Messi and Neymar lead Barcelona in Vallecas

FC Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 0-2 on Liga BBVA matchday seven. The result means that the Azulgranas have picked up 19 points from a possible 21, while the home team, with the defeat, end a streak in which they beat Athletic Club and Levante UD.

Barcelona dominated a first half in which the home side attempted to steal possession of the ball, pressuring high up the pitch with an advanced defence. It was this tactic that Luis Enrique’s side took advantage of to tip the balance decidedly in their favour at 0-2 before the break. 35 minutes had been played when Gerard Piqué found Leo Messi with a long ball, and the Argentinian duly beat Toño to bag his sixth goal of the season. Just two minutes later came the turn of Neymar, who, after a pass from Munir, was clinical, beating the home keeper with a shot across the goal to claim the Catalan outfit’s second.

With the lead Barcelona continued to dominate the game, but Rayo did not give up easily and they had a few tricks up their sleeve for the Liga BBVA leaders. Léo Baptistão tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the box, but Claudio Bravo, who broke the record for minutes without conceding at the start of the Liga BBVA season (560), tipped Vallecano’s best chance of the match behind for a corner. Messi responded with another good chance that Pablo Insua kept out, saving his team from going three down. Finally, the Azulgranas took all three points against a Rayo who ended the match with 9 men on the field after Jorge Morcillo and Aquino both received their marching orders.