Barcelona vs Sporting: LaLiga Santander match report, goals

Follow the match LaLiga 2016/2017 date 26 : Barcelona –Celta.

Barcelona 6-1 Sporting Gijón: full time

FT: Game over. A comprehensive victory for Barcelona, which was overshadowed by Luis Enrique's shock announcement after the game that he will be leaving the club in the summer. 

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Rakitic said the coach had told them in the dressing room after the match, leaving the players "open-mouthed". 

Barcelona 6-1 Sporting Gijón: second half

Min 90 | Sporting at this point to string two passes together. This one is fizzling out.

GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Rakitic absolutely drives it into the roof of the net after a one-two with Sergi Roberto. Even Barcelona's celebrations are severly muted. This one has been over since Messi scored the first after nine minutes.

Min 86 | Barcelona with 15 shots on target to Barcelona's four. They have had 70% possession.

Min 84 | Denis Suarez chopped down as Sporting continue to chase shadows. A real formality at this point for Barcelona.

Min 81 | Jordi Alba coming from an offside position has a strike at goal and it rattles the post with Cuellar standing srooted to the spot. Wouldn't have counted but Alba showing off his sweet left foot.

Min 80 | Juan Rodriguez swings a cross into Barça's box but it is too close to Ter Stegen. A rare attack for Sporting ends quite tamely.

Min 78 | Barcelona corner. The ball bounces up for Neymar and he has a go on the volley. His technique can not match Suarez' in the first half. 

Sporting Gijon substitution: Mikel Vesga comes on for Sergio Alvarez.

Min 76 | Ivan Rakitic wins the ball back after, yet another, mix-up by Sporting and he drive sa low shot that forces an excellent finger tip save from Cuellar.

Min 72 | Juan Rodriguez puts it out for a corner. Barcelona are hungry for more and Sporting really are struggling here.

Barcelona substitution: Rafinha is replaced by Sergi Roberto in Luis Enrique's final change.

Min 70 | Neymar fouled and he grabs at his ankle. He seems to be okay but all these fouls will eventually take their toll. 

Min 68 | Neymar fouled again, this time by Lillo, as Barcelona's stand out player picks himself off the field once again.

GOAL GOAL GOAL! Neymar curls it around the wall and beyond Cuellar as he tries his best to make it back across the goal. He gets a hand to it but the Brazilian's shot was so close to the post that he had no chance.

Min 65 | Rakitic taken down on the edge of the square now as Neymar lines it up.

Min 64 | Burgui, who was replaced by Isma Lopez shown with a bandage on his ankle. Not great news for Sporting, who are fighting tooth and nail in their battle against relegation.

60 minute update : It has become a formality at this stage and Sporting have accepted that too. They are sitting back in an effort to keep this score down. Barcelona with plenty of players on the field who need to prove themselves are looking for more goals.

Barcelona substitution: Lionel Messi is replaced by Andre Gomes.

Min 60 | Neymar looks to be clipped by Lillo as he skips past him in the box but the referee says no and gives a goal-kick. Neymar, the only remaining member of MSN, is not happy.

Sporting Gijon substitution: Burgui off for Isma Lopez.

Min 59 | Messi like an artist putting the very last touch on a masterpiece. He gave it the deftest of touches but it won't come down and it clips the corner where the crossbar and the goalpost meet.

Min 58 | Free-kick for Barcelona in what is commonly referred to as Messi territory. Denis Suarez the one taken down.

Min 57 | Babin with a header in a dangerous area but he can't keep it down and it flies over Ter Stegen's post.

Min 54 | Juan Rodriguez and Neymar going at it by the sideline. Neymar holds him off as the central defender takes a couple of nibbles. When the Brazilian finally passes it back, Rodriguez goes in for the kill and takes Neymar out of it and gets a yellow!

Min 52 | Messi with a ball over the top but Sporting clear. It lands to Neymar who swings a boot at it but it's well wide. 

GOAL GOAL GOAL! Paco Alcacer finished with aplomb after a defensive error by Babin. Messi picks his pocket and squares it to Alcacer. He drives home for his second league goal of the season.

Min 48 | Mascherano dictating it at the back for Barcelona. He is being given as much time as he wants at the back.

Min 47 | An absolute peach of a ball by Neymar to Messi in behind he can't pull it back from a tight angle.

Min 46 |  We are underway for the second half.

A rare Paco Alcacer sighting for Barça as he replaces Luis Suarez at half-time.

Douglas is replaced by Victor Rodriguez.

Barcelona strode into an early lead but Sporting have had chances to trouble Barcelona. It is a conundrum that many managers have faced at the Camp Nou and one that has no definite answer. Do you sit back and wait to be beaten or at least try to score? Sporting, with the help of the two early goals, had that decision made for them but they have been living on thin ice since then. Can they hold out, hope for a second and then go toe to toe with Barcelona or can the home side get a fourth and put this one to bed? 

