Penya Barcelonista de Lisboa

diumenge, de novembre 04, 2007

Barça bounce back (3-0)


Ronaldinho was back to his best as he helped Barça to a comfortable victory over Real Betis in Camp Nou on Sunday evening. The Brazilian scored twice and led the attack as the Blaugrana moved to within one place of the top position in the league.
Thierry Henry opened the scoring before Ronaldinho netted two superb free-kicks to cap a fine team display by Frank Rijkaard's side. Lionel Messi also stood out as he produced his range of skills and caused the visitors' defence problems throughout. At the back the Barça defence stood strong and Víctor Valdés was rarely troubled as Betis concentrated on keeping the ball out at the other end. Early chances After a bright start by Héctor Cúper's outfit, Barça soon took control of the encounter and looked to be enjoying themselves as they played the ball aorund confidently and quickly in the midfield, while their opponents attempted to chase and harry in order to prevent their opponents from making the breakthrough. In the 16th minute, the Blaugrana created their first chance when Xavi picked out Henry in the box only for the Frenchman to see his header tipped away Ricardo. Soon after the Barça forward broke away down the right of the area and shot from an angle, but this time the ball cannoned back off the near post and flew out for a throw in on the far side of the pitch, such was the force of his effort. Making a break In the 33rd minute the first goal arrived as the home side passed the ball confidently round at the back as Betis closed in before an incisive break saw Touré Yaya feed Iniesta on the left and he in turn fed Henry. The Frenchman sped clear of his marker before calmly slotting the ball past Ricardo, who had appeared unsure whether to come out further or retreat to his line. Pressure lifted After scoring in the José Zorilla against Real Valladolid in midweek, Ronaldinho added to his tally seven minutes after the break and this time he celebrated in style. The Brazilian stood over a free-kick slightly to the right 25 yards from goal and curled his drive over the wall and into the top near corner of the net. Chances galore Henry then saw a glorious chance go begging as Ronaldinho clipped the ball back for Xavi from the by-line, after linking well with Messi, and Xavi fired a volley which Ricardo palmed upwards and Henry looked to have the simple task of nodding home from close range, but the French striker headed wide from six yards out. Ronaldinho then sent another free-kick over the wall and wide before Messi produced the move of the game as he turned away from his marker on the halfway line and attacked the Betis area at pace before skipping away from Lima down the right and clipping a first-time shot aiming for the far corner of the goal, but the effort skimmed wide of the post. Signing off in style As the clock ticked down, Betis looked to have escaped any more punishment, but they allowed Ronaldinho one last chance after Iniesta had been fouled on the edge of the area. The number ten stood over the ball on the left of centre outside the box and strode forward to power the ball through the wall and into the net via the near post. The win ensured that FC Barcelona maintained their 100 per cent record at home this season, having won six out of six league games, and are now just one point behind Real Madrid after their defeat against Sevilla the night before.
Preview
Last Betis win
Betis have not won at the Camp Nou since the 97/98 season, when they won 3-1 thanks to goals from Alfonso and Finidi (2). Bogarde scored the only Barça goal.
On the leader’s heels
Roger Bogunyà
FC Barcelona play this evening (19.00, Barça TV and PPV) against Betis at the Camp Nou, in the eleventh game of the league season. Rijkaard’s side needs to get its form back and stay in contention with the top of the table.
Straight back to work. Barça have their fifth game in 15 days tonight, and have another three in the next nine. And there will be no room for slip-ups like the midweek match at the Nuevo Zorrilla (
1-1 ), even though there has been very little time to prepare for Betis, with just two training session on Friday and Saturday. Abidal and Henry return Barça may have struggled away from home, but every game at the Camp Nou has resulted in three points. It is a relief to have both Thierry Henry and Éric Abidal back in the side. The former has recovered from an Achilles heel injury and the latter from trouble with his right knee. The striker scored his first league goal at the Camp Nou in the last home fixture against Almeria ( 2-0 ), and will be seeking to consolidate his adaptation with another goal. The two players to have been dropped this weekend are Santi Ezquerro and Gabriel Milito, the latter being given a rest after starting the last five games. Seeking to play like three weeks ago Barça need to produce a lot more than they have in their last few games, in which too many mistakes have been made. This is quite the contrary to the impressive run of six consecutive wins before the international break. Welcoming Henry and Abidal back to the side should bring about a breath of fresh air, especially with tiredness setting in after so many games, and matters have not been helped in this respect by the blight of injuries that have affected the squad. A win and good football would be the ideal tonic following disappointments against Vila-real and Valladolid as Barça continue to tread on the heels of league leaders Real Madrid. Missing visitors Barça have 15 points from 15 so far, and will be hoping to maintain this excellent run against a Betis side that has yet to pick up an away win this term, and is oddly enough the side that has both scored the most and conceded the fewest goals on road trips. It is clear that Rijkaard’s tactics will have to deal with a side that likes to keep things tight at the back and try to create damage on the counter attack. The Andalusians also have several injury problems that have affected the likes of Melli, Nano and Rivas, while former Barcelona man Damià is suspended, which means a return to action for Juanito. Barça own the past FC Barcelona have the better traditional record in this fixture. In 44 matches, they have won no fewer than 33, drawn seven and lost just four. The most recent of these games was that frustrating day last season when Brazilian Sobis levelled affairs in the last minute of the game, a draw that would eventually play a huge role in costing Barça the title. That is a memory that needs to be put to rest.