Football: Barcelona close in on Real

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 17^th, 2012.