The Hindu : Sport / Football : Henry stars for Barcelona

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 08, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Football

Henry stars for Barcelona

MADRID: Thierry Henry’s hat-trick led near-perfect Barcelona past Valencia 4-0 to extend its lead in the Spain premier league football and stretch its unbeaten run to 20 games on Saturday.

Meanwhile in the Italian Serie ‘A,’ Inter Milan went nine points clear at the top after a stunning 3-0 win at Lazio as AS Roma wracked up its 1,000th top flight victory with a 1-0 success at rock-bottom Chievo.

In Spain, an energised Henry, in one of his best performances away from Arsenal, opened in the 19th-minute as the France striker used a quick touch to float in Yaya Toure’s long pass on the hop.

Henry ran onto a leading pass from Alexandre Hleb — who he also teamed with at Arsenal — eight minutes later and curled past goalkeeper Renan Soares. Henry’s last, in the 79th, was the easiest as he pushed in substitute Bojan Krkic’s pass for his seventh league goal. Barcelona’s high-scoring attack has notched up 44 goals from 14 games to lead Villarreal by six points with 35.

Villarreal held

Earlier, Giuseppe Rossi scored a late equaliser as Villarreal rallied from a three-goal deficit to draw 3-3 with Getafe, and Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan scored twice each as Atletico Madrid defeated Sporting Gijon 5-2 to stretch its unbeaten run to 12 games.

Barcelona has hardly missed suspended striker Samuel Eto’o, who leads the league with 14 goals, as Daniel Alves held off Asier del Horno in the 47th-minute to reach Xavi Hernandez’s precise through ball and score the third.

Xavi hit the post after two minutes, while Renan denied clear chances from Lionel Messi and Hleb before coming out to poke away Messi, who came in clear on goal in the 68th

Valencia, which lost for the first time on the road, has 27 points.

Meanwhile in Italy, Jose Mourinho’s reigning champion Inter Milan is looking unstoppable as headers from Walter Samuel and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a Mobido Diakite own goal gave it an easy evening in the capital.

Dream start

Inter got off to a dream start in the Roman Stadio Olimpico as Samuel headed home a cross from Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari in the second-minute.

Saturday’s results:

Spanish league: Villarreal 3 (Pires 55, Eguren 83, Rossi 85) drew with Getafe 3 (Granero 10, Gavilan 17, Casquero 30); Sporting Gijon 2 (Bilic 5, Barral 60) lost to Atletico Madrid 5 (Aguero 7, 41, Forlan 57, 80 Maxi Rodriguez 72); Barcelona 4 (Henry 19, 27, 79, Alves 47) bt Valencia 0.

Italian Serie ‘A’: Chievo 0 lost to Roma 1 (Menez 69); Lazio 0 lost to Inter Milan 3 (Samuel 2, Diakite 45-og, Ibrahimovic 55). — Agencies

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport