Messi Penalty Snatches Thrilling Barca Win
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
New Zealand set Battling Boro world record with deny Wenger 37-10 win over birthday win Australia16 19 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2016 Appeal of women’s soccer growing, FIFA chief says in Jordan Page 18 VALENCIA: FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, center, duels for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valencia and FC Barcelona at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, yesterday. — AP Messi penalty snatches thrilling Barca win VALENCIA: Lionel Messi shrugged off his Abdennour to allow Messi to hold his nerve moment and it is a glorious feeling for us,” Barca confirmed Iniesta suffered lateral were wild celebrations led by new Valencia recent woes from the penalty spot with a and slot past penalty-stopping specialist added Enrique. A bad-tempered encounter collateral ligament damage, but said further boss Cesare Prandelli moments later when decisive 94th-minute spot-kick to move Diego Alves for all three points. spilled over after Messi’s strike, though, as tests would be carried out to determine the Rodrigo swept home Nani’s through ball. Barcelona top of La Liga with a pulsating 3-2 Victory moves the champions a point Suarez and Neymar were hit by a plastic exact extent of the injury. Valencia’s lead lasted just six minutes win at Valencia yesterday. clear of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, bottle thrown by the Valencia fans as Barca However, it was Valencia who were up in despite Alves’s best efforts as Suarez However, the dramatic victory came at a who face Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao respec- celebrated. “We celebrated as it is normal to arms at the officials when Messi opened the pounced to smash home a rebound after cost for Barca as a tearful Andres Iniesta suf- tively today. celebrate a last-minute winner,” said scoring on 22 minutes. The Argentine’s fifth Ivan Rakitic’s powerful header had been fered ligament damage in his right knee He may be one of the finest footballers Enrique. goal in three games since returning from a saved by the Valencia stopper. that could keep him out for several months. ever but Messi has struggled from the spot groin injury sneaked in at Alves’s near post, Barcelona swarmed forward in the final Messi netted twice and his opener mid- in recent seasons, most notably blazing over WILD CELEBRATIONS but the Brazilian goalkeeper had been dis- quarter in search of the winner, but looked way through the first half was allowed to as Argentina lost the Copa America final to The game was only 14 minutes old when tracted by the presence of the offside set to settle for a point when a Suarez free- stand despite Luis Suarez straying into an Chile in June. Iniesta was carried from the field in tears Suarez jumping over Messi’s effort. kick flew inches wide. offside position. Valencia hit back with two “Our best penalty-taker is Leo Messi with- holding his right knee, which buckled under Valencia turned the game around early in However, deep into stoppage time, goals in six second-half minutes through out any doubt,” Barca boss Luis Enrique said. a heavy challenge from Enzo Perez. the second half as Dani Parejo’s cut-back Messi played in Suarez and he was clearly on-loan Barca winger Munir El Haddadi and Valencia stopper Alves had saved three Enrique was furious with referee Alberto was drilled into the bottom corner by El taken out from behind by Abdennour. Rodrigo. penalties this season and from Messi in the Undiano Mallenco as Perez avoided even a Haddadi against his parent club. Messi stroked home his 14th goal of the However, Suarez levelled and was then past, but was beaten low to his right. yellow card, whilst a series of other fouls on The 21-year-old held his hands up apolo- season to secure a vital three points in the upended inside the area by Aymen “Messi took responsibility in the best Barca players went unpunished. getically after finding the net, but there title race. — AFP Swansea stop rot on Fluent Liverpool beat West Brom Bradley’s home debut Liverpool 2 Swansea had not won in front of their own fans since May and in an attempt to kick-start Swansea City 0 his new team’s season American boss Bradley West Bromwich 1 made five changes to the side beaten narrowly by Arsenal. Watford 0 Among the changes, young defender Alfie LIVERPOOL: A fluent Liverpool moved sec- Mawson, a £5 million ($6.1m, 5.6m euros) sum- ond in the Premier League with a 2-1 victo- mer signing from second-tier Barnsley, came in ry over West Bromwich Albion at Anfield SWANSEA: Swansea City are still without a win to make his Premier League debut. yesterday but will rue missing the opportu- since the opening day of the season but did The big centre-back helped Swansea frus- nity to top the table. take a step in the right direction by drawing 0-0 trate Watford’s powerful strike pairing of Troy Victory by a two-goal margin would at home to Watford on Bob Bradley’s home Deeney and Odion Ighalo, although the have put Juergen Klopp’s side ahead of debut. Hornets almost got a lucky breakthrough just Arsenal on goals scored and when Sadio The result ended a sequence of four consec- before the interval. Mane and Philippe Coutinho scored in a utive defeats for the struggling Swans, includ- Deeney nudged a free-kick 30 yards out into rampant first half it looked good for the ing their 3-2 loss at Arsenal last weekend in the path of Younes Kaboul and his shot took a Reds. Bradley’s first game at the helm. massive deflection off the Swansea wall only to Mane volleyed in Roberto Firmino’s per- However, the Welsh side have now gone loop narrowly over with Lukasz Fabianski beat- fectly flighted pass after 20 minutes and eight matches en. The hosts should have been in front just with Liverpool attacking in waves without a victory after the hour mark, but when Mike van der Coutinho then showed great footwork to and remain in the Hoorn stretched to meet a Gylfi Sigurdsson collect Mane’s pass and shoot past Ben relegation zone, Foster in the 35th minute. free-kick five yards out, Heurelho Gomes made two points from Foster made several saves to keep West a fantastic save. safety. In contrast, Brom in touch before the visitors gained an The lively Modou Barrow then set up Watford are still in unlikely lifeline in the 81st minute when the top half hav- Sigurdsson for a shot from just outside the area Gareth McAuley volleyed home from close ing been beaten that beat Gomes but came back off the post range. Liverpool have 20 points from nine only once in their with seven minutes left. matches but Arsenal, who drew 0-0 at last six games It was a frustrating finish for Swansea, and home to Middlesbrough, have a marginally after this stale- Bradley will now hope to oversee a first win better goal difference, Manchester City LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s Emre Can, left, and West Bromwich Albion’s Craig Dawson chal- mate at the when his team visit an improving Stoke City (19) can return to the top if they beat lenge for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool Liberty Stadium. next weekend. — AFP Southampton today. — Reuters and West Bromwich Albion at Anfield stadium, Liverpool, England, yesterday. — AP.