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Barcelona finishes 1st half unbeaten after victory
Source: Agencies |
January 24, 2010, Sunday
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SPANISH leader Barcelona beat Valladolid 3-0 to finish the first half of the league season unbeaten yesterday and opening up an eight-point advantage over Real Madrid.
Xavi Hernandez and Daniel Alves scored for the defending champion in the first half and Lionel Messi added the third as Barcelona comfortably won its third game in a row - having outscored opponents 12-0 during that span.
Alves was behind many of Barcelona's best attacks down the right flank and sent a perfect cross into the area that found the unmarked Xavi, who volleyed in the opening goal in the 20th minute.
Two minutes later, Alves was played clear down the right and curled a right-footed shot from outside the area over goalkeeper Justo Villar inside the far post. Messi then scored his league-leading 15th goal in the 56 after a pass from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Barcelona has won 15 games and drawn four for 49 points. Madrid has 41, Valencia is on 38 while Deportivo La Coruna improved to 34 points following a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Also, Sevilla joined Mallorca with 33 points following a 1-0 win over Almeria.
Madrid can narrow the gap back to five points today when it plays Malaga.
Athletic, Espanyol, Madrid and Real Sociedad also finished the first half of the season unbeaten. It was Barcelona's second highest point total after 19 games - one less than the Spanish champions had at the same point last year.
"Last year at this point we had a 12-point advantage over Madrid and we still had to win at the Bernabeu to win the league," coach Pep Guardiola said. "It's not bad to finish the first half unbeaten, but it remains only an anecdote since we've still got a brutal number of games to play."
It was Barcelona's first game since Guardiola agreed to a one-year contract extension, and the side faced early pressure from the host. Barcelona then started creating chances, with Messi's hard shot in the 11th saved by Villar.
Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes saved from Diego Castro in the 18th and kept out Borja Fernandez's hard free kick in the 43rd.
Messi nearly scored again in the 64th but fired wide, and Villar then saved from Ibrahimovic.
Meanwhile, a lucky goal on a water-logged pitch was enough for Sevilla to end a four-game league losing streak.
Defender Santiago Acasiete attempted a pass to goalkeeper Diego Alves deep inside the Almeria area in the ninth minute but the ball slowed to a halt on the soaked field, allowing Renato to pounce on it and center to Negredo for an easy tap into the empty goal.
Sevilla eliminated defending champion Barcelona in the Copa del Rey this month but was on its worst streak in more than a decade in the league.
Sevilla was without striker Frederic Kanoute but played with more tenacity and verve than in recent weeks. Negredo was behind most of the best chances, including a low shot that rolled wide of the post in the 34th.
Almeria had several chances to equalize but struggled with poor finishing, as goalkeeper Andres Palop saved Henok Goitom's effort in the 19th and Fernando Soriano's in the 69th.
"We were efficient" Negredo said. "They also had occasions but they just didn't take advantage."
Deportivo's victory came at a high cost as Luis Filipe suffered at least a right ankle fracture after scoring in the 49th, the Brazilian back coming down awkwardly and with the weight of goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz on top of him. Deportivo's standout player's leg was twisted into an awkward position, likely ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
"He not only changed this game but many others," Deportivo coach Miguel Angel Lotina said. "Tonight there is no reason to celebrate anything."
Athletic striker Fernando Llorente had two headers saved and shot wide twice as the visitors failed to take advantage of a dominant first half, with goalkeeeper Daniel Aranzubia also pushing Javi Martinez's poked shot off the line in the 45th.
Juliano Roberto made it 2-0 in the 69th after his shot looped over Iraizoz into goal before Athletic finally scored in the 80th when Diego Colotto redirected Andoni Irailoa's centering pass into his own goal.
But Pablo Alvarez sentenced it in the 89th at El Riazor Stadium.
