Lionel
Messi scored his first two goals after a two-month injury layoff, and
Luis Suarez netted a brace in a 6-1 rout of Roma on Tuesday as host
Barcelona advanced to the Champions League knockout rounds for a 12th
consecutive season.
Suarez got Barcelona rolling at Camp Nou in the 15th minute. Three
minutes later Messi scored his first goal in his second appearance
since returning from a left-knee injury.
With Roma in disarray, Messi netted the hosts' fifth after Suarez
and Gerard Pique scored. Adriano capped the demolition before Edin Dzeko
got Roma's consolation.
Messi showed no rust from his time on the sideline recovering from
a ligament he tore on Sept. 26. On Saturday, he played a little more
than half an hour as a second-half substitute in Barcelona's memorable
4-0 win at Real Madrid, looking threatening as ever despite not scoring.
Frighteningly enough for opponents, Barcelona's all-time leading scorer
said despite his strong return, he has yet to recover his peak form.
"It's tough to get back up to full speed," said Messi.
Elsewhere in Champions League, Bayern routed
second-placed Olympiakos 4-0, despite playing almost 40 minutes with 10
men, to ensure it will finish top of Group F, while Chelsea won by the
same scorline at 10-man Maccabi Tel Aviv in Group G.
Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 to keep alive its chances of
progressing. Arsenal needs to beat Olympiakos in its final group match.
Zenit St. Petersburg secured top spot in Group H with a 2-0 win over
Valencia.
The Red Bulls' Jesse Marsch has been voted Major
League Soccer's Coach of the Year, the first to earn the honor in the
two-decade history of the New York team. The Red Bulls went a
league-best 18-10-6 in Marsch's first season after replacing Mike Petke.
The Chicago Fire have hired Serbian Veljko Paunovic as coach to replace the fired Frank Yallop.
The Jacksonville Armada have hired former national
team goalkeeper Tony Meola as coach and technical director of the North
American Soccer League club.
Baseball
Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes is pleading not guilty to
allegations of abusing his wife at a Hawaii resort. Maui police arrested
Reyes after an argument Oct. 31 with his wife that allegedly turned
physical at the Four Seasons Resort. Reyes didn't attend his arraignment
Tuesday on Maui. According to court records, defense attorney David
Sereno entered the not guilty plea on Reyes' behalf to a charge of abuse
of a family or household member.
Bud Black has rejoined the Los Angeles Angels as a
special assistant to the general manager. Former A's infielder Mike
Gallego, who spent the past seven seasons as Oakland's third base coach,
was named the Angels director of baseball development.
The Miami Marlins have fired Tommy Hutton, their TV
analyst for 19 years. The team said it decided to go in a different
direction and didn't elaborate on its decision.
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