Lionel Messi scored twice to help Barcelona shake off the disappointment of their midweek Champions League semi-final exit with a 4-1 victory at Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday.
|Last Updated: May 02, 2010, 10:59 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Madrid: Lionel Messi scored twice to help Barcelona shake off the disappointment of their midweek Champions League semi-final exit with a 4-1 victory at Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday.
Any thoughts that tired limbs or damaged morale might affect the defence of their league title were misplaced as Messi, Xavi and Bojan Krkic netted in the first half at the Madrigal.World Player of the Year Messi then bagged his second goal near the end to take his league tally for the season to 29 after Joseba Llorente had pulled one back for the hosts.
Barca have 90 points with three matches left, four ahead of Real Madrid who play Osasuna at the Bernabeu on Sunday. Villarreal stay sixth on 52 points.
"It was a tough game and we needed to turn the page so I must congratulate the coach and players," Barca president Joan Laporta said.
Villarreal striker Nilmar fluffed two early chances before the visitors took control.
Barca coach Pep Guardiola left Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the bench, preferring Bojan alongside Pedro and Messi up front, and it was the Argentine who showed excellent skill to score the opener.
Controlling Xavi`s pass on the turn after 19 minutes he advanced and his shot deflected in off a defender.
Xavi doubled the lead with a curling free kick after 34 minutes and Bojan scored a wonderful third, spinning away from his marker and beating a second defender for pace before firing the ball into the far corner.
Llorente`s goal on the counter threatened to ignite a Villarreal comeback in the 67th minute but Messi clipped the ball over the diving Diego Lopez to secure the points.Earlier, Nikola Zigic scored twice to lead Valencia to a 2-0 victory at Espanyol that strengthened their hold on third place and Spain`s last automatic Champions League qualification slot.
The towering Serbia striker, who will play at the World Cup in June, replaced David Villa early in the second half and changed the course of the game by netting twice from Vicente crosses in the 61st and 74th minutes.
Valencia have 65 points, nine ahead of fourth-placed Real Mallorca who visit Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Mario Bermejo headed a last-gasp winner for Xerez to earn the basement club a dramatic 2-1 victory at home to Almeria that kept alive their hopes of avoiding relegation.
Television replays showed the Xerez striker was offside when he scored in the 93rd minute to set off wild celebrations around the stadium, and scuffles between the rival players as the final whistle blew straight after.
The top-flight debutants played the whole of the second-half with 10 men and in an increasingly desperate atmosphere Almeria also had a player sent off in the closing stages.
Xerez stay bottom on 30 points but closed to within five of 17th-placed Malaga and safety.
Felipe Caicedo grabbed a late equaliser to keep Malaga out of the bottom three with a 1-1 draw at home to Sporting Gijon but they are now level on 35 points with 18th-placed Tenerife.
The islanders, who have an inferior head-to-head record, were 2-1 winners over Racing Santander and moved above Real Valladolid (33 points) who drew 0-0 at home to Getafe.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.