La Liga: Barca crowned champions

Click Here for AnswersBarcelona won their 19th Primera Liga title without kicking a ball on Saturday when Real Madrid lost 3-2 at Villarreal.

Two-time reigning champions Real Madrid relinquished their Primera Division crown to arch rivals Barcelona tonight after slumping to defeat at Villarreal.

Lying eight points behind pacesetters Barca with three games remaining, Madrid needed to win at El Madrigal to keep the title race alive - at least until Pep Guardiola's men met Real Mallorca tomorrow.

But goals from Robert Pires, Ruben Cani and Joan Capdevila cancelled out efforts from Madrid duo Rafael Van der Vaart and Gonzalo Higuain to give Villarreal a much-needed boost in their hunt for a Champions League spot and hand Barca the title.

Madrid found themselves trailing in the 16th minute. The 32-year-old Ariel Ibagaza created the chance as he made ground down the left before whipping in a cross, and the 35-year-old Pires finished the chance off with a thumping header from near the penalty spot.

With their already faint title hopes slipping further away, that goal seemed to knock the wind out of Madrid and they looked a side devoid of ideas for most of the remainder of the first half as Villarreal dominated proceedings.

Madrid coach Juande Ramos had seen enough and at half-time he replaced the ineffectual Klaas Jan Huntelaar with top scorer Gonzalo Higuain, and the move paid almost immediate dividends.

A deep cross from Miguel Torres picked out Higuain at the far post and the Argentinian's first-time pass across the face of goal allowed Van der Vaart the easiest of tap-ins as the Villarreal defence was nowhere to be seen.

However, the visitors could not build on that and the hosts re-took the lead in the 62nd minute through Cani.

Madrid centre-back Fabio Cannavaro's attempt at cutting out a cross saw the ball fall kindly into the Cani's path and the number 10 lashed a first-time shot past Casillas.

Ramos' men then gave themselves a lifeline when Higuain netted in the 88th minute.

Higuain looked to be standing well offside when he picked up Raul's half-blocked shot, but the flag stayed down and the young striker slotted past Lopez.

There was to be no fairytale finale for Madrid though as two minutes later Capdevila scored the goal that finally ended their title hopes.

Casillas made a mess of trying to catch Nihat's corner, and Capdevila could barely believe his luck as the ball dropped at his feet and all he had to do was poke it over the line.

Sevilla and Deportivo Coruna's European aspirations were dented when they were both held to draws by sides fighting to avoid relegation in the Primera Liga on Saturday.

Third-placed Sevilla were held to a 0-0 draw away to Osasuna with the Andalucians on the back foot for much of the game.

Both sides hit the crossbar and after Sevilla had Ndri Romaric sent off near the end, Osasuna defender Sergio Fernandez soon followed.

Sevilla move five points clear of fourth on to 64 points in their bid to secure the third automatic Champions League qualification place.

Later on Saturday, leaders Barcelona (86 points) could be crowned champions without kicking a ball if Real Madrid (78) fail to beat Villarreal at the Madrigal.

Barca do not visit Real Mallorca until Sunday.

Deportivo remain sixth with 57 points after their striker Ivan Riki scored a late equaliser against his former club Getafe for a 1-1 home draw.

Roberto Soldado had headed the visitors in front just after the restart.

Getafe are 14th with 38 points, one more than Osasuna and four above the relegation zone.

La Liga: Barcelona humiliate Real

Real Madrid 2 - 6 Barcelona

Barcelona took a giant step towards winning the Primera Division title after crushing arch rivals and nearest challengers Real Madrid in stunning fashion at the Bernabeu.

Click Here for Answers

Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi both netted braces while Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique were also on the scoresheet as Pep Guardiola's treble-chasers inflicted a first league defeat on in-form Madrid since beating the reigning champions at the Nou Camp in December.

Madrid had picked up 52 points from a possible 54 since that match, but their hopes of a third successive title now look sunk after they fell seven points adrift of Barca with only four games remaining.

Barca, who also hold the better head-to-head record against their rivals, can now clinch the title next weekend if they beat Villarreal and Madrid lose to Valencia.

In last season's corresponding fixture Barca had a night to forget, starting with the chastening experience of giving hosts Madrid a guard of honour and applauding them onto the pitch for having just won the league, and ending with a 4-1 hammering.

It was a completely different story tonight, though they needed to bounce back from an early deficit as Madrid went ahead inside 14 minutes through Gonzalo Higuain.

Sergio Ramos sent over a cross from the right and Higuain rose unmarked to head home his 19th league goal of the season to send the Bernabeu wild.

Barca need not have worried though as within six minutes of that goal they had turned the game on its head with strikes from Henry and Puyol.

The lively Henry drew Barca level in the 18th minute when Ramos failed to cut out Lionel Messi's through-ball and the Frenchman coolly rolled his shot past Iker Casillas.

Henry was also involved in the goal that put Barca ahead soon after, winning a free-kick to the left of the area that Xavi curled into the area where the unmarked Puyol headed home inside the near post.

