FOOTBALL Live

Sunday October 28, 2007 Finished

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Barcelona

  • Henry 37’
  • Messi 80’ (pen.)

U.D Almería

  1. Henry scores in Barcelona win

    Henry scores in Barcelona win

    An organised and industrious Barcelona dominated mid-table Almeria and claimed all three points with a 2-0 Liga win at the Nou Camp. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Barcelona
    • U.D Almería
    • 90+3 It's all over. Barcelona go second in La Liga on 20 points, 2 points behind Real Madrid and 2 ahead of Valencia in third. An industrious victory for Frank Rijkaard's boys.
    • 90 Yellow card for ABIDAL after a dreadful late challenge on Bruno.
    • 89 It's 3 minutes of added time.
    • 87 Lovely stuff from Thierry Henry again. He twists and turns down the middle of the Almeria defence, and shoots from just inside the box. Saved again.
    • 86 Another superb chance. Messi plays in Henry on the left of the box. The Frenchman strikes but Cobeno gets a hand to it. That could easily have been the third goal.
    • 86 Lovely footwork from Henry outside the box. He passes to Geovani on the left. The Mexican beats defender Bruno - yet again - and shoots across the goal, just wide of the far post. Great chance to make it 3-0.
    • 85 Crusat gets the ball inside the area, from a cross down the left, but his volley is straight into the hands of Valdes.
    • 83 Barca have just had their 10th corner of the match - none of them much good. Almeria haven't had any.
    • 80 In the aftermath of the penalty decision, BRUNO was booked for his challenge.
    • 80 MESSI fires down the middle and it's 2-0 Barcelona. It's the Argentinian's first touch of the game.
    • 79 PENALTY FOR BARCELONA. Geovani is brought down on the left by Bruno, who's been teased and weaved all night down that wing. Clumsy challenge, but controversial - by no means a definite pen.
    • 78 A superb, speedy run forward by Ortiz who gets past two Barca defenders only to shoot wide. Pressure from Milito was enough to distract the Almeria sub.
    • 77 All kinds of flank-switching going on as Geovani moves to the left and Messi lingers on the right.
    • 75 Substitution for Almeria: Mane OFF Rekarte ON
    • 74 Substitution for Barcelona: Ronaldinho OFF Messi ON
    • 70 Almeria are being pegged back after their promising start to the second half. And more misery for the visitors - Messi is about to come on.
    • 69 Superb dribbling from Ronaldinho on the right, before he passes to Gudjohnsen on the opposite flank. The Icelandic international is ruled offside.
    • 67 Gudjohnsen's getting in the mixer with lots of clever forward runs. Meanwhile, Geovani bursts forward with speed on the right flank, and is tackled excellently just outside the 6-yard box by Santi Acasiete.
    • 66 Substitution for Almeria: Melo OFF and Corona ON... Substitution for Barcelona: Toure Yaya OFF and Gudjohnsen ON
    • 64 GREAT EFFORT from INIESTA, who was left totally unmarked on the left of the box. He shoots and Cobeno falls to his left, making a great save. Nobody's close enough to pick up the rebound for Barca.
    • 62 Gudjohnsen is ready for action on the touchline.
    • 60 In the left of the penalty box, Henry wastes a great chance for a shot by passing into the centre - where nobody in a Barca shirt meets the ball.
    • 59 Soriano whips a ball in from outside the box, into the centre, and Milito gets a vital head on it to clear.
    • 58 Couple of corners in a row for Barcelona. As with previous efforts, these set-pieces are very disappointing.
    • 56 Substitution for Almeria: Juan Ortiz OFF and Jose Ortiz ON
    • 54 Beautiful work from Toure Yaya as he dribbles the ball out of defence. He tees up Geovani on the right, who tees up Henry on the left, who fires high and wide.
    • 53 Great cross from Almeria's Bruno down the right flank, but Barca manage to clear. Much more confident play now from the away side.
    • 51 Great chance for CRUSAT. He gets his head on the end of a fizzing cross from the right but his effort flies wide. Should have done better, because defender Marquez left him with a free header.
    • 49 Henry weaves his way into the Almeria box on the left, gets past Carlos Garcia and passes square - straight at keeper Cobeno.
    • 47 Almeria aren't shy about coming forward. Although they haven't shown the quality to break through Barca's back line yet, they're not sitting back waiting for a break - they're taking the game to Barcelona.
    • 46 Substitution for Barcelona in half-time: Puyol OFF and Marquez ON
    • 46 We're off at the Nou Camp. Bizarrely, Thierry Henry's shorts are very wet.
    • 45+2 HT at the Nou Camp. It's by no means been vintage Barcelona but they're in control and in front. It's set up for Messi to come on and cause grief down the right - unless Almeria can bounce back in the second 45.
