Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Barcelona go into the international break with a 2 point deficit to La Liga leaders Real Madrid but still having played a game more than their arch rivals as they bid to win a third successive Spanish league title.
They went into last night’s clash with Valencia 5 points behind after Real Madrid’s win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday but they earned a hard fought win at The Nou Camp last night to once cut the deficit.
After defeat to Deportivo last week threw a massive spanner in the works in regards to their title chase they knew that nothing less than a win last night would be enough to keep them in the title hunt.
They may have got the win in the end but they had to do so the hard way, Eliaquim Mangala put the visitors ahead before the half hour with a header but he would turn from hero to villain before the break.
Before that though Luis Suarez would quickly restore parity, he managed to steer home from close range and it was one a piece. The scores were level but then it was the point of the game in which Mangala would undo all his hard work.
The former Manchester City defender hauled back Luis Suarez in the box and was subsequently handed his marching orders. With a Penalty awarded, Lionel Messi stepped up and put the Catalan giants ahead from the spot.
But that was not how the scoreline was going to be going into the break. On loan starlet Munir once again scored his parent club after doing so in the previous encounter between these two sides. His strike would put 10 men Valencia level going into halftime.
But with their numerical supremacy on the pitch Barcelona smelt blood after the break and would soon be in the ascendency once again, who else but Messi would put Barca ahead 7 minutes after the restart and with Valencia a man short that was as good as the night was going to get for them.
Valencia old boy Andre Gomes would wrap things up with a minute to spare and Barcelona would once again move to two points behind Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid as we now have a fortnight of inactivity
Here is all you need to know from last night
