All Bar�a�s football

Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Saturday, 15 Oct
Competition: ???label.competicio0???
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Resultat:

FC Barcelona: 3
Racing: 0

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The goals

1-0, Messi (min 11)
2-0, Xavi (min 27)
3-0, Messi (min 68)

Three more for the leader (3-0)

Roger Boguny�

Two goals from Messi and another from Xavi gave FC Barcelona a win over Racing Santander at the Camp Nou. With Iniesta back in the team, Bar�a stay top of the league table for another week.

This time the international break had no effect on FC Barcelona as they cruised to a 3-0 win over Racing Santander to hold onto top spot in the Liga table. They did so by staying faithful to their usual system, despite nine of the starting eleven having played international fixtures this week. Leo Messi was the star once again, scoring the first and third goals of the game, with Xavi adding another in between as the his side dominated the Cantabrians from start to finish. The performance was an ideal confidence booster ahead of two more important games at the Camp Nou against Viktoria Plzeň and Sevilla.

Messi marvel

For the first time this season, Guardiola started a match without either Busquets or Mascherano. Puyol and Piqu� started in the centre of defence, although the latter withdrew injured shortly after kickoff, while Thiago acted as the linkman between defence and midfield. The football flowed as brilliantly as ever, with absolutely no sign of tiredness among the many internationals. The first goal came after a delightful combination play involving Iniesta and Messi. The Argentinian, with just four touches of the ball, left Bernardo and To�o standing before scoring an absolute peach of a goal. It also meant he has now beaten Kubala’s record.

Xavi gets second

The first half was a constant onslaught on the Racing goal. It was only a matter of time before FCB scored again, and that happened on the half hour, when Xavi nodded home a Pedro cross from the left. Puyol and Villa, twice, also had chances to extend the lead against a Racing side that had certainly come to play football, but Hector Cuper’s rapid-paced style only played right into the hands of the home side.

More from Messi

Nothing changed after the break. Bar�a continued to dominate possession and generate chance after chance. The pace may have eased off slightly, but it was still ideal for Catalans, who appreciated the drop in intensity due to possible fatigue in the wake of so much travelling over the last week. But there was still another goal to come, and that started with Andr�s Iniesta going on a terrific run and then striking the ball onto the post, where Messi was ready to cannon the rebound into the net.

Rest for Iniesta and Pedro

The 3-0 scoreline satisfied Guardiola that the team had done its job, and Iniesta, who was playing his first game since getting injured against AC Milan and Pedro, who played for Spain on Tuesday against Scotland, were both brought off early. Keita and Adriano took their place in a game that almost ended with an amazing overhead goal from Abidal. You just never know what to expect from Bar�a, but it’s almost always amazing! The magic continues…

Preview

The magic is back

Roger Boguny�

The league gets back under way when Racing visit the Camp Nou tonight (20.00, GolT, Canal+ Liga and R@dio Bar�a). This is the first of three consecutive home matches, and the great news is that Iniesta is fit again and available for selection.

The waiting is over. The international matches are over and it’s back to La Liga and a game at the Camp Nou. Leaders FC Barcelona, after winning 1-0 in Gij�n a fortnight ago, now entertain Racing in a game that marks the return of Andr�s Iniesta, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the home fixture against AC Milan. He did not play in Spain’s two games last week, and has instead been completing his recovery at the Ciutat Esportiva. He is back, football is back, and the Bar�a magic is back.

18 players

Iniesta’s return means Josep Guardiola has 18 first team players to choose from. Alexis and F�bregas are both still out of action, but are due to return very soon, while Afellay will be unavailable for several months. So, there are no surprises in the squad selection, and the only question mark is how much use Guardiola will make of the many internationals that have just had a very tiring week indeed.

Three at home

The Camp Nou has plenty to look forward to in the second half of October. In fact, FC Barcelona now have a run of three games at home (Racing, Viktoria Plzen and Sevilla), which offers them a great chance to consolidate their positions both in Europe and domestically. Three FCB wins would be the perfect antidote to the threat of the ‘FIFA virus’.

Racing struggling up front

Bar�a’s guests are in the relegation zone and in desperate need of points after just scoring four times in six games, three of those goals coming in their first league match at Mestalla. That makes for just one goal in five games, from the famous draw with Madrid in Santander. Racing did manage a draw at the Camp Nou three years ago, 1-1, and ominously that was also the first game after an international break.

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Match

Marcador del partit

Resultat:

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Match Report

The goals

Three more for the leader (3-0)

Preview

The magic is back

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