Eto'o puts Barcelona in mood for another stroll

Barcelona displayed their world-class form and stepped up the pressure on Real Madrid with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Racing Santander that left the Galacticos trailing 10 points behind at the top of the Spanish League.

Barcelona displayed their world-class form and stepped up the pressure on Real Madrid with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Racing Santander that left the Galacticos trailing 10 points behind at the top of the Spanish League.

It was a stroll for Barça, who took the lead after eight minutes when Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o raced on to a pass from midfielder Xavi and slipped the ball through the legs of Racing keeper Dudu.

Despite dominating possession in the first half, Barcelona were unable to press home their advantage. Mexican midfielder Rafael Marquez and Ronaldinho squandered clear opportunities before the Brazilian world player of the year added the second Barcelona goal in the 75th minute. He sidestepped two defenders before drilling a shot from the edge of the penalty area round Dudu and into the bottom right corner.

The third goal came courtesy of a long-range shot from Portuguese midfielder Deco, which lofted over the head of a stranded Dudu after taking a deflection from a Racing defender.

Real Madrid, still smarting from their Spanish Cup elimination by Valladolid, must beat struggling Real Mallorca at home today to maintain even a semblance of a competitive edge to La Liga.