It was a two-minute spell which could have helped decide the title, as after that turnaround Barca went into overdrive.

The visitors rode their luck briefly when goalkeeper Victor Valdes did well to deny Arjen Robben, but otherwise it was home custodian Casillas who was under the cosh.

He produced three superb saves to deny Lionel Messi (twice) and Samuel Eto'o in the space of six minutes as Barca repeatedly swept through the home defence.

Casillas could do nothing to prevent Messi putting Barca 3-1 up in the 35th minute though after Madrid committed defensive suicide.

Lassana Diarra was caught in possession by Xavi deep inside Madrid territory, and with the home side's backline nowhere in the vicinity, Messi had all the time in the world to collect the ball, stroll into the area and slide a low shot past Casillas.

That was a bitter blow for Madrid after seemingly weathering the worst of the Barca storm, but it was no more than Guardiola's side deserved.

Barca continued to look the more likely to get another goal as well, with Dani Alves testing Casillas with a long-range free-kick just before the break before Iniesta went close at the start of the second half.

It was actually Madrid who would find the breakthrough though thanks to Ramos.

Iniesta was adjudged to have fouled Robben just outside the box, and from the resulting kick Ramos headed home Robben's cross at the far post to give Madrid a much-needed boost.

That euphoria was to last all of a minute before Henry restored Barca's two-goal advantage.

Xavi picked out the Frenchman's run in behind Ramos and Henry reached the ball before the outreaching Casillas. Madrid fans could only watch in horror as the Barca striker's shot slowly rolled into the net.

That knocked the stuffing out of Madrid, and they were left facing total humiliation after Messi made it 5-2 in the 75th minute, the Argentinian magician picking up a pass from Xavi before beating Casillas at his near post.

The nightmare had not finished there for Madrid though, and Pique wrapped up the scoring eight minutes from time with what was Barca's 100th league goal of the season.

Barca can now look forward to their midweek Champions League semi-final trip to Chelsea confident that they virtually have the Primera Division title wrapped up.

In Saturday's other Spanish games Numancia climbed off the bottom of the league after beating Malaga 2-0, while Seville won 2-0 at Villarreal with Luis Fabiano and Frddie Kanoute scoring the goals.

La Liga: "El Clasico" could shift title momentum

Spain's "El Clasico" between Real Madrid and Barcelona is already one of the biggest club matches in world soccer but has added significance this time with champions Real only four points behind leaders Barca.

Real host the Catalans at the Bernabeu on Saturday knowing victory will put them within one point of their arch rivals with four matches left, while Barca can take a huge step towards a first league triumph in three years.

"Winning the Clasico is the key," former Real midfielder Zinedine Zidane said on Real's website.

"Beating Barcelona would send a signal and create a great chance to be league champions," he added. "If Real Madrid win everything will be different and the league can have a new frontrunner."

Barca's 2-0 victory at the Nou Camp in December, Juande Ramos's league debut as Real coach, put them 12 points clear, but the champions then went on a stunning run of 17 wins and one draw in 18 matches to haul themselves into contention.

Real's elimination from the Champions League and the King's Cup has allowed them to concentrate fully on the Primera Liga, while Pep Guardiola's side are still alive in all three competitions.

The Clasico is sandwiched between Barcelona's two-legged semi-final against Chelsea in Europe's top club competition.

Barca stuttered in February and early March when they drew with Real Betis and then lost to city rivals Espanyol and Atletico Madrid.

Their 2-2 draw at Valencia last weekend, when Real came from a goal down to win 4-2 at third-placed Sevilla, injected new life into the title race.

"If I was a Barcelona player I would be very scared to see a team like Madrid breathing down my neck," Real defender Marcelo told Thursday's As newspaper.

Barca visit the Bernabeu for the first time since last season's humiliating 4-1 defeat when they had to applaud Real on to the pitch in the traditional tribute to the newly-crowned league champions.

Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who scored Barca's second goal in the 2-0 win in December, said there was no desire among the players to avenge that loss.

"Let's hope we can win in Madrid and that will be a big step toward winning the title," he said at a media event in the Catalan capital on Wednesday.

"If we win, we'll be able to go to Chelsea (next week) feeling more relaxed," he added. "We are a very close-knit team and are all very motivated to win a title for Barca after two years without one."

Both coaches have problems with injuries and suspensions.

Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez is out for the season after damaging a knee in the 0-0 home draw with Chelsea on Tuesday, and Real defender Pepe has been banned for 10 matches following his sending off against Getafe on April 21.

Real will also be without midfielder Guti, who has an ankle injury, and it is unclear whether winger Arjen Robben and midfielder Wesley Sneijder will recover from muscle strains in time to feature.

La Liga: Barcelona humble Sevilla

Andres Iniesta scored a sublime goal and had a hand in three more to inspire Barcelona to a 4-0 humbling of third-placed Sevilla in the Primera Liga on Wednesday.

