Messi, Suarez, Neymar keep Barcelona alive

Sport Desk: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on target as Barcelona took Sporting Gijon apart at Camp Nou on Wednesday and turned up the heat on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Paco Alcacer, Ivan Rakitic and a Juan Rodriguez own goal completed a 6-1 rout, with Sporting's lone goal coming from Carlos Castro.

It look just nine minutes for Lionel Messi to open the scoring, lobbing the goalkeeper with a header after Javier Mascherano chipped a ball over the defence.

And two minutes later Barcelona had their second goal, Juan Rodriguez putting through his own net when Neymar set Luis Suarez in, rounding Ivan Cuellar and then slamming a cross-shot off the defender and in.

Sporting pulled one back in the 21st minute, when Sergjo Alvarez hit the post and Carlos Castro was on hand to ram the rebound home.

But Suarez had other plans and his spectacular volley cannoned in off the post to restore Barcelona’s two-goal lead.

Four minutes after the restart and they had their fourth, with Messi setting half-time substitute Paco Alcacer up to fire home neatly.

Messi hit the bar in the second half with a chipped free-kick as Barcelona sought out a fifth. It eventually came from a different dead-ball situation, with Neymar firing in a free-kick from the right, which Cuellar got a hand to but couldn’t keep out.

Ivan Rakitic added a late sixth as he received the ball from Sergi Roberto and slammed home at the near post to give them a result which would serve very nicely in a week’s time, when they welcome PSG to Camp Nou in the Champions League.

The result put Barcelona top by two points, although having played two more games than Madrid—who take on Las Palmas later on Wednesday night.

Upon the conclusion of the match, Barca manager Luis Enrique confirmed that he will leave the club when his contract expires in the summer.

 

Agencies

 

risingbd/DHAKA/Mar 2, 2017/Shamim/Augustin Sujan