Pedro, Iniesta, Thiago (2), Xavi, Tello (2) and Cuenca (2), racked up nine goals – five before the break- as Barça charged into the last 16 of the Spanish Cup in the last game of 2011 at the Camp Nou tonight

FC Barcelona secured their place in the next round of the Spanish Cup with a tremendous 9-0 rout of Hospitalet, with Pedro opening the scoring on 10 minutes and  Iniesta, Thiago (2), Xavi, Tello (2) and Cuenca getting the rest. The victory, added to the 0-1 win at Hospitalet was only overshadowed by an injury to Iniesta, who will now be out for the next 15 days.

Guardiola’s team go into the next round, alongside Valencia, Mallorca, Espanyol, Seville, Madrid, Malaga, Llevant, Osasuna, Real Sociedad, Racing, Athletic Club, Albacete, Alcorcón, Mirandés and Cordoba.

Stunning start

Guardiola fielded 10 home grown players, only Pinto had not come up through the academy system, and the team showed how serious they were about the game from the off, going 3-0 up within the first 22 minutes: the first was a Pedro penalty, the next an Iniesta effort after Xavi had brilliantly put Cesc through and the third a lovely goal from Thiago after he won back a ball in midfield and shimmied through the visitors” defence.

Five in the first half

By half time it was five, but also by then Iniesta had had to call for a substitution after he’d knocked into the Hospitalet keeper and tests later revealed he’d be out for up to 15 days. He was replaced by Sergi Roberto, who came close to making it four almost immediately, but in the end it was Xavi who did just that, rounding off a lovely reverse pass from Cesc. And that was that for the Catalan midfielder who soon after his goal was replaced by Tello, who then went on to make it five, charging through from the midfield just a couple of minutes after coming on.

Cuenca claims the sixth

The 56.480 fans who had turned up at the Camp Nou were no doubt wondering just how many goals their team were going to end up putting past Hospitalet and soon after the break, Cuenca made it a half dozen, finishing off some great work from Tello out on the left. Curiously enough the Barça attack was made up of three conventional wingers now -Tello, Pedro and Cuenca.

Thiago, Tello and Cuenca make it nine

However, the team weren’t prepared to settle for six! Thiago was brought down by Viale and again handed penalty taking duties to Pedro , whilst Tello scored his second soon after to make it 8-0. Could Barça now beat their 8-0 win over Osasuna? Well yes, of course -  Cuenca got his second latching on to yet another great ball form Cesc and the players wrapped up a great night and an even greater 2011 with a stunning nine goal haul – here’s to a Happy New Year!

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The midfielder tore the biceps femoris in his left leg and will be sidelined for 15 daysAndrés Iniesta will out of action for 15 days after sustaining a muscle injury during the game against Hospitalet. Barça’s number 8 has a slight tear in the middle third of the biceps femoris in his left thigh according to FC Barcelona’s Medical Services.
The midfielder was injured after a collision with the keeper Craviotto on the 27th minute of the match. Guardiolawas forced to bring in Sergi Roberto to replace Iniesta. Iniesta will be absent for the last-16 away game of theKing’s Cup and the Liga match, scheduled for January 7th or 8th, against Espanyol.

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RESULT:

FC Barcelona: 9

CE L’Hospitalet: 0

GOALSCORERS:

FC Barcelona: Pedro (12′, pen.), Iniesta (19′), Thiago (23′), Xavi (36′), Tello (43′), Cuenca (49′), Thiago (55′), Tello (64′), Cuenca (81′)

CE L’Hospitalet: (none)

LINEUPS:

FC Barcelona: Pinto, Puyol, Piqué, Fontàs, Busquets, Xavi, Thiago, Iniesta, Fábregas, Pedro, and Cuenca

CE L’Hospitalet: Craviotto, Hammouch, L. Viale, Castano, Moussa, Pitu, Rubén García, Corominas, Ángel Sánchez, Aday, and Prats

SUBSTITUTES:

FC Barcelona: Valdés, Muniesa, Dos Santos, Sergi Roberto, and Tello

CE L’Hospitalet: Manel, Moragón, Pedraza, J. Viale, and Haro

SUBSTITUTIONS:

FC Barcelona: Sergi Roberto on for Iniesta (31′), Tello on for Xavi (39′), Dos Santos on for Busquets (57′)

CE L’Hospitalet: Pedraza on for Prats (46′), Haro on for Moussa (54′), Manel on for Pitu (65′)

CAUTIONS:

FC Barcelona: Puyol (66′)

CE L’Hospitalet: L. Viale (54′)

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ANAJAS, Brazil –  A baby boy with two perfectly formed heads was born in Brazil this week, the country’s media reported.

