Normally, the law of average dictates that Barcelona would have enjoyable weekend in La Liga.
This one was doubly-satisfying for Lionel Messi and co. He broke the record for La Liga hat-tricks in a 6-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano, with Luis Suarez continuing his fine recent form by scoring twice.
Here is the third goal with the Argentine's customary touches of class:
The other reason why it was a fantastic weekend for Barca is because they now top La Liga thanks to a defeat for previous leaders Real Madrid, who succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao.
They could have salvaged a draw had this extra-ordinary Gareth Bale effort had drifted a little further to the right:
Bet he'll still get booed by Real's ludicrously demanding fans. But more importantly, the next El Clasico is just around the corner.
Over in Italy, Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi might have had lasers flashing in his face, but he still had the composure to try and complete a panenka to salvage a 2-2 draw at Napoli.
Meanwhile, ex-Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o got his first Serie A goal for Sampdoria in a 2-0 win over Cagliari with an excellent strike:
Another player with enduring class on the field is Xabi Alonso and his free-kick helped Bayern Munich to a 3-1 win at Hannover 96 as nearest challenger - at a stretch - Wolfsburg:
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