Sport - Football

Barcelona back to winning ways

— PHOTO: AFP

ON SONG: Lionel Messi scored a brace as Barcelona thrashed Sporting Gijon on Sunday.

MADRID: FC Barcelona won 6-1 at promoted Sporting Gijon on Sunday for its first Spanish league victory of the season, lifting coach Pep Guardiola’s team into ninth place.

Two goals from Lionel Messi and one apiece from Xavi Hernandez, Samuel Eto’o and Andres Iniesta together with a Jorge Garcia own-goal brought relief to Guardiola, who replaced the fired Frank Rijkaard at the end of last season.

Earlier, Ruben de La Red and Ruud van Nistelrooy scored second-half goals to help Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 2-0.

The victory at Santander’s Campos de Sport del Sardinero stadium lifted the defending champion to sixth place with six points, a point behind new leader Valencia.

Valencia beat 10-man Osasuna 1-0 on Juanma Mata’s late goal.

Valencia has seven points from three games, ahead of Almeria, Villarreal and Espanyol on goal difference.

Barcelona kicked off at El Molinero Stadium having lost and drawn its opening two games for its worst league start for 35 years before hitting top form.

Xavi made the breakthrough in the 27th minute when he headed home Iniesta’s lofted pass from the left for Barcelona’s first goal from open play this season. The team’s only previous goal came through Messi’s penalty against Santander.

Eto’o netted his first goal of the season five minutes later, nodding Carlos Puyol’s already goal-bound header over the line.

Gijon’s problems grew in the 49th when defender Jorge headed Xavi’s inswinging corner into his own net, although forward Francisco Jose Maldonado cut the deficit a minute later.

The home team was reduced to 10 men in the 57th after defender Gerard Autet was sent off for tripping Messi .

Iniesta slipped the ball home for Barcelona’s fourth goal 13 minutes later to crown a slick move involving Xavi, substitute Bojan Krkic and Messi.

Messi sealed Barcelona’s emphatic win with an 85th-minute volley and an 89th-minute header.

Inter Milan and Juventus moved atop the Serie A standings on Sunday, following up their Champions League wins with league victories. AC Milan also won, routing previously perfect Lazio 4-1 for its first points of the season.

Inter, the three-time defending champion, won 3-1 at Torino with an own-goal and strikes from Maicon and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Amauri scored his second goal in two games as Juventus beat Cagliari 1-0.

Inter and Juventus lead with seven points each. Lazio, Palermo, Catania and Atalanta are next with six points each.

The results: Spanish league: Almeria 1 (Negredo 74) bt Malaga 0; Athletic Bilbao 2 (Llorente 50, Iraola 80-pen) bt Valladolid 0; Real Betis 0 drew with Sevilla 0; Numancia 1 (Brit 42) lost to Villarreal 2 (Cazorla 49, Llorente 76); Deportivo La Coruna 0 drew with Real Mallorca 0; Valencia 1 (Mata 87) bt Osasuna 0; Racing Santander 0 lost to Real Madrid 2 (De la Red 53, van Nistelrooy 73); Sporting Gijon 1 (Maldonado 50) lost to Barcelona 6 (Xavi 27, Eto’o 32, Jorge 49-og, Iniesta 70, Messi 85, 89).

Italian league: AC Milan 4 (Seedorf 8, Zambrotta 35, Pato 49, Kaka 60) bt Lazio 1 (Zarate 26); Cagliari 0 lost to Juventus 1 (Amauri 39); Fiorentina 1 (Gilardino 37) bt Bologna 0; Lecce 1 (Caserta 57) drew with Siena 1 (Ficagna 39); Palermo 2 (Cavani 39, Bovo 58) bt Genoa 1 (Milito 89); Sampdoria 1 (Franceschini 49) drew with Chievo 1 (Langella 51); Torino 1 (Abbruscato 76) lost to Inter Milan 3 (Pisano 24-og, Maicon 26, Ibrahimovic 51); Udinese 0 drew with Napoli 0.

Saturday’s results: AS Roma 3 (Panucci 45, Aquilani 51, Perrotta 90) bt Reggina 0; Catania 1 (Paolocci 59) bt Atalanta 0. — Agencies

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