    • 45+1 Great strength again from Geovani on the right, but having done the hard work his pass goes nowhere.
    • 45 2 minutes of added time for the first half.
    • 44 The subsequent free-kick is straight at Valdes again. Milito is let off the hook.
    • 43 Milito gives away a ball in his own half with a sloppy pass. Lucky for him Almeria's Soriano is fouled by Yaya.
    • 39 Thierry Henry ploughs down the left flank, but his cross goes out for a corner which comes to nothing. Almeria need to regroup down that left wing. Ironic that the goal came from the right, though.
    • 38 It's a booking for Santi ACASIETE although not entirely clear what for. Mind you, he was a bit rough on Geovani as the Mexican played in Henry for the goal.
    • 37 GOAL FOR BARCELONA! Thierry HENRY makes the breakthrough and it's his 4th La Liga goal of the season. Geovani does the hard work on the right, showing great strength as he gets past Santi Acasiete and avoids the challenge of keeper Cobeno before playing in Henry to his left. The Frenchman shoots into an open net. 1-0 Barca.
    • 36 Ronaldinho plays in Henry down the left with a superb pass, but the Frenchman just strays offside.
    • 33 NEARLY! Ronaldinho's free-kick is whipped low into the six-yard box and bounces off keeper Cobeno's chest. The keeper knew little about that but he's saved the best chance so far.
    • 32 This time it's Iniesta's turn to wreak havoc on the left. He's fouled and Ronaldinho is teeing up the free kick.
    • 31 Yaya wastes a decent run down the middle of the Almeria defence with a stray pass. The only joy for Barcelona is coming down the left flank so far.
    • 30 Ronaldinho is furious as he kicks the ball out of play for the physio to deal with Mane, who's writhing on the floor. Sure enough the Almeria defender gets up soon after.
    • 28 Barca may be dominating but they can't break through. Is Rijkaard contemplating a bit of Messi magic for the second half?
    • 26 It's a decent attack by Almeria, but they lack the decisiveness to punish los gigantes de Catalan.
    • 24 Rijkaard and opposite number Emery appear to have the same tailor. Their suits are almost identical.
    • 24 Another Barca corner comes to nothing - and Gaby Milito is to blame again. His shot flies high and wide. But Barca look like scoring, and Almeria really need to get out of first gear.
    • 23 Ronaldinho's on fire down the left. He rounds Bruno and whips a ball into the centre of the area but there's nobody there. Where are you, Thierry Henry?
    • 21 Good pressure from Barcelona, and they earn a corner from it. Gaby Milito gets a head on it but it flies wide.
    • 19 Ronaldinho works wonders on the left, but his cross is blocked by Bruno.
    • 17 Long-range effort! Soriano has a pop from 30 yards out or so, and it's powerful - but straight at Valdes. Comfortable save for the Barca number 1.
    • 16 2 shots on goal, at last! Ronaldinho's effort from the left, just outside the box, is straight at keeper Cobeno, while at the other end Negredo shoots directly at Valdes.
    • 15 Almeria's midfield play is very scrappy, and they're easily dispossessed.
    • 13 The advertising board is promoting a Spanish Directory Enquiries service. Did you know most EU countries now have the same numbers for Directory Enquiries? Lots of 1s and 8s.
    • 12 The reliable Puyol is being his usual rock-like self at the back for Barcelona, although Almeria are yet to produce a dangerous attack.
    • 11 Barcelona are dominating possession, but they're struggling to create any chances. What's this though - a corner! Their first of the game. Totally wasted.
    • 9 Silky skills from Ronaldinho on the left flank. It's only a matter of time before he provides a killer pass. Almeria are struggling to contain the Brazilian.
    • 7 The resulting free-kick from Milito's challenge is a complete waste, drifting well wide of the goal.
    • 6 GABRIEL MILITO is in the book for a late challenge from behind on Juan Ortiz
    • 4 Barca are settling into the game and passing the ball around in their typically pretty way.
    • 3 Tasty ball from Ronaldinho on the left into the box, but Giovani can't get to it and out it goes for a goalkick.
    • 2 JUANITO is booked for a dodgy challenge on Barca's Iniesta. This ref is wasting no time in laying down the law.
    • 1 Ronaldinho is easily shoved off the ball in his own half, but Almeria's attack is sloppy and comes to nothing.
    • 1 We're underway at the Nou Camp. Almeria kick off proceedings.
    • 17:59 Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from their 0-0 Champions League draw at Rangers in midweek, but Lionel Messi is only on the bench for the Catalans, while Almeria will fancy an upset which could shift them into the top 10.

