Messi nets his 50th goal as Barca beats Racing
Source: Agencies |
March 13, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOUR days after scoring a record five times in the Champions League, Lionel Messi added two more goals to reach 50 for the second straight season and lead Barcelona to a 2-0 win at Racing Santander in the Spanish league.
Messi scored five in Barcelona's 7-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, and his double on Sunday also enabled him to close to within five of matching Cesar Rodriguez's all-time club record of 235.
The Argentina forward has scored 16 goals in his past six matches for club and country. Messi had 53 goals in 55 matches for his club last season. He already has 50 in 43 matches so far this campaign.
Barcelona' fourth straight victory kept it 10 points behind runaway leader Real Madrid, but with 12 rounds to play the defending champion's chances of catching its fierce rival are dwindling.
Also, Athletic Bilbao lost 1-2 at Osasuna to be perhaps guilty of looking ahead to its second leg against Manchester United in the Europa League next week.
Messi broke through Racing's 10-man defense in the 29th minute, and the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year added a penalty in the 56th as Barcelona enjoyed a rare easy win away from Camp Nou. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, however, insisted that his team had been put to the test.
"We had to make a big effort," Guardiola said. "We played well on a pitch that didn't favor passing the ball. They packed in their defense, and that is never easy."
Third coach
Racing coach Alvaro Cervera, who became the troubled club's third coach of the season on Friday, could do little but watch as Barcelona kept the relegation-threatened side winless for an eighth straight week.
Cervera made Racing's strategy clear from the start. While some teams have had limited success pressing Barcelona, the former Racing and Spain player opted for his side to sit back and try to resist its opponent's precision passing game.
But the host's defensive stance led to zero shots on goal and failed to stop Messi from taking his league goal tally to 30 - two behind Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the list.
Messi scored five in Barcelona's 7-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, and his double on Sunday also enabled him to close to within five of matching Cesar Rodriguez's all-time club record of 235.
The Argentina forward has scored 16 goals in his past six matches for club and country. Messi had 53 goals in 55 matches for his club last season. He already has 50 in 43 matches so far this campaign.
Barcelona' fourth straight victory kept it 10 points behind runaway leader Real Madrid, but with 12 rounds to play the defending champion's chances of catching its fierce rival are dwindling.
Also, Athletic Bilbao lost 1-2 at Osasuna to be perhaps guilty of looking ahead to its second leg against Manchester United in the Europa League next week.
Messi broke through Racing's 10-man defense in the 29th minute, and the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year added a penalty in the 56th as Barcelona enjoyed a rare easy win away from Camp Nou. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, however, insisted that his team had been put to the test.
"We had to make a big effort," Guardiola said. "We played well on a pitch that didn't favor passing the ball. They packed in their defense, and that is never easy."
Third coach
Racing coach Alvaro Cervera, who became the troubled club's third coach of the season on Friday, could do little but watch as Barcelona kept the relegation-threatened side winless for an eighth straight week.
Cervera made Racing's strategy clear from the start. While some teams have had limited success pressing Barcelona, the former Racing and Spain player opted for his side to sit back and try to resist its opponent's precision passing game.
But the host's defensive stance led to zero shots on goal and failed to stop Messi from taking his league goal tally to 30 - two behind Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the list.
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