Lionel Messi missed a slew of chances before squeezing home a late strike to give Barcelona a 1-0 win at third-placed Valencia in La Liga on Wednesday and stretch the champions lead over Real Madrid to 10 points.
With Barca looking like they might drop points for only the fourth time this season, the Argentine struck a low shot in the 77th minute at the Mestalla that spun just inside the post off the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
Messi’s league leading 27th goal lifted Barca to 71 points from 26 matches. They have now won 12 of 13 away games, drawing last month at Sporting Gijon in their only slip-up on the road.
They are also unbeaten in their last 20 away matches, beating a La Liga record set by Basque side Real Sociedad at the end of the 1970s.
Villarreal, breathed life into their bid for a place in next season’s Champions League earlier on Wednesday when Giuseppe Rossi struck to give them a 1-0 home win over Hercules.
The Italy forward sped on to Cani’s through ball in the 21st minute at the Madrigal and finished past Juan Calatayud to lift Villarreal to 50 points from 26 matches, one behind Valencia.
Messi should have put Barca ahead in the ninth minute at the Mestalla when he was denied three times in quick succession.
He had another great chance when he was clean through in the 31st but his chipped effort landed on the roof of net and he also skewed a shot just wide of goal early in the second half.
Valencia had several good opportunities of their own but Pablo Hernandez and substitute Roberto Soldado were unable to convert.
Europa League champions Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao stumbled in their campaigns for a European berth.
Atletico were held to a 1-1 draw at Getafe and Bilbao squandered the lead to lose 2-1 at Real Zaragoza.
Atletico are eighth on 35 points, three behind Bilbao and Sevilla, who beat visiting Sporting Gijon 3-0 on Tuesday.
Espanyol lost 2-1 at home to Real Mallorca on Tuesday and remain fifth on 40 points.
In other matches on Wednesday, Osasuna drew 0-0 with visiting Deportivo Coruna and Real Sociedad and Levante drew 1-1 in San Sebastian.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
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Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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