Lionel Messi surpassed Pele's all-time scoring record for a single club, as he netted his 644th goal for Barcelona in the club's 3-0 win over Real Valladolid.
The victory keeps the defending champions level on points with Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.
Alba canceled out Willian José’s opener in the 32nd minute, before helping the hosts take the lead a minute before halftime.
Real Madrid are now level on points with league leaders Real Sociedad and second-placed Atletico Madrid with 26 points.
Messi fired a left-footed shot off the far post and into the net to get Barcelona’s breakthrough in the 76th minute after Levante had withstood the hosts with tenacious defending.
Madrid hasn’t lost to Atlético in eight consecutive league games, with three wins and five draws since 2016.
Barcelona faced a stunning 2-1 defeat to newly-promoted Cadiz, as the side is now 12 points off the top of the table.
An own-goal by Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou in the 55th minute after a touch by Vinícius Júnior gave Madrid the victory at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium.
Madrid lost to Alavés 2-1 at home for its third straight setback, dropping six points behind the city rival and having played one extra game.
Sociedad remained in good form after the international break with a 1-0 win over Cádiz on Sunday for its sixth straight league victory and a three-point lead at the top of the standings.
Barcelona dropped to 10th place, staying with 11 points.
In only his second appearance of the season, striker Mariano Díaz scored a goal three minutes after kickoff in a promising start for Madrid at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica.
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will meet in the Spanish league on Saturday after both facing setbacks during the international break.
Barcelona said that Busquets has a sprained ligament in his left knee, an injury he sustained last weekend playing for Spain in the Nations League.
Because of the salary cap, La Liga president Javier Tebas said he expects a very quiet winter transfer market for Spanish clubs. He also warned that some of the effects of the COVID-19 will likely last for a few more seasons.
Madrid also faced problems because of the coronavirus as Eden Hazard and Casemiro couldn’t play against Valencia because of positive COVID-19 results.
It was Messi’s first league game as a substitute in more than a year. Assistant coach Alfred Schreuder said before kickoff that Messi “was not fresh.”
The 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday left Barcelona comfortably ahead in Group G of the Champions League with nine points from three matches.
Hazard took advantage of the starting nod by blasting home a strike to set Madrid on its way to ending a two-game home losing streak.
Ramos restored Madrid’s advantage in the 63rd from the spot after a brush with Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet in the area.
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