Tony Watt incredibly gave Celtic one of the greatest European nights in their history

Neil Lennon’s Bhoys sent Glasgow’s East End delirious as they celebrated their 125th anniversary in style. Parkhead was in dreamland in the 21st minute when midfielder Wanyama headed in from a corner. The 67-year-old singer, whose hits include Hot Legs and Sailing, sobbed with joy at the final whistle in Glasgow last night. Underdogs Celtic beat Lionel Messi’s Spanish giants 2-1 in the Champions League thanks to stars such as Victor Wanyama and Georgios Samaras — despite a late comeback by the visitors.

Celtic have now played eight qualifying and group stage games in the Champions League and have won six, kept clean sheets in four, achieved victories on the road in Helsinki, Helsingborg and Moscow and – in this compelling spectacle – prevailed over a club that some believe to be the best the world has seen. If Lennon’s side should win their next outing, against Benfica in Lisbon in two weeks, they will be guaranteed a place in the knockout stage of the tournament.

Watt was one of four teenagers on the home bench. Barcelona, meanwhile, had David Villa, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas on theirs. All three are World Cup winners and all came on. But for all the possession and shots, Barcelona were not at their fluent best here. Fraser Forster, nevertheless, made two magnificent saves from Messi - one in each half - and several others of real quality throughout.

Barça suffered only their second defeat of the season in Glasgow, the other being a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup in August. However, they remain top of the group on nine points, two ahead of Celtic in second place. Benfica have four points and Spartak Moscow are bottom on three after the Portuguese side won 2-0 at home to the Russians on Wednesday.

"We are still in first place and we are relaxed," said Messi, who scored in added time after earlier striking the frame of the goal. "I think we did everything well, we got into goal-scoring positions but the ball just didn't go in. "They were comfortable closing ranks in defence, waiting for a chance to counterattack, a corner or a free-kick and that's how they managed to score the two goals."

The Spanish tabloid 'Marca' writed: "Barcelona revived their ghosts of last season in losing at Celtic Park in a match that recalled the two semi-finals against Chelsea. The Scots sat back and waited for a chance to counter. They gifted the ball to Barcelona, who were not able to break down their wall, and made the most of their only two chances … The second round will have to wait."

Celtic (4-4-1-1): Forster; Lustig (Watt 72), Ambrose, Wilson, Matthews; Commons, Wanyama, Ledley, Mulgrew; Samaras (Kayal 79); Miku. Subs: Zaluska (g), McCourt, Herron, Fraser, McGeouch. 
Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes; Dani Alves, Bartra (Pique 71), Mascherano, Jordi Alba; Xavi, Song (Fabregas 71), Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Alexis (Villa 65). Subs: Pinto, Jonathan, Montoya, Tello. 
Booked: Song, Jordi Alba, Miku
Goals: Wanyama 21, Watt 83, Messi 90
Referee: Kuipers (Holland)
Attendence: 55,283

Lionel Messi scored twice to help La Liga leaders Barcelona stroll to a resounding win

Lionel Messi scored twice to help La Liga leaders Barcelona stroll to a resounding win at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday night, as coach Tito Vilanova recorded the best start for a first-year coach in the 113-year history of the Catalan club. Barça’s magnificent start to the season continued with a comprehensive win in Vallecas to make it eight wins and a draw from their first nine games in La Liga. Goals from Villa, Messi (2), Xavi and Cesc saw Barça through after a pretty well balanced start, which really tilted the visitors’ way after the second goal, as Tito’s men took advantage of Rayo’s advanced back line.

Barca, with midfielder Sergio Busquets and fullback Adriano Correia deputising in central defence, were under a lot of pressure from hard-running Rayo before taking control in Vallecas. Cesc Fábregas set up David Villa's 20th-minute opener to set Barcelona on their way. Messi scored his 16th and 17th goals in all competitions – to take his career tally to 301 – in a second half that also saw Xavi Hernández and Fábregas find the net.

