Barcelona beats Real Madrid in Spanish league

Barcelona moved further ahead in the Spanish league by beating rival Real Madrid 3-0 Saturday in the country's biggest match.

Samuel Eto'o and Giovanni van Bronckhorst scored in the first half and Ronaldinho added a penalty in the second to help Barcelona maintain its perfect home record this season. Madrid lost for the first time in its last five visits to Barcelona's 98,000-seat stadium.

Madrid was given a rough reception by Barcelona fans. Luis Figo, who left the club for Madrid in 2000, was singled out for whistling with every touch of the ball.

Barcelona scored in the 29th minute after a mixup by defender Roberto Carlos and goalkeeper Iker Casillas left the ball for Eto'o -- the African Player of the Year -- to put into an empty net. Eto'o, who started his career with Madrid, has 10 goals this season, three more than Espanyol's Maxi Rodriguez.

Ronaldinho scored the third goal from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after Eto'o was pulled down by Walter Samuel and Jose Maria ``Guti'' Gutierrez as he moved into the area.

Elsewhere, defending champion Valencia defeated Malaga 2-0 for its first victory in 11 matches, and Deportivo La Coruna downed Villarreal 2-0.

Barcelona leads the league with 29 points, while Madrid stays with 22. Espanyol is third with 20 points, one more than Valencia, Levante and Deportivo La Coruna.