Barcelona stays top of league with win

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADRID, Spain — Lionel Messi’s late goal gave Barcelona a 2-1 win over Malaga to stay top of the Spanish league on Saturday after Real Madrid had earlier won 5-1 at Tenerife to temporarily top the standings.
Barcelona dominated possession and created plenty of chances yet couldn’t convert until Pedro Rodriguez beat goalkeeper Gustavo Munua in the 70th minute.
Valmiro "Valdo" Lopez equalized for Malaga in the 81st, but Daniel Alves crossed for Messi’s winner in the 84th.
Barcelona has 61 points and Madrid is second on 59 points.
"In the first half, we deserved to get a goal," Messi said. "We had to suffer but we won in the end.
"We can’t afford to drop points with the way that Real Madrid is playing."
Gonzalo Higuain scored two first-half goals for Madrid. The Argentina forward hit a first-time shot with his left foot from Marcelo’s pass to score in the 29th minute. He added his 16th league goal of the season with his other foot from the edge of the area in the 42nd, from Ezequiel Garay’s assist.
Higuain set Kaka up to score with a through pass in the 48th. Cristiano Ronaldo scored Madrid’s fourth from the penalty spot in the 79th, and substitute Raul Gonzalez tapped the ball into the net in injury time.
For Tenerife, Ayoze Garcia headed the ball out of Iker Casillas’ hands and into the net in the 47th. Referee Ramirez Dominguez ignored the goalkeeper’s claim that the goal was illegal.
"We’ve got some big games coming up," Higuain said. "We’re happy, we just have to keep playing like this."
Malaga unsettled the Barca defence in the opening minutes at Camp Nou Stadium, with Sergio "Duda" Barbosa’s free kick forcing an early save from Victor Valdes.
As Barca took control of midfield, Messi posed an increasing threat, heading a cross from Alves wide in the ninth minute. Messi then burst out of midfield in the 14th to leave the defence standing, although Weligton stopped his shot with a last-ditch block.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent a free kick just wide of the left-hand post in the 25th. Messi did well to create some space in the area in the 30th but blasted his shot over.
Munua had to stretch to push over an extravagant shot by Xavi Hernandez, who clipped a chipped pass from Andres Iniesta with the outside of his heel.
With Barcelona attacking from all angles, Ibrahimovic looked certain to score just before the break. However, he just failed to get a foot to Rodriguez’s cross, which rolled across an open goal. Rodriguez crossed again moments later and Iniesta scuffed the shot wide.
Munua saved Ibrahimovic’s header in the 51st from Messi’s pinpoint cross.
Ibrahimovic had a third Barcelona goal disallowed in injury time for a push on a defender.
Although Tenerife is languishing in the relegation zone, Madrid famously lost last-round games at Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium in 1992 and ’93 to lose the league title on the final day.
Saturday’s game began at a frantic pace and Tenerife goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses had to rush off his line to dispossess the onrushing Higuain in the 10th. Ronaldo then headed over from a corner in the 11th.
Madrid’s Xabi Alonso was booked in the 23rd for a challenge on Garcia. Alonso made another hard tackle minutes later, and Aragoneses received a yellow card for demanding the midfielder’s dismissal.
Tenerife had less possession in the first half, although Juan Luis Hens found some space and shot over. Shortly after, Casillas made a fine save from Alejandro Alfaro’s close-range volley.
Madrid’s Raul Albiol intercepted a cross heading for the unmarked Juan Francisco "Nino" Martinez shortly before the break.
Aragoneses foiled Ronaldo in the second half, guessing right when the Portugal striker was through and attempted a chip over the ‘keeper.
In the second half, Madrid tightened its control of the game as the Tenerife defence tired and the goals started to flow.
Earlier, Humberto Suazo scored twice as 17th-place Zaragoza beat eighth-place Getafe 2-0.
At Getafe’s Alfonso Perez Stadium, Suazo latched on to a poor back pass by Getafe’s David Cortes in the third minute, before rounding the goalkeeper and scoring.
Suazo, who arrived from Mexican club Monterrey in January, struck again when he headed in Gabriel Fernandez’s cross from the right in the 19th. The Chilean dedicated both goals to victims of the earthquake, which has killed at least 147 people in his home country, lifting his shirt to show a message that read "Fuerza Chile" (Strength, Chile).
Zaragoza is 17th on 24 points, while Getafe has 32 points.
On Sunday, it’s: Xerez vs. Espanyol; Villarreal vs. Deportivo La Coruna; Valladolid vs. Mallorca; Racing Santander vs. Almeria; Sporting Gijon vs. Osasuna; Sevilla vs. Athletic Bilbao; and Atletico Madrid vs. Valencia.