona swept aside ten-man Levante 5-0 away on Sunday to continue their winning start at the top of La Liga.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is itching to get back into action in Wednesday's Champions League last 16, first leg at Schalke 04 after serving a three-match La Liga ban, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday.
Japan coach Javier Aguirre, Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, Atletico Madrid captain Gabi and 38 others have been named in an alleged case of match-fixing involving a La Liga match in the 2010-11 season.
Real Madrid closed to within three points of La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the halfway stage of the season when a Pepe header secured a laboured 1-0 win at mid-table Espanyol on Sunday.
Giuseppe Rossi kept Europa League semi-finalists Villarreal on course for a place in the Champions League next season with a penalty to secure a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Real Zaragoza in La Liga on Monday.
A round-up of Sunday's matches in LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Serie A
Barcelona blew the La Liga title race wide open when Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 comeback win for the champions at 10-man Real Madrid in an action-packed 'Clasico' on Sunday.
Leaders Barcelona struck a potentially decisive blow in the La Liga title race when Lionel Messi scored twice in a 4-1 win at home to second-placed Atletico Madrid to move nine points clear at the top on Sunday.
Real Madrid stayed hard on the heels of leaders Barcelona when in-form striker Karim Benzema scored to set them on their way to a 2-1 win at battling city rivals Atletico in La Liga on Saturday.
Substitute David Villa scored a superb last-gasp winner and Cesc Fabregas netted twice as leaders Barcelona came from two goals down to stun 10-man Sevilla 3-2 and extend their perfect La Liga record on Saturday.
Zinedine Zidane hailed Real Madrid's remarkable strength in depth as the key to his side entering their final game of the season at Malaga on the brink of lifting their first La Liga title since 2012.
Real Madrid's stuttering start to La Liga continued when they lost 1-0 at Sevilla to slip eight points behind leaders Barcelona who were 4-1 victors at Getafe earlier on Saturday.
Unconvincing Real Madrid survived a huge scare at rock bottom Rayo Vallecano when they conceded two quickfire second-half penalties but held on under severe pressure to secure a nervy 3-2 victory in La Liga on Saturday.
Lionel Messi made a rousing debut for Major League Soccer's Inter Miami as he scored a stoppage-time winner to beat Liga MX's Cruz Azul 2-1 on Friday in their Leagues Cup opener in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The ICC is unlikely to take any action on Pakistan Cricket Board's complaint for alleged boorish crowd behaviour during their World Cup game against India in Ahmedabad on October 14,
Karim Benzema went some way to justifying the 35 million euros ($49 million) Real Madrid paid to sign him when his goal secured a scrappy 1-0 home win over Real Mallorca in La Liga on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi scored twice as Ronaldo's Real Madrid came from behind to beat promoted Hercules 3-1 and Messi's Barcelona humbled 10-man Sevilla 5-0 in La Liga on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Spanish media predicted the end of the Primera Liga title race on Monday after leaders Real Madrid went eight points clear of Barcelona at the weekend.
David Villa struck just after halftime to lift champions Barcelona to a laboured 1-0 home win over his former club Sporting Gijon in La Liga on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi made brilliance look routine with a stunning double to help Barcelona to a 5-0 win over Real Sociedad that restored the champions' two-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga on Sunday.
Sevilla maintained their incredible record in the competition after an otherwise difficult season.
