Football: Barcelona close in on Real
Barcelona squandered a two-goal advantage before seeing off Real Betis 4-2,
MADRID:
Barcelona squandered a two-goal advantage before seeing off Real Betis 4-2, cutting Real Madrid’s lead at the top of La Liga back to five points. Two goals from Lionel Messi and a goal apiece from Xavi and Alexis Sanchez fired Barca to victory after Ruben Castro and Roque Santa Cruz had equalised. Barca and Madrid now face each other in the first-leg of their Spanish Cup quarter-final tomorrow. “The cup is a different competition so we have to change our mentality,” said Xavi. “We will go all out to get through the tie.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2012.
Barcelona squandered a two-goal advantage before seeing off Real Betis 4-2, cutting Real Madrid’s lead at the top of La Liga back to five points. Two goals from Lionel Messi and a goal apiece from Xavi and Alexis Sanchez fired Barca to victory after Ruben Castro and Roque Santa Cruz had equalised. Barca and Madrid now face each other in the first-leg of their Spanish Cup quarter-final tomorrow. “The cup is a different competition so we have to change our mentality,” said Xavi. “We will go all out to get through the tie.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2012.