5-0 too Messi for Barca gaffer Luis
Barcelona put five past Sporting Gijon without Lionel Messi – but boss Luis Enrique claimed the result “exaggerated” how good his Catalan giants were.
The Argentinian maestro sat out the La Liga contest after suffering a groin injury in midweek, although Luis Suarez and Neymar were on hand to provide cover.
Suarez opened their account 29 minutes in before Raf inha headed home three minutes later.
Sporting skipper Alberto Lora earned a second yellow for a late challenge on Sergi Roberto in the 74th minute before Neymar netted either side of Arda Turan’s goal in a seven-minute flurry.
Enrique, whose side visit Borussia Monchengladbach this week, said: “It’s an exaggerated result and I didn’t see the game as being over until Lora’s sending off.
“This game was by no means easy. We lacked intensity and need to improve.”
Their next opponents warmed up for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with a win as well, seeing off Ingolstadt 2- 0.
Lars Stindl and Oscar Wendt scored the goals that took the Foals up to fourth as Bayern Munich kept up their 100 per cent record in this season’s Bundesliga with a 1- 0 win in Hamburg.
Joshua Kimmich scored the only goal of the game in the 88th minute as Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti enjoyed his eighth win in eight competitive fixtures.
The result lifted Bayern to 15 points, three ahead of second- placed Borussia Dortmund after their 3-1 win over Freiburg on Friday.
Ancelotti said: “It was an