SPORTS 100505

Football first and in the La Liga in Spain – Lionel Messi struck twice as Barcelona overcame some nervy moments to beat Tenerife 4-1.


The win has now put pressure back on fierce rivals Real Madrid at the top of the League.

In other ties - Valencia guaranteed themselves a top-four finish after bouncing back from a goal down to defeat bottom club Xerez 3-1; struggling Almeria shocked Villarreal 4-2 at home; and Getafe and Sporting Gijon could only manage a 1-all draw.
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Back home in the S-League – Etoile FC missed its chance to go clear at the top when they were held to a goalless draw at home against Beijing Guoan.

The nil-nil scoreline meant the French-outfit remain on level points with leaders Tampines Rovers and have now drawn 6-games this season; more than any other team in the league.

A quick check on tonight’s action – and with Etoile FC dropping points, Tampines will hope to extend their lead at the top of the table when they play against Balestier Khalsa.

A Rovers win will place them 3-points clear of Etoile and with a game in hand.

That match will kick-off at 7:30pm at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
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Finally in Basketball and in the NBA Playoffs – in the Western Conference semis – Los Angeles Lakers scored their second win over the Utah Jazz.


The Lakers drowned the Jazz 111 to 103 with Kobe Bryant leading the way with 30-points to take a 2-nil lead in their series.

Game 3 will take place at the Jazz’s home court in Salt Lake City on May 8th.

Over in the Eastern Conference semis – Game 1 between Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic saw Orlando storm the Hawks 114 to 71.

Dwight Howard was tops for the Magic scoring 21 and with 12 rebounds.
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