The 10.1-pound baby was delivered by emergency C-section early Monday in Anajas, in the northeastern Para State.

“And for us, it was a great surprise to find out that the child was in really good health.”

- Claudionor Assis de Vasconcelos, director of Hospital Municipal de Anajas

The baby’s 23-year-old Brazilian mother was admitted to the Hospital Municipal de Anajas in severe pain, Diario do Para reported.

She did not have any ultrasound exams during her pregnancy and was made aware of the baby’s condition only a few moments before the birth.

The infant shares one heart and one set of vital organs, but both heads have started nursing normally, doctors told the media.

Joseph Brazil, the obstetrician responsible for the delivery, said the child has “an amazing appetite.”

“Despite all the problems we have as a small interior hospital we managed to save both mother and baby, which was our aim,” the hospital’s director, Claudionor Assis de Vasconcelos, told reporters.

“And for us, it was a great surprise to find out that the child was in really good health,” she added.

The baby’s mother, who has other children, has bonded well with her newborn and wanted to take the child home straightaway, she added.

However, the mother and baby were taken Wednesday by air ambulance to the city of Belem so doctors could carry out further tests.

Neila Dahas, obstetrician and gynecologist at the Santa Casa de Misericordia Hospital, said the baby was born with two heads as a result of “a delay in the division of the egg.”

“I want her [the mother] to understand that she does not have a monstrous son, a son with two heads, but she has two sons.”

The mother named them Emanoel and Jesus.

Dahas said that it “would be absolutely impossible” to separate the two heads as their body shares a liver, heart, lungs and pelvis.

This is the second case of a two-headed baby being born in northeastern Brazil this year.

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Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fabregas, and Andreu Fontàs, visited David Villa in hospital and brought him a very special gift: The World Club Championship Trophy, won in Japan

On Wednesday morning there was yet another example of the camaraderie amongst Barça’s first team players. Captain Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fabregas, and Andreu Fontàs went to the hospital to visit David Villa, and didn’t do so with their hands empty. The players took with them the trophy they came home with, as winners of the recent World Club Championship, held in Japan. It was just one more detail to help Villa, who was injured in the semifinal match against Al-Sadd, feel part of the triumph. Thus, Villa had got to hold the only trophy that was left for him to win.

We should recall that in the last couple of days a lot of David Villa’s teammates, and coaching staff, have been to the hospital to encourage him and wish him a speedy recovery.

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Former Barca player and manager Johan Cruyff reflected on Barça’s brilliant performance in FIFA Club World Cup in Yokohama, Japan, which saw the Catalan club win the championship for the second time. As the guest star on TV3 show Hat Trick Barça, Cruyff highlighted the importance of manager Pep Guardiola in the team once more. According to Cruyff, the secret ingredient that keeps Pep at Barça is the passion and the happiness that surrounds the dressing room. An extract of the interview can be found here.

Talking about the 4-0 win over Santos FC, Cruyff described it as a “historic game“. “I think today was the first time that someone outplayed a Brazilian team that way“, he said. “It takes a lot of courage to play a three-man defense against Real Madrid and then Santos, and it requires to have the right men for the job. It would be difficult to do that without Guardiola.”

About Pep and Barça’s future, Cruyff said that he was convinced that Pep will stay for many years, “as long as there is happiness in the team. You have to enjoy life and your job“. But he added that Pep’s relationship with the players, the good atmosphere among the players, and their willingness to commit and sacrifice for the team will be key ingredients to keep the titles and victories coming.

Asked about differences between the current Barça squad and his “Dream Team”, Cruyff mentioned that this modern Barca is used to pressing higher up the ground: “The team has talent, has pace and they are also willing to defend and add constant pressure on rivals.” He added, ”The squad might be a bit short, but it has fantastic players, great talent, and it  it is important that each player gets game time.”

With regards to Lio Messi, judged the tournament’s best player, Cruyff said that “Messi is the best.  He is also humble, and it’s important that kids can have a role model in him, or in Xavi, or Iniesta“. Regarding the upcoming FIFA Ballon d’Or award, Cruyff said that he would give it “to Messi, because of the show he is able to put on a football field… but as conductor of this orchestra, I would give it to Xavi“.

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The Argentine was the star as the Catalans came from behind to defeat fierce rivals Real Madrid in La Liga and produced a stunning show as the Blaugrana beat Santos on SundayIn the last three-and-a-half seasons under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona have become accustomed to sweeping aside all before them. Sunday’s Club World Cup win over Santos made it 13 titles out of a possible 16; no top team has won so much silverware within such a short space of time and the Catalans are running out of rivals. So, too, is Lionel Messi.

