By DPA
Madrid : Barcelona moved up to within just one point of Spanish leaders Real Madrid, with a 3-0 thrashing of pathetic Valencia.
The win Saturday was Barcelona’s first away win in three months and it leaves them with 34 points from 16 games, just one point behind Real, who on Sunday are at home to in-form Osasuna.
Valencia, in their worst form for ten years, stay in seventh place, ten points off the pace. Barca strolled to an easy win despite the absence of Ronaldinho, kept on the bench all match by coach Frank Rijkaard, presumably because of a training-ground spat between the two Thursday.
Valencia – plagued by injuries and short on confidence – were on the back foot from the first minute, enjoying only 35 per cent possession, to the disgust of their fans.
Predictably, Barca went ahead in the 12th minute. Lionel Messi fed Samuel Eto’o, who skipped past three slow defenders and scored with a fierce left-foot drive.
In the 25th minute Eto’o made it 2-0 with a right-foot near-post shot, culminating a long passing move reminiscent of Barca at their brilliant best two years ago.
The visitors eased up after just half an hour, so sure were they of an easy win.
The first half ended with pulled muscles for Valencia veteran Fernando Morientes and for Messi, who will miss next week’s Barca-Real Madrid showdown.
The one-way traffic continued in the second half, with Valencia pitifully unable to hold onto the ball, let alone create chances. In the 61st minute Giovani Dos Santos, on for Messi, set up Eidur Gudjohnsen to make it 3-0 from close range.
By then, many Valencia fans had already gone home, not wanting to sit through a final half hour of misery and frustration.
Earlier in the day, Espanyol had moved up to fourth with a 1-0 home win over bottom team Levante, with an early goal from defender Daniel Jarque.
Levante have just seven points from 16 games, six less than Deportivo Coruna and seven less than third-from-bottom Betis.
Espanyol, in contrast, are now fourth with 30 points, two more than fifth-placed Villarreal.