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FC Barcelona win seventh straight on the road | FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona keeps looking good on the road, and Saturday's win at Granada was their seventh straight away from home. Let's take a quick look at some of the more interesting facts and curiosities surrounding the 3–1 win.
Luis Suárez is getting better and better. The Uruguayan’s stats in 2015, compared with those in 2014, show that very clearly. In his 13 games since the New Year he has scored seven goals, an average of 0.54 a game, a considerable rise on the three goals he scored in his first 11 outings (average 0.27). He has netted four of the six Barça goals.
One of Barça’s declared objectives at the start of the season was to get to this point of the campaign with options in all three competitions and Luis Enrique’s side face the month of March with their hopes very much intact – ahead after first leg wins in their Champions League tie against Manchester City and the Spanish Cup semi-final with Villarreal and with leaders Real Madrid due at the Camp Nou, still challenging for La Liga.
After beating Granada on Saturday and resting non Sunday, the team returned to training this Monday at the Camp Tito Vilanova. The session saw all the available first team players take place as well as Munir from the B squad.
The La Liga leaders, Real Madrid, dropped points at home for only the second time this season when Villarreal fought back from a goal down in an entertaining 1-1 draw that left Real two points ahead of Barcelona on Sunday. With a King’s Cup semi-final second leg against Barça looming on Wednesday, the Villarreal coach, Marcelino, fielded a weakened side at the Bernabéu but it took Real until seven minutes into the second half to break the deadlock.
Defending champions Atletico Madrid lost further ground in the La Liga title race as they were held in a bad tempered stalemate at Sevilla. Diego Simeone's Atletico stay third in the table on 54 points, five behind second-placed Barcelona, who won at struggling Granada 3-1 on Saturday.
Alberto Bueno scored four goals in the space of 16 minutes to help Rayo Vallecano to a dramatic 4-2 win over Levante in Vallecas. Bueno, who was the top scorer at the 2006 under-19 European Championships, is the only player this season in the Primera Division to score four goals in a game from open play, while the win takes Rayo seven points clear of Levante, who occupy the final spot in the relegation zone.
A quickfire Pablo Piatti double secured a 2-0 win for Valencia at home to Real Sociedad on Sunday that kept them on course to clinch a top four finish – and potentially a lucrative return to the Champions League. The Argentinian forward fired Valencia ahead in the 53rd minute at a sun-drenched Mestalla, his shot deflected beyond the Real Sociedad goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli off the defender Jon Ansotegui. Platti made it 2-0 just three minutes later, finishing off a quick passing move after good work down the right from Sofiane Feghouli.
Real Madrid youngster Fran Perez may soon be dubbed the new David Beckham after the midfielder scored a sensational goal from inside his own half. Perez picked up the ball more than 50 yards out before turning and lofting the ball over the Atletico Madrid Under 19s goalkeeper in the mini-derby.
