Barcelona thrash Betis, lose injured Messi
12 Nov 2013 5:57 AM IST
Messi limped off with an injury for the third time this season after pulling up with a hamstring problem as he tried to accelerate just 20 minutes in.
However, any worries Barca could struggle without their star man were extinguished by two goals in as many minutes when Neymar rolled home Cesc Fabregas’s pass before Pedro Rodriguez’s wonderful individual effort doubled the advantage. Fabregas added the third from Martin Montoya’s cut-back and the former Arsenal captain doubled his tally when he headed home 11 minutes from time before Jorge Molina’s stoppage time penalty pulled a goal back for Betis.
Atletico Madrid missed the chance to move top of La Liga for a few hours at least as they were held to a 1-1 draw away to Villarreal on Sunday. Mario’s own goal less than two minutes in gave Atletico the perfect start, but Villarreal went on to dominate the game and were rewarded 12 minutes form time when Juanfran also turned into his own net under pressure.
However, any worries Barca could struggle without their star man were extinguished by two goals in as many minutes when Neymar rolled home Cesc Fabregas’s pass before Pedro Rodriguez’s wonderful individual effort doubled the advantage. Fabregas added the third from Martin Montoya’s cut-back and the former Arsenal captain doubled his tally when he headed home 11 minutes from time before Jorge Molina’s stoppage time penalty pulled a goal back for Betis.
Atletico Madrid missed the chance to move top of La Liga for a few hours at least as they were held to a 1-1 draw away to Villarreal on Sunday. Mario’s own goal less than two minutes in gave Atletico the perfect start, but Villarreal went on to dominate the game and were rewarded 12 minutes form time when Juanfran also turned into his own net under pressure.
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