Messi inspires Barca victory at empty Nou Camp, Real win at home

Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - FC Barcelona vs Las Palmas - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - October 1, 2017 Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their second goal with Denis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic REUTERS/Albert Gea

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona's Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-0 win over Las Palmas on Sunday in a Liga match played without fans following clashes between police and voters in Catalonia over a banned independence referendum.

In the late game, Real Madrid earned their first home league victory of the season by beating Espanyol 2-0 with a goal in each half by midfielder Isco, while Valencia moved up to third in the standings after beating visitors Athletic Bilbao 3-2.