Min 45+1 | Neymar booked after he fouls Lillo and then gives the referee a mouthful.

Min 45 | Sporting overdo it again on the left-hand side and Neymar breaks. Instead of risking another one-on-one, Castro pulls the Brazilian back and makes an appeareance in the referee's little black book for his troubles.

Min 43 | Neymar breaks and leaves a trail of Sporting defenders in his wake. One-on-one with Cuellar and he tries to side-foot it past him and the former Atletico Madrid keeper saves with his feet.

Min 42 | Burgui turns Busquets like he wasn't there, does the same to Mascherano and has a crack at goal. Ter Stegen saves but it nearly drops to Castro. Fright for Barcelona.

Min 42 | Cross field pass to Neymar as he waits for it to land in the box. He thought about hitting it first time but takes it down and directs it towards the goal. Cuellar collects under pressure from Umtiti.

Min 40 | Burgui makes his way down the left and cuts it back but there are too many Barcelona players in the way and they clear. Barça countering now with precision. Every wave could and tends to come close to a goal, or a chance at goal.

Min 37 | Rafinha cuts inside and plays it to Suarez, who has a shot with his right. Cuellar knew where it was going and meets it at the corner. Easy save but good idea by the Barça striker.

Min 35 | Messi tries to make it in behind after a chipped, or maybe even scooped, pass by Suarez. He can't make it to the ball befor it goes over the sideline.

30 minute update : Four goals in the opening thirty minutes. Sporting have come out of their shell after the first two goals by Barcelona. They pulled one back but just minutes later Barcelona reasserted their control as Suarez drove a volley beyond Cuellar. There are more goals in this game and Sporting might get one but Barcelona are finding far too much room in behind their defense. 

Min 29 | Neymar in over the top now. He can only direct it beyond Cuellar though.

GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Suarez absolutely drives it home after a really poor defensive header by Babin and the Camp Nou breathes a sigh of a relief. That is a volley of the highest quality.

Min 25 | Barcelona pushing for another as Neymar plays it to Messi before he slips it to Suarez. Suarez slips as he tries to strike it but it is blocked and goes out for a corner.

Min 24 | Burgui booked for a foul on Messi.

Min 23 | Mascherano penalised for a handball. Replays showed it hit his chest. 

GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Castro pulls one back as Burgui's strike hits the post and falls to him to tap home. Castro won't score an easier goal in his whole career!

Min 20 | Messi puts Rafinha in but from a tight angle, he fires across the goal. 

Min 19 | Sporting thought they were in as Burgui breaks free but Elderson fouled Raifnha as he dispossessed him. Barcelona free.

Min 17 | Messi pass over the top finds Neymar but his first touch is too heavy and he has to do too much to keep it in play. Great ball by the Argentine. This Sporting defense is wide open at the back.

15 minute update : I guess from the scoreline you can see what happened in the opening 15 minutes. Sporting are sitting back and letting Barcelona have the ball and got hurt badly with this tactics for the first goal while Neymar's telepathic relationship with Suarez was the reason for the second. They have to make a choice now as to whether they stick to their original plan, or press up and risk leaving massive gaps at the back. 

Min 15 | Jordi Alba obstructs Lillo and catches him straight in the chest. Free to Sporting as they try to respond.

Min 12 | Neymar tries one after an excellent counter by the home side. He does a stepover, or two, but his shot is blocked. 

GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Luis Suaréz with an excellent run off the shoulder and Neymar puts him through with a perfect ball. suarez with a little pause before Cuellar hits the ground. He then strikes and Juan Rodriguez puts it into his own net.

GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Lionel Messi beats the offside trap as Mascherano drops the ball over the top. As Cuellar rushes out, Messi headers the ball over him and it rolls over the line. Advantage Barcelona and it's an uphill battle now for the visitors.

Min 8 | After a relatively productive opening few minutes by Sporting, Barcelona are not dominating possession and throwing it around the field. Very little resistance from the opposition.

Min 6 | Neymar looks for a through ball to Suarez but Babin gets a foot to it and clears. Neymar fouls Lillo as the ball comes out to him.

Min 4 | Barcelona with their first spell of dominance. It comes to an end as Rakitic fouls Burgui.

Min 3 | Rafinha out at the corner of the box tries to curl one past Cuellar but it goes well wide.

Min 2 | Lillo swings a cross in but Castro can't get his body to do what he wanted it to and it bounces off him and away from danger.

Min 1 | We are underway for some mid-week football at the Camp Nou! 

19:24 | A win tonight, of course, can bring Sporting Gijón out of the relegation zone with Leganés losing against Valencia last night.

