Barcelona: Barcelona warmed up for their clash with Real Madrid on Saturday in fine fashion as goals from Neymar, Lionel Messi and Sandro Ramirez handed them a 3-1 Champions League win over Ajax on Tuesday.
Neymar grabbed the opener in the Group F clash at the Camp Nou after just seven minutes when he collected Messi’s pass to curl the ball into the far corner before Messi put Barca firmly in command when he slotted home 14 minutes later.
Barca coach Luis Enrique then withdrew Neymar, Messi and Andres Iniesta in the second half to keep them fresh for the weekend.
Ajax briefly threatened a comeback when Anwar El Ghazi halved the deficit two minutes from time, but Sandro drove home a third in stoppage time to secure a deserved victory for the Catalans.
“We didn’t kill the game in the first half when we were well on top and then after a scramble they get back into the game,” said Luis Enrique. “But I am happy with what I saw on the field. We are going to the Bernabeu at a perfect time. We are leaders in the league and are desperate to measure ourselves against our rivals.”
