Messi nets 2 as Barca beats Celta 5-0 to reach Copa quarters

BARCELONA, Spain — Lionel Messi scored twice in the space of three minutes to help Barcelona to a 5-0 win over Celta Vigo on Thursday as the holders advanced to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.

Messi, who also created Barcelona’s third goal for Jordi Alba, set his team on its way to a 6-1 aggregate victory with his 21st and 22nd goals in all competitions this season.

Alba had provided the assists for Messi’s strikes in the 13th and 15th minutes, and the Barcelona star returned the favor by setting up the left back to score in the 28th.

Luis Suarez made it 4-0 before halftime, while Messi was replaced by Ousmane Dembele before the hour mark. Ivan Rakitic headed in a corner kick by Dembele in the final minutes to complete the rout.

New signing Philippe Coutinho watched from the Camp Nou stands following his club-record transfer from Liverpool earlier this week. The Brazil midfielder will make his debut after he recovers from a right leg muscle injury.

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde took no chances after the 1-1 draw in the first leg, starting Messi in his first appearance in the competition this season after resting the Argentina forward for the first three cup games.

Messi quickly quashed any chance of Celta springing an upset.

Barcelona’s all-time scoring leader swept Alba’s cross past Sergio Alvarez despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball, and he followed up by firing home after another exchange of passes with Alba.

Messi then turned provider, lobbing a perfect pass behind Celta’s back line to meet the run by Alba, who chipped Alvarez to score.

“The connection between Messi and Alba is nothing new, it has been working for years,” Valverde said. “They look for each other and are happy to do so, because it is not just Alba assisting Messi. Messi also creates goals for Alba.”

Suarez netted in the 31st after pouncing on a poor pass by Pione Sisto, before Rakitic nodded home at the end.

Barcelona extended its unbeaten run this season to 28 straight matches, dating back to its losses to Real Madrid in both legs of the Spanish Super Cup in August.

Celta had drawn 2-2 at Barcelona in La Liga last month and had gone into Thursday’s match after holding Madrid to a 2-2 draw in the league last weekend.

SEVILLA ADVANCES 

Sevilla beat Cadiz 2-1 with goals from Wissam Ben Yedder and Joaquin Correa to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

Making the last eight will take some of the pressure off new coach Vincenzo Montella following Sevilla’s painful 5-3 home loss to crosstown rival Real Betis in his Spanish league debut on Saturday.

Ben Yedder scored from a rebound after a shot by Correa to give Sevilla the lead in the 32nd. Correa then headed in from a corner taken by Pablo Sarabia in the 54th.

Alvaro Garcia got second-division Cadiz’s consolation goal in the 86th, leading to jeers from Sevilla’s home fans for the team’s shaky finish to the match.

“It was a complicated match. We are all suffering from the derby loss,” Correa said. “We are sad, but we will get through this together.”


ESPANYOL COMEBACK 

Goals by forwards Leo Baptistao and Gerard Moreno helped Espanyol to a 2-0 victory at Levante, sending the Barcelona-based team through 3-2 on aggregate.

Moreno set up Baptistao in the 14th minute, before scoring his goal in the 34th.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Football, showbiz stars set for Messi’s wedding

Football and showbiz stars gather in northern Argentina on Friday for Latin America’s celebrity wedding bash of the decade when Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi marries his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo.

Pop star Shakira and her husband, Messi’s teammate Gerard Pique, are expected among the 260 guests, according to media and locals close to the event.

They will join old friends of the couple and footballers such as his Barcelona strike partners Luis Suarez and Neymar.

The party at a casino in his hometown Rosario will be a respite for the player from his legal woes. A Spanish court last month rejected his appeal against a conviction for tax fraud.

All-star guest list

Brunette bride Roccuzzo, 29, will wear a dress by Spanish designer Rosa Clara, which has been flown over from Barcelona.

The designer has dressed stars such as actresses Eva Longoria and Sofia Vergara as well as Spain’s Queen Letizia.

From 2200 GMT the guests will pack into the Hotel City-Center Casino, which stands right next to a crime-ridden slum run by drug gangs.

“Messi’s wedding accentuates the sense of inequality that is symbolized by the casino in that neighborhood,” said Carlos del Frade, author of several books on the drug trade in Rosario.

This city of 1.2 million people is also a cradle of footballing talent, however.

“Rosario lives and breathes football. That is another reason Lionel feels so comfortable here,” the city’s mayor, Monica Fein, told AFP.