  • Team Stats

    Barcelona Stats U.D Almería
    63% Possession 37%
    14 Shots 7
    6 Shots on target 3
    0 Saves 0
    11 Corners 0
    12 Fouls 16
    3 Offsides 1
    2 Yellow cards 3
    0 Red cards 0
    23 Tackles 24
    429 Accurate passes 244
    79 Bad passes 21

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Barcelona
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Víctor Valdés 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 0
      5 Carles Puyol 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 29 2 4
      22 Eric Abidal 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 50 18 5
      11 Gianluca Zambrotta 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 33 0 3
      3 Gabriel Milito 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 65 11 4
      24 Gnegneri Yaya Toure 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 39 7 2
      6 Xavi Hernández 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 82 15 0
      8 Andres Iniesta 0 2 1 1 4 0 0 42 13 2
      17 Giovanni dos Santos 0 2 0 4 2 0 0 16 1 1
      14 Thierry Henry 1 3 3 1 0 2 0 14 6 0
      10 Gaucho Ronaldinho 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 9 4 1
      19 Lionel Messi 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 10 0 0
      16 Sylvinho Mendes Campos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      27 Bojan Krkic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      7 Eidur Gudjohnsen 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 0 1
      25 Albert Jorquera 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      4 Rafael Márquez 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 1 0
      23 Oleguer Presas Renom 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    • U.D Almería
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      13 David Cobeño 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 1 0
      18 Santiago Acasiete 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 2 2
      21 Carlos García Badías 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 0 1
      2 Bruno Saltor 0 0 0 3 5 0 0 26 1 5
      24 Juan Jesús Gutierrez 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 25 3 2
      23 Fernando Soriano 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 18 1 4
      4 Felipe Melo 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 20 3 3
      22 José Manuel Jiménez Ortiz 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 18 1 1
      8 Albert Crusat 0 1 0 1 5 0 0 19 4 2
      17 Juan Manuel Ortiz 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 11 1 2
      9 Álvaro Negredo Sánchez 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 11 1 0
      15 Miguel Angel Corona 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 3 0
      5 Kalu Uche 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      3 Aitor López Rekarte 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
      19 Natalio Lorenzo Poquet 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      1 Diego Alves 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      14 Rubén Pulido 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      10 José Ortiz 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 4 0 2

