[Pat Murphy]

Impressive Dos Santos Strikes Again In Barça Win

It was a match the Barcelona players will remember mainly for the heat and humidity that they struggled with, but also for Giovani Dos Santos' impressive second half display.

The Mexican scored a late winner to maintain FC Barcelona's 100 per cent start to pre-season as they overcame Yokohama Marinos in Japan.

Giovani Dos Santos beat the hosts' offside trap to steer in the only goal of an intense game on a humid evening in Yokohama, a game that saw Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o start up front together for the first time.

Heat and humidity played its part as the Blaugrana encountered their strongest opponents of the summer. They had to be alert as Yokohama created numerous chances to win the game themselves.

Frank Rijkaard opted to field the line-up that the media and fans have been calling for, but Henry, Ronaldinho and Eto'o drew a blank in the opening 45 minutes.

While Eto'o had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside soon after being denied by the keeper, Marques, Hideo Oshima and Takanobu Komiyama went close at the other end.

Daisuke Sakata gave Barça a scare at the start of the second half, before Sylvinho's long range drive forced the home team's custodian into making a fine stop.

Henry was replaced with Dos Santos at the break, but Rijkaard opted not to make the wholesale changes that have been a feature of the pre-season so far.

The 18-year-old forward looked sharp and his first involvement almost saw him open the scoring when he fired just wide after being picked out by Andrés Iniesta. Ronaldinho then fired straight at the keeper before Dos Santos edged even closer to a goal when his shot from inside the area cannoned back off the far post.

Albert Jorquera had to be watchful as Kento Kana and Takayuki Yoshida took aim from distance before Yusuke Tanaka drove the ball just wide.

Dos Santos continued to torment the Yokohama defence and, after being denied by the keeper in the 65th minute and having a shot blocked on the line in the 75th, he finally broke the deadlock 14 minutes from time following a great piece of build-up play.

Ronaldinho surged over the halfway line before leaving the ball for Eto'o and the Cameronian international fed Dos Santos who was able to beat the keeper with a first time shot. As if that were not enough, the starlet had two more chances in the closing moments, but was denied twice in quick succession.

Ronaldinho and Eto'o both did reasonably well in the heat and humidity, but Thierry Henry struggled again. Giovani Dos Santos, meanwhile, has clearly been the man of Barcelona's pre-season!

Goal.com

Goal.com - Barcelona - Impressive Dos Santos Strikes Again In Barça Win

Man of the match performance from Gio dos Santos. Who needs Ronaldinho when you've got dos Santos?

I'll try and upload the goal when I find it on Youtube.