Champions Real Madrid had upped the pressure with a comeback win over Getafe which halved Barca's advantage to three points but Pep Guardiola's side responded in style to move on to 81 with six matches left.

Sevilla's third straight defeat left them on 57, two ahead of fourth-placed Valencia who won 2-1 at Real Betis thanks to a clinical double from striker David Villa.

Guardiola left Argentine forward Lionel Messi out of his starting line-up at the Nou Camp and gave midfielder Iniesta room to roam in front of Xavi, Yaya Toure and Seydou Keita.

He responded by putting Barca in front after three minutes when he surged through the middle and curled a superb shot into the top corner past goalkeeper Javi Varas, standing in for the suspended Andres Palop.

Iniesta then exchanged passes with his Spain international colleague Xavi and squared the ball for Primera Liga top scorer Eto'o to drive in his 27th goal of the season off Varas on 17 minutes.

Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez brought striker Frederic Kanoute on after the break but the match was effectively over when Iniesta created space on the edge of the area for Xavi to stroke the ball high into the net on 49 minutes.

He capped a fabulous individual display five minutes later when he threaded a pass through for Thierry Henry to slide in Barca's fourth and was given a standing ovation when Aleksandr Hleb replaced him on the hour.

Another dominant home performance by Barca put them a step closer to a first league title in three years and gave them a boost before their Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea on Tuesday.

La Liga: Aguero stuns Barca in seven-goal thriller

Sergio Aguero scored a dramatic late winner as Atletico Madrid twice came from behind to stun visiting Barcelona 4-3 on Sunday and extend the Primera Liga leaders' miserable run of form.

Real Madrid's 2-0 win at Espanyol on Saturday, their 10th straight victory, had upped the pressure on Barca, who have now taken only one point from their last three matches and had their advantage over the champions whittled down to four points.

Atletico started brightly but fell behind to a superb Thierry Henry goal on 19 minutes. The ball fell kindly to the French international just outside the penalty area and he curled a superb shot over Leo Franco into the top right corner.

Lionel Messi left the Atletico defence trailing and finished clinically to double Barca's advantage 12 minutes later before Diego Forlan lashed a shot from long range that flew over Victor Valdes into the net to pull one back.

A mistake by Barca defender Rafael Marquez let Aguero in to equalise early in the second half but the home side fell behind again when Eidur Gudjohnsen raced clear and squared for Henry to score his second on 72 minutes.

Forlan scored from the penalty spot with 10 minutes left after Henry was adjudged to have fouled Florent Sinama Pongolle and Aguero burst through a Carles Puyol tackle and side-footed past Valdes for the winner on 89 minutes.

Guardiola congratulated Atletico and said their direct style of play had caused his players problems.

"We'll pick ourselves up, try to correct what is going wrong and carry on working," the former Barca midfielder said at a news conference. "I have a great deal of faith in my players."

In other matches on Sunday, Valencia's poor run of form continued and Unai Emery's side were whistled by their disgruntled home supporters as they dropped to sixth behind Atletico on goal difference.

Jonathan Sesma opened the scoring with a powerful header after six minutes, Luis Cesar Sanchez deflected a cross onto Raul Albiol and into the net for an own goal just after the half hour and Carlos Marchena pulled one back with 16 minutes left.

Villarreal just managed to hold on for the draw after going 2-0 ahead thanks to goals from Spain winger Santi Cazorla and stay in fourth, five points behind third-placed Sevilla.

Sergio Garcia began the Betis fightback with a superbly take goal in the 42nd minute and Ricardo Oliveira equalised just before the hour.

Ten-man Malaga slipped one place to seventh while Recre's first victory in five matches lifted them to 13th.

Defender Lolo was shown a straight red card just after the half hour when he caught Jesus Vazquez with his arm. Javier Camunas found the bottom left corner with a drive on 55 minutes and Adrian Colunga struck 10 minutes later to seal the win.

Bottom-club Numancia's woes continued as Juan Rodriguez scored the winner with 15 minutes left as the Galicians cemented their hold on eighth place in the standings.

Angel Lafita powered through the centre and released Rodriguez on the right and the midfielder sent an angled shot into the net past Juan Pablo Colinas.

Osasuna came back from a goal down to extend their unbeaten run to six, although they slipped back into the relegation zone thanks to Real Mallorca's win at Sporting Gijon.

Osasuna goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez could only deflect a powerful drive from striker Oscar Serrano into the net after 13 minutes and Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani equalised with a powerful header in first-half added time.

Mallorca took the points thanks to Juan Arango's superb curled freekick from long range early in the second period and the islanders moved out of the relegation places into 16th.

Alvaro Negredo scored twice to help the home side battle back from a goal down as Almeria moved up two spots to 11th.

Ecuador midfielder Joffre Guerron was on hand on eight minutes to tap in after the ball bounced down off the crossbar. Negredo levelled five minutes later when he turned in a low cross from the left and grabbed the winner with 25 minutes left with a deflected shot.

Guardiola content despite end of winning run

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola remained in upbeat mood despite seeing his team's winning streak come to an end at Real Betis.