19:13 | If you have been directed to this live feed by this tweet, I would like to welcome you first. Secondly, I want to explain why I think this one might finish as a draw.

The reasons are three-fold:

1) I have been watching Barcelona on a weekly basis and they have so often been under immense pressure at the start before getting a goal and kiling their opponents spirits. One of these weeks, they won't be able to keep the opposition out and Sporting Gijón are desparate for a win. They got a battling draw against Celta at the weekend and Barcelona might be tired after their recent exertions against Atletico Madrid.

2) Luis Enrique's tactics are noble and brave and I appreciate him trying to find solutions to his problem at right back. I do, however, think that they are a little off the cuff and I am not convinced that they are sustainable. Tonight he has opted for no right-back and a midfield of four. If he does play three at the back, I am not sure if Mascherano, Umtiti and Jordi Alba work as a defensive unit.

3) Alaves came to Camp Nou and beat Barcelona earlier in the year by sitting back and counter-attacking. Leganes almost did the same last week. Sporting, who look to be going down swinging, will set up defensively and if Burgui can get the ball out wide on the break, he can cause that defense problems. 

19:06 | Lionel Messi remains atop the LaLiga top scoring charts and could be adding another couple tonight! Luis Suarez is one yellow away from a suspension and with Celta coming next, he might want to avoid going into the referee's book. 

19:03 | The demise of Barcelona has been much talked about but other than the loss to Paris, as heavy and complete as it was, they have not lost in LaLiga since October when they were beaten by Celta Vigo 4-3 in Galicia.

18:58 | Sporting really need a win tonight. They have just one win in their last ten games with seven losses and two draws. Since Rubi took over from Abelardo Fernández, he has won just one, lost three and drawn two. 

18:46 | Moi Gomez, out of the squad after scoring against Celta at the weekend, is replaced by Douglas. Everyone is talking about Jese's return to his former club in Real Madrid but could Douglas cause heartache at the Camp Nou tonight?

18:33 | Luis Enrique makes four changes from the side that beat Atletico as Mathieu, Iniesta, Pique and Sergi Roberto drop out of the starting XI to face Sporting Gijón.

12:00 | Whilst no-one is questioning Barcelona's MSN, today Afredo Relaño asks if Zidane needs to be more flexible with his selection policy for Madrid's BBC.

11:00 | In the Catalan capital today? Why not attend the match at Camp Nou and enjoy the live game experience. Match tickets are still available.  

10:30 | Hello and welcome to our live coverage and build-up as Sporting Gijon visit Camp Nou this evening.

Barcelona vs Sporting Gijón: match preview

Barcelona and Sporting meet in Camp Nou with wildly differing necessities. The home side are in the hunt for the Liga title and will be looking to add more pressure on Real Madrid at the top of the table. Luis Enrique’s side are second on 54 points, a single point adrift of the leaders, who have a game in hand, and last weekend picked up a valuable three points in the Calderón. Sporting meanwhile are in the relegation zone on 17 points after winning just four games so far this season, although Rubi’s side claimed a morale-boosting point against Celta at the weekend.

Barcelona

Just a week ago there were few observers who believed Barcelona had a real chance of retaining their Liga title but recent results have put the holders firmly back in the chase. Wednesday’s visitors have not beaten Barcelona in over a decade and the home side have lost just once at home in the league all season.

Aleix Vidal is a long-term absentee while Javier Mascherano and Jérémy Mathieu are both doubts for the game. The French utility defender was substituted with an injury in the Calderón and replaced by Lucas Digne. In the return fixture in El Molinón Barça ran out 5-0 winners and in this fixture last season Luis Enrique’s side put six past Sporting without reply.

AS player to watch: Leo Messi

The Argentinean has been excellent form since the turn of the year and leads the Pichichi race with 20 league goals this season. Messi was on target at the weekend to score the winner against Atlético.

Sporting

The need to pick up points as the season enters the final straight has been evident in Sporting’s performances recently. One victory in their last 10 games has left Sporting rooted in the relegation places but Rubi’s side are only two points adrift of 17^th placed Deportivo and safety. The Galician side have a game in hand however.

Sporting took the game to Celta in their last fixture and might have claimed all three points but had to settle for a draw. The Rojiblancos have won just once on the road this season, in their last away game at Leganés (0-2). The side’s returns on the road otherwise are three draws and eight defeats and their last match ended in a 4-1 drubbing by Atlético in El Molinón.

Rubi may have to contend without Dani Ndi and Nacho Cases in Camp Nou, while Jorge Meré is suspended. Sporting have been beaten by Barcelona in their last five meetings, a single draw in El Molinón in 2011 interrupting a run of 10 defeats.

AS player to watch: Duje Cop

The Croatia striker has fond the net seven times in the league and is the focal point of Sporting’s attack.

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