Barcelona secure record-equalling 15th straight victory

Barcelona recorded a record-equalling 15th straight league victory and stretched their lead at the top of the La Liga table to seven points with a 3-0 win at Hercules on Saturday.

Pedro’s first half strike and a brace from Lionel Messi continued Barca’s perfect away form this season and helped Pep Guardiola’s men equal the record set by arch-rivals Real Madrid in 1960-61.

Hercules were the last side to defeat Barcelona in the league when they sealed a 2-0 victory at Camp Nou last September in what was a rare off-day for the Catalan giants.

Barca have remained unbeaten since and remain firmly on course to retain their Primera División crown after Real Madrid were beaten 1-0 by Osasuna on Sunday.

“It is a tremendous honour to win 15 consecutive league games and equal the record of [Alfredo] di Stefano’s Real Madrid side,” said Guardiola after Saturday’s clash.

“I am sure that some team will beat the record but nobody has managed to do it in 50 years. We are proud. If 50 years have passed, it shows how difficult it is.”

And Guardiola expects the mercurial Messi, who now has 21 league goals this season, to break records of his own. He added: “He has scored 164 goals at the age of 23 and is fourth in Barcelona’s all-time scorers’ list, but if he continues like this he is going to break all the records.”