Barca went into the clash at the Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera having won 10 successive games in La Liga but they had to settle for a point after playing out a 2-2 draw.

It could have been much worse for the runaway leaders though as they trailed 2-0 after just 25 minutes and were indebted to a brace from Samuel Eto'o, whose equaliser came six minutes from the end, for salvage something from the match.

Guardiola said: "We came to win and it didn't happen, but there are no reproaches. We cannot say that we didn't fight and that we didn't put the effort in. We battled throughout and created many chances.

"When a team have performed the way Barca have you cannot reproach them at all. I'm very satisfied. I worry if we slip up when we've played badly, but I don't have this feeling.

"I think we dominated the game. I would have liked like to have won, but it is what it is. We picked up a point."

The draw means Barca's lead at the summit can now be trimmed back to 10 points if Real Madrid beat Sporting Gijon away this evening.

"There are still 15 games to play, a lot of the league ahead. We've been saying this for a long time, you have to continue forward and take it step by step," Guardiola added.

He also had words of praise for Betis, who despite spending big over the last six months find themselves worryingly close to the relegation zone.

Last weekend's win derby win over Sevilla and the draw against Barca have left Paco Chaparro's side six points above the bottom three ahead of today's matches and Guardiola envisages no problems for the Seville-based outfit come the end of the campaign.

"I want to congratulate Betis for the game they played, I expected our opponents to play like that," Guardiola said.

"It was an entertaining game and the fans will have enjoyed it. We faced a great team, made up of very good players. We expect to see them safe at the end of the season."

La Liga: Messi double gives Barca narrow win

Lionel Messi came off the bench and scored twice in the second half as Barcelona, who survived two late dismissals, won 2-1 at Racing Santander on Sunday and maintained their huge lead in the Primera Liga. Racing gave the visitors little space and took the lead after the restart when Nikola Zigic scored from the penalty spot.

Messi's introduction galvanised Barca and the Argentine stole in to score the equaliser within 10 minutes of coming on the pitch, and grabbed the winner nine minutes from time. Barca, who had Rafael Marquez and Gerard Pique sent off in the closing minutes, restored their 12-point lead at the top of the standings -- moving on to 56 points from 21 games.

"I was pleased with the way we kept control of the ball and did not lose our shape when we went behind. It's an honour to work with these players," Barca coach Pep Guardiola said.

"It's another three points and another small step forward."

Champions Real Madrid, who beat Numancia 2-0 away on Saturday, are second.

Third-placed Sevilla, with 38 points, lost ground on the leaders after losing a bruising encounter 1-0 away to Sporting Gijon in the late game.

Sporting missed a fifth-minute penalty before Diego Castro headed them in front, but they were reduced to ten men just before the half-hour mark when Roberto Canella was sent off.

King's Cup semi-finalists Sevilla were unable to find a way through their spirited hosts and are now just one point ahead of Valencia, who were led to a 3-2 home win over Almeria by a fit-again David Villa.

The Spain striker scored a penalty and the decider to take his tally for the season to 17.

Villarreal stay fifth with 34 points after falling 3-0 away to Deportivo Coruna, who climbed to sixth.

La Liga: Messi imperious as Barca thump Numancia

Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga to a massive 15 points after thumping Numancia 4-1 at the Camp Nou.

The first half was goalless, though Javier González Del Pino had the ball in the net for the visitors but the referee had blown, somewhat harshly, for a foul on Xavi.

But after the break Leo Messi got his 13th goal of the season after great work from Dani Alves.

Alves skipped into the box, looping the ball over left-back Boris before nodding it to Messi whose deft touch took the ball past 'keeper Juan Pablo Colinas.

It was 2-0 just minutes later when Samuel Eto'o raced onto a Andres Iniesta to clip home.

Numancia gave themselves hope when a fantastic Javier Barkero free-kick cut the defocit to just one.

But then Thierry Henry made it 3-1 with 20 minutes remaining. After being fed by Messi inside the area Henry squeezed a shot into the far corner.

Then Messi waltzed into the box and forced a save from Colinas. Unfortunately for the Numancia keeper, his save cannoned back onto Messi and left him with a tap in from three yards.

Messi had two chances to bag his hat-trick when he went clean through but Colinas, and then the bar, denied him.

Elsewhere, struggling Osasuna came back to draw 1-1 at Villarreal with a spirited Primera Liga performance at the Madrigal on Saturday.

The visitors were rewarded for their ambition when substitute Dady scored from close range following an error by Pascal Cygan in the 65th minute, cancelling out Giuseppe Rossi's stylish first-half opener.

Villarreal remained fifth with 34 points, kept out of the Champions League playoff places on goal difference by Valencia.

Osasuna climbed off the bottom of the table, drawing level on 14 points with Real Mallorca but going above them on goal difference.

La Liga: More to come from Barcelona

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola sounded an ominous warning to the rest of the Primera Liga by insisting his team's performance in Saturday night's 5-0 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna was "far from perfect".

Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o both struck twice as Barca hammered Depor at the Nou Camp to amass a record total of 50 points at the league's halfway stage.

But Guardiola, whose side hold a 12-point cushion over second-placed Real Madrid, said afterwards: "(It) was far from perfect. There are still things we aren't doing well.

"I got a good feeling, but there are always errors that need analysing and correcting."

Lionel Messi gave the hosts the lead with a fine individual strike after 21 minutes and Henry headed the Catalans two up shortly afterwards following a good cross by Dani Alves.

Eto'o then added a third four minutes before half-time to put the league leaders out of reach at the break.

Henry struck his second of the night late on from close range and Eto'o blasted home the fifth from the penalty spot after Deportivo goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia had upended Carles Puyol.

The visitors were forced to finish the game with 10 men after Aranzubia was sent off for his challenge on the Barca captain.

Guardiola, who succeeded Frank Rijkaard as Barca boss in the summer, is delighted with his first half-season at the helm but warns nothing has been decided yet.

"We have collected a lot of points and scored a lot of goals," he added on Barca's website.

"I celebrate the fact that the fans have enjoyed these games so much. They will remember this forever if we win the league, but if we don't it'll just be an anecdote.

"There is no time to stop. We have to continue. There will be time later for more extensive evaluations."

La Liga: Barcelona comeback stretches lead at top

Andres Iniesta came off the bench to score as Barcelona extended their lead at the top of the Primera Liga to 13 points with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Real Mallorca at the Nou Camp on Saturday.

The Spain midfielder, making his first appearance after an eight-week injury layoff, was at the far post to tap home Eidur Gudjohnsen's low cross in the 75th minute and score Barca's second, putting them ahead for the first time in the match.

Aritz Aduriz had stunned the home fans with a quarter of an hour gone when he stole the ball from Yaya Toure in midfield, outpaced defender Victor Sanchez and clipped the ball over the onrushing Victor Valdes to give the visitors the lead.

Barca soon equalised when Thierry Henry controlled Xavi's deep corner at the far post and swept the ball into the net and, after Iniesta had given them the lead, Toure made amends for his earlier mistake with a well-taken goal in added time.

The Mallorca players vigorously protested Iniesta's goal and television replays appeared to show Gudjohnsen had received the ball in an offside position before making the decisive pass.

"We can all make mistakes but it hurts when a refereeing error destroys a match," Mallorca coach Gregorio Manzano told reporters. "That mistake determined the outcome of the game."

Barcelona are top with 44 points from 17 matches ahead of Sevilla, who host bottom club Osasuna on Sunday (1800 GMT).

Mallorca, the last team to win at the Nou Camp when they triumphed 3-2 in May, have 14 points and are one place above the relegation zone. They finished with 10 men after defender Josemi was shown a second yellow card for a foul just before the end.

La Liga: Henry winner completes Barca fightback

hierry Henry scored the winner as Barcelona came from behind to beat Villarreal 2-1 away and go 10 points clear at the top of the Primera Liga on Sunday.

Cani had given Villarreal the lead just after the restart in a pulsating match at the Madrigal, bursting clear to chip Victor Valdes.

Barca's Mali midfielder Seydou Keita levelled with a brave header soon after and France striker Henry volleyed the winner in the 67th minute from Xavi's run and cross.

Barca had to play the last 15 minutes with 10 men after defender Gerard Pique was shown a second yellow card but they hung for the win and have now beaten all five of their closest challengers.

Pep Guardiola's side have 41 points from 16 games. Sevilla were held to a 0-0 draw away to struggling Real Mallorca but climbed into second place on 31 points.

Manolo Jimenez's side, who were knocked out of the UEFA Cup during the week, put in a listless display and Luis Fabiano headed their best chance against the bar in the first half.

La Liga: Late goals seal Clasico win

Late goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a dramatic win over bitter rivals Real Madrid in a tense derby encounter at the Nou Camp tonight.
Madrid - in their first league match under new coach Juande Ramos - frustrated the league leaders for long periods and looked set to snatch a point after Iker Casillas saved Samuel Eto'o's penalty with 20 minutes remaining.

But the Cameroon frontman finally gave the Catalans the lead with seven minutes remaining and Lionel Messi smashed home a second in stoppage time to move Pep Guardiola's side 12 points ahead of their fierce rivals after 15 rounds of the championship.

Eto'o returned from suspension to take his place in the centre of Barcelona's three-man forward line, between Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi.

Sergio Ramos was given the unenviable task of marking the Argentina forward and made his intentions clear when he scythed down the youngster after just two minutes.

The Nou Camp faithful were furious and Ramos was lucky to get away with a yellow card.

Messi did manage to get away from his marker four minutes later and tested Casillas with a fierce right-footed effort, but the Madrid goalkeeper responded with a fine one-handed save.

That sparked a period of Catalan domination, but with Messi shackled by Ramos, Barca were forced to look elsewhere for inspiration.

And it almost came from an unusual source as defensive midfielder Yaya Toure twice dribbled through the heart of the Madrid defence, only to see his shots blocked on both occasions as he bore down on goal.

