All Bar�a�s football

Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Saturday, 24 Apr
Competition: ???label.competicio0???
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Resultat:

FC Barcelona: 3
Xerez C.D.: 1

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

Image: Miguel Ruiz / �lex Caparr�s (FCB).

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Goals

1-0 Jeffren (min 13)
2-0 Henry (min 23)
2-1 Bermejo (min 24)
3-1 Ibrahimovic (min 55)

Pitfall avoided (3-1)

Jordi Clos

Bar�a have overcome Xerez, a side that made life difficult until deep into the second half. Jeffren and Henry scored early on but the visitors pulled one back and also squandered two clear-cut chances. Ibra sealed the win in the 55th minute.

Many minds are already on Wednesday’s task, where Bar�a have to make up for the 3-1 loss to Inter, but first there was another challenge at the Camp Nou against bottom-placed Xerez. The league leaders were well focused and were 2-0 up after 23 minutes thanks to strikes from Jeffren and Henry, but a cracking goal from Bermejo was a reminder that the three points were not going to be won that easily. In fact, the Andalusians wasted two excellent chances to draw level before an opportunistic Ibra, assisted by the entrances of Piqu� and Messi, made it three. The potential banana skin fixture sorted, minds can now switch one hundred percent to Inter.

Great expectations

Neither the fans nor the players were going to take this game lightly. There was an excellent turnout for the unusually early kick off at the Camp Nou, and the near capacity crowd was in vociferous form. The players went into the game with the same determination. Guardiola made several changes to his starting eleven, with Messi on the bench and the opting for a 4-3-3 formation. But although that may not be the most typical system for a possession and passing game, if you have Xavi on the pitch, then the ball is always going to be circulated with intelligence and verticality. And so it was, with Bar�a enjoying over eighty percent of the possession, and Xavi himself supplying the pass for the opening goal. Jeffren was the target, and the youngster, despite first slipping, held his ground and skilfully rounded Casado to send home a tremendous effort that had Xerez keeper Renan flailing in desperation (min 13).

Henry makes it two

Bar�a were in perfect command of the situation, and it was not long before they had doubled their lead. In the 23rd minute, Keita passed to Ibrahimovic and the Swede gifted a goal to Henry. But just when it looked like game over, Bermejo snatched the ball from Chygrinskiy and slammed a screamer into the top corner of Vald�s’ net. The supporters immediately got behind the Ukrainian for his error, but the goal knocked the wind out of the home side, and the rest of the half saw their hard-hitting but valiant guests causing more and more trouble.

Messi to the rescue

Xerez found a new belief in themselves. After the break they decided to throw caution to the wid and scrapped their three centre back system, and their more attacking approach produced two chances they really should have capitalised on. Orellana had the first after Vald�s had mishit a clearance and then the keeper made amends with a splendid save off a Bermejo header. Things weren’t going to plan, so Guardiola sent on both Piqu� and Messi in the 52nd minute. The best player in the world helped calm the storm, and just three minutes after the change, a Tour� run down the left ended with a subtle pass that Ibra only had to stroke gently home.

Fiery end

Bar�a raised their game after it had gone 3-1, and the passes once again started flowing freely. Renan managed to keep the score respectable for the Andalusians by saving an Ibra shot with five minutes to go, and the run-in to the final whistle saw tempers starting to flare. Alustiza was red carded for a tackle on Messi, and another totally unnecessary foul by Orellana saw Xerez reduced to nine. It was an ugly way to end what until then had been a dignified performance by the visitors. The game over, there was still time for one more roar from the Camp Nou crowd when the players donned t-shirts to commemorate the massive game that awaits them on Wednesday. Inter are coming, and that will be an altogether different story.

Preview

Changing places

Last summer Xerez loaned in six players to bolster their squad, while many borrowed stars returned to their parent clubs, and only two others were sold on. Cuco Ziganda was appointed as head coach when Esteban Vigo left to take over at H�rcules, but the newcomer was sacked and replaced by former Argentina international N�stor Gorosito in January.

Xerez kick off decisive week

Lucas Brown

FC Barcelona meet Xerez on Saturday evening (18:00, R@dio Bar�a) as the top of the table meets the bottom side at the start of what coach Pep Guardiola believes will be a decisive week for the Catalan giants.

The Andalucian outfit maybe at the foot of the Spanish top flight, but they will be aiming to cause a huge surprise after seeing the Blaugrana held by Espanyol seven days earlier and then lose to Inter in midweek.

Staying focussed

Guardiola stated in the build-up that while many outside the club are focussed on the second leg of the Champions League with Inter his players have to concentrate on beating N�stor Gorosito's side first. The draw against Espanyol last weekend saw Real Madrid move to within a point of Bar�a at the top of the table and the European champions' trainer is adamant that they cannot let their heads drop after the European reverse in Milan.

Sudden turnaround

At the end of last term Xerez earned promotion to la Primera for the first time in their 63-year history and many predicted that they would make an immediate return to the second tier. A disastrous start saw them look set to break records for such things as least goals scored in the first division, but a turnaround in recent weeks has made many sit up and take notice. An historic win at Atl�tico de Madrid two weeks ago was their third away game without defeat while the team have lost just twice in their last ten outings and now lie just six points from safety.

In and out

�ric Abidal did not train on Friday after suffering a groin injury and is doubtful for the game while Andr�s Iniesta is certainly missing as he continues his recovery programme. The media have been predicting that Guardiola could rest some of his stars for the game with Lionel Messi being named as one player who may not play the entire 90 minutes. For the visitors Francis and Vicente Moreno are back in the squad while Momo and Alex Berganti�os have been rested.

Brief history

The two teams met for the first time in the first division in December at the Municipal de Chap�n and Bar�a came away with all three points from a 0-2 win. Thierry Henry put the visitors ahead in the 46th minute before Zlatan Ibrahimovic added a second late on.

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