Barca lose Puyol in Benfica win

 Barca lose Puyol in Benfica win

MADRID, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona paid a heavy price for their comfortable 2-0 away win over Benfica in Champions League as they lost captain Carles Puyol with a serious arm injury.

Puyol fell badly in the second half to damage his arm, when his side was already 2-0 ahead thanks to goals from Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabrigas.

It was tremendous bad luck for a player who has suffered two bad knee injuries in recent months and whose return to action after a rapid recovery from a knee ligament injury was the big surprise in the starting 11 presented by Barca coach Villanova.

There was no place for Andres Iniesta in the starting lineup, however, as Vilanova decided¹ to retain Xavi Hernandez in his side, despite the proximity² of his side's huge match at home to Real Madrid next Sunday.

The game was barely five minutes old before Barca took the lead. Leo Messi beat his man on the left and his driven cross was prodded³ home by Alexis Sanchez from close range. Alexis has been criticized for his poor early season form and the goal will have given him a confidence boost.

Barca were controlling the ball and just before the half hour Alexis had another chance, although a combination of rapid defense⁴ and the good work of Benfica goalkeeper Artur Moraes stopped him getting a shot on goal.

The half ended with Pedro Rodruguez crossing for Messi, who was unable to hit the target with his shot.

In the second period, Barcelona again continued to move the ball around with ease, but they were suffering from set pieces in their penalty area.

Nevertheless, Cesc Fabriagas doubled the lead less than 10 minutes into the second half with a left foot shot from inside the Benfica penalty area.

Messi almost doubled Barca's lead with a powerful header, which was well saved by Artur, before Barca suffered a massive setback⁵ when Puyol fell badly in challenging for a ball. TV replays showed how his arm was bent⁶ behind him and the defender⁷ was carried from the field in agony as the Benfica fans stood up to applaud in respect.

Puyol's injury is a huge blow for Barca ahead of the Classico against Real Madrid this weekend, although it may be compensated⁸ by the fact Iniesta also enjoyed minutes as a substitute in the second half.

Barca ended the game with 10 men after Sergio Busquets was shown a direct red card, although the reason for his sending off was by no means clear.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

3 prodded   

v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up. 她用手指杵他的肋部把他叫醒。
• He prodded at the plate of fish with his fork. 他拿叉子戳弄着那盘鱼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

6 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

7 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

8 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。