Twice in a week, the astonishing Argentine has vanquished his adversaries to prove – if there had remained any doubt – that he remains the main man. Last Saturday, a Messi masterclass had helped Barca claim Clasico cheer against Real Madrid with a 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu. And in the process, the 24-year-old put a misfiring Cristiano Ronaldo firmly in his place – that of the world’s second-best player. For while Messi shone in the capital, the Portuguese squandered two key opportunities in what was a quite miserable performance.
Ronaldo returned to form on Saturday night with an impressive hat-trick in the 6-2 win at Sevilla to confirm his brilliance, but few will forget he had been unable to produce against the very best team there is – and versus the finest footballer on the planet.
Victory over Madrid had hauled Barca back into the title race as the Catalans closed the gap on their fiercest foes. Guardiola’s men are now just three points adrift at the top of La Liga following Real’s Seville success on Saturday. But come Sunday, the Blaugrana had bigger things on their mind. As did Messi.In fact, as Madrid’s stars walked off the Sanchez Pizjuan surface just before midnight on Saturday, the boys from Barcelona were tucked up in bed as they prepared to face Santos in their bid to secure a second Club World Cup in three editions.

Messi had been the match-winner in their 2009 triumph over Estudiantes, a win which saw Barca become the first team to win all six trophies on offer in the space of little more than a year. The triumph had also been the Catalans’ first world crown and had been enough to reduce Guardiola to tears.

But three years earlier, it was Messi who was in tears as he and his team-mates went down to Brazilian side Internacional in the tournament’s 2006 edition. Back in Japan and against Brazilian opposition once more, the Argentine was determined to avoid a repeat of that experience. And there was an intriguing sub-plot in the game against Santos: Neymar.

I don’t know if Barcelona are unbeatable, but they are the best team in the world. Today, we learned what it is to play football. We lost, but maybe in a year we can return and be champions - Neymar on Sunday

Santos’ sensation may only be 19, but the young forward has already captured the attention of both Barca and Madrid, with a move to Europe seemingly only a matter of time. Comparisons with Messi have been made, with the player himself claiming he can become even better than his fellow South American star.

But he isn’t yet and that became crystal clear on Sunday as the man who ran the show was not new kid Neymar, but maestro Messi. The 24-year-old gave Barca the lead with a lovely lobbed finish and tormented the South American champions with some of his trademark traverses through the Brazilian backline. Causing constant concerns to the men in white, for the second time in a week, Messi made Santos look ordinary as he rounded off the scoring with the fine fourth goal in a comprehensive victory. And this time it wasn’t Messi, or Guardiola, but Neymar who was left in tears.

The Brazilian had been forced to feed off scraps, unable to lift his side as a player of his calibre would be expected to do. And one fluffed one-on-one opportunity aside, there really was very little from the youngster to suggest he is on a par with Messi. Quite simply, he is not – at least not yet.

Messi has his personality and I have mine. He has his game and I have mine. I also play in a big club like him. We are different in every aspect. But right now, he is the best - Cristiano Ronaldo in September

Other than Messi (who set a new record by becoming the first player to both score and assist in all six major competitions in one calendar year) the finest footballer on the park had been one of his team-mates – Xavi. The midfield master had controlled the ball exquisitely and subsequently set up the Argentine for Barca’s first goal, and added a splendid second as the Catalans confirmed their class.

Xavi won the Silver Ball for the competition’s second-best player. And deservedly so. But there had been no doubt about the finest footballer on show. That, of course, was Messi. It was another peerless performance from this brilliant Barcelona as the Catalans continue to conquer all before them. And against the team made famous by ‘O Rei’ Pele in the 1960s, the Argentine showed that these days, there is only one true king.

So for now, and probably for some time to come, Ronaldo and Neymar remain mere pretenders to Messi’s throne.

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Today, FC Barcelona striker David Villa (30), who suffered a fractured shinbone, underwent surgery in Barcelona. A surgical team led by doctor Ramon Cugat and doctor Ricard Pruna performed an osteosynthesis procedure and introduced an intramedullary rod (IM nail) in the player’s left leg. Right after the operation, they met with the media at a press conference in the Ricard Maxenchs press room at the Camp Nou to explain the procedure. They informed that “the player will remain at hospital for three to four days and he’s expected to make a full recovery within four to five months.” Continue after the jump to read more comments from the doctors, watch the video from the press conference, and also don’t miss the special video recorded by David Villa himself after his surgery.

