Barcelona remain tops in La Liga with win against Deportivo (1-3)
Pep Guardiola fielded a strong front line on Saturday with Ibrahimovic, Messi and Henry to go up against fifth place Deportivo La Coruna.
Early into the match Barcelona dominated possession but Deportivo held their own countering immediately on offense. Both Ibrahimovic and Messi had chances early but with great saves by Deportivo keeper Aranzbia the teams remained scoreless.
In the 26th minute Aranzabia could no longer hold off Barcelona as Lionel Messi received a pass from Dani Alves just outside the box and fired the ball into the right corner of the goal. Following the goal Messi kept the pressure on Deportivo and provided a brilliant opportunity for Ibrahimovic but the Ibra came up short against Aranzbia.
The 38th minute provided a surprise for Barcelona as Deportivo equalized. The goal coming against the run of play when a goal kick by Aranzabia was headed by Busquets directly to Deportivo striker Adrian. Adrian was able to head the ball immediately, stunning Valdes and catching him off balance. The sluggish response on defense infuriated Guardiola and sent the team into the locker room all square.
Deportivo continued to frustrate Barcelona in the second half keeping their high powered offense in check. In the 70th minute Guardiola looked to the bench for a spark on offense bringing in Pedro for Henry.
The move didn't immediately provide results but finally in the 79th minute Pedro sent a pass into the box that Lionel Messi headed into the goal to re-establish their lead.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided an insurance goal in the closing minutes of the match. With the win Barcelona remains at the top of La Liga with a five point lead over Real Madrid.
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