Barcelona - NouCamp Faithful

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Atletico Madrid 1 - 1 Barcelona : Luis Suarez strikes late to help Barcelona to draw

Luis Suarez's 82nd-minute header denied Atletico Madrid a first LaLiga win over Barcelona in seven years.

Barca's perfect start to the league campaign ended with a 1-1 draw in the capital, though they were on course to leave empty-handed when Saul Niguez fired home after 21 minutes.

Atleti have knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League twice in recent years but a success over them in their domestic division has proved elusive since Valentine's Day 2010, and so it proved again as Suarez rose at the back post to head in substitute Sergi Roberto's cross.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 3 - 1 Olympiakos : Lionel Messi nets landmark goal as Barcelona beat Olympiakos

Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal in European competition to lead 10-man Barcelona to a 3-1 victory at home to Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Messi hit the century mark in 122 European matches when he curled a free kick over the wall in the 61st minute. Goalkeeper Silvio Proto got a hand on the ball but could not keep it out as Messi took his career tally in the Champions League to 97 goals.

After Barcelona had gone ahead thanks to an own goal by Dimitris Nikolaou in the 18th minute, the hosts were left a man down three minutes before half-time. Gerard Pique got a second booking for using his arm to steer the ball into the net and the strike was disallowed.

However, Barcelona continued to outclass Olympiakos despite playing with 10 men.

Messi drew a foul from Nikolaou near the edge of the area to set up his free kick. Messi's strike gave him 18 goals in 17 matches for Barcelona and Argentina side this season.

Barcelona's star provided the pass for left-back Lucas Digne to score in the 64th when he dribbled around a defender before cutting the ball back through the area for the defender to drive it home.

Nikolaou scored Olympiakos' consolation goal with a header from a corner in the 90th minute.

Barcelona made it three wins from as many matches in Group D and extended their unbeaten run at home in the competition to 23 straight games.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 2 - 0 Málaga : Controversial goal helps Barcelona see off Malaga

Barcelona maintained their four-point lead at the top of LaLiga with a 2-0 win over bottom club Malaga at the Nou Camp, where Gerard Deulofeu's early goal should have been ruled out.

Lucas Digne weaved into the left side of the Malaga penalty area, but his touch from a rebound off a defender took the ball over the byline and out of play before he crossed into the six-yard box where Deulofeu flicked the ball in for his first Barcelona goal.

Andres Iniesta doubled Barcelona's advantage on 56 minutes as Malaga's winless run stretched to nine matches.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Real Murcia 0 - 3 Barcelona : Gerard Deulofeu stars as Barcelona win at Murcia in Copa del Rey

(1st Leg)

Gerard Deulofeu had a goal and an assist and Jose Arnaiz scored on his senior debut as Barcelona secured a comfortable 3-0 win in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie against Real Murcia at Estadio Nueva Condomina.

Ernesto Valverde had made the expected sweeping changes, but after some early pressure from the hosts, the La Liga leaders broke the deadlock just before half-time through Paco Alcacer.

Gerard Deulofeu added a second in the 52nd minute before 22-year-old winger Arnaiz netted an angled drive after cutting in from the left.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Athletic Bilbao 0 - 2 Barcelona : Lionel Messi and Paulinho fire Barcelona past Athletic Bilbao

Lionel Messi and Paulinho hit the target as Barcelona crept past Athletic Bilbao to maintain their four-point lead in La Liga.

Messi started and finished a move in the 36th minute to score his 12th league goal of the season, but Barca were flattered by Paulinho's injury-time tap-in after a hard-fought evening at San Mames.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Olympiakos 0 - 0 Barcelona : Barcelona struggle, held to goalless draw at Olympiakos

Barcelona failed to score in a Champions League group stage game for the first time in five years as Olympiakos held them to a goalless draw.

Victory in Greece would have booked Barca's passage to the knock-out phase but the three points proved elusive on a night when Luis Suarez hitting the top of the crossbar was as close as the visitors came.

The last time they could not find the net in a group-stage fixture was against Benfica in December 2012, when their qualification had already been assured, but Juventus' draw with Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night means Barca at least remain three points clear at the top of Group D.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 2 - 1 Sevilla : Paco Alcacer brace guides Barcelona to victory

Paco Alcacer was Barcelona's match-winner as his brace helped the LaLiga leaders make it 10 victories from 11 games with a 2-1 success over Sevilla.

The recalled Alcacer, who endured a disappointing first season at the Camp Nou, was making just his second league start of the campaign, yet he made an impact by putting the hosts ahead midway through the first half.

And after Guido Pizarro had levelled for Sevilla after the break with a header from a corner, it was another first-time finish from Alcacer that restored Barca's lead, and their four-point advantage at the top of the table.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Leganes 0 - 3 Barcelona : Luis Suarez bags a brace as Barcelona beat Leganes

Luis Suarez scored a brace as Barcelona recorded a 3-0 victory against Leganes to extend their lead at the summit of LaLiga.

