BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelonas title defence took a blow when it stumbled to a
1-0 defeat at Valladolid, missing the chance to move top of the Spanish
standings on Saturday ahead of its Champions League clash with Manchester City
at Camp Nou.
Demaryius Thomas Jersey . Atletico Madrid
took advantage of Barcelonas latest slip by winning 2-0 at Celta Vigo courtesy
of David Villas two goals in a three-minute span to move ahead of Barcelona and
level on points with Real Madrid at the top of the standings. Once the league
pacesetter, Barcelona has won just two of its last seven away league games and
trails its title rivals by one point before Madrid hosts Levante on Sunday.
Lionel Messi was the only Barcelona player who looked sharp, while his teammates
were plagued by uncharacteristic passing errors and again proved brittle at the
back. Valladolid outplayed the defending champions early and midfielder Fausto
Rossi netted the winner in the 17th minute. The relegation-threatened side then
did well to protect three points against the star-studded visitors for the
remainder. After its strong start this season under first-year coach Gerardo
Martino, Barcelona has dropped points in five of the last nine rounds. "As long
as it is mathematically possible we will keep fighting," said Martino, whose
team visits Madrid in two weeks. "We are not in our best form, and we have to
rediscover it within 15 days. We are worried because the league title is being
decided right now." Before the clasico, however, Martino will have to regroup
his team against City on Wednesday. Barcelona will be looking to protect its 2-0
lead in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Valladolid started
the round in the drop zone, but the big win -- only its fifth in 27 rounds --
provisionally pulled it out of danger. "Its an incredible result," said Rossi,
who was at Valladolid on loan from Juventus. "All together we can save this
team." Also, last-place Real Betis gave a boost to its slim hopes of staying up
by beating Getafe 2-0 in Seville, while Villarreal lost 2-0 at Granada to falter
in the race for fourth place. After Barcelona lost 3-1 at Real Sociedad in its
last league away match, Martino aligned his best 11 available without Andres
Iniesta, who didnt travel with the team for undisclosed personal reasons. Even
so, Barcelona lacked its regular cool composure from the start and failed to
dominate possession until it was trailing in the score. Holding midfielder
Sergio Busquets, usually so sure with the ball, erred on three passes before the
25-minute mark. By that time Valladolid had threatened Barcelonas area and taken
the lead when Rossi finished off a rebound after both his first attempt and Javi
Guerras follow-up had hit defenders. Messis solo effort saved by goalkeeper
Diego Marino in the 10th was all the visitors could muster in the first half
hour. Messi, who showed no signs of his apparent vomiting from Argentinas 0-0
draw against Romania this week, used a burst of speed to break free in the 48th,
only to be denied again by Marino. Messi got little help. Neymar had a quiet
match and sailed his only scoring chance over the bar before he was substituted.
Atletico was without suspended leading scorer Diego Costa. That meant Villa, who
was dropped from Spains squad for its friendly with Italy, got the nod up front.
And after a dull first half, the former Barcelona striker notched his 12th and
13th league goals of the campaign. Villa first pounced on a poor pass by Celtas
Jonathan Castro, dodged Andreu Fontas last-ditch tackle, and drilled the ball
beyond goalkeeper Yoel Rodriguez in the 62nd. He slotted in his second goal to
seal the victory two minutes later. "Every point is important and we have to go
forward game by game," said Villa. "Each game is a final and we have to win them
all." Atletico hosts AC Milan on Tuesday in the last-16 of the Champions League
after winning their first meeting 1-0. Betis won thanks to first-half goals from
forwards Leo Baptistao and Ruben Castro to keep the hapless Getafe winless in 12
consecutive rounds and only one point from relegation.
Cheap DeMarcus Ware Jersey . Betis hired
Calderon on Monday, its third manager of the season, after Juan Carlos Garrido
was fired. But the visitors continued to show the same holes in defence as Celta
picked them apart following Ruben Castros opener for Betis in the 17th minute.
Womens C.J. Anderson Jersey . "There was no
basis for the story and QMI unreservedly retracts the story in its entirety,"
the news agency said in a statement. "QMI regrets the error." QMI Agency quoted
sources as saying Crosby was arrested late Tuesday while driving a rented
Porsche.San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Antti Niemi stopped 31 shots as the
San Jose Sharks blanked the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 on Saturday night. Joe
Thornton and Melker Karlsson each had a goal and one assist for the Sharks, who
have won three straight and improved to 5-1--1 in their last seven games.
John Elway Jersey. Antti Raanta made 18 saves
for Chicago, which dropped two of three games in California. The Blackhawks were
coming off Fridays 4-1 win over Anaheim after beginning the stretch with
Wednesdays 4-3 loss to Los Angeles.
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