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December 1, 2011

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Barcelona bounces back with big win

ALEXIS Sanchez scored twice as Barcelona bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 4-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish league on Tuesday.

A stubborn Rayo held Barcelona at the Camp Nou until the 29th minute, when the Chile forward struck for his first goal since the season opener in August. Sanchez added a second in the 41st minute and David Villa made it 3-0 just two minutes later.

Five minutes after the restart, a solo effort by Lionel Messi brought the Argentina forward his 16th league goal of the season, matching Cristiano Ronaldo's league-leading tally.

Barcelona, which fell to its first loss of the season last Saturday at Getafe, moved within three points of league leader Real Madrid.

The Catalans easily recovered from that defeat although the Madrid side proved tough to break through as it disrupted Barcelona's ability to move the ball out of the backfield early on.

Andres Iniesta returned from injury and was Barcelona's best player in the early stages as he tested goalkeeper David Cobeno with a long-range shot early on, while counterpart Victor Valdes tipped Michel Sanchez's shot over the bar at the other end.

Barcelona has outscored opponents 34-0 in eight league matches at he Camp Nou, where it has not conceded a goal in 11 games.


 

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