Football Update: La Liga Review- Barcelona Scores a Narrow Victory Over Valencia
In a La Liga match on Saturday, Barcelona was facing Valencia at Camp Nou. Before the match, Barcelona was sitting in the fourth position while Valencia was at top of the table. The Catalan giants were underperforming in this season, while the Orange were
playing better than the expectations. Apart from that, Barcelona had been struggling in front of home fans, as they secured only one victory in three matches played at Camp Nou.
Pep Guardiola, the coach of Barcelona, was facing problems regarding his team selection. Xavi and David Villa, former striker of Valencia, both faced injury issues which made them a doubt for the match. However, all these doubts were cleared on the match
day, as Guardiola played a very strong side. David Villa was playing upfront, while he was supported by Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi. In the midfield, Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Seydou Keita were present to give Barcelona more attacking options. Valencia
also played a strong side, and the match was expected to be a tough battle between both clubs.
David Villa was playing well in the first half, but he did not come close to scoring. Also, Xavi had a real impact in the game, but did not score. The scoring has been a real problem for Barcelona, this season, as they are failing to convert their chances
into goals. At the same time, Valencia took advantage of Barcelona’s problems as Pablo scored in the 38th minute to give visitors the lead. Jeremy Mathieu stormed into Barcelona’s penalty area and rather than scoring from a tight angle, he played
the ball back into the feet of Pablo. The striker took advantage of Barcelona’s poor covering and scored.
Pablo had another chance to score a goal, and this time he was set up by Roberto Soldado. The striker was unmarked in the penalty box, once again, and shot a decent effort towards goal. However, this time Victor Valdes, Barcelona’s keeper, was quick to respond
and save his team further embarrassment in front of home fans. Barcelona went into the half break with one goal down, while Valencia had a clear upper hand.
The second half showed a totally different picture than the first half. Once again, Barcelona started to enjoy a lot of possession, while their attacking moves were sublime. Valencia did not get time to settle down in the second half, while the Catalans
continued to charge in pursuance of goal. The comeback was led by Xavi, from the midfield, as he played important passes to get the two goals for his team in second half.
First goal involved Iniesta and Xavi, playing an incredible one-two. Iniesta does not score a lot of goals, but he has been scoring on important occasions, for his club and his national side. Once again, he was involved in a sublime move with his usual partner
Xavi, and levelled in the 47th minute.
Second goal came from Xavi’s incredible cross, which was met on the other side by Carlos Puyol, another unusual goal scorer for his club. It was a bullet header and Valencia’s keeper, Cesar, could not do anything to save it.
Barcelona had plenty of opportunities in the second half, but they could not capitalize on those chances. Villa should have scored, as he was facing only Cesar at one point, but he decided to go past the charging keeper, rather than scoring from the edge
of penalty box. Lionel Messi also had a great game, but he could not find his scoring touch, as he missed plenty of opportunities. In the end, Barcelona won by 2-1, in a match that was dominated by both teams in different intervals.
After this match, Barcelona went on top of La Liga table, while Madrid and Villarreal had matches in hand. Later on, Madrid also won their match, taking them to the top. However, Barcelona has faced tougher oppositions, which gives them a slight edge over
their archrivals. Valencia also continues to impress, despite having difficulties in the last few years. Overall, it was a good performance by the Catalans, but they have to convert their chances into goals, if they want to pose a challenge throughout this
season.
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