In the second half, Barça came out determined to put the game to bed and after just two minutes Messi rounded off a brilliant team move which saw Pedro beat two defenders and lay the ball off for Montoya who set up the world number one to fire home for the second. Barcelona's eighth win in their first nine games maintained their unbeaten start to the season and lifted them three points ahead of second-placed Atlético Madrid before Atlético's game against the bottom club Osasuna on Sunday.

 Goal.com

The no-nonsense win also kept up the pressure on Real Madrid by opening up an 11-point gap before the defending champion's tough test at Mallorca. "We are delighted for Lionel," Vilanova told a news conference. "He has scored a couple of goals but I prefer to remember the moment when he ran 30 metres to help out in defence in the 89th minute. I love the goals, but I like this more." Fabregas told Spanish television: "It's a difficult ground, with spectacular fans. They pressure you and don't let you breathe. But we played a serious game, perhaps the best of the season so far.

"This was our best game of the season,'' Fabregas said. Messi's two strikes, the first an unstoppable blast from the edge of the box, the second a showcase of fancy footwork to undo the defense, took his league leading tally to 13 goals, four more than Atletico's Radamel Falcao and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi has 73 goals for club and country in 2012, leaving him two shy of matching Brazil great Pele's milestone of 75 in 1958. "Scoring two more goals isn't important, the important thing is that we have another win and we believe we can keep this up,'' said Messi, who on Monday will receive the Golden Shoe award for Europe's top scorer last season with an unprecedented 73 goals.

credits to: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Brilliant Messi inspires Argentina: Leo leads 'Celeste' over Uruguay

A superb performance by Lionel Messi helped Argentina beat Uruguay to consolidate their place at the top of the South American World Cup Qualifiers. Messi took his tally in the qualifiers to six with a brilliant free kick as Argentina continued their progression after a wobbly start where they were defeated in Venezuela and held to a draw at home to Bolivia.

Messi scored two goals and Sergio Aguero added another to overpower Uruguay 3-0, keeping the Argentines in first place in the qualifying standings for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Messi, who has largely failed to match his translate his outstanding Barcelona form to the national team, has shone ever since Alejandro Sabella was hired a year ago as coach, replacing Sergio Batista who in turn replaced Diego Maradona.

"We had so much of the ball," Messi said. "The important thing is we won. We played a great game and we deserved the three points. They (Uruguay) only wanted to defend. They were just looking for something on the counterattack. Our team is getting stronger each time we play."' Added midfielder Javier Mascherano: "That's another three points, but in this qualification you can lose a couple of games and fall out of contention."

Messi scored in the 66th and added another with a free kick in the 80th while Aguero scored in the 75th at Malvinas Argentinas stadium in Mendoza, Argentina. Angel Di Maria, Marcos Rojo and Aguero all had good chances before Messi opened the scoring. The Barcelona forward played a one-two with Di Maria, then slid to ground while chipping the shot behind keeper Fernando Muslera.

Messi finished things off on a 25-meter (yard) free kick that hugged the ground and went in just inside the post. "That was a great game from these guys," Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said. "We played with good possession and a lot of patience." (Photo under: Mascherano and Messi)

Not long after his goal, Messi forced a huge save out of Fernando Muslera. His 15-minute stretch from the 65th to the 80th minute was as dominant a stretch of football as one player can possibly have in a match. An Argentina manager has finally surrounded him with the right pieces, and the Albiceleste are clearly the best team in CONMEBOL qualifying at the moment.

"We have very good players who had an excellent match, they played like a team," Sabella told reporters, adding there are no adequate words to describe Messi. "The Spanish Royal Academy (which governs the language) must search for a new adjective for Messi," he said.

Messi created a good chance for himself with a dribbling run past several defenders towards the end of the first half in Mendoza but his final, left-footed shot went over the top and hit the far stanchion. He was also close with a free kick from the left which would have gone in if Muslera had not punched the ball over. Messi's first goal came during a spell of total Argentine dominance but soon after there was a scare for Argentina with defender Pablo Zabaleta clearing off the line.

credits to: http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Messi-scores-2-as-Argentina-beats-Uruguay-3-0-3945021.php

Preview 'La Liga': Barcelona-Granada, 22 September 2012

The fifth consecutive win, 15 points out of 15 available: what asks Vilanova to Messi and company is to win, always. The Granada does not seem an insurmountable obstacle.

