Barcelona 4-0 Real Sociedad
Barcelona 4-0 Real Sociedad: Neymar nets twice in easy win
Neymar scored twice to lead Barcelona to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad at Camp Nou on Saturday.
David
Moyes recorded a memorable 1-0 win over the champions last season but
his successor as head coach, Eusebio Sacristan, a former Barca
midfielder, endured an unhappy return to Camp Nou against the league
leaders.
Neymar finished a fine team move to open the scoring on
22 minutes before another superb Luis Suarez volley made it 2-0 just
before half-time, just as Sociedad had begun to threaten.
Barca
made it three with Neymar's second early in the second half as the
Catalans moved into cruise control and Lionel Messi grabbed a late
fourth, with Claudio Bravo largely a spectator throughout the 90
minutes.
The victory puts more pressure on Real Madrid, with
Rafael Benitez's side now nine points behind Barca ahead of their trip
to Eibar on Sunday, while Sociedad remain just two points outside the
bottom three.
Geronimo Rulli raced out sharply to block
Suarez's run after Neymar's fine through ball as Barca began firmly on
the front foot.
Rulli then snatched the ball superbly from the
feet of Neymar as he raced onto Messi's pass before Andres Iniesta
headed against the base of the post from 12 yards just two minutes later
following a fine Suarez cross.
Sergio Canales blazed a
half-volley high and wide from 25 yards out at the end of a rare
Sociedad attack but Barca broke the deadlock with 22 minutes played -
and in some style.
Messi controlled and flicked the ball into Dani Alves' path
brilliantly, and the full-back's low cross was met by Neymar, who fired
first time into the top corner as he raced into the penalty area.
Sociedad grew into the half but were unable to create any chances for a
leveller and Suarez made it 2-0 just before the break when he met
another Alves cross with a stunning volley which flew into the bottom
corner from 12 yards out.
The game was ended as a contest just
seven minutes after the break. Jeremy Mathieu raced in behind down the
left following Iniesta's pass and squared the ball for Neymar, who was
left with a simple finish from close range.
Messi, making his
600th career appearance, volleyed just wide of the near post after being
teed up by Neymar, and Rulli clutched the ball gratefully to his chest
when the Argentina star shot straight down the middle following a
combination with the same team-mate a minute later.
Sociedad
pushed for a way back into the match as Barca took their foot off the
gas but full-back Yuri lashed into the side-netting when presented with
their best opening to the left of the penalty area.
Bruma caused
some problems as a late substitute, firing just wide from 18 yards
before cutting inside Gerard Pique and forcing Bravo into a brilliant
point-blank stop, but Messi came close a minute later when he curled a
shot onto the crossbar from just inside the box.
Messi finally
got in on the act in stoppage time. Neymar skipped inside from the right
and played a one-two with Suarez before squaring the ball to an
unmarked Messi at the far post, and he tapped home.
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