THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADRID, Spain — Samuel Eto’o scored two goals and Eidur Gudjohnsen added another to lead FC Barcelona over struggling Valencia 3-0 in La Liga action on Saturday.
Eto’o twice cut back to evade defenders in the 13th minute before unleashing a shot across the goal that beat Santiago Canizares into the top left of the net.
The Cameroon striker scored from nearly the same spot 14 minutes later, this time latching onto Argentine Lionel Messi’s delivery for a quick hit inside that left Canizares frozen.
Gudjohnsen capped Valencia’s second straight 3-0 loss at home when he slotted in Mexican substitute Giovanni Dos Santos’ pass from the right in the 62nd.
Barcelona has 34 points, one less than Real Madrid, which can re-establish its four-point lead on Sunday when it hosts 14th-placed Osasuna.
Dos Santos scored three goals in four matches for Mexico at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada in July.
Valencia stayed at 25 points and saw its goalless streak stretched to 579 minutes, a span of more than six matches dating to Nov. 11.
Meanwhile, Daniel Jarque scored in the ninth minute to lead Espanyol over Levante 1-0.
Espanyol stretched its unbeaten streak to 12 matches — despite playing without suspended Spain internationals Luis Garcia and Albert Riera — to join Atletico Madrid in third with 30 points. Levante has lost all eight games on the road to sit at the bottom of the standings with seven points.
Atletico will move back alone into third if it doesn’t lose at Recreativo Huelva on Sunday when Villarreal, which has 28 points, will look to keep pace and snap a three-game winless streak at Getafe.
Also on Sunday, it is Valladolid versus Sevilla; Real Betis versus Almeria; Deportivo La Coruna versus Zaragoza; Mallorca versus Athletic Bilbao; and, Murcia versus Racing Santander.
Ronaldinho escaped the steady rain at the Mestalla, the Brazilian returning to the substitute’s bench for the third time in his last five games, though he wasn’t called upon this time.
Barcelona controlled from the whistle, Eto’o and Messi threatening before Canizares stretched to tip Yaya Toure’s header over the crossbar in the ninth.
Eto’o opened after Messi found him inside the top of the area with a slick pass.
The Mestalla was near silent after Eto’o capped a buildup of a dozen passes with his third goal in his third game back after a three-month layoff from a serious thigh injury.
Javier Arizmendi shot from far out in the 34th looking to kickstart the sluggish Valencia offence, which was without injured striker David Villa, the marker of Valencia’s last goal.
Matters were made worse for the host in the 39th when striker Fernando Morientes limped out with a right leg injury. Winger Vicente Rodriguez came in, while US$26 million summer signing Nicola Zigic languished on the bench.
Messi came out minutes later after hurting his left knee, and teenager Dos Santos replaced him.
Eto’o found more space in his preferred spot in the 47th, Canizares getting down on one knee to cradle his shot. Deco came in for Toure in the 65th and teenager Bojan Krkic followed three minutes later for Eto’o as coach Frank Rijkaard rested his regulars ahead of next Sunday’s derby with Real Madrid.
Barcelona has managed both road victories in Valencia this season, the other being over crosstown club Levante.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
Messi will miss classic derby against Real Madrid with thigh injury
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VALENCIA, Spain — FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi tore a thigh muscle on Saturday and will probably miss next weekend’s classic derby against Real Madrid.
Messi injured his left thigh after making a run in the 42nd minute of the Catalan club’s 3-0 win against Valencia in La Liga action. The Argentina forward was substituted two minutes later.
"It looks like he could be out three to four weeks," Barcelona vice president Albert Vicensi Rahola told La Sexta television channel.
The 20-year-old Messi, who leads Barcelona with eight goals, tore a muscle in his thigh, the club said in a statement on its website.
Barcelona has 34 points, one less than league leader Real Madrid. They meet at the Nou Camp stadium next Sunday for the "classico."