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Villa fires Messi-less Barca, Valencia shares lead at top
Source: Agencies |
September 24, 2010, Friday
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BARCELONA survived the absence of Lionel Messi as David Villa's second-half goal earned the Spanish champion a 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon on Wednesday.
Daniel Alves played Villa through on goal in the 50th minute and the Barcelona striker made no mistake as he shot over goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar for the only goal at the Camp Nou stadium.
Barcelona dominated play but lacked the cutting edge in front of goal that Messi usually provides, as the Argentina forward missed the match with an ankle injury.
"A player like Leo you always miss, there's no doubt," Villa said.
Aritz Aduritz scored with an 84th-minute header as Valencia rallied for a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid, which had gone ahead through Simao Sabrosa's goal in the 18th.
Valencia joined leader Real Madrid, which beat Espanyol 3-0 on Tuesday, on 10 points as the pair lead Barcelona by one in the standings. Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have seven each.
Sergio Gonzalez scored with a fierce shot at the edge of the area in the 39th minute to give Levante its first victory of the season in a 1-0 result at Almeria, which remained in the bottom three without a win.
Zaragoza is also still looking for a first win following a 0-0 draw against Hercules.
Barcelona had difficulty imposing itself on its opponent in the first half as it played the first of at least two games without Messi, who was injured against Atletico on Sunday.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said recent international breaks and a busy schedule were taking their toll on Barcelona and rival Madrid.
"The big teams are used to this. More than games, we're lacking training time but the calendar is such," Guardiola said before applauding his opponent. "Sporting were extraordinary in defense."
Daniel Alves played Villa through on goal in the 50th minute and the Barcelona striker made no mistake as he shot over goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar for the only goal at the Camp Nou stadium.
Barcelona dominated play but lacked the cutting edge in front of goal that Messi usually provides, as the Argentina forward missed the match with an ankle injury.
"A player like Leo you always miss, there's no doubt," Villa said.
Aritz Aduritz scored with an 84th-minute header as Valencia rallied for a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid, which had gone ahead through Simao Sabrosa's goal in the 18th.
Valencia joined leader Real Madrid, which beat Espanyol 3-0 on Tuesday, on 10 points as the pair lead Barcelona by one in the standings. Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have seven each.
Sergio Gonzalez scored with a fierce shot at the edge of the area in the 39th minute to give Levante its first victory of the season in a 1-0 result at Almeria, which remained in the bottom three without a win.
Zaragoza is also still looking for a first win following a 0-0 draw against Hercules.
Barcelona had difficulty imposing itself on its opponent in the first half as it played the first of at least two games without Messi, who was injured against Atletico on Sunday.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said recent international breaks and a busy schedule were taking their toll on Barcelona and rival Madrid.
"The big teams are used to this. More than games, we're lacking training time but the calendar is such," Guardiola said before applauding his opponent. "Sporting were extraordinary in defense."
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