Barcelona were struggling to impose themselves, though, and the wet conditions appeared to suit the visitors.

As the game wore on, Madrid began to improve and Wesley Sneijder saw his powerful drive tipped over by an alert Victor Valdes after he was set up by fellow Dutchman Roysten Drenthe.

And Ramos' side missed a glorious chance to take the lead after 26 minutes when Raul put through Drenthe, but the unmarked winger saw his low effort well saved by Valdes.

The former Feyenoord man should have scored, but despite his miss, Madrid continued to grow in stature and Gonzalo Higuain volleyed just over the bar a minute later.

At the other end, the visitors continued to resort to negative tactics to stop Messi and Ramos was finally booked for a shocking late tackle on the Argentinian.

Sneijder, who had been doubtful for this game, was then forced off through injury eight minutes before the break.

The Holland midfielder was replaced by youth-team player Miguel Palanca.

With Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahamadou Diarra, Gabriel Heinze, Ruben De La Red, Pepe and Miguel Torres are out injured and Marcelo missing through suspension, Madrid were down to the bare bones.

But the champions were coping well against the league leaders, despite their horrific injury list, and went in on level terms at the break.

Following a disappointing first half, things livened up again after the interval.

Barca continued to dominate possession, but Madrid were still looking dangerous on the break and Raul glanced a header wide from Guti's corner after 50 minutes.

Eto'o then blasted a volley over the bar as the hosts continued to press for an opening goal.

And the African seemed certain to score when the home side were awarded a penalty after 68 minutes, when Michel Salgado clattered into substitute Sergio Busquets in the area.

However, Eto'o looked nervy as he stepped up to take the kick and saw his effort brilliantly saved by Casillas.

Two minutes later, the Spain goalkeeper denied Eto'o once again with another fantastic stop and picked himself up quickly to save from Messi on the rebound.

The goal was remaining elusive for Barcelona and Madrid almost capitalised with 12 minutes remaining, when Palanca found himself one on one with Valdes.

But the Barca keeper saved the day once again as he stood tall to deny the young striker.

And just when they appeared to be running out of ideas, the home side finally went ahead after 83 minutes.

Captain Carles Puyol headed on from a corner and the ball fell to Eto'o, who poked home somewhat clumsily from close range before Palanca could clear.

The scrappy strike provoked scenes of sheer joy in Europe's biggest stadium as Eto'o ran halfway down the pitch to celebrate with the coaching staff, ball boys and the rest of his team-mates.

Messi wrapped up a deserved Barca victory as he crashed a left-footed shot towards goal and Fabio Cannavaro's despairing lunge only served to help the ball into the net.

The win sees Barca move provisionally eight points clear at the top, while the champions could drop to sixth tomorrow if Atletico Madrid beat Real Betis.

Barcelona eye revenge in "El Clasico"

Barcelona are itching to avenge last season's 4-1 defeat away to Real Madrid when they meet in Saturday's "Clasico" at the Nou Camp, defender Rafael Marquez said.

"A win would give us an important advantage over Madrid and a boost to help us make progress," the Mexican said on the club's website.

"Hopefully it will be a great game and we can convince people that the 4-1 is forgotten. It's something that I don't like thinking back to and I understand people want revenge."

Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder Ruben de la Red could become the third player from the Spanish champions to be forced to end the season early after his collapse on the pitch in a Copa del Rey match in October.

Club president Ramon Calderon said in a television interview late on Thursday the Spain international would not play again this season but officials said Real Madrid were still waiting for final test results.

Striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and midfielder Mahamadou Diarra are already out with serious knee injuries.

Leaders Barca ready to test Valencia's defences

The Primera Liga is set for a bumper crop of showdowns between the top five that should help to sort out the true title contenders from the also-rans in the run up to Christmas.

The quirk in the fixture list that means everyone has to play the leading clubs in succession has hit the top five.

This weekend, leaders Barcelona face third-placed Valencia at the Nou Camp and champions Real Madrid, in fourth, host fifth-placed Sevilla.

Next weekend, Real visit Barca for the "clasico".

Pep Guardiola's free-scoring Barca are four points clear, having won 10 of their last 11 league matches, and face a classic clash of styles on Saturday.

Unai Emery's Valencia have built their success on a rock solid defence and the counter-attacking skills of David Villa and Juan Mata up front. They are unbeaten on their travels.

"Valencia are an awkward team that have conceded very few goals away from home (three)," Barca midfielder Xavi said. "They feel comfortable as the away team and are very dangerous on the counter-attack. It will be difficult to beat them."

Barca will be without suspended top scorer Samuel Eto'o while Valencia will be seeking to focus on matters on the pitch after a week where the financial problems facing the club were in the news.

Real Madrid need to recover from a demoralising 3-1 defeat away to Getafe, their second reverse in three league matches that left them six points behind the leaders.

Bernd Schuster's side are unbeaten at home but have up to seven players out injured, though Arjen Robben, Fabio Cannavaro and Gonzalo Higuain are set to return on Sunday.

