Barcelona put seven past Rayo Vallecano - Liga 2011-2012 - Football - Eurosport Asia

Barcelona went into the match knowing defeat would hand Real Madrid the title but first half goals from Lionel Messi and Seydou Keita, and an own-goal by Rober, put Pep Guardiola’s men 3-0 ahead at the break, while second half goals from Thiago, Messi and a Pedro double completed the rout.

Pedro: "The team is strong and eager" | FC Barcelona

The Spanish striker said that the team is with Guardiola "100%" until the end of the season, but that the squad is optimistic about Tito Vilanova’s appointment as manager for next season. "It was a hard blow for the players, after everything Guardiola done for the Club, but we have to respect his decision. However, we’re very pleased that Tito will be manager. We wish him the best," said the player. "We’d like to present the King’s Cup title to the fans and to Guardiola. We’ll see how we come into that match," said Pedro. The canterano also evaluated Lionel Messi’s insatiable goalscoring appetite: "he demonstrates game after game that he’s the best in the world. We all have to help him finish the season as top scorer."

Afellay: "I'm very happy to be playing again" | FC Barcelona

His last minutes played in the Barça strip were at the Camp Nou during the 8-0 thrashing of Osasuna, and today, he did his part in another Barça exhibition (7-0). After a long time on Barça’s injury list, Ibrahim Afellay returned to competitive football today against Rayo Vallecano."I really like to play football. I’ve worked hard during the team’s training session and I’m very pleased," said the Dutch footballer, who also said that he’s been looking forward to this moment with a lot of enthusiasm: "you know the moment will come someday but you don’t know when. I’m happy to return."