Barcelona take on Granada tonight in La Liga action, looking for their fifth win in as many league matches. Granada on the other hand are looking for their first win of the season, but chances are that they will have to wait another week with Barcelona in such sensational form. The Blaugrana may have injury concerns at the back, but with Lionel Messi and co in such great goal-scoring form, they should have enough to see off Juan Antonio Anquela's team.

FC Barcelona face the Andalusians with a number of absences in their rearguard. Without Puyol and Piqué, Tito Vilanova will need to change his defensive plans. The most likely candidates to join Mascherano as the other centre back are Bartra and Song, although Sergio Busquets has also shown in the past that he’s capable of playing in that position. But those problems aside, Barça can welcome back Jordi Alba, who is now fully recovered from a nasty attack of the flu.

The Andalusians were extremely poor on the road in the previous campaign and have lost nine of their last 11 away matches. The Catalan's strength at home is of course well documented, with April's defeat to Real Madrid the only time in the last 15 league matches they have failed to win at Camp Nou. 

David Villa says he feels now ready to return full time, but Vilanova not see it that way. For the Barca's trainer, ''el guaje'' has 45 minutes in his legs, but did not dispel the doubts about its use from the beginning. Unlike the speech for Alex Song: the new signing of Barcelona is likely to start again from the bench, despite the many absences in defense. Vilanova sees as central praises his commitment and his technical skills, but probably prefer the young Bartra. The only chance for the former Arsenal could come from midfield in case Vilanova decides to rest some players.

There are not only positive news for the Catalans. This season, the port of Valdez has remained inviolate only one chance out of 7 games played (Valencia) and Barça had to replace the score three times. Tito Vilanova about Messi: "Leo is the best player in the world, if not the history, it will eventually be," he says, and "it is important that it be put in a position to end his career here. We will not see a player like him. "The important thing is to keep him, how it is for other people.

Champions League debut: Blaugrana win 3-2 over Spartak

Barcelona won the first match of the Champions League group but has difficulty to defeat Spartak. After 12 minutes Piqué is injured (out two-three weeks); Song (ex Arsenal) replaces Piquè. Spartak scored an own goal by Dani Alves and then goes ahead with Romulo (59').

Injured Puyol, mister Vilanova put Mascherano as central defender with Pique, on the outside there are Dani Alves and Adriano. In midfield there are Fabregas, Busquets and Xavi. Messi in attack returns from the first minute, Vilanova launches into the fray, the young Tello and to support Messi.

Spartak Moscow trying now to press the hosts in the first minutes of the game. Barcelona then immediately take the ball in the game and start the usual interminable typical possession. It is played nearly always in the half Russian, to the advantage of the hosts with an inspired Tello, who scores Dykan with a nice shot in turn.

It looks like the prelude to a goleada of Messi and company, but in the only offensive sortie, guests find a lucky par, with Dani Alves who scores own goal and returns the match in balance. Then the men of Vilanova react and pour in a determined way towards goal, finding in front of a well-organized defense. With every passing minute the occasions come, especially with the placement of midfielders, but the aim is not the best.

The second half began with the usual pattern: great possession of the hosts and control of the game. But to go ahead dramatically are the Russians, who make a perfect counterattack and pierce the Spanish defense with a nice phrasing. The men of Vilanova is thrown forward with his head down and began to grind the game.

To open the defense of Spartak thinks once again the young Tello that packs a perfect assist for Messi's equalizer. The same eight minutes after Messi disguises himself as a pure striker and finalize an excellent cross to head the newly entered Sanchez. From now until the end of the match FC Barcelona holds the ball and control a match that had started too uphill.

When things go wrong, we always think of the usual Messi to solve the problems of Barcelona. The 'Pulce' is well assisted by Tello and Sanchez and scores two goals in eight minutes, showing a sense of impressive goals. With a player like everything becomes easier.