New signing Klaas Jan Huntelaar is not eligible to play for them until January.

Sevilla, beaten 3-0 at home by Barca last weekend, will be without suspended Brazil striker Luis Fabiano.

On paper, second-placed Villarreal have the easiest game of the top five at home to 12th-placed Getafe on Saturday (1900), but appearances can be deceptive.

Victor Munoz's Getafe side took a point off Barca at the Nou Camp two weeks ago and were impressive winners against Real Madrid last weekend.

Near the foot of the standings, new Espanyol coach Mane takes charge for his first game away to Real Betis on Sunday.

The Barcelona-based side, 17th, have one win from their last 11 matches, have suffered four defeats on the trot and have lost talismanic captain and striker Raul Tamudo to injury for up to two months.

La Liga: Barca Beat Sevilla

Sevilla FC 0-3 Barcelona

Lionel Messi struck two late goals as Barcelona brushed aside Sevilla 3-0 to move six points clear at the top of the Primera Liga.
Samuel Eto'o gave the Catalans the lead after 20 minutes and Messi sealed the points with a fine solo effort late on.

And the Argentina forward scored again at the death after Sevilla had been reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Luis Fabiano.

Barca had seen fierce rivals Real Madrid lose 3-1 at Getafe earlier on and sensed a great opportunity to move further clear at the top of the table.

But they were up against a Sevilla side with aspirations of breaking into the top four.

Sevilla genuinely believed they could get a result from this game and matched the Catalans early on.

Luis Fabiano shot over the bar from distance after 10 minutes as the match began to liven up.

Barcelona took a while to find their rhythm, but soon showed why they had won nine league games in a row prior to last weekend's disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Getafe.

Messi shot just wide after 16 minutes as Barcelona signalled their intent.

Four minutes later they went ahead and Messi, inevitably, was involved.

The Argentinian lost possession on the edge of the Sevilla area, but the rebound fell kindly to Eto'o, who clinically smashed the ball past the helpless Andres Palop and into the top right-hand corner.

The goal had an element of fortune, but Eto'o took his chance superbly to set Barca on their way and claim his 14th league strike of the season in only the 13th round of Primera Liga matches.

Sevilla almost hit back four minutes later, but Luis Fabiano dragged his shot just wide.

At the other end, Palop did well to deny Eto'o as Barca threatened to double their lead.

But Sevilla looked the better side in the remainder of the first half and came close through both Enzo Maresca and Frederic Kanoute in the build up to the break.

And the latter really should have equalised when he was presented with a glorious opportunity three minutes before the interval.

Kanoute was left alone in the box as Barca got their offside trap all wrong following a Sevilla free-kick, but the former Spurs striker lifted the ball onto the crossbar with only Valdes to beat.

Barcelona were the better side in the second half and missed several good chances to add to their tally.

Thierry Henry was guilty of squandering several good openings, while Dani Alves was also twice denied by a busy Palop.

But Barcelona went two up after 78 minutes, when Messi headed down a long pass before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed drive past Palop.

It was a moment of brilliance and from then on there was no way back for Sevilla.

Luis Fabiano was sent off for an elbow on Sergio Busquets as the home side fell apart in the last few minutes.

Eto'o and Messi missed good chances in the closing stages, but the Argentinian did add another goal in injury time, when he ran onto Aleksander Hleb's pass, rounded Palop and slotted into the empty net.

Barcelona are now six points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, but Villarreal could close to within four points of the Catalans with a win at Recreativo Huelva on Sunday.

Sevilla will stay fifth, whatever happens on Sunday.
Click Here for Answers
Click Here for Answers
Click Here for Answers

La Liga: Messi and Keita stretch Barca lead

Barcelona 2-0 Recreativo Huelva

Barcelona opened a three-point lead at the top of the Primera Liga on Sunday after goals from Lionel Messi and Seydou Keita gave them a 2-0 win at struggling Recreativo Huelva.


Spain midfielder Xavi fooled the Recreativo defence by playing a short ball to Messi from a freekick and the Argentine smashed the ball into the roof of the net for his seventh league goal of the season.

Thierry Henry shot against the bar and a post before Keita sealed the win near the end with a simple tap-in from Samuel Eto'o's mishit shot.

La Liga: Barcelona 6-0 Valladolid

Samuel Eto'o struck four first-half goals as Barcelona thrashed Real Valladolid 6-0 at the Nou Camp on Saturday night.

The Cameroon striker was left on the bench for Tuesday night's Champions League draw at home to Basle, but was restored to the starting line-up for this match by coach Pep Guardiola and fired a brilliant quadruple in the first half to set Barcelona on their way to an eighth successive Primera Liga victory.

Eto'o opened the scoring after 12 minutes, adding a second on the half-hour mark and completing his hat-trick in the lead-up to half-time.

The African striker then added a fourth goal a minute before the interval to round off a superb first half for the Catalan side.

