Luis Suarez struck a hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Real Betis 6-2 to kickoff their title defence.

Barcelona began their LaLiga title defence with a convincing 6-2 defeat of Real Betis.

The Catalans are pursuing a third successive Spanish championship, and followed their recent Spanish Super Cup defeat of Sevilla with another one-sided win, owing largely to Suarez's hat-trick.

Arda Turan gave Barca the lead in only the sixth minute from close range after Messi's cut-back, while Betis equalised through Ruben Castro's fine 21st-minute free-kick, but - when Lionel Messi restored Barca's lead in the 37th-minute from 25 yards - the hosts began to dominate.

Suarez scored the first of his three goals with an angled strike in the 42nd minute to make it 3-1. He added his second in the 56th with a routine tap-in after being set-up by Messi, one minute before the Argentinian's second, from just inside the area and again after being gifted too much space.

Suarez's third came from a 20-yard free-kick as good as Ruben Castro's.

The Betis forward reduced the deficit with a powerful finish in the 84th minute, but it proved little more than a consolation to his team.

Barca coach Luis Enrique said: "For this stage of the season, I'd say it was practically a perfect performance. And also on an emotional level it was perfect. I saw the players with more desire than ever - not that that has every been an issue with us, but they were active in tracking back to defend and lively in attack.

"We were brace and effective in the situations which the game threw at us. There were also some minutes when we struggled, perhaps when Betis equalised, but in general, the team was spectacular and I congratulate them, and also the new 'singing section' of the stand. They were 300 of them but it sounded like there were 3,000 so once they fill it with 1,300, they are really going to make themselves heard. It's good for us."