Barcelona make record start to season, Real Madrid win derby
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MADRID (AFP) - Lionel Messi closed in on Gerd Mueller's calendar year scoring mark as Barcelona crushed Athletic Bilbao 5-1 Saturday to set a new record for the best ever start to a La Liga season and stay 11 points ahead of Real Madrid.
Defending champions Real edged city rivals Atletico 2-0 with Cristiano Ronaldo on target to keep their slender hopes of a title repeat alive.
Barca have now put together 13 wins and a draw from their first 14 matches to beat the previous best start in the Spanish top flight set by Real Madrid in the 1991-92 season.
"It is great to have achieved this but I am happier still with the performance of my players and that even at 5-1 we continued to keep pressing and trying to score," said Barca coach Tito Vilanova.
