Barcelona fireworks light up HK

Goals from Henry, Eto'o, Xavi and Dos Santos give SAR supporters plenty to cheer about

Even the downpours could not take the heat out of the action as Barcelona thumped a Kitchee-Happy Valley XI 4-0 in the Mission Hills Cup, to end their three-game Asian Tour on a high and unbeaten note yesterday.

The crowd that filled more than half of Hong Kong Stadium got more than their money's worth. The chance to watch the world's best strike-force of Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o on the field at the same time is the stuff you can tell your grandchildren on a rainy day like yesterday.

And the stars put on a show to remember in the first half as they ran rings around the Kitchee-Happy Valley combination resulting in goals to Henry, Eto'o and Xavi. Boy wonder Giovanni Dos Santos who came on as a substitute in the second half, added a fourth as Barca dazzled in the gloomy conditions.

'The difference in the sides was obvious,' remarked Barcelona manager Frank. 'If the circumstances had been different we would have pressed more upfront.'

'It was too easy for them. They are a world-class side,' conceded Kitchee midfielder Ivan Jevic. For a man who had just played in a side which had been battered, Jevic was all smiles - and it was not because he was clutching the shirts of Henry and Eto'o, but simply because he had had the privilege to play against such greats.

Jevic had his memories, as did the rest of the 23,791 fans who had paid HK$14,879,500 to walk through the turnstiles to see a Barca starting line-up that included eight players who had featured in the World Cup last year - Frenchmen Henry, Lilian Thuram and Eric Abidal, Italian Gianluca Zambrotta, Yaya Toure from Ivory Coast, Spaniards Andres Iniesta and Xavi, and Brazilian Ronaldinho.