Suarez fired home the opener after 28 minutes before netting his second on the hour mark.

Substitute Paulinho completed the victory -- Barcelona's 11th from their opening 12 matches -- in stoppage time to move Ernesto Valverde's team seven points ahead of second-placed Valencia, who face Espanyol on Sunday.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Juventus 0 - 0 Barcelona : Barcelona reach Champions League knockouts with draw

Lionel Messi started on the bench as Barcelona secured their passage into the round of 16 of the Champions League with a 0-0 draw at Juventus.

The Argentina playmaker was a surprise omission from the starting line-up in Turin.

But he still went close to breaking the deadlock with a free kick shortly after coming on as a substitute.

Barca knew a point would be enough to see them through and rarely threatened to end Juve's 25-match unbeaten home run in Europe in a bore draw.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Valencia 1 - 1 Barcelona : Messi goal denied in controversial draw

Lionel Messi had a legitimate goal controversially denied as La Liga leaders Barcelona hit back to snatch a 1-1 draw at second-placed Valencia.

Messi's tame first-half strike squirmed through the grasp of Valencia goalkeeper Neto and over the line at Mestalla but it was not spotted by the officials and, with the absence of goal-line technology in Spain, play was allowed to continue.

In-form Valencia took advantage of their fortune when Rodrigo slotted them into a 60th-minute lead but Jordi Alba equalised against his former club with a late volley to keep Barca four points ahead of their rivals.


Not a goal????!!!

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 5 - 0 Real Murcia : Barcelona reach Copa del Rey last 16 with rout of Murcia

(2nd Leg : Barcelona wins 8-0 on agg)

Barcelona swept into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey with a 5-0 win over Real Murcia at the Camp Nou.

La Liga's leaders were already 3-0 up from the first leg, and despite the predicted sweeping changes, Ernesto Valverde's men never looked in any danger of failing to finish the job.

Paca Alcacer headed Barcelona into the lead on 15 minutes, with Gerard Pique making it 2-0 early in the second half before Aleix Vidal, Denis Suarez and substitute Jose Arnaiz completed the rout.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 2 - 2 Celta Vigo : Barcelona thwarted in Celta Vigo thriller

Barcelona failed to stretch their lead at the top of the Liga table to seven points as Celta Vigo held them to a 2-2 draw in a fine match at the Bernabeu.

The visitors stunned the Camp Nou after 20 minutes when Daniel Wass and Iago Aspas combined to set up Maxi Gomez, who was denied by Marc-Andre ter Stegen only for Aspas to volley home the rebound.

Their lead, however, lasted less than two minutes as Luis Suarez and Paulinho set up the unmarked Messi to finish past Ruben Blanco.

Barcelona hit the front just after the hour when Suarez touched home a low Jordi Alba cross, and almost made it 3-1 within moments when Messi's header was superbly saved by Blanco.

Twenty minutes from time, however, the scores were level again as Iago Aspas raced down the right, Samuel Umtiti appearing to pull a hamstring as he tried to track him, and his cutback was smashed into the roof of the net by Maxi Gomes.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 2 - 0 Sporting Lisbon : Barcelona finish UCL Group D campaign with victory

Barcelona completed their Champions League Group D campaign with a 2-0 win over Sporting Lisbon at the Camp Nou.

With the La Liga leaders already qualified as group winners and a testing trip to Villarreal ahead on Sunday, coach Ernesto Valverde made the expected wholesale changes as talisman Lionel Messi started on the bench.

After a lacklustre first half, Barcelona broke the deadlock after 59 minutes when Paco Alcacer headed in from a corner and former Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu netted an own goal in stoppage time, which left Sporting having to be content with a Europa League spot after finishing behind Juventus.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Villarreal 0 - 2 Barcelona : Suarez, Messi goals restore Barcelona's cushion

Barcelona seized on the second-half dismissal of Dani Raba to beat Villarreal 2-0 and restore their five-point lead at the top of La Liga on Sunday night.

Ernesto Valverde's men had struggled to break down their opponents at the Estadio de la Ceramica until Raba's dismissal on the hour for a foul on Sergio Busquets changed the course of the game.

Luis Suarez gave the visitors a 72nd-minute lead and Lionel Messi turned on the style with a brilliant second goal seven minutes from time to seal the points for the title favourites.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 4 - 0 Deportivo La Coruña : Suarez, Paulinho both score twice as Barcelona thrash Depor

Luis Suarez and Paulinho each scored twice as Barcelona tuned up for next week's Clasico with a handsome 4-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

With a trip to Real Madrid coming on Dec. 23, Barca overwhelmed their visitors at the Nou Camp, with all four finishes coming inside the six-yard box and enough good chances to have at least doubled their eventual tally.

Lionel Messi somehow failed to join his teammates on the scoresheet, hitting the woodwork on three separate occasions and missing several inviting chances including a second-half penalty saved by Ruben Martinez.

Victory puts Ernesto Valverde's side two wins clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid and 11 points ahead of Real with a game in hand.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)