“I think he is excited that through his wedding his friends (from abroad) will be able to get to know the city he loves so much.”

Local delicacies

The civil wedding ceremony and party will all take place inside the venue, and the guests will be lodged there too.

Messi, 30 — considered a man of few words — has reportedly asked chefs to cook local delicacies such as “locro” stew and “empanada” pasties for the feast.

The star dish is a typical Argentine beef roast including chitterlings, gizzards and kidneys.

Uruguayan pop bands Rombai and Marama plus singer Karina, wife of Argentina footballer Sergio Aguero, will perform at the dance.

It is not known whether the guests will also get a song from Shakira, the Colombian diva famous for “Whenever, Wherever.”

Tight security and media scrum

Some 155 journalists have been accredited to cover the bash, but have been warned they will have no access to the guests.

Security will be handled by a private team of Israeli specialists used by Messi for all his excursions.

“In Lionel Messi’s case, he’s widely accepted by the people at all levels,” said Diego Manso, a local private security consultant.

“All the same, the security systems will never overlook the probability of a lot of people wanting to approach him, wanting to touch him, take photos with him, from their risk analysis.”

Messi and Roccuzzo live in Barcelona where he plays, but still return regularly to Rosario on holiday.

The couple had their two children baptized there last year: Thiago, 4 and one-year-old Mateo, both born in Barcelona.

“It’s no surprise that he is coming back here to get married,” one of the wedding guests, the player’s old school friend Diego Vallejos, told AFP.

“He is an ordinary person who just wants to be near his family and friends. He is a humble person. Money has not changed his personality.”

Messi and Roccuzzo met as children. He moved to Spain when he was 13 to join FC Barcelona. But they kept in touch.

“They are the love of each other’s lives,” says Vallejos.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Barcelona hoping Ramirez can spoil Madrid’s title march

BARCELONA, Spain — A year ago, Sandro Ramirez wasn’t good enough for Barcelona.

Now, the Catalan club is hoping the cast-off forward can upend Real Madrid’s march to the Spanish league title.

For Barcelona to win a third consecutive league title it needs to beat Eibar at home on Sunday and have Malaga defeat Madrid, which enters the final round needing only one point to claim its first title since 2012. And the in-form Ramirez is Malaga’s biggest threat.

Told last May there was no room for him alongside Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, Ramirez could understandably savor Barcelona’s struggles this season. But the 21-year-old Spaniard said he would love nothing more than to give back something to the club that made him into a professional at its “La Masia” academy.

“I really hope I can score a goal and give Barca the league,” Ramirez told BEIN television. “I really hope that this dream comes true. I owe them everything.”

Ramirez left his home in the Canary Islands to join Barcelona’s academy when he was 14. His road wasn’t easy, however. He had to recover from injuries to both knees before he earned his debut with the first team under Barcelona coach Luis Enrique in 2014.

But not even Pedro Rodriguez’s departure for Chelsea opened up consistent playing time. With six goals in two seasons playing limited minutes, Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez decided not to renew Ramirez’s contract last May.

So, for nothing in return, Barcelona let Ramirez walk away while it paid Valencia 30 million euros (then $33.5 million) for striker Paco Alcacer.

“Last season was the most difficult one for me,” Ramirez said. “But you know that the guys in front of you are the best, so I don’t regret anything.”

Ramirez found a spot on Malaga, signing for three seasons. After a slow start, he is finishing the season in spectacular form. Malaga has won six of its last eight matches, with Ramirez scoring seven of his 14 goals this season in those recent victories.

None was bigger than his opening goal in a 2-0 win over Barcelona on April 8 that robbed it of the chance of capitalizing on Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid just hours before.

Ramirez said the goal against his former team “helped vindicate me.”

“I didn’t celebrate it like a goal scored against the best team in the world, but I must give it my all for Malaga,” he said.

Malaga’s surge has come under coach Michel Gonzalez, a former Madrid player who took over in March with the team in danger of being dragged into a relegation fight.

The players responded and reeled off wins over Sevilla, Valencia and Celta Vigo, in addition to the upset of Barcelona, to settle into 11th place.

“From the very first day (Michel) said that I was fundamental for him and that is what a football player needs to hear,” Ramirez said. “Confidence is critical in football. I am ambitious and I know I can give a lot more. We are playing well. It’s my desire to finish this in the best way possible.”

No doubt Barcelona shares that wish as well.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Messi scores 2 as Barcelona strike force reaches 100 goals

MADRID — Lionel Messi continued his impressive form by scoring two goals in Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Eibar in the Spanish league on Sunday, as the strike force of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar reached a total of 100 goals this season in all competitions.

