A hat-trick from Pedro and a first-half penalty save by Víctor Valdés helped Barcelona maintain their 100% record in La Liga with a 4-0 mauling of Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
The champions’ coach, Gerardo Martino, rotated his squad again with Dani Alves, Andrés Iniesta and Alexis Sánchez starting on the bench, and his side were quickly on the back foot against their hard-running and aggressive hosts.
Valdés was called into action after only three minutes as he saved a point-blank header from Alberto Perea.
The compact pitch at Vallecas and a turbo-charged start from Rayo had Barça struggling to control an open game, with Lionel Messi and Neymar going close at one end, and Martín Montoya playing a back-pass just wide of his own post at the other.
An Alex Song interception was the starting point for the opener in the 33rd minute, as he set Messi on a jinking run past two defenders, and the Argentinian forward laid the ball off for Pedro to fire low into the corner
Rayo’s determination was undimmed, however, and minutes later Adriano bundled over Roberto Trashorras for a penalty.
Valdés saved a penalty against Ajax in Barcelona’s 4-0 Champions League win on Wednesday and guessed right again as he denied the Rayo captain, Trashorras, from the spot.
Rayo had matched Barça for possession in the first half but were caught out again as another interception saw the midfielder Cesc Fábregas break down the left and cross low for Pedro to finish high into the net in the 47th.
Rayo began to run out of steam and Neymar almost bagged his first league goal for the club when he shot against the post, and shortly afterwards he selflessly squared for Pedro to tap home the third and his fifth of the campaign in the 72nd.
La Liga’s leakiest defence then conceded a fourth seven minutes later after another interception on the edge of their area, and Fábregas calmly curled a shot inside the post.
*http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNE2VRnLXiLcnt9vQ1Qu-MH94ALQ0w&url=http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/21/rayo-vallecano-barcelona-la-liga
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