Saturday September 22, 2012 Day 5 Finished Camp Nou
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Barcelona leave it late to beat Granada
Barcelona were frustrated for 87 minutes by Granada but eventually emerged 2-0 winners at Camp Nou to retain their 100 per cent record. More
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Live Commentary
Time:90'- FC Barcelona
- Granada CF
90+3' FULL TIME. Barca leave it late but maintain their 100 per cent record in La Liga. Xavi's goal was sublime, the own goal from Gomez unfortunate on a night when Granada defended superbly.
90+2' GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Granada! A cross from Messi is turned into his own net by Gomez. Alexis was going to tap it in anyway.- 90+1' We will have three minutes of added time.
90' Messi strikes the post! He wants a goal and after taking the ball wide following a pass from Pedro he slams the ball against the outside of the woodwork.- 89' Alexis plays in Pedro and he attempts to chip the ball over Tono as the keeper advances, but puts it over the bar as well.
- 87' GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Granada! They finally break the deadlock, and in some style too. Tono is beaten as Xavi rockets a shot off the underside of the bar from the edge of the box and watches the ball nestle in the back of the net. The Camp Nou erupts.
- 85' Another outstanding save from Tono as he denies Messi and Alexis in the space of two seconds!
- 84' Granada almost score! Barcelona are caught out on the break and El Arabi fires his shot against Valdes when through on goal.
- 83' Xavi chips a pass in for Alexis and he gets his header on target. Tono, unsurprisingly, saves. What a performance from him tonight.
- 81' Iriney appears to bring down Fabregas in the box but the referee is unimpressed and play continues.
- 80' Messi exchanges words with Lopez. He has been unusually chippy tonight.
- 79' Tono again! This time the keeper throws himself along the ground to repel a low shot from Xavi from 12 yards. Brilliant goalkeeping.
- 77' A huge miss! Fabregas has a perfect chance to put Barca in front as the ball rolls into his path in the box, but Tono pulls off a tremendous save to tip his curling effort round the post.
- 76' Barca threaten! Sanchez bursts through on goal and shows impressive strength to hold off his man and collect a pass from Messi. He loses control of the ball before colliding with Tono but it's not a penalty.
75' Jaime Romero replaces Brahimi in the Granada midfield.- 73' A change from Barca and Adriano is replaced by Tello. It's an attacking move from Tito Vilanova.
72' A challenge that is the very definition of cynical from Gomez as he barges Messi off the ball as the forward threatens to get clear and charge on goal.- 70' Superb footwork from Pedro as he finds a sliver of space in the box and pings in a cross from the right. Messi has to leap into the air in an effort to turn the ball home rather spectacularly but even he can't execute the manoeuvre.
- 67' Juan Manuel Ortiz comes from for Torje for Granada.
- 65' Now Messi is denied by a superb save down low by Tono after the forward opened up his body following a clever pass from Alves.
- 65' Superb defending! Granada clear as Messi threatens to get on the end of a dangerous cross from Adriano.
- 64' It seems likely that Cristian Tello will get a run-out soon having opened the scoring against Spartak Moscow in the Champions League in midweek. Alexis hasn't been great so far.
- 62' Adriano concedes a free kick on the Barca left but Orellana's delivery is headed high into the air and off target.
- 61' Mascherano makes a fine tackle to halt El Arabi as the club record signing bombs down the right channel.
- 60' It's all gone a bit quiet for Barca here. It's a huge surprise that we greet the hour mark with a score of 0-0.
- 58' Granada make a change as Floro Flores is replaced by Youssef El Arabi in attack.
- 57' Pedro tries to play a pass in for Alexis but the forward can't wriggle away from his marker.
- 55' Sensible moves from Barcelona. Those changes will improve them considerably.
- 54' Villa lasts only eight minutes of the second half as Pedro comes on in his place. Meanwhile, Xavi comes on for Thiago.
- 53' Song appears to think he is playing at left midfield. There's a big gap in the Barca defence.
- 52' Another flowing move sees Messi play in Alves to the right of the box but his cross lands on the roof of the net. Still, this is better from Barca.
- 51' Dani Alves with a free kick from the left and Song gets his head to the ball. He can't find the corner of the goal though.
- 49' A lovely move from Barca as Fabregas slips in Adriano and the Brazilian's low cross is met by a neat first-time shot by Villa as he finds the hands of Tono.
- 48' A rather low-key start to the second half from the home side, whom many would have expected to be out of sight by now.
- 47' Messi tries to play in Villa early on - trying to make amends for that eruption of anger perhaps - but the latter is caught offside.
46' KICK OFF!- 45+2' HALF TIME. Messi gets a pass through to Villa wrong and that is the end of a frustrating half for Barca. 0-0.
- 45+1' We will have one added minute.
- 45' Tono has been booked. We didn't see why though.
- 44' Messi is really turning it on now but his frustration is showing as he has words with Villa as another move breaks down. You don't often see Messi get lippy.
- 42' Wonderful from Messi! The forward chips in a fantastic pass for Thiago, who takes the ball on his chest and sees his effort deflected behind for a corner.
- 40' Messi is looking rather ominous at the moment.
- 39' Lopez does it again! The Granada defender denies Messi with another super block after a gorgeous touch and shot from the master.
- 38' Almost an own goal! Sanchez sends an angled cross spinning towards the box and Borja Gomez throws his head at the ball, lopping it up into the air and almost under his own bar before Tono intervenes to tip it over.
- 36' Barca go close! Messi rolls a pass into Busquets in the box and when the midfield returns the favour with a cunning backheel, Messi takes the ball on before seeing his hammered effort blocked by Lopez.
- 35' Barca are enjoying upwards of 70 per cent possession in this game but they have been rather subdued and Messi is yet to catch fire.
- 33' Messi pops a pass into Villa but the Spain star is penalised for handball.
- 31' Chance for Granada! Siqueira receives the ball from Yacine Brahimi, holds off Mascherano and fires in an effort that Valdes has to touch over the bar.
- 29' Awful from Fabregas as he thumps a lofted pass right over the defence and into the arms of Tono. Not entirely sure what he was attempting then.
- 28' Messi leads Barca forward and plays in Sanchez but the cross is poor. The ball is then worked to Thiago, who drags a poor shot wide. Disappointing again from Barca.
- 27' Song gets clattered to the floor by Siqueira and the Granada man is somewhat fortunate not to get a booking.
- 25' Barca want a penalty when a cross from Alexis appears to strike the arm of Nyom at the far post. We will need a replay of that one.
- 24' Floro Flores wastes possession with a backheel that doesn't come off, and when Busquets tries to play the ball away the striker goes in late on Sergio Busquets and catches him on the top of his left foot.
- 23' Nice from Song as he steps out of defence to spring a Barcelona attack. Messi proceeds to the edge of the box before losing possession, but the ball runs free to Fabregas, who sees his thumping effort just about saved by Tono.
- 21' Granada win a free kick and orchestrate a rather elaborate routine. However it fails when the ball into the box is blocked by the head of Messi.
- 20' It's just not clicking for Barca at the moment. Messi leaps into the air to cushion a pass back for Thiago and he then puts a ball into space on the left. Villa isn't anticipating it though and fails to make the run.
- 19' Thiago embarks on a lovely run, pulls out some tricks, and then plays the ball straight out of play. Oops.
- 17' Messi releases Villa with a neat sliding pass but the forward is ruled offside when he rounds his marker. That looked very close though.
- 15' Barca construct a long passing move before Fabregas gifts possession away with a careless pass. His mistake is met with groans from the tens of thousands in attendance at Camp Nou.
- 14' A worrying lack of control in the Barca defence so far. That will be of some concern for Tito Vilanova.
- 12' Alves supplies a dangerous cross from the right and Lopez intervenes to almost send the ball into his own net.
- 11' A nervy moment for Song. He fails to deal properly with a high ball into the box and Antonio Floro Flores takes advantage by getting a firm shot away that is too close to Valdes.
- 10' A nervy moment for Song. He fails to deal properly with a high ball into the box and Antonio Floro Flores takes advantage by getting a firm shot away that is too close to Valdes.
