Marking the 50th anniversary of Barcelona’s home ground, the Nou Camp, Barcelona posted an impressive win to secure three vital points for their pursuit of the La Liga title. Ronaldinho was a no show against Sevilla with an injury, so Lionel Messi took the spotlight instead, scoring both goals for his side giving Barcelona a 2-1 win over their opposition. Unfortunately for Barca and especially Victor Valdez, a clean sheet was not to be part of the game. Sevilla’s goal came late on the stroke of full time with a mix up at the back by the Barca defence.
Many Opportunities But No Goal
The first half brought with it wave after wave of Barca attack, with opportunities coming thick and fast for Messi and in particular Henry. He had to wait until the second half until he could get a decent chance on goal, with exceptional touch to bring a long ball under control using the outside of his foot and then slotted it past the keeper to find the upright. Now that I think about it, Henry has been denied a goal by the woodwork many times this season, with is a little cruel for the Frenchman, but with constant effort I’m sure he will overcome this little voodoo hanging over him.
Messi Guarantees Barcelona Will Take The Points
Messi became the hero of the game with a spectacular touch to flick the ball up from a Henry pass and finished with a thundering volley into the bottom corner. This kind of shot is extremely hard to stop. By watching the replays, you can make out that Messi’s eyes never once leave the ball all the way to contact, and that’s how you’re supposed to volley. You can see the goal and the highlights below. Only 4 minutes later in the 77th minute, young Giovani Dos Santos was brought down in the box while anticipating a cross. Leo Messi stepped up to take his first penalty kick for Barca and slotted the ball away calmly. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, Barca went down one goal in injury time, with a great display of strength by the Sevilla attacker Kanoute, he was able to lob the ball over the keeper. Highlights below.
Ronaldinho Injured
The only thing missing from this win was the best player in the world. Having missed this game due to a right calf strain, he attended the Nou Camp this morning to see what treatment was in order for him and his future. The medical staff are now monitoring his progress and it all depends on how quickly Ronnie can heal up for the next game. Here’s to hoping he does quickly and in time.
