MADRID (AFP) - Lionel Messi continued his remarkable run of form with a second-half double as Barcelona continued their march towards the La Liga title on Saturday (March 30) with a 2-0 win over Espanyol.
The visitors gave their city rivals a tough game at the Camp Nou, but Messi's chipped free-kick with 19 minutes to play and a late second sent the reigning champions 13 points clear at the top ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid's game at Alaves later on Saturday.
Messi has now netted eight times in his last four games for Barca, and leads the way in the La Liga scoring charts with 31 goals, 13 ahead of teammate Luis Suarez.
"I had no idea he would hit (the free-kick) like that," said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.
"I would love to say that we had planned it, but it's not true, it's up to him. He didn't need my opinion and he scored."
It was a fitting way for the Argentinian to mark his 675th Barcelona appearance, which moved him ahead of Andres Iniesta into second on the club's all-time list - 102 adrift of Xavi Hernandez.
He made a low-key return to international action in midweek as Argentina lost a friendly to Venezuela, but Valverde was delighted it did not affect Messi on Saturday.
"Messi is the same player no matter what team he is playing in," he said.
"He would be the same if he played in Australia... We are delighted to have him, it's a luxury for me to coach him."
BARCA FRUSTRATED
Barca struggled to break down Espanyol early on, with Messi, Suarez and Ivan Rakitic all wasting half-chances in the first period.
Barcelona saw a penalty appeal waved away by both the referee and VAR on the stroke of half-time, and Malcom was denied just after the hour mark by away goalkeeper Diego Lopez as the Catalan giants grew frustrated.
But Messi has been consistently unplayable this season, and he dinked in a wonderful effort from a set-piece despite Victor Sanchez's best efforts to clear off the line.
The three points were sealed in the 89th minute as Malcom ran clear on the breakaway, before cutting the ball across for Messi to sweep a trademark finish low into the bottom corner.
Barcelona next visit Villarreal on Tuesday with a second successive title looking even more like a mere formality after a sixth straight victory extended their unbeaten league run to 17 matches.
Earlier on Saturday, fourth-placed Getafe missed the chance to solidify their spot in the Champions League places as they slumped to a 2-0 home defeat by Leganes.
Uruguayan Michael Santos and Spaniard Juanfran scored in the second half for Leganes to give Alaves the chance to move into the top four with a win over Atletico.
Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes has been appointed manager of Oldham Athletic, the club announced on Monday.
Man United great Scholes appointed manager of Oldham
La Liga: Real Madrid end campaign with 12th league defeat With Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Thibaut Courtois all sitting on the bench, Betis forward Loren Moron put the visitors in front in the
Football: Real Madrid sink to 10th league loss at hands of
The time off comes before Emery starts to prepare his charges for the Europa League final against Chelsea at the end of this month in Baku, Azerbaijan. A victory will mean the Gunners can claim a Champions League berth for the upcoming season and in terms of silverware it means it will be a profitable season for the Emirates Stadium outfit.
Unai Emery continues to make Arsenal defy expectation and
We lack trust in ourselves when we question our actions or decisions. Sometimes we might even question who we are. That can hurt. Build trust in yourself by breaking your habit of questioning your
In Ourselves and Each Other We Trust - Robin Morgan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan's Arsenal teammates stated their determination to win Wednesday's Europa League final against Chelsea in Baku for the absent Armenian star, as Gunners boss Unai Emery told his
Football: Silverware matters most to Emery as Arsenal aim to
sportsloveme.com/soccer/football-silverware-matters-most-to-emery-as-arsenal-aim-to-win-for-missing-mkhitaryan/
BAKU (AFP) - Henrikh Mkhitaryan's Arsenal teammates stated their determination to win Wednesday's Europa League final against Chelsea in Baku for the absent Armenian star, as Gunners boss Unai Emery told his team to focus on winning silverware rather than worrying about a possible return to the Champions League.
Silverware matters most to Emery as Arsenal aim to win for
Next constantly explores the world of cuisine, changing our prix fixe menus and dining experience completely every four months. Founded by chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas and Next has received an unprecedented nineteen 4-star reviews from the Chicago Tribune and won a James Beard Award as Best New Restaurant in America.
The Best Driving Schools in (CT) Connecticut | The Next Street
Europa League: Rangers crash out, Eintracht fans run riot at Lazio Steven Gerrard's Rangers, who had to win in Vienna in their final group game in order to qualify for the last 32, finish third
Rangers out of Europa League, Eintracht fans run riot at Lazio
REIMS, France, June 8 (Reuters) - Ada Hegerberg was not needed as Norway kicked off their women's World Cup Group A campaign with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Nigeria on Saturday.
Soccer: Hegerberg-less Norway canter past Nigeria - Edge Page
Football: Son's South Korea survive Bahrain scare to reach
NYTimes.com Site Map. For a comprehensive guide to our site, please see the Site Index.
Subscribe to Read Articles from February 1978 Part 3 - Site
Neymar hints at joining Real Madrid. AFP March 3, 2019, "He's going to become one of the best players in the history of football and I'm trying to help him as best as possible. We have the
Neymar hints at joining Real Madrid - Pulse Nigeria
Football: Marouane Fellaini leaves Man United for China's Shandong and wishes him well for the future as he completes his move to Shandong Luneng Taishan FC in China," said a statement on
Marouane Fellaini leaves Man Utd for China's Shandong
What They Said: Moyes on top four, Gerrard eyes title glory Saikat 17 March, 2014 Blogroll , David Moyes , English Premier League , General Football News , Liverpool , Manchester United , Site News , Steven Gerrard
Can draw specialists Hearts halt Celtic's push for SPL glory?
0 comments:
Post a Comment