Barca trim Real's lead after thumping Zaragoza
Reuters - Saturday 07 April 2012, 22:05
Barcelona trimmed the gap to
leaders Real Madrid to three points when Lionel Messi struck
twice in a 4-1 comeback win at relegation-threatened 10-man Real
Zaragoza in La Liga on Saturday.
As well as helping the champions put pressure on their arch
rivals, whom they host at the Nou Camp later this month, the
Argentine became the first player to score 60 goals in a season
in European top-flight football in almost 40 years.
The last player to reach the milestone was former Bayern
Munich striker Gerd Muller who netted 67 in the 1972/73 season.
"You always suffer after playing a Champions League game
midweek," Barca coach Pep Guardiola told a news conference,
referring to his side's 3-1 win over AC Milan on Tuesday to
clinch a place in the semi-finals of Europe's elite club
competition.
"We have 10 games left to finish the season, or
theoretically 11 if we get to the Champions League final, and we
just need to focus on the next one against Getafe [in La Liga]
on Tuesday," added the former Barca and Spain midfielder.
ROBERTO HOWLER
In an action-packed game at the Romareda, in which Zaragoza
had to play the second half with 10 men after the dismissal of
full-back Abraham Minero, the hosts squandered one chance to lead
when Victor Valdes saved Carlos Aranda's 24th-minute penalty.
Barca were struggling to break through some dogged defence
and Aranda made amends for his weak effort from the spot with a
freakish goal on the half-hour.
Sent clear on the right, his initial effort was saved by
Valdes but the ball rebounded back on to the burly forward's
bald head before arrowing past Carles Puyol's despairing dive
into the net.
A howler by Roberto gifted Barca an equaliser in the 36th
minute. The Zaragoza goalkeeper came to collect at a corner but
only managed to palm the ball down to Puyol, who volleyed neatly
home through a crowd of defenders.
Some tenacious tackling by Alexis Sanchez set up Barca's
second when the Chilean thwarted a Zaragoza attack and raced
forward before releasing Messi on the left.
The World Player of the Year beat one defender and lashed
the ball high into the net.
It was Barca's 159th goal of the season in all competitions,
beating the club record of 158 set during coach Pep Guardiola's
first season in charge in 2008/09.
TIRING TROOPS
Zaragoza were reduced to 10 men when Minero was dismissed
for a second yellow card moments before half-time and home coach
Manolo Jimenez was sent from the bench two minutes after the
break for his over-enthusiastic protests.
Jimenez's tiring troops did well to hang on until five
minutes from time when Alexis was upended in the area and Messi
drove the spot-kick high past Roberto for his 38th league goal
of the campaign, one ahead of Real forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
He then set up Pedro to score Barca's fourth deep into added
time as they romped to a ninth straight league success.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Puyol said in an
interview with Spanish television.
"We have a duty to fight in every match and that is what we
are doing," added the Barca captain.
Zaragoza, who had won their last three games to climb off
the bottom of the table, stay 18th on 28 points, three ahead of
Racing Santander and Sporting Gijon but four behind Villarreal,
who lost 3-1 at Real Betis in the late kick-off.
Osasuna missed a chance to climb above Levante into fifth
when they were thrashed 6-0 at mid-table Rayo Vallecano.
Gijon's chances of avoiding relegation suffered a blow when
La Liga's basement side lost 2-0 at Getafe and Espanyol, chasing
a place in Europe next season, came from two goals down to draw
2-2 at home to Real Sociedad and are ninth.