MADRID: Lionel Messi missed a slew of chances before squeezing home a late strike to give Barcelona a 1-0 win at third-placed Valencia in La Liga Wednesday and stretch the champion lead over Real Madrid to 10 points. With Barca looking like it might drop points for only the fourth time this season, Messi struck a low shot in the 77th minute at the Mestalla that spun just inside the post off the outstretched arm of Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. It was the World Player of the Year and La Liga top scorer's 27th of the season and lifted Barca to 71 points from 26 matches. It has now won 12 of its 13 away matches, drawing last month at Sporting Gijon in its only slip-up on the road. Villarreal breathed life into its bid for a place in next season's Champions League when Giuseppe Rossi struck to give it a 1-0 home win over promoted Hercules earlier Wednesday. The Italy forward sped on to Cani's through ball in the 21st minute at the Madrigal and finished past Juan Calatayud to lift Villarreal to 50 points from 26 matches, one behind Valencia. Europa League champion Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao stumbled in their campaigns for a European berth. Atletico was held to a 1-1 draw at city rival Getafe and Bilbao squandered the lead to lose 2-1 at Real Zaragoza. Atletico is eighth on 35 points, three behind Bilbao and Sevilla, which beat visiting Sporting Gijon 3-0 Tuesday. In other matches Wednesday, Osasuna drew 0-0 with visiting Deportivo Coruna and Real Sociedad and Levante drew 1-1 in San Sebastian. Arsenal, City in FA quarters Arsenal bounced back from its shock defeat by Birmingham City in the League Cup final when Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner scored a hat trick in a 5-0 demolition of Leyton Orient in the FA Cup Wednesday. The victory set up a quarterfinal visit to Manchester United. Manchester City also reached the last eight with an emphatic 3-0 win over a much-changed Aston Villa team and it faces Championship side Reading, which beat Premier League Everton Tuesday, in the last eight. The other quarterfinals are Stoke City against West Ham United and Birmingham against Bolton Wanderers. Schalke stuns Bayern Schalke 04 stunned holder Bayern Munich 1-0 with a goal from Spaniard Raul to reach the German Cup final Wednesday. Schalke will face second-division Duisburg in Berlin in May after reaching the final for the first time since 2005.
