FCBARCELONA.CAT

08.04.2009 23:38

First half decisive once again

Roger Bogunyà

The early bird catches the worm. The popular saying seems to define this season’s Barça pretty well. Against Bayern Munich, the Barça players once again wrapped up the game by halftime.

Minute 9: Messi. Minute 12: Eto'o. Minute 37: Messi. Minute 43: Henry. At half time 4-0 against Bayern Munich. It’s the kind of score line that might seem unusual but the fact is it has been repeated several times already this season in the Camp Nou. This Barça team likes to settle their matches in the first half.

The other victims

Five other teams have suffered from Barça’s stunning first half performances this campaign. Atlético Madrid (6-1) and Almería (5-0) conceded five goals in the first half while Valladolid (6-0), Olympique Lyon (5-2) and Malaga (6-0) conceded four.

Europe’s top scorer

The four goals against Bayern Munich, as well as bringing Barça closer to the semi-finals of the Champions League, have also put the Club back at the top of the ranking of goals scored. Before last night’s match, Barça and Bayern shared this honour with 24 goals apiece. Now Barça has 28, an average of more than 3 goals per match.

Messi top scorer

Two of Wednesday night’s goals were scored by Messi. The young Argentine has 32 goals to his name this season, 8 of them in the Champions League. This makes him the top scorer in the Champions League ahead of Klose (Bayern Munich) and Gerrard (Liverpool), who have seven.