It was the fourth goal, scored by Suarez after Messi’s earlier brace, which brought up the scoring century, keeping the trio on track to beat the record of 122 set by them last season.

Messi scored with a great run in the 41st and added a penalty in the 76th, leaving Barcelona with an eight-point advantage over Atletico Madrid, which won 3-1 at Valencia to keep pace with 10 games to go.

Real Madrid remained 12 points behind Barcelona after trashing Celta Vigo 7-1 on Saturday with four goals by Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We are where we are thanks to our hard work,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. “Now we enter the decisive stages of the season and we are fighting for titles but there are still a lot of points left. There are no guarantees that we will keep playing at this level. We will not get distracted by those saying that we have already won the league.”

Messi is enjoying his best form of the season. The five-time world player of the year has scored 15 goals in the last 10 matches, and eight in the past four, staying on course to win his eighth league title with the Catalan club.

Munir El Haddadi opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a cross by Suarez, who netted his league-leading 26th goal in the 84th.

It was Barcelona’s 11th straight win in the league. It hasn’t lost in 36 consecutive games in all competitions. The last defeat for Enrique’s squad was a 2-1 loss at Sevilla in the seventh round in October.

“Our motivation is to keep this lead until the end and win the title,” Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano said. “We know there is still a lot of league left and any setback could give a chance to our opponents to move closer. It’s a good advantage but we have to keep playing like this and avoid mistakes.”

It was the fourth loss in a row for Eibar, which remains in eighth place in the standings.

Messi netted his 20th league goal with a remarkable run from near midfield that culminated with a low shot into the far corner. The Argentine star cleared two defenders before striking from inside the area.

He calmly converted the penalty kick prompted by a hand ball inside the area, sending his shot into the middle of the goal as the goalkeeper dived away.

Messi had scored a hat trick in the 5-1 rout of Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.

Munir, replacing suspended Brazilian striker Neymar, had opened the scoring with an easy goal from close range after a low cross by Suarez.

Suarez scored the fourth goal after sneaking the ball between the legs of a defender and firing a low shot from inside the box. The Uruguay striker hadn’t scored in three matches following a run of seven straight games with at least one goal.

Suarez had missed the last two penalty kicks awarded for Barcelona, which is the team with the most penalty calls in its favor in the league this season with 14.

Suarez, Messi and Neymar scored 122 times last season to surpass the 118 goals netted by Real Madrid strikers Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain in 2011-12.

Atletico Madrid defeated Valencia with goals by French forward Antoine Griezmann in the 24th, substitute striker Fernando Torres in the 72nd and midfielder Yannick Carrasco in the 85th. Russian striker Denis Cheryshev scored Valencia’s goal in the 28th.

Gary Neville’s team was trying to win for the sixth time in seven games in all competitions. It was Valencia’s second consecutive home loss in the league, dropping it to 11th in the standings.

Earlier Sunday, 10-man Real Betis defeated visiting Granada 2-0 to move further from the relegation zone. Betis defender Juan Manuel Vargas was sent off with a second yellow card in the 53rd.

Granada, 18th in the 20-team standings, had to use defender Cristiano Biraghi in goal in second-half injury time. That was after goalkeeper Andres Fernandez got a red card for touching the ball outside the area, a foul that led to Betis’ final goal.

Athletic Bilbao won 2-0 at Sporting Gijon to move to sixth place and leave its opponent second-to-last on the table, while 10th-place Real Sociedad drew last-place Levante 1-1 at home.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Messi and Co ready to make magic vs Arsenal

LONDON — Barcelona’s strike trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar are ready to weave their magic when the Champions League holders take on Arsenal in the last 16 on Tuesday.

The three forwards share 81 goals from the Spanish league, Copa del Rey, and Champions League this season, and their team heads into the first leg at Emirates Stadium as the clear favorite.

Asked what is involved in coaching such remarkable players, Luis Enrique told a news conference on Monday: “I tell them ‘Abracadabra,’ and the magic sparks, that’s all I do.”

More seriously, he added: “It’s quite simple, in situations of the game, you don’t have to wish what you would like them to do – because they are already doing it. They press, up front, to get the ball from the opponent, and we work hard so that our midfielders can give them the ball. … It’s a pleasure to have these players with me.”

Luis Enrique expects a tight game, but one where Barcelona will look to impose its brand of attacking, possession football.