In today's other games to cap the first half of the season, it's: Tenerife vs. Valencia; Sporting Gijon vs. Racing Santander; Villarreal vs. Zaragoza; Xerez vs. Osasuna; Espanyol vs. Mallorca; and Getafe vs. Atletico Madrid.
Xavi Hernandez and Daniel Alves scored for the defending champion in the first half and Lionel Messi added the third as Barcelona comfortably won its third game in a row - having outscored opponents 12-0 during that span.
Alves was behind many of Barcelona's best attacks down the right flank and sent a perfect cross into the area that found the unmarked Xavi, who volleyed in the opening goal in the 20th minute.
Two minutes later, Alves was played clear down the right and curled a right-footed shot from outside the area over goalkeeper Justo Villar inside the far post. Messi then scored his league-leading 15th goal in the 56 after a pass from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Barcelona has won 15 games and drawn four for 49 points. Madrid has 41, Valencia is on 38 while Deportivo La Coruna improved to 34 points following a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Also, Sevilla joined Mallorca with 33 points following a 1-0 win over Almeria.
Madrid can narrow the gap back to five points today when it plays Malaga.
Athletic, Espanyol, Madrid and Real Sociedad also finished the first half of the season unbeaten. It was Barcelona's second highest point total after 19 games - one less than the Spanish champions had at the same point last year.
"Last year at this point we had a 12-point advantage over Madrid and we still had to win at the Bernabeu to win the league," coach Pep Guardiola said. "It's not bad to finish the first half unbeaten, but it remains only an anecdote since we've still got a brutal number of games to play."
It was Barcelona's first game since Guardiola agreed to a one-year contract extension, and the side faced early pressure from the host. Barcelona then started creating chances, with Messi's hard shot in the 11th saved by Villar.
Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes saved from Diego Castro in the 18th and kept out Borja Fernandez's hard free kick in the 43rd.
Messi nearly scored again in the 64th but fired wide, and Villar then saved from Ibrahimovic.
Meanwhile, a lucky goal on a water-logged pitch was enough for Sevilla to end a four-game league losing streak.
Defender Santiago Acasiete attempted a pass to goalkeeper Diego Alves deep inside the Almeria area in the ninth minute but the ball slowed to a halt on the soaked field, allowing Renato to pounce on it and center to Negredo for an easy tap into the empty goal.
Sevilla eliminated defending champion Barcelona in the Copa del Rey this month but was on its worst streak in more than a decade in the league.
Sevilla was without striker Frederic Kanoute but played with more tenacity and verve than in recent weeks. Negredo was behind most of the best chances, including a low shot that rolled wide of the post in the 34th.
Almeria had several chances to equalize but struggled with poor finishing, as goalkeeper Andres Palop saved Henok Goitom's effort in the 19th and Fernando Soriano's in the 69th.
"We were efficient" Negredo said. "They also had occasions but they just didn't take advantage."
Deportivo's victory came at a high cost as Luis Filipe suffered at least a right ankle fracture after scoring in the 49th, the Brazilian back coming down awkwardly and with the weight of goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz on top of him. Deportivo's standout player's leg was twisted into an awkward position, likely ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
"He not only changed this game but many others," Deportivo coach Miguel Angel Lotina said. "Tonight there is no reason to celebrate anything."
Athletic striker Fernando Llorente had two headers saved and shot wide twice as the visitors failed to take advantage of a dominant first half, with goalkeeeper Daniel Aranzubia also pushing Javi Martinez's poked shot off the line in the 45th.
Juliano Roberto made it 2-0 in the 69th after his shot looped over Iraizoz into goal before Athletic finally scored in the 80th when Diego Colotto redirected Andoni Irailoa's centering pass into his own goal.
But Pablo Alvarez sentenced it in the 89th at El Riazor Stadium.
In today's other games to cap the first half of the season, it's: Tenerife vs. Valencia; Sporting Gijon vs. Racing Santander; Villarreal vs. Zaragoza; Xerez vs. Osasuna; Espanyol vs. Mallorca; and Getafe vs. Atletico Madrid.
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