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Barca rout Real in Bernabeu goal feast
Barcelona produced a dazzling display of attacking football to rout arch-rivals Real Madrid 6-2 in the Bernabeu and all but secure the Primera Liga title.
Two goals apiece from Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry with defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique also on target signaled an humiliating defeat for Real who went into 'El Clasico' with renewed hope of retaining the Spanish title.
But a mixture of inspired play and comical defending undermined Juande Ramos' men who had taken the lead as Gonzalo Higuain headed home after 14 minutes.
Henry quickly equalized with a clinical finish after Messi's through ball beat the offside trap before an unmarked Puyol headed Barcelona ahead in the 20th minute from a Xavi free kick.
Messi then waltzed through the Real defense after Xavi had cleverly won the ball to put his side 3-1 ahead before the half-time.
Sergio Ramos gave Madrid hope in the 56th minute as he headed home an Arjen Robben free kick, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed.
Henry raced onto a through ball from the brilliant Xavi for the fourth before Messi made it five with an impudent finish to fox Iker Casillas in the Real goal for his 23rd goal in the league this season.
The final humiliation saw Samuel Eto'o charge down the right to cross for Pique who twisted cleverly to beat Casillas for the sixth and his first ever La Liga goal.
It was Barcelona's 100th league goal of the season which has brought them 27 wins from 34 matches.
Real fans headed rapidly for the exits as they tried to come to terms with the most goals ever scored by Barcelona in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Their side trail by seven points with only four games remaining with a super-confident Barcelona now headed to the second leg of their Champions League semifinal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The first leg was goalless. CNN International
Owen could be shorn of starting spot when Newcastle visit Liverpool
Alan Shearer is refusing to rule out the possibility that Michael Owen could be dropped for Newcastle United's trip to Liverpool on Sunday. The relegation-threatened club's manager admits that persisting with the 4-3-3 formation he deployed in the 0–0 draw at home to Portsmouth on Monday night could be "really mad" and is consequently poised to leave at least one striker from Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins and Owen on the bench at Anfield.
When Shearer replaced the convalescent Joe Kinnear he expressed considerable faith in Owen and stressed that the erstwhile England striker would be guaranteed a starting place in his sides, but yesterday Newcastle's manager seemed keener to emphasise that he is creating a meritocracy in which no one is indispensable.
"If I do decide to drop one of the three strikers it will be a tough choice," reflected the former England captain who is well aware that Owen has not scored for nine games now and missed an excellent chance against Portsmouth. "If I believe Michael can score at Liverpool then that will be reflected in the team on Sunday. If I believe that he can't then that's a decision I have to make. I will go on Sunday with the team I believe will be best suited to that particular game.
"When you look at the stats, work-rate wise, there's no problem with Michael, he's always in the top three or four players. But it's goals that Michael's made his name from and he was disappointed not to score the other night, as was everybody else. If he gets in the same situation on Sunday, we'll be looking for him to put it away. Michael's still banging goals in during training but I need him to start scoring in games."
Omitting Owen on the trip to the striker's former club would be a politically loaded act, but it seems that Shearer has certainly at least contemplated demoting a long-standing friend and one-time team-mate to the substitute ranks as he ponders his best attacking combination. "I have done mad things in my time," he said. "But, without wanting to give away formations or selections, it might be really mad to go to Anfield with three up front."
Although Newcastle are poised to restore the newly fit Joey Barton to midfield they must operate without a specialist left-back as José Enrique's hamstring strain appears poised to rule the Spaniard out for at least two weeks. With Steven Taylor also sidelined, their manager is hoping for an impressive central defensive performance against Fernando Torres from Sébastien Bassong.
"Bassong has probably been our best player since I came here," said Shearer. "I have been very impressed by Sébastien. He has everything, good pace, he's good in the air, he can use the ball and he can read the game. I think he has a big future, I really do – although I'd like him to score a goal from a corner."
Considering that Newcastle have registered just one goal – and two points – during Shearer's four-game tenure such words were heartfelt. Owen's barren run cannot end soon enough but whether he is deployed from the start tomorrow or used as in "impact" substitute remains to be seen. Guardian.co.uk
