Twenty-year-old Leo Messi led red-hot Barcelona to another victory Tuesday night, scoring once in a 2-0 Champions League victory over FC Stuttgart in Germany. Barcelona controlled the play and could have easily scored more, with Messi the chief tormentor, combining well once again with Thierry Henry to score his second goal of the Champions League and seventh in all competitions so far this season.
Cutting in from the right, his favorite position on the field, Messi slotted the ball into the corner for the onrushing Henry, who took the ball to the byline and cut it back in the direction of the Argentine’s run into the center. Messi’s first time shot deflected off Pavel Pardo and into the Stuttgart net for Barca’s second in the 67th minute.
The only downside to an another good win for the Catalans was the injury sustained by Carles Puyol, who had scored Barca’s first goal in the 53rd minute before limping off the field. The game also marked the return of Brazilian star Ronaldinho, whose powerful downward header deflected into Puyol’s path for the first goal. It was Ronaldinho’s first game after sitting out the last three consecutive matches with a calf injury. Coach Frank Rijkaard expressed his delight at the team display but stressed that Barca could have won by more. “We created loads of chances but we didn’t finish them off. We need to do that in the future,” he said.