Barcelona vs. Sporting: Score and Reaction from 2017 La Liga Match

Barcelona cruised to a 6-1 win over Sporting Gijon at the Camp Nou on Wednesday to provisionally move to the top of La Liga.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the ninth minute, kickstarting a frantic first period. The hosts quickly doubled their advantage through a Juan Rodriguez own goal, then Carlos Castro made it 2-1 and Luis Suarez hammered home a brilliant third, all before the 27th minute.

After the break, substitute Paco Alcacer struck within four minutes of the restart before Neymar curled in a splendid free-kick to make it 5-1. Ivan Rakitic was the last man on the scoresheet, capping off a routine evening for the champions.

The victory moves Barcelona ahead of Real Madrid for the time being. They lead their great rivals by two points, although Zinedine Zidane’s men have two games in hand, including a home fixture with Las Palmas later on Wednesday evening.

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It only took Barcelona nine minutes to get on the scoresheet in very simple style. A long ball from Javier Mascherano was latched onto by Messi and he did just enough to beat goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar, nodding the ball over the top of him.

Per OptaJose, while finding the back of the net is nothing new for Messi, for Mascherano, it was a landmark moment:

Within two minutes of the opener, the Blaugrana had doubled their advantage and given their opponents a mountain to climb.

Once again a Barcelona forward escaped in behind—this time Suarez—and after rounding the 'keeper, he shot toward goal. Eventually, the ball was turned into his own net by Rodriguez and the match looked over in the 11th minute.

After Rafinha missed a great opportunity, Gijon hit back against the run of play. Burgui escaped the attentions of Sergio Busquets, surged into the box and saw his poked shot strike the post. But Castro was on the spot to tap home the rebound into an empty net.

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Barca had their two-goal advantage back intact quickly, though—and in some style, as Sporting failed to clear their lines and Suarez struck a stunning volley from a dropping ball into the top corner. Given his goal record, per Squawka Football, it was no great surprise:

"

Luis Suarez has now scored 75 goals in just 85 #LaLiga games since joining Barcelona in 2014/15.

Ridiculous record in front of goal.  pic.twitter.com/fsQl2Ml6ai

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 1, 2017"

The match did settle down for the final 20 minutes of the half, but Barca had more chances to extend their lead, with Neymar firing straight at Cuellar when through on goal. 

At half-time, Blaugrana boss Luis Enrique withdrew Suarez from the action for Alcacer and within four minutes, the substitute had made his mark. Messi was involved yet again, squaring to the Spain international in the box, who finished calmly with his left foot.

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As noted by ESPN FC’s Dermot Corrigan, by this point, Messi was starting to enjoy himself:

With Messi substituted shortly after that point, Neymar assumed free-kick duties when the next dangerous opportunity came about. The Brazilian went one better than his team-mate had done minutes earlier, striking a pinpoint effort into the top corner for Barca’s fifth goal of the evening.

The match died down in the latter stages, with Barcelona enjoying uncontested possession. However, there was time for one more goal, as Rakitic thudded home from close range at the end of a neat passing move.

David Ramos/Getty Images

After digging out a determined win against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, it was imperative the Blaugrana continued to build momentum here. While Real Madrid remain in strong position in pursuit of the La Liga title, Barcelona are continuing to apply pressure, by hook or by crook.

Enrique and his team will be back at the Camp Nou again on Saturday to take on a very dangerous Celta Vigo side in Week 27 of the Spanish top flight. Based on this display, they’re a team ready to fight Madrid until the end in an attempt to retain their La Liga crown.

Reaction

Afterwards, Enrique revealed he would not be staying on as Barcelona manager beyond the current campaign, per the club's official Twitter feed:

"

 What @LuisEnrique21 said when he announced he would not continue next season #FCBlive https://t.co/Am1dT4sBqy

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 1, 2017"

"It's about how I live with my profession, with a never-ending quest for solutions and to improve my team," he said of the the decision, per BBC Sport. "That means I have very little time to rest, very few hours to disconnect. I think it will be good for me at the end of the season, because I need to rest. That's the principle motive."