February 2020 – Page 4 – Football Flame

3Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Ansu Fati hits quick-fire double as Barcelona defeat Levante

Ansu Fati of FC Barcelona (L) celebrates his goal with Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona (R) during the Liga match between FC Barcelona and Levante UD at Camp Nou on February 2, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain.Ansu Fati became the youngest player ever to score a brace in La Liga on Sunday by capitalising on two brilliant Lionel Messi assists to give Barcelona a 2-1 victory over Levante. Fati, at 17 years and 94 days old, broke the previous record held by Juanmi Jimenez, who scored twice for Malaga against Real Zaragoza at 17 years and 115 days old in 2010. Messi teed up Fati's quick-fire double with a defence-splitting pass and then a trademark weaving run before Ruben Rochina scored Levante's goal in the 92nd minute, which really should have come sooner.Barca reduce the gap at the top to th...

2Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

SERIE A

Cristiano Ronaldo Completes 50 goals for Juventus with brace against Fiorentina

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus celebrates after scoring his second penalty during the Serie A match between Juventus and ACF Fiorentina at Allianz Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Turin, Italy. Cristiano Ronaldo scored yet another brace for Juventus on Sunday to take his tally for the club to 50 goals.The Portuguese international only joined the Italian outfit in 2018 but has netted his half-century in just 70 games.Both of his latest goals came from the penalty spot as Juventus beat Fiorentina 3-0 to cement its place at the summit of Serie A.The dependable 34-year-old squeezed his first spot kick underneath Bartlomiej Drągowski before he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way for his second successful conversion.Dutch sensation Matthijs de Ligt scored the game's only other goal with a late ...

2Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

TRANSFERS

Chelsea Reportedly Keen on Signing Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly

Kalidou Koulibaly during the UEFA Champions League group E match between SSC Napoli and KRC Genk at Stadio San Paolo on December 10, 2019 in Naples, Italy.Despite the January transfer window closing last Friday, the rumours and speculations will naturally continue.Chelsea fans were left disappointed with their clubs transfer business during January, having failed to bring in a single player and leaving manager Frank Lampard visibly frustrated.Some of the more optimistic supporters believe that any of The Blues main business has been saved for the summer, with the winter window being notoriously more difficult to bring players in.Investment and somewhat of a squad overhaul is badly needed at Stamford Bridge, and Lampard needs to be backed with his targets.One player who he might be looking ...

2Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool move 22 points clear, Leicester and Chelsea draw,United held

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool scores his team's third goal past Alex McCarthy of Southampton during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Southampton FC at Anfield on February 01, 2020 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.Liverpool quickened their march towards a first English title for 30 years as they stretched their lead at the Premier League summit to a staggering 22 points with a 4-0 win over Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.With nearest pursuers Manchester City playing at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Liverpool increased the gap at the top with a Mohamed Salah double leading a second-half blitz that secured a record-equalling 20th straight home league win.In the Premier League era, only City between March 2011 and 2012 had previously enjoyed such a winning streak at home, with unbe...

2Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

SERIE A

Stunning Sassuolo stump Roma

Edin Dzeko (L) of Roma and Pedro Obiang of Sassuolo compete for the ball during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and AS Roma at Mapei Stadium - Citta del Tricolore on February 01, 2020 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy.Sassuolo scored three goals in the first half hour as they upset fourth-placed Roma 4-2 in Serie A on Saturday, their first-ever win vs. the Giallorossi.Mid-table Sassuolo had drawn five and lost eight of their previous 13 meetings with Roma but never looked back after striker Francesco Caputo stunned the visitors with two goals in the first 16 minutes.Caputo broke clear to sweep the ball past Pau Lopez in the seventh minute, then finished off a slick passing move by turning in Jeremy Toljan's pass just nine minutes later. It got worse for Roma as Filip Djuricic latched...

2Feb

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LALIGA

Zidane in control as Real Madrid win derby against Atletico Madrid

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid celebrates goal 1-0 during the La Liga Santander match between Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 1, 2020 in Madrid Spain.Zinedine Zidane’s double substitution at half-time transformed the Madrid derby on Saturday as Real Madrid edged past Atletico 1-0 to move six points clear at the top of La Liga.Karim Benzema scored the winner at the Santiago Bernabeu after Zidane’s decisive intervention turned a contest that Atletico had dominated into another comfortable Real Madrid victory.Vinicius Junior, one of the substitutes, was a key to the goal.Second-place Barcelona can cut the gap back to three points by beating Levante at home on Sunday but Atletico now trail the leaders by 13 points.While Diego Simeone’s side were excellent in th...

1Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Erling Haaland moves to seven goals in three Borussia Dortmund games on full debut

Erling Haaland of Dortmund against L-R Yunus Malli, Christopher Lenz and Kevin Schlotterbeck of Berlin during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and 1. FC Union Berlin at Signal Iduna Park on February 1, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany.Borussia Dortmund enjoyed another dominant afternoon, demolishing Union Berlin 5-0 with two goals from teenage sensation Erling Haaland.Jadon Sancho opened the scoring in the 13th minute before Haaland added another five minutes later.Dortmund scored twice more after the break with Marco Reus and Axel Witsel before Haaland drilled in his seventh goal in his three games for the Ruhr valley club so far.

1Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Schalke held to draw in Berlin

Dedryck Boyata of Hertha BSC Berlin and Michael Gregoritsch of FC Schalke 04 battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and FC Schalke 04 at Olympiastadion on January 31, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.Schalke's bid to qualify for the Champions League was dented after drawing with big-spending Hertha Berlin 0-0 on Friday.Both teams struggled to create any quality chances in a drab contest.Michael Gregoritsch went closest with a wide header for Schalke in the 87th minute. Hertha left back Maximilian Mittelstadt just missed the target with the last kick of the game.Schalke had been looking for a win to bounce back from a 5-0 loss to Bayern Munich last week but stayed sixth in the Bundesliga table. If Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach both win on Saturday, t...