Barca keeps title hope alive, Bayern extends lead
Juventus forward Christiano Ronaldo was on target once again but his side was held to a stalemate by minnow Hellas Verona, continuing its poor away form
BARCELONA forwards Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi fired the Catalans to a confidence-boosting 2-0 win at in-form Sevilla on Saturday to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.
Dembele latched on to a through ball from Messi and knocked it through the legs of Sevilla keeper Bono to give Barca a deserved lead in the 29th minute after dominating the first half and barely giving its hosts a hint of a chance.
Sevilla improved after the break but Barca continued to have the edge and found a second goal when Messi played a one-two with teenage midfielder Ilaix Moriba and netted with a scrappy finish after having his first effort saved by Bono.
The result ended a six-game winning streak in the league for Sevilla, who remained fourth in the standings on 48 points, while Barca climbed to second with 53 points, two behind frontrunners Atletico but having played two more games.
The win will significantly boost Barca’s moral after its hapless display in the Champions League against Paris SaintGermain.
Meanwhile, Bundesliga leader Bayern was back to winning ways with a 5-1 demolition of Cologne.
League top-scorer Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry both struck twice as Bayern Munich crushed Cologne
Saturday to earn its first win in three league games and go five points clear at the top.
The champion, who next week faces Borussia Dortmund, is on 52 points. Second-placed Leipzig, however, is hot on Bayern’s tail after claiming a 3-2 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach. Leipzig currently has 50 points in 23 matches.
VfL Wolfsburg remained third with a 2-0 victory over Hertha Berlin.
Apart from Lewandowski and Gnabry, Bayern was also indebted to Leon Goretzka who delivered another silky performance with three assists.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting opened the champions’ account with his first league goal this season, heading in Leon Goretzka’s cross at the far post in the 18th minute.
Lewandowski struck 15 minutes later, combining with Goretzka after a bad pass back from Cologne and the Pole
made it 28 league goals from an assist by Thomas Mueller, seconds after the midfielder came on in the 65th minute following a coronavirus infection.
Mueller is the league’s top provider with 11 assists while Lewandowski is looking to break Gerd Mueller’s record of 40 league goals in one season dating back to the 1971-72 campaign.
Substitute Gnabry completed the route with two late goals in four minutes.
“For our way forward we have to stop having these shaky periods during the match,” Gnabry said. “We have to reduce them and then we will be stronger.”
Such phases during its recent games have proved costly for Bayern, including a 3-3 against strugglers Arminia Bielefeld two weeks ago and its 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt last week.
Cologne had briefly cut the deficit four minutes after the restart with Ellyes Skhiri making the most of blunders by three Bayern defenders.
JUVE’S AWAY BLUES CONTINUE
A lackluster Juventus was held to a 1-1 draw by Hellas Verona in Serie A after Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener was canceled out by a towering header from Antonin Barak.
The result leaves Juve in third place on 46 points, three behind AC Milan and seven adrift of leaders Inter Milan after 23 games, while Verona is ninth with 35 points from 24.
League top scorer Ronaldo fired in his 19th goal this season early in the second half but Barak guided home a 78th-minute equalizer as the champions’ poor run of away form continued.
Andrea Pirlo’s side has picked up four points from its last four league games on the road, and the woodwork saved them twice against a spirited Verona side who deserved a point.