Barcelona 12 points clear

[Jager]

Updated: Jan. 29, 2006
La Liga: Messi double puts Barcelona 12 points clearMark Elkington


MADRID, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Barcelona returned to winning ways on Sunday with a 3-0 victory at second from bottom Real Mallorca to go 12 points clear at the top of the Primera Liga.

Frank Rijkaard's side suffered their first defeat in 25 games when they lost 4-2 at Real Zaragoza in the King's Cup on Thursday.


Champions Barcelona bounced back to make it 14 consecutive wins in the league against a robust Mallorca after Ludovic Giuly opened the scoring six minutes before the break.

Argentine striker Lionel Messi came off the bench to make sure of the points with two goals after Mallorca had defender Eduardo Tuzzio sent off in the 72nd minute.

Barcelona have 52 points from 21 games. Second-placed Valencia are on 40 points after they scored twice in the last seven minutes to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Zaragoza.

Zaragoza took control with goals from Sergio Garcia and Ewerthon but the dismissal of David Generelo and the introduction of Valencia striker Patrick Kluivert in the second half turned the game.

The Dutchman pulled a goal back in the 83rd minute and set up the second, a header by Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar six minutes later.

Third-placed Osasuna, on 39 points, continued to drop off the pace after suffering their first home league defeat this season, 2-0 against lowly Real Betis.

Real Madrid, on 36 points, can move up to third if they win at Celta Vigo later on Sunday.

Sevilla climbed to fifth after defeating sixth-placed Villarreal 2-0.

SUBSTITUTE MESSI

Sweden striker Henrik Larsson, deputising for leading scorer Samuel Eto'o who is on international duty with Cameroon at the African Nations Cup, had three chances to open the scoring for Barca before Giuly struck in Mallorca.

Portugal midfielder Deco picked out the Frenchman's diagonal run behind the defence with a long pass which Giuly controlled and fired low into the corner.

Hector Cuper's side continued to make life difficult for Barca, but the arrival of Messi sealed the win three minutes after Mallorca's Tuzzio was dismissed.

Silvinho fed Messi from the left flank in the 75th minute, and after dribbling into a crowded area the youngster fired low into the far corner.

A minute later he proved he was fallible as he skied the ball over an open goal.

However, in the 81st minute he made no mistake from Ronaldinho's pass into the area, as he raced through and lifted the ball over the advancing Miguel Angel Moya.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...356875&cc=5901


Its over eh?

[hanuma]

Has been from the start...Barca are the best by a mile...if they lost Puyol there might be a chance, but even then they can outscore the vast majority of teams.

[Pennywise]

Its definitively over. Looks like its over both in England, Italy, Spain and Germany too.

Barca plays the best football, and they are lucky with injures on key players. From September to December, only Casillas in Real Madrid had escaped from injures. Had been more even if Madrid had avoided that "N'castle syndrome" last year.

Madrid is not many steps behind Barca if they can avoid all those injures. I'm not saying that Madrid had won La Liga if they'd avoided that horrible injure-period before Xmas, but it had been more even, that's for sure. They have 7-1-0 under Caro so far this year.

[ronaldinho]

I think that Barcelona is much better than Real at the moment.Barca plays excellent football in some matches.Moreover,I have watched two matches when Barca didn't play well,against Sevilla and Alaves in Camp Nou and I was persuaded that this team is able to win,even if it doesn't play well.
Comparing Barcelona and Real Madrid,we will find many differences.For example,Real Madrid doesn't consist of a player like Ronaldinho.In addition,its mieldfielder players don't defend at all.As far as Robinho is concerned,I believe that Messi is more talented.He can play well for his team and make actions which you can't predict them.Remember the matches against Udineze and Mallorca and you will understand that I am right.

[Hawk]

its not over yet to be honest, still alot of game left, many factors can still come into play before the end of the season.....

[FCB-Mo]

Originally Posted by Pennywise

Its definitively over. Looks like its over both in England, Italy, Spain and Germany too.

Barca plays the best football, and they are lucky with injures on key players. From September to December, only Casillas in Real Madrid had escaped from injures. Had been more even if Madrid had avoided that "N'castle syndrome" last year.

Madrid is not many steps behind Barca if they can avoid all those injures. I'm not saying that Madrid had won La Liga if they'd avoided that horrible injure-period before Xmas, but it had been more even, that's for sure. They have 7-1-0 under Caro so far this year.

oh pennywise, i am so very disappointed with you, injuries? injuries? how many bloody injuries did Barca have last season when they won the title, huh? how many? maybe you could of said the changing of managers caused these problems, but injuries? you sound worse than Souness

[hanuma]

Injuries to key players tho...

