The Borneo Post

Debut Barca goal for Suarez could open floodgates

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Luis Suarez’s debut goal for Barcelona was inevitably overshadow­ed by Lionel Messi’s Champions League scoring record but the Uruguayan’s opener in Tuesday’s 4- 0 win at APOEL Nicosia is likely to be the first of many.

Suarez returned to action at the end of October after serving a four-month ban for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup and although it took him six matches to open his Barca account he has looked sharp and hungry.

The 27-year-old appears to have slotted seamlessly into Barca’s fearsome attack, in which he plays in a central position with Messi mainly to the right but with freedom to roam and Neymar on the left.

Suarez has made four assists in four appearance­s in La Liga without finding the net himself and said he had been relaxed about waiting for his first goal for the club he joined from Liverpool in the close season.

“I wasn’t anxious about scoring, I knew the moment would come,” he told reporters after the match in Nicosia.

“Up to now, I was helping the team in the best possible way,” he added. “The important thing is to get the results and that is what we are doing.”

Suarez said he was under instructio­ns from Barca’s new coach Luis Enrique to fill the space on the right wing if Messi opted to come inside.

“It depends on the moment in the game. I am playing in the middle and Messi on the right but that can change,” Suarez said. — Reuters

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Luis Suarez

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