FCBARCELONA.CAT

27.02.2010 23:50

Pedro marks 50th game with a great goal

Jordi Clos

Pedro Rodíguez celebrated his 50th appearance with the first team with his opener against Malaga - typically well taken and important for the team – and after the game insisted: “I just want to keep on achieving my objectives”.

After 50 games for the team, Pedro continues to show the scoring touch that’s made him so important a figure for Guardiola. On 68 minutes he picked up the ball 25 yards out and drove a powerful shot past the keeper Múnua to round off a great performance in which he’d tormented the Malaga defence down the right and the Nou Camp crowd recognised his contribution with a standing ovation when Guardiola took him off after Messi’s winning goal.

Happy with goal

After the game, Pedro spoke to the Barca TV programme ‘El Marcador’ and talked his way through the goal: “my intention was to shoot right from the start. The keeper was well placed, but his defence was blocking his view. I’m very happy with the goal and to be back with the first team. I’m achieving the objectives I set myself and I want to keep on achieving more. Maybe I’m having a good run of luck, but the truth is that the team are playing well and I’m getting a lot of good passes”.

Decisive

Pedro made his debut in the 2007/08 season with a couple of appearances. Last year, with Guardiola in charge, he got a few more games in the league, but it has been this season in which he’s really established himself as a scorer of decisive goals, whose strikes have given the team vital points –such as against Sporting – and even titles, as in Monaco.

16 goals

Pedro is currently the team’s second leading scorer this season behind Leo Messi. The Canary Island youngster has chalked up 16 goals in 34 games: 7 in the league 2 in the Champions League, 3 in the Cup, 1 in each of the two Super Cups and 2 in the World Club Cup in Abu Dhabi, where he became the first player in history to score in six different competitions in a season.