That unbeaten streak ended with a 3-1 loss at Real Betis in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
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Luis Enrique’s visitors continued to be sluggish in the second half, but a goal in stoppage time from Luis Suarez made sure the manager would celebrate his 100th game in charge with a victory.
Wednesday’s 7-0 thrashing of Valencia aside, Barca have begun to show signs of fatigue in recent weeks after an already gruelling schedule this season as they remain on track to repeat their treble triumph of Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey from last season.
A wonderful goal from Luka Modric 10 minutes from time gave Real Madrid a win they also struggled to achieve away to a feisty Granada.
Coach Luis Enrique opted for virtually his strongest side with only midfielder Sergio Busquets given a rest, with Andres Iniesta, Javier Mascherano and Sergi Roberto coming into the side, reports Xinhua. Per the latest stat sheet from Sky Sports, Barca has incurred 54 points while nearest rival Atletico Madrid is trailing by just three points.
Suarez sealed the win with a smart finish from a counter attack in the last move of the game as Levante pressed for an equaliser.
Barcelona star forward Luis Suarez smashed the last minute goal to help his side breeze past La Liga’s bottom side Levante 2-0 at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on Sunday. Modric took home with him a rare souvenir, a goal, beautifully and firmly struck from distance with six minutes of the match remaining. It had nothing to do with the 1-0 win at Málaga.
Valencia welcomed back Paco Alcacer and Enzo Perez to training on Monday, both of whom missed the first leg due to respective ankle and facial injuries, but Shkodran Mustafi is definitely out after his red card at Camp Nou.
On Saturday, substitute Fernando Torres scored his 100th Atletico Madrid goal as they rallied from 1-0 down to beat visiting Eibar 3-1 and go level with Barcelona at the top. “It is a question for Guardiola and Busquets, not for Luis Enrique”. He has an impressive 20 in 21 league games this season, and 36 in 34 appearances in all competitions.
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Former Barcelona striker Henrik Larsson believes Luis Enrique’s Spanish and European champions are more like something out of a video game than real life. He got his hat trick with a left-footed shot after Valencia defenders failed to clear a ball in front of the goal.