  • Summary

    • 87 Lovely stuff from Thierry Henry again. He twists and turns down the middle of the Almeria defence, and shoots from just inside the box. Saved again.
    • 86 Another superb chance. Messi plays in Henry on the left of the box. The Frenchman strikes but Cobeno gets a hand to it. That could easily have been the third goal.
    • 86 Lovely footwork from Henry outside the box. He passes to Geovani on the left. The Mexican beats defender Bruno - yet again - and shoots across the goal, just wide of the far post. Great chance to make it 3-0.
    • 80 MESSI fires down the middle and it's 2-0 Barcelona. It's the Argentinian's first touch of the game.
    • 79 PENALTY FOR BARCELONA. Geovani is brought down on the left by Bruno, who's been teased and weaved all night down that wing. Clumsy challenge, but controversial - by no means a definite pen.
    • 78 A superb, speedy run forward by Ortiz who gets past two Barca defenders only to shoot wide. Pressure from Milito was enough to distract the Almeria sub.
    • 67 Gudjohnsen's getting in the mixer with lots of clever forward runs. Meanwhile, Geovani bursts forward with speed on the right flank, and is tackled excellently just outside the 6-yard box by Santi Acasiete.
    • 64 GREAT EFFORT from INIESTA, who was left totally unmarked on the left of the box. He shoots and Cobeno falls to his left, making a great save. Nobody's close enough to pick up the rebound for Barca.
    • 54 Beautiful work from Toure Yaya as he dribbles the ball out of defence. He tees up Geovani on the right, who tees up Henry on the left, who fires high and wide.
    • 51 Great chance for CRUSAT. He gets his head on the end of a fizzing cross from the right but his effort flies wide. Should have done better, because defender Marquez left him with a free header.
    • 49 Henry weaves his way into the Almeria box on the left, gets past Carlos Garcia and passes square - straight at keeper Cobeno.
    • 39 Thierry Henry ploughs down the left flank, but his cross goes out for a corner which comes to nothing. Almeria need to regroup down that left wing. Ironic that the goal came from the right, though.
    • 37 GOAL FOR BARCELONA! Thierry HENRY makes the breakthrough and it's his 4th La Liga goal of the season. Geovani does the hard work on the right, showing great strength as he gets past Santi Acasiete and avoids the challenge of keeper Cobeno before playing in Henry to his left. The Frenchman shoots into an open net. 1-0 Barca.
    • 33 NEARLY! Ronaldinho's free-kick is whipped low into the six-yard box and bounces off keeper Cobeno's chest. The keeper knew little about that but he's saved the best chance so far.
    • 32 This time it's Iniesta's turn to wreak havoc on the left. He's fouled and Ronaldinho is teeing up the free kick.
    • 23 Ronaldinho's on fire down the left. He rounds Bruno and whips a ball into the centre of the area but there's nobody there. Where are you, Thierry Henry?
    • 17 Long-range effort! Soriano has a pop from 30 yards out or so, and it's powerful - but straight at Valdes. Comfortable save for the Barca number 1.
    • 16 2 shots on goal, at last! Ronaldinho's effort from the left, just outside the box, is straight at keeper Cobeno, while at the other end Negredo shoots directly at Valdes.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Ayza Gámez Miguel Ángel

  • Barcelona

    Manager: Albert Jorquera

    Captain: 5. Carles Puyol

    On the Field

    • Valdés
    • Zambrotta
    • Puyol Substitution Out (46′)
    • Milito Yellow Card
    • Abidal Yellow Card
    • Xavi
    • Touré Substitution Out (63′)
    • Dos Santos
    • Ronaldinho Substitution Out (74′)
    • Iniesta
    • Henry Goal

    Subs

    • 4. Márquez Substitution In46′
    • 7. Gudjohnsen Substitution In63′
    • 16. Sylvinho
    • 23. Oleguer
    • 19. Messi Substitution In74′
    • 27. Bojan Krkic

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

  • U.D Almería

    Manager: . Emery

    On the Field

    • Cobeño Yellow Card
    • Bruno Saltor Yellow Card
    • Carlos
    • "Juanito" Yellow Card
    • Acasiete
    • Jiménez "Mané" Substitution Out (75′)
    • Melo Substitution Out (64′)
    • Soriano
    • Ortiz Substitution Out (56′)
    • Crusat
    • Negredo

    Subs

    • 3. López Rekarte Substitution In75′
    • 15. Corona Substitution In64′
    • 5. Uche
    • 14. Pulido
    • 19. Natalio
    • 1. Alves Carreira, 'Diego'

    Injured

    • 16. dos Santos
    • 20. Vidangossy

    Suspended

    None