Barcelona opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the La Liga table after humbling arch rivals Real Madrid 6-2 in a one-sided El Clasico at Real’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Saturday.
It was Real’s last shot at retaining their title, but Barca outclassed their rivals with exhibition soccer and, with just four games remaining, are now poised to win their first league title since 2006.
Real took a 14th-minute lead through Gonzalo Higuain, but Barca went on to end Real’s 18-match unbeaten run with an emphatic win to clinch a league double over their foes having beaten them 2-0 at the Nou Camp.
PHOTO: AFP
Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi both grabbed a brace, while defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique were also on target as Barca ran riot in Madrid and brought up a century of goals in the league.
“We have taken a giant step toward the title and are so close now,” jubilant Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. “We didn’t want to hide here and tried to be brave like we have been all season and go for the win.”
Barca now go into Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg at Chelsea — with the first leg finishing 0-0 — in high spirits.
“This win gives us a lot of confidence for the Chelsea game,” Guardiola said.
Real coach Juande Ramos admitted Barcelona were worthy winners and were on a pedestal.
“I think Barcelona are a cut above and today showed that they were superior,” Ramos said. “The big European sides have been better than us and there is nothing else to say. You have to recognize that, although it hurts a lot.”
With 14 minutes gone Sergio Ramos strolled past Abidal to put in a cross and Higuain fired in his 19th goal of the season.
It was a real setback for Barca, but they responded with two goals in as many minutes.
A deft chipped pass from Messi put Henry in on goal in the 18th minute and the Frenchman side-footed past Iker Casillas.
Real had held the lead for just four minutes and then they fell behind in the 20th minute.
Henry won a free-kick and Xavi floated in a great cross that captain Puyol met with a bullet header for his first goal of the season.
Real almost equalized through Arjen Robben a minute later, but thereafter were second best with Casillas keeping his team in the game, thwarting Messi on three occasions, while Eto’o and Dani Alves also went close.
Messi finally got his goal on 35 minutes after a terrible mistake by Lass Diarra.
Xavi stole the ball from the dawdling Diarra and Messi toe-poked the ball past the overworked Casillas.
Barca gave Real a soccer lesson for the remainder of the half with slick passing as Real chased shadows and the home fans responded with jeers.
Those turned to cheers when Ramos headed in a Robben cross in the 56th minute to make it 3-2.
It was a foothold in a match that should have been put to bed, but Ramos then made a terrible mess of the offside trap two minutes later and Henry chipped the ball over Casillas to restore Barca’s two goal cushion.
Messi scored again in the 75th minute as Real were torn apart again and thousands of disgruntled home fans flocked out of the Bernabeu.
Pique completed the scoring on 82 minutes to bring up a century of goals for Barca in the league.
Elsewhere, Sevilla took a giant stride toward the Champions League with a 2-0 win at rivals Villarreal on Saturday. Luis Fabiano and Freddy Kanoute were on target as third-placed Sevilla moved four points clear of Valencia.
In the other match, Numancia gave themselves a chance of staying up with a 2-0 win over Malaga to move off bottom spot.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was