Asked if David Villa would be fit before a hypothetical Champions League final in May, Dr. Cugat said, “Villa’s options of playing this season are small but we can’t dismiss the possibility.” He underlined that the chance of seeing Villa on the pitch this season is determined by many factors, explaining that “there is a possibility of him coming back seeing that eagerness and state of mind are very important factors.” The doctor also added that the Asturian striker is “upbeat and he hopes to be ready for the Champions League final and the Euro Championship. He will set the deadlines.”

Doctor Pruna, who has been with the player since he broke his shinbone in the Club World Cup semifinal in Japan, said, “he was upbeat in Yokohama. He had the spirit to heal immediately and that’s good.” He also noted that Villa was smiling once the operation had concluded. “His emotional state is perfect.”

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EO: How to dribble and create space like Xavi, Iniesta and Messi


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Finalmente fueron dos los jugadores del Barça elegidos como finalistas del trofeo que distingue al mejor futbolista del año. Leo Messi, ganador de las dos últimas ediciones, aparece como el máximo favorito para repetir galardón

Dos culés optarán por el Balón de Oro. Si el año pasado fueron Messi, Xavi e Iniesta los finalistas, en esta ocasión ha entrado Cristiano Ronaldo por el de Fuentealbilla. Los 40 goles que le llevaron a conquistar la ‘Bota de Oro’ le han hecho ser finalista junto a Messi, un habitual, que aspira a ganar su tercer galardón consecutivo y Xavi, cuya calidad ha sido tenida en cuenta por seleccionadores, capitanes de selección y periodistas.

La elección de los tres nominados tuvo lugar en un acto que se retransmitió en streaming a través de la web de la FIFA y que contó con la presencia de Jérôme Valcke, Secretario General de la FIFA, François Morinière, Director General de L¿Équipe – France Football, Emmanuel Petit, ex jugador del Barça campeón del mundo en 1998 y campeón de Europa en 2000, y Gaëtane Thiney, miembro de la selección femenina de Francia.

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The world football governing body has announced the final three candidates for the prestigious individual award, while the Coach of the Year nominees were also revealed

Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke and France Football director Francois Moriniere have announced the final three candidates for the 2011 Fifa Ballon d’Or.

Title holder and Barcelona star Lionel Messi is one of the remaining three players still in the race to win the trophy. The Argentina international previously won the prestigious individual award in 2009 and 2010, and can become the first player since Michel Platini to win the accolade three times in a row.

Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2008, is also still in the race to win the trophy for a second time in his career.

The third remaining candidate is Spain international and Barcelona midfielder Xavi, who finished third in both 2009 and 2010.

Messi is also one of the three nominees to win the Puskas Award for Goal of the Year for his strike in the Champions League against Arsenal, while Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney (winning goal against Manchester City) and Santos forward Neymar (goal against Flamengo) have also been nominated.

The three candidates for the title of Coach of the Year were also announced at the gathering at France Football’s headquarters, with Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola, Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson and Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho making the final three.

In the women’s section, reigning Ballon d’Or winner and Brazil star Marta, Japan’s Homare Sawa and USA veteran Abby Wambach are in contention for the title of Female Player of the Year, while Bruno Bini (France), Norio Sasaki (Japan) and Pia Sundhage (USA) are the candidates for the Coach of the Year title.

FIFA BALLON D’OR

Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona
Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid
Xavi	Spain	Barcelona

FIFA WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Marta	Brazil	Western NY Flash
Homare Sawa	Japan	INAC Leonessa
Abby Wambach	USA	magicJack

FIFA MEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR

Alex Ferguson	Manchester United
Pep Guardiola	Barcelona
Jose Mourinho	Real Madrid

FIFA WOMEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR

Bruno Bini	France
Norio Sasaki	Japan
Pia Sundhage	United States

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Chosen as FIFA Club World Cup’s best player which earned him the Adidas golden ball, Lionel Messi downplayed his contributions and said he was just happy for the team.

“I am very happy [for] we had played a great match. I was lucky to become once again [the best player]. It’s nice but it is to win us the title. Perhaps you cannot get a feel of what all this means to us.”

While the result seems special, he didn’t see it as a one off.

“It’s not the first time we played that well, but being a final against Santos perhaps it stands out more. The reality is this team is used to doing this.”

For him, the key to the successes of this team lies in “the dressing room atmosphere. The strong desire we have in wanting to achieve more. A coach who keeps on pushing us, and preparing for all the matches as if they were finals…”

“The idea is to always have the ball, regardless of the opponent. But the truth is, playing with these guys just makes it all so easy.”

Finally, asked whether he had spoken with Neymar and what his thoughts were of him, Messi kept it short.

“I did speak a bit with him at the end. Nothing more,” accompanied with a wink at the reporters.

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