That strike also saw Eto'o match the feat achieved earlier in the day by Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain, who bagged all four goals in Real Madrid's 4-3 win over Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Eidur Gudjohnsen and Thierry Henry also netted late on to complete a fantastic win for Guardiola's side.

Barcelona were without Andres Iniesta in midfield, but the Spain star was barely missed as the Catalans got off to a flying start.

Lionel Messi had a goal ruled out for offside after 6 minutes and Gudjohnsen fired a header just over the bar shortly afterwards following good play by Xavi.

Messi then missed a couple of great chances in the next few minutes as Barcelona pressed for an early goal.

And it duly arrived after 12 minutes when Eto'o latched onto Dani Alves' pass in the area, evaded two defenders and poked the ball between Sergio Asenjo's legs to put Barcelona in front.

It was a classy finish by the Cameroonian and Barcelona deserved their lead.

Guardiola's side played with less intensity after the goal, but Eto'o bagged a second for his team on the half-hour mark.

The former Mallorca forward teed up Henry and was at hand to smash home the rebound after the Frenchman's volley had been saved by Asenjo.

Eto'o set up Henry again after 40 minutes, but this time the former Arsenal man screwed his shot wide and was jeered by the home fans.

But those jeers soon turned to cheers as Eto'o grabbed his hat-trick three minutes later.

The Cameroon striker this time ran onto Messi's pass, rounded Asenjo and rolled the ball into the empty net.

And just a minute later, three became four for Barcelona and Eto'o, who fired home with ease after Messi had charged forward from midfield and left the striker with a simple finish.

After the break, Victor Valdes did well to push away Jonathan Sesma's cross as Valladolid looked for a way back into the game.

But it was all Barcelona after that and Henry missed a good chance to extend the Catalans' lead after 53 minutes.

The Frenchman appealed for a penalty shortly afterwards, but his protests were waved away.

But it was all about Eto'o. The frontman was unable to add to his impressive tally, but did square unselfishly for the unmarked Gudjohnsen to make it five after 71 minutes.

The African was given a richly-deserved standing ovation by the Nou Camp when he departed with 15 minutes remaining.

But Barcelona wanted more and continued to pile forward in the closing stages.

Alves blasted a 40 yard free-kick just wide and Messi saw his goalbound effort well saved by Asenjo.

However, the Valladolid keeper could do nothing to stop Henry from sliding home from close range after Messi played an intelligent one-two with substitute Alexander Hleb with seven minutes remaining.

And there was still time for Messi to see a second goal disallowed in the final minutes.

The Argentina winger put in another virtuoso performance and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, but this game will be remembered for Eto'o's four goals, which take his league total to 13 for a season in which he had been expected to no longer be a Barcelona player.

Barca's win keeps them two points clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid, but Villarreal can draw to within a point of the Catalans if they beat Almeria on Sunday.

Click Here for Answers

La Liga Wrap Up: Day 2

Barcelona's poor start to the season continued, and they only have one point from their opening two games after a 1-1 draw with Racing Santander in the Nou Camp. Coach Pep Guardiola revolutionized the side, leaving Henry in the stands and including youngsters Sergio Busquets and Pedro in his starting line up. But despite dominating for much of the match, they couldn't open the scoring until twenty minutes from the end, when substitute Messi converted a penalty after Christian had handled in the area. Five minutes later though Jonathan Pereira deflected a Garay free kick past Valdés to equalise, and there were protests from local fans at the end of the match.

Almería 2-2 Valencia
Málaga 0-0 Athletic
Valladolid 2-1 Atlético
Recreativo 0-1 Espanyol
Getafe 0-0 Betis
Sevilla 4-3 Sporting
Barcelona 1-1 Racing
R Madrid 4-3 Numancia
Villarreal 1-0 Deportivo
Mallorca 1-1 Osasuna

Real Madrid recorded their first win of the season, although they had a couple of scares before beating Numancia 4-3. The Soria based side were fresh from their victory over Barcelona, and they went ahead through Moreno before Guti made it all square with Madrid's 5,000th league goal. Barkero restored the lead though, and although strikes from Higuain and Van der Vaart and a Cisma own goal seemed to have wrapped things up before the break, a second goal from Moreno put the result in doubt right up until the final whistle.

~murshidism~

La Liga Wrap Up: Day 1

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid failed to win on their first game. Barca was defeated by newcomer Numancia, Pep Guardiola should feel the heat right now as he took over Barca from Frank Rijkaad.

Real Madrid lost to Deportivo La Coruna. Riazor Stadium proved to be so hard for Real Madrid as they never won in Riazor in so many years. Here's the rest of Day 1 result:

Athletic 1-3 Almería
Atlético 4-0 Málaga
Espanyol 1-0 Valladolid
Betis 0-1 Recreativo
Sporting 1-2 Getafe
Racing 1-1 Sevilla
Numancia 1-0 Barcelona
Deportivo 2-1 R Madrid
Osasuna 1-1 Villarreal
Valencia 3-0 Mallorca

~Murshidism~