BARCELONA — Playing without the injured Lionel Messi, Barcelona needed Adriano's long strike Sunday to beat Malaga 1-0 and maintain a perfect record through two rounds of the Spanish league. Barcelona kept Bernd Schuster's team pushed back in its area early on at La Rosaleda Stadium but failed to finish its scoring chances until Adriano broke through in the 44th minute. Gerard Pique used his back to deflect the ball off the crossbar for Barcelona in the 58th before Malaga finally dared to look for an equalizer it nearly found through 17-year-old Fabrice Olinga's shot from close to the penalty spot that hit the post in the 68th. “We went from better to worse,” said Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino. “Our first half was good, with precise, dynamic ball movement and good play on the wings, but we lacked effectiveness and scoring chances. We needed to be more consistent (in the second half). We have to finish games off and not leave the rival the possibility to come back.” Neymar went on as a substitute for the third straight game for Barcelona in the second half and shone with his dribbling, pace and a pair of shots that almost doubled the final margin. Martino said that after his performance, Neymar looks prepared to get his first start. Messi bruised a muscle in his left thigh during Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. Cesc Fabregas was tasked to lead Barcelona's attack in place of Messi, and it took him 15 minutes to start causing havoc in Malaga's defense. The former Arsenal midfielder's best piece of playmaking came in the 19th when he threaded a through ball to Pedro Rodriguez, only for the forward to lose control while trying to dribble goalkeeper Willy Caballero. Adriano was substituted by Dani Alves at halftime. The club said it was “for precaution” after the Brazilian defender felt “pain in his right leg.” While Barcelona may still be without its all-time leading scorer for this Wednesday's return leg at Camp Nou, Atletico warmed up by thrashing Rayo Vallecano 5-0 earlier Sunday for its second victory in as many rounds. Also, 10-man Celta Vigo emerged victorious 2-1 from a wild match at Real Betis, while Sevilla drew 0-0 at Levante as both teams remained winless. — Agencies
