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Mar 29, 2014

Lionel Messi's penalty kick allowed Barca to secure three vital points in their march towards defending the La Liga title.

Lionel Messi broke his goal scoring duck at the Estadio Cornello with a brilliantly taken penalty to take Barca's march towards title forward. The award of penalty is going to be the point of discussion this week, especially whether it was a deliberate handball or not. Regardless of that, it is clear that the three points Barcelona picked at their local rivals' home could prove crucial at the end of the season. But there were some uncomfortable questions for Martino to answer, following this tricky win. He may have to clear out whether the decision to continue with Neymar is his or forced upon him. With Valdes out for the season, Pinto started at goal as expected. Alves, Pique, Mascherano and Alba started in defense. I was personally disappointed not to see Bartra in there, but it was understandable as Martino identified this as a tough match. Xavi, Busquets and Cesc formed the midfield. Pedro, Messi and Neymar formed the attacking trio.

Neymar made instant impact in his debut Catalan derby by providing this nice assist.

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