Spanish giants Barcelona
wrapped up their Asian tour with another comprehensive victory
Saturday, beating a Malaysian XI 3-1 at the Shah Alam Stadium in Kuala
Lumpur.
With World Player of the Year Lionel Messi on the bench over injury concerns, Brazilian international Neymar
was the star of a tight first half, showcasing his talents to create
one goal and score another. First, the 21-year-old wriggled free on the
left before sending a pinpoint cross for Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas to head home past Malaysia goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat.
The second half was a drab affair with the teams making multiple changes to their lineups, which disrupted the flow. Barcelona, however, managed to add a third after 74 minutes through Gerard Pique, who rammed the ball past substitute goalkeeper Farizal Marlias.
The tour comes three years after Barça's last visit to the football-mad continent, before the start of the La Liga season later this month. Barcelona
vice president Jordi Moix Latas said a survey by the club showed it had
more fans in Asia than Europe and the Americas combined. More than
40,000 tickets were sold for the friendly in Malaysia.
"We realise not all our fans can afford to fly to Spain
to watch us, and we want to reward them by coming here and spreading
our brand," Latas said. "In fact, our number one Facebook fans are from
Indonesia. As such, we intend to travel to this region for more
pre-season matches in the coming years."
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