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    Wednesday, August 3, 2016

    Barcelona keep rolling in pre-season

    Luis Suarez celebrates with Messi after scoring a goal against Leicester.




    arcelona made it two wins in two matches in the 2016 International Champions Cup with a 4-2 victory over Premier League champions Leicester City on Wednesday evening at the Friends Arena in Stockholm.
    Munir bagged a first half brace, while Luis Suarez and youngster Rafa Mujicaadded goals for Luis Enrique's men who appear to be rounding into form as pre-season continues.
    Lionel Messi and Suárez were the two notable starters for Barcelona, but it was Leicester's Demarai Gray who had the first look at goal inside the first 10 minutes but fired over the crossbar.
    Barcelona took control and soon enough Messi's wizardry would get the better of the English champions, as the Argentine played in a surgical ball to Munir, who finished to hand Barcelona a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.
    Suárez looked like he was in mid-season form when he doubled the margin for Barcelona in the 34th minute. Messi lofted a ball into the Uruguayan striker, who then wiggled away from two defenders before stabbing a shot in past Leicester goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler to make it 2-0.
    Suárez then got to play the role of provider on the brink of half-time with an inch-perfect pass from the left that found the streaking Munir, who used the outside of his left foot to beat Zieler and give Barcelona a 3-0 lead.
    It was a different story in the second half as Leicester came alive and made a game of it. New arrival Ahmed Musa got the Foxes going in the 48th minute with a breathtaking solo run, as the former CSKA Moscow man collected the ball in his own half and out-raced three Barcelona defenders before coolly slotting a shot past Barcelona goalkeeper Jordi Masip.
    The Nigerian continued to impress the 42,000-plus in attendance, and made it 3-2 in the 67th minute when he out-muscled and dispossessed Barcelona defender Juan Cámara before firing in a rocket past Masip.
    A slew of Barcelona youngsters saw action in the final quarter hour of action and it was Mújica who made the most of his time, as the Spain Under-17 international took advantage of a loose ball in the area and swept in a left-footer in the 84th minute to make it a 4-2 final.
    Barcelona will cap off their ICC duties with a friendly against Liverpool on Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London.

    Match facts

    4 - Barcelona: Masip (Jose Suarez, min. 76), Aleix Vidal (Sergio Busquets, min. 46), Marlon (Mascherano, m.46), Mathieu (Martinez, min.76), Camara (Mujica, min.76); Sergi Roberto, Arda Turan (Samper, min.62), Denis Suarez (Nili, min.76), Leo Messi (Aleña, min. 62), Luis Suarez (Alfaro, min.76) y Munir (Carbonell, min.76).
    2 - Leicester: Zieler; Simpson (Amartey, min.63), Huth (Luis Hernández, min.46), Morgan (Marcin Wasilewski, min.46), Chilwell (Christian Fuchs, min.46); Albrighton (Kaputska, min.63), Drinkwater, King (Nampalys Mendy, min.46), Gray (Ahmed Musa, min. 46); Mahrez y Vardy (Shinji Okazaki, min.46).
    Goals1-0, min. 26: Munir. 2-0, min. 34: Luis Suárez. 3-0, m.45: Munir. 3-1, min.47: Ahmed Musa. 3-2, min.66: Ahmed Musa. 4-2, min.83: Mujica.
    Referee: Martin Strombergsson (SUE).
    Friends Stadium (Stockholm). 42.879 fans.
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