It’s certainly worked in the past, with the Catalan side beating Arsenal in both of their previous meetings in the knockout stages, along with the final in 2006.

“I’ve seen Arsenal before, and also this season, and they are going to press high at some moments,” he said. “But I hope we can keep possession of the ball in their half of the pitch and put into practice our football. Our target is to win the game, no matter what.”

The key figure in achieving that is likely to be Messi.

Already hugely influential, Luis Enrique believes he is getting even better.

“Last season, he was unbelievable,” the coach said. “He did pretty much everything; he scored, he made a defensive sacrifice, he assisted, and this season he is at the same level or even better. When Lionel Messi goes back to midfield, he becomes the best midfielder, when he plays as a striker he can be a really good scorer, and now he plays on the wing. But he has the freedom to create superiority in certain areas of the pitch. And he’s our leader.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Barcelona sets club record of 29 straight games without loss

MADRID— Barcelona broke the club record with its 29th consecutive unbeaten game when its second-stringers salvaged a 1-1 draw against Valencia in the Copa del Rey semifinals on Wednesday.

Barcelona reached its third straight Copa final 8-1 on aggregate after it won the first leg 7-0 at the Camp Nou last week.

Striker Alvaro Negredo gave Valencia the lead in a breakaway before halftime, but Cameroon-born youngster Wilfrid Kaptoum, a member of Barcelona’s B team, equalized in the 84th, two minutes into his senior debut.

Barcelona eclipsed the record it shared with Pep Guardiola’s 2011 squad, despite playing without nearly all of its regular starters at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar. Coach Luis Enrique used youngsters, with Ivan Rakitic the only experienced starter.

“Honestly, the record wasn’t our main goal,” Rakitic said. “We are happy, but the most important thing is to win titles at the end of the season. We would all exchange the record for titles.”

The draw should increase pressure on Valencia coach Gary Neville, the former England defender who has been struggling in his first head-coaching job. He also used second-stringers in his squad, resting some of the starters for the Spanish league game against Espanyol on Saturday.

Barcelona will likely play the final against Sevilla, which holds a four-goal lead over Celta going into Thursday’s second leg in Vigo. It will be Barcelona’s sixth Copa del Rey final in the last eight seasons.

“We are thrilled to make it to another final,” Enrique said. “Our fans are getting spoiled, just look at the number of Copa finals that we’ve played in the last few years. It tells a lot about this club’s capacity to reinvent itself, it tells a lot about the type of players that we have.”

Enrique’s team hasn’t lost since a 2-1 defeat at Sevilla in the seventh round of the Spanish league in October. It was trying to win its 11th in a row on Wednesday.

Guardiola’s steak ended with a 3-1 loss at Real Betis in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals. His team won 23 games and drew five, scoring 85 goals and conceding 14.

Enrique’s squad has won 23 games and drawn six, scoring 87 and conceding 15.

The Barcelona team coached by Rinus Michels and including Johan Cruyff in the 1973-74 season, won 27 straight games.

Negredo opened the scoring after entering the area free from markers. He found the net after his initial shot was partially blocked by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. The late equalizer by the 19-year-old Kaptoum came with a close-range shot after a low cross by Juan Camara.

Valencia had lost three straight games. It hasn’t won in the Spanish league in 12 rounds, nine of those under the command of Neville.

“It’s a small step to try to regain some confidence and keep us in the right direction to turn things around,” Valencia forward Pablo Piatti said. “We are disappointed, the team hasn’t met expectations so far.”

Only about 16,000 fans showed up at the 55,000-seat Mestalla. A supporter held a banner that read: “Bye bye, Neville.”

“I’m thankful for the fans who came to the stadium. Some didn’t want to come and that was their right,” Neville said. “We weren’t playing under the best circumstances after what happened (in the first leg) last week, but the players played with dignity. We deserved to win.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Messi, Neymar to start Club World Cup final

Lionel Messi and Neymar were both named in Barcelona's starting line-up for the Club World Cup final against River Plate on Sunday.

Argentine Messi had been doubtful after missing Thursday's semi-final against Guangzhou Evergrande because of a kidney stone, while Brazilian Neymar had also missed the 3-0 win over the Asian champions through injury.

The pair will lineup alongside Uruguayan Luis Suarez, who scored a hat-trick in the semi-final.

Barcelona are aiming to win the title for the third time and River Plate are hoping to become the first South American side to lift the trophy since Corinthians beat Chelsea in 2012. - Reuters