- 9' Villa sprints into the box from the left and Messi spots the run, floating a pass over the defence to try and find his team-mate. However, Tono comes off his line to claim the ball.
- 7' The corner comes in from the left and though Song gets his head to it, the new signing cannot direct the ball on target.
- 6' Chance for Barca! Dani Alves plays in Messi with a quite brilliant curling ball over the top of the defence. His shot is deflected behind for a corner off Inigo Lopez.
- 5' It's been a rather scrappy start by Barcelona's exalted standards. A win tonight takes them 11 points clear of Real Madrid by the way, though they would of course have played one game more than their great rivals.
- 3' This is David Villa's first start for Barcelona since suffering that nasty leg break last season - a fact that is real cause for celebration at Camp Nou.
- 2' Guillherme Siqueira gets down the left wing with intent and supplies a cross that forces Victor Valdes to produce a rather unconvincing punch clear. A nervy start for Barca.
- 1' KICK OFF!
- 20:57 So the big question is clearly whether Barca's makeshift defence will hold up. Song and Mascherano aren't the most convention pairing. Wenger always said he rated Song at the back though.
- 20:52 Granada: Tono; Nyom, Lopez, Gomez, Siqueira; Iriney, Mikel Rico, Torje, Brahimi, Orellana; Flores
- 20:50 The Barcelona team tonight: : Valdes; Alves, Song, Mascherano, Adriano; Busquets, Thiago, Cesc; Alexis, Messi, Villa.
- 20:45 Hello and welcome to our live coverage from the Camp Nou as Barcelona aim to make it five wins out of five in La Liga against Granada.
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Summary
- 90+2' GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Granada! A cross from Messi is turned into his own net by Gomez. Alexis was going to tap it in anyway.
- 90' Messi strikes the post! He wants a goal and after taking the ball wide following a pass from Pedro he slams the ball against the outside of the woodwork.
- 89' Alexis plays in Pedro and he attempts to chip the ball over Tono as the keeper advances, but puts it over the bar as well.
- 87' GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Granada! They finally break the deadlock, and in some style too. Tono is beaten as Xavi rockets a shot off the underside of the bar from the edge of the box and watches the ball nestle in the back of the net. The Camp Nou erupts.
- 85' Another outstanding save from Tono as he denies Messi and Alexis in the space of two seconds!
- 84' Granada almost score! Barcelona are caught out on the break and El Arabi fires his shot against Valdes when through on goal.
- 79' Tono again! This time the keeper throws himself along the ground to repel a low shot from Xavi from 12 yards. Brilliant goalkeeping.
- 77' A huge miss! Fabregas has a perfect chance to put Barca in front as the ball rolls into his path in the box, but Tono pulls off a tremendous save to tip his curling effort round the post.
- 76' Barca threaten! Sanchez bursts through on goal and shows impressive strength to hold off his man and collect a pass from Messi. He loses control of the ball before colliding with Tono but it's not a penalty.
- 70' Superb footwork from Pedro as he finds a sliver of space in the box and pings in a cross from the right. Messi has to leap into the air in an effort to turn the ball home rather spectacularly but even he can't execute the manoeuvre.
- 65' Now Messi is denied by a superb save down low by Tono after the forward opened up his body following a clever pass from Alves.
- 49' A lovely move from Barca as Fabregas slips in Adriano and the Brazilian's low cross is met by a neat first-time shot by Villa as he finds the hands of Tono.
- 42' Wonderful from Messi! The forward chips in a fantastic pass for Thiago, who takes the ball on his chest and sees his effort deflected behind for a corner.
- 39' Lopez does it again! The Granada defender denies Messi with another super block after a gorgeous touch and shot from the master.
- 38' Almost an own goal! Sanchez sends an angled cross spinning towards the box and Borja Gomez throws his head at the ball, lopping it up into the air and almost under his own bar before Tono intervenes to tip it over.
- 36' Barca go close! Messi rolls a pass into Busquets in the box and when the midfield returns the favour with a cunning backheel, Messi takes the ball on before seeing his hammered effort blocked by Lopez.
