He’s now the league’s top scorer above Cristiano Ronaldo (23) and Lionel Messi (16), and he’s scored in each of his last three away games – Las Palmas, Sporting Gijon and Levante. “We played very well, and when the team shows this level of intensity and attitude it is very hard for the opponent”.
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Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona will play their twenty-seventh game of the La Liga season at the Estadio del Rayo Vallecano on Thursday, 3rd March.
Though Lionel Messi has drawn countless compliments down the years, perhaps the most memorable came from Gianluigi Buffon ahead of last year’s Champions League final. The loss left the team from Madrid 17th in the 20-team standings, just outside relation zone.
Rayo loudly complained about the two straight red cards, as well as a non-call for offside in one of Barcelona’s goals.
Rayo coach Paco Jemez was not so sanguine when asked about the Basque official’s showing, which also saw him show a red card to Barca substitute Turan, before realising he had reached for the wrong pocket, and then taking out a yellow card instead.
Rakitic opened the scoring after a blunder by Rayo goalkeeper Juan Carlos, who dropped the ball at his feet after a high cross by Sergi Roberto into the area.
Nonetheless, the goal amounted to nothing more than consolation and when Neymar’s free kick cannoned off Juan Carlos’ upright, Iturra became the second Rayo player to be dismissed after he took out Sergio Busquets from behind, with the midfielder in touching distance of tapping into an empty net.
Rayo got a consolation in the 57th through Manucho’s header after Bebe, at the far post, nodded a cross from the right into the middle as the two ex-Manchester United players combined.
And Turan rounded off a flawless evening for Luis Enrique’s men when he headed home from Jeremy Mathieu’s cross five minutes from time.
Barcelona’s next game is at Eibar on Sunday.
Claudio Bravo has been crucial to Barcelona’s fine season in La Liga and the Chilean certainly had a big role to play in helping the Catalans to victory over Sevilla last weekend by making a couple of very good saves throughout the course of the match – particularly from Kevin Gameiro in the second half.
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“I have nothing to say about the performance of the referee”, Luis Enrique said when asked about the Basque official’s performance. “I feel like I was robbed”.