[Pennywise]

Originally Posted by FCB-Mo

oh pennywise, i am so very disappointed with you, injuries? injuries? how many bloody injuries did Barca have last season when they won the title, huh? how many? maybe you could of said the changing of managers caused these problems, but injuries? you sound worse than Souness

>> Come on, FCB-Mo!

You are disappointed with me? Hehe..why can't you read through all your inlays here at Talksoccer...and all the "debats" you and I have had in here. You have actually been fucked in every single debate.

Barca have been lucky when it comes to injure on key players. Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Puyol..Barcelonas backbone..did they miss many matches last/and this season? As I wrote before, the only Madrid player who has avoided injure this season, is Casillas. How many goals had Madrid scored if they could have changed out Bap with a Ronaldo in great form? Ronaldo, Raul, Zidane, Salgado, Woodgate, Helguera, etc..all have not just been injured, but heavy injured. Barca without Puyol, Ronaldinho and Eto'o...I don't know..but I think they'd went from six to four gears.

[FCB-Mo]

and you would call all the players we lost last season not key? we had no players to rotate with so our starters were all the same so most of them played with fatigue but we still won La Liga but when you had a full squad last season, you still couldnt stop us

You have actually been fucked in every single debate.

yeah, bcos you bring in some bias Real Madrid pro source and think its the truth and are so stubborn that you dont accept that your team was a piece of facist scum, yep, i have been fucked everytime but atleast i can sit here and watch my team win and your lose spectacularly (N19 still fresh in the memory )

[Pennywise]

Should have been exciting to see Barca without Ronaldinho, Puyol and Eto'o in a couple of months.

However, you have no clue when it comes to Barca, Real Madrid and Spanish football. That's why you use "Madrid is a facist club" "Spain is paying the Madrid players wage" "Barca is best. Madrid sucks" etc..etc..

If you're 14 years old..okay..I will understand...but it looks like you just are an average Barca supporter who only are thinking of Real Madrid and to spread false rumours about them.

[FCB-Mo]

you just had to bring my age into it, havent you? its pathetic and you know it.

and Barca are playing without Eto'o and they are doing just fine, they are playing without Deco and they are doing just fine, they had Deco suspended aswell and they are doing just fine, we played Zaragoza without Ronaldinho and with 10 players but we still beat them (regardless of the aggrigate).

and if you go over to my forum (and it seems you have if you have discovered my age) and see how i get along with the masses of Madrid fans there, you will see that im not some idiot who goes on saying "Madrid is a facist club" "Spain is paying the Madrid players wage" "Barca is best. Madrid sucks" etc..etc.. because the Madrid fans i deal with are not stubborn morons who actually know how to take onboard opinions from other sides.

[Pennywise]

Originally Posted by FCB-Mo

you just had to bring my age into it, havent you? its pathetic and you know it.

and Barca are playing without Eto'o and they are doing just fine, they are playing without Deco and they are doing just fine, they had Deco suspended aswell and they are doing just fine, we played Zaragoza without Ronaldinho and with 10 players but we still beat them (regardless of the aggrigate).

and if you go over to my forum (and it seems you have if you have discovered my age) and see how i get along with the masses of Madrid fans there, you will see that im not some idiot who goes on saying "Madrid is a facist club" "Spain is paying the Madrid players wage" "Barca is best. Madrid sucks" etc..etc.. because the Madrid fans i deal with are not stubborn morons who actually know how to take onboard opinions from other sides.

So why can't you use a bit objectivity in here? Why do you write lies and bullshit here at Talksoccer?

[FCB-Mo]

i only write bullshit because you write bullshit aswell, its only fair

[azzurri]

Originally Posted by Pennywise

So why can't you use a bit objectivity in here? Why do you write lies and bullshit here at Talksoccer?

your just as subjective as he is.

[Pennywise]

Originally Posted by azzurri

your just as subjective as he is.

When he is writing that Madrid gets money support by the King and government, I have to write the truth. However, 90 % of his inlays is propaganda and shittalk about Real Madrid. Read through his inlays, they are actually childish and irrelevant.

I have a suspicion who bringed in the person 'antimadridista'
in here.

Sad for Talksoccer.

Comparing me with him..just saying it all.