- 31' Chance for Granada! Siqueira receives the ball from Yacine Brahimi, holds off Mascherano and fires in an effort that Valdes has to touch over the bar.
- 23' Nice from Song as he steps out of defence to spring a Barcelona attack. Messi proceeds to the edge of the box before losing possession, but the ball runs free to Fabregas, who sees his thumping effort just about saved by Tono.
- 6' Chance for Barca! Dani Alves plays in Messi with a quite brilliant curling ball over the top of the defence. His shot is deflected behind for a corner off Inigo Lopez.
- 20:52 Granada: Tono; Nyom, Lopez, Gomez, Siqueira; Iriney, Mikel Rico, Torje, Brahimi, Orellana; Flores
- 20:50 The Barcelona team tonight: : Valdes; Alves, Song, Mascherano, Adriano; Busquets, Thiago, Cesc; Alexis, Messi, Villa.
Team Line-up & Ratings
FC BarcelonaManager: Tito Vilanova
Granada CFManager: Juan Antonio Anquela
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Line-up
Live Team Line-Up
Starting line-up
- Víctor Valdés
- Dani Alves
- A. Song
- J. Mascherano
- A. Correia
- S. Busquets
- C. Fàbregas
- Thiago
- A. Sánchez
- D. Villa
- L. Messi
Subs
Starting line-up
- Toño
- A. Nyom
- Í. López
- B. Gómez
- G. Siqueira
- Iriney
- Mikel Rico
- G. Torje
- Y. Brahimi
- F. Orellana
- A. Floro Flores
Subs
- M. Hurtado
- Y. El Arabi
58′ - Roberto
- J. Ortiz 66′
- J. Romero 75′
- D. Maínz
- D. Machis
- Toño
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Rate Players
although its all barca fans here i am a neutral fan and Barcelona are so predictable these days always so score late goals to win games and things always go their way. wounder if they pay to ref hmm
Barça has done their job with the league and hopefully they've got to keep it running without dropping anymore points than Real Madrid this season, I would say Vilanova is Guardiola's inspiration if Vilanova wins everything like Guardiola. I have noticed that Vilanova has continued his exams but i think he might pass it, Just like Guardiola did last. Like when you have a chances in the league you've never get missed when someone gives you exam to complete which is more important for the future career and the same thing applies to Vilanova's career. So Culés let's hope that we can win everything back again and bring on the 2008s moment!!!
Força Barcelona por mais uma victoria mesmo sem o Messi marcar o importante é a victoria.
BARCA was rabbed at least 3 penaltys. they didn't have eny luck tonight. but they did fought for every minute for it and they deserved to win. thats all i want to see them do. VIVA BARCELONA VISCA EL BARCA VIVA XAVI MESSI and TE REST OF THE TEAM, BY the WAY they should Sign Tello as a first team player. and Song you were doing greate
Messi is Football. if he doesnt score, His pace and killer pass will not let the camera and commentator stop screaming his name.
BRAVO BARCA. messi is the best forever..............!
A rather disappointing display by barcelona against a lowly (18th) placed granada, what has changed? They should have walked this one. well, at least they managed two to come out on top!
messi is everything
Tono was a freaking beast today, unlucky to concede there.
Basterd little #$%$ trying to spoil the fun at nou camp
VISCA BARCA!!!!!!
watch live at footyline
Haw are you Messi?
alex song lol defence
tito better get his tactitcs right cause he is realy making me angry. the are not realy playing a style or sommething at the moment. they are just trying to get to the goal without a real plan. it's not working. we realy need to scor fast, i prefer in the first 5 minutes of the second halft, otherwise it's gonna be a horrible night. Visca EL BARCA
Barca will win. It doesn't matter how brilliant or not Barca is, they only need one moment of magic to win it.
Barca are so different from the Pep team, same players, but the passing fluidity is not #$%$ as before. They will struggle in the long run am afraid. Madrid are very much in this league despite been 8point behind right now.
barca win 3-0..messi 2 goal again..
VISA EL Barca!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on Barca! You can do it! I predit Barca will win 4-1
why aren't lucy meacock and fred the weather man playing!!!
