LALIGA – Page 53 – Football Flame

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Sevilla beat Real Mallorca to move closer to Champions League

Lucas Ocampos of Sevilla celebrates with Munir El Haddadi and Sergio Reguilon after scoring his team's first goal during the La Liga match between Sevilla FC and RCD Mallorca at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on July 12, 2020 in Seville, Spain. Sevilla closed in on Champions League qualification as they won 2-0 against Real Mallorca at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Lucas Ocampos opened the scoring with a 41st-minute penalty that was awarded, via VAR, for a handball by Alejandro Pozo, and Youssef En-Nesyri added a second in the 84th minute. A fourth successive LaLiga win for Julen Lopetegui's fourth-placed men leaves them level on points with third-placed Atletico Madrid and nine clear of Villarreal in fifth, who host Real Sociedad on Monday. Mallorca, meanwhile, have dropped ...
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Antoine Griezmann set to miss rest of La Liga season with injury

Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona warms up prior to the La Liga Santander match between Real Valladolid v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Municipal Jose Zorrilla on July 11, 2020 in Valladolid, Spain. Antoine Griezmann could miss the rest of the Spanish league because of a muscle injury. Barcelona said tests conducted on Sunday showed that Griezmann has a right thigh injury that will keep him sidelined. The club did not say how long the Frenchman is expected to be out, but he is not expected to fully recover for Barcelona's last two league matches. It also remains unclear if he will be fit for the team's Champions League game against Napoli in August. Barcelona is one point behind Spanish league leader Real Madrid, which visits midtable Granada on Monday. Griezmann was substitu...
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Barcelona beat Real Valladolid 1-0 to keep LaLiga title race alive

Arturo Vidal of Barcelona scores his team's first goal during the Liga match between Real Valladolid CF and FC Barcelona at Jose Zorrilla on July 11, 2020 in Valladolid, Spain. Arturo Vidal scored for Barcelona to beat a feisty Valladolid 1-0 on Saturday and keep the pressure on leader Real Madrid as the Spanish league approaches its climax. Barcelona closed to within one point of Madrid, which has a game in hand, as it tries to defend a title it has won for two consecutive years. Vidal scored in the 15th minute after being set up by Lionel Messi, who, like most of his teammates, had a discreet outing at Valladolid’s Jose Zorilla Stadium empty of fans for health precautions for the pandemic. Madrid plays at Granada on Monday. Its final two matches are against a Villarreal fightin...
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Sevilla fight back for 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao

Ever Banega of Sevilla celebrates 1-1 with Munir El Haddadi of Sevilla during the La Liga Santander match between Athletic de Bilbao v Sevilla at the Estadio San Mames on July 9, 2020 in Bilbao Spain. Sevilla beats Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in the Spanish first division on Thursday, moving closer to a Champions League berth. The come-from-behind victory in Bilbao left Sevilla tied on points with third-place Atletico Madrid and increased its gap to fifth-place Villarreal to six points with three rounds to go. Only the top four qualify for next season's Champions League. It was the third league win in a row for Sevilla. It had drawn four straight before that. Ninth-place Athletic, which lost ground in the fight for a Europa League spot, opened the scoring through Ander Capa in the 29th b...
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Barcelona defeats Espanyol 1-0 to keep title hopes alive

Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona scores a goal to Diego Lopez of RCD Espanyol during the Liga match between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona at Camp Nou Stadium on July 8, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona kept its title hopes alive with a 1-0 win in the city derby against Espanyol in the Spanish league on Wednesday, sealing the rival's relegation for the first time in nearly three decades. Luis Suarez scored the winning goal early in the second half to move Barcelona within a point of leader Real Madrid and send Espanyol to the second division after 26 straight seasons in the top flight. Real Madrid can reclaim a four-point lead with three rounds left with a home win against relegation-threatened Alaves on Friday. Madrid, seeking its first league title in three years, has a ...
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Manuel Pellegrini reportedly set to coach Real Betis

Manuel Pellegrini Former Real Madrid and Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini is set to take over at La Liga side Real Betis from next season, Spanish newspaper El Pais said on Wednesday. The report in El Pais said the Chilean, 66, has agreed to sign a two-year contract with the option of a third year with Betis, who sacked coach Rubi last month. One of Spain's best-supported clubs with more than 50,000 season ticket holders, Betis are currently 14th in La Liga, nine points above the relegation zone. A report in newspaper Marca said the club wishes to wait until they have mathematically guaranteed their status in the top flight before announcing they have hired Pellegrini. Pellegrini won the Premier League title with City in 2014 as well as two League Cups and had successful s...
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Sevilla 1-0 Eibar: Lucas Ocampos helps hosts strengthen grip on fourth place

Paulo Oliveira of Eibar and Lucas Ocampos of Sevilla in action during the Liga match between Sevilla FC and SD Eibar at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on July 6, 2020 in Sevilla, Spain. It was a night to remember for Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos in the Spanish league on Monday. The Argentine led his team to a crucial victory by scoring the winning goal early in the second half and making the winning save deep in stoppage time while replacing his team's injured goalkeeper. The 1-0 victory over Eibar strengthened Sevilla's grip on fourth place and kept the team on track to secure the final Champions League berth. With four rounds to go, Sevilla opened a six-point gap to fifth-placed Villarreal, who lost to Barcelona on Sunday.  Sevilla were within two points of third-placed At...
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Sergio Ramos scores another penalty as Real Madrid take step closer to title

Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid celebrates 0-1 with Rodrygo of Real Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Athletic de Bilbao v Real Madrid at the Estadio San Mames on July 5, 2020 in Bilbao Spain. Real Madrid took a huge step towards the title after moving provisionally seven points clear of Barcelona at the top of LaLiga thanks to a late Sergio Ramos penalty at San Mames on Sunday. Zinedine Zidane’s side went four ahead of Barca on Thursday after a Ramos spot-kick secured a 1-0 win at home to Getafe and the captain repeated the trick in this match after Marcelo was fouled by Dani Garcia. The Brazilian went flying in the area with 68 minutes gone and play initially went on, but the referee decided to consult the screen at the side of the pitch after a VAR check as the left-b...
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Valencia held to a 2-2 draw at Granada

Manu Vallejo of Valencia CF scores his teams first goal during the Liga match between Granada CF and Valencia CF at Mestalla Stadium on July 04, 2020 in Granada, Spain. Valencia were held to a 2-2 draw in the Spanish league at Granada on Saturday. The result ended Valencia’s three-game losing streak but extended its winless run to four matches. It has won only one of seven matches since the league resumed and is ninth in the standings, in danger of missing out on European action next season. Granada grabbed a late equalizer with Fede Vico’s free kick in the 86th minute. It had opened the scoring with a penalty kick converted by Carlos Fernandez in the 61st, but the visitors quickly rallied with goals by Manu Vallejo in the 63rd and Goncalo Guedes in the 68th. Vico’s free kick wen...
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Alvaro Morata nets brace to help Atletico Madrid to 3-0 win over Mallorca

Atletico Madrid's Spanish forward Alvaro Morata (L) challenges Real Mallorca's Serbian defender Aleksandar Sedlar during the Spanish League football match between Atletico Madrid and Mallorca at the Wanda Metropolitan stadium in Madrid on July 3, 2020. Alvaro Morata scored twice to lead Atletico Madrid to a 3-0 win over Mallorca and extend their strong finish to the Spanish league on Friday. Diego Simeone’s team has long been out of the title race being disputed by leader Real Madrid and second-placed Barcelona, which they trail by eight points. But Atletico is one of the hottest teams as LaLiga ticks down before it shifts focus to the Champions League final eight to be played in Portugal next month. In March when the league was halted, Atletico were struggling to secure a Champi...
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Lionel Messi reportedly Unwilling to renew Contract at Barcelona

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona waves to the crowd prior to the Joan Gamper trophy friendly match at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi has called off negotiations over renewing his contract with the club and is ready to leave the Catalans when his current deal expires in 2021, according to a report by Spanish radio station Cadena Ser on Friday. The report said Messi and his father Jorge had begun discussing renewing his last deal with the club, which was signed in 2017, but that he no longer wishes to stay at the Camp Nou. The report added that Messi is angry about leaked media reports that appeared to make him seem responsible for events at the club, such as the January sacking of coach Ernesto Valverde, and that he is frustrated about the...
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Karim Benzema’s moment of magic sends Real Madrid two points clear of Barcelona

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid assists teammate Casemiro for their side's first goal during the Liga match between RCD Espanyol and Real Madrid CF at RCDE Stadium on June 28, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. A moment of magic from Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol that moved them two points clear of Barcelona at the top of LaLiga. Zinedine Zidane’s side came into this match having watched Barca drop points in a 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo on Saturday and made the most of the opportunity, taking a firm grip of the Spanish title race. The breakthrough at the RCDE Stadium came on the stroke of halftime, with Benzema back-heeling a pass through the legs of an opposition defender to set up Casemiro for a close range finish into an empty net. That proved to be the decisive ...
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Espanyol dismiss current manager Abelardo Fernandez

Head coach Abelardo Fernandez of RCD Espanyol looks on prior to the start the La Liga match between CA Osasuna and RCD Espanyol at El Sadar Stadium on March 08, 2020 in Pamplona, Spain. Espanyol have sacked coach Abelardo Fernandez, the third manager they have dispensed with this season, as they fight to extend their 26-year stay in La Liga. Fernandez was appointed in December after David Gallego and Pablo Machin were each dismissed, but despite a positive start since play resumed following a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Real Betis proved the last straw. "Espanyol announce that Abelardo Fernandez has been relieved of his duties as first team coach," the Barcelona club said in a statement. "This decision has been taken due to the team...
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Real Madrid ease past Mallorca to take over at the top

Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring the 2-0 during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and RCD Mallorca played at Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium on June 24, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. Real Madrid eased to a 2-0 home victory over Real Mallorca thanks to goals in each half from Vinicius Jr. and Sergio Ramos to stay in charge of the La Liga title race ahead of Barcelona. Brazilian youngster Vinicius opened the scoring with a cool finish in the 19th minute after missing an earlier chance and he hit the crossbar later in the first half. Captain Ramos doubled Madrid's lead with a superb free kick, curling the ball over the wall and into the top corner to score his eighth goal of the league season and his 10th in all competitions. Real's fourth win in a row since the season r...
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Barcelona edge past Athletic Bilbao to reclaim top spot

Barcelona's Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic (back R) scores a goal during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on June 23, 2020. Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga after substitute Ivan Rakitic scored for the first time in 15 months to earn a slender 1-0 success over Athletic Bilbao. Midfielder Rakitic made the decisive contribution with just 19 minutes remaining at the Nou Camp, racing on to Lionel Messi's neat pass to emphatically rifle the ball beyond Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon. The Croatia international's previous goal, which came back in March 2019, had secured Barca a 1-0 win away to Real Madrid. His latest scoring contribution was enough to move the reigning Spanish champions three poi...
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Real Madrid go top of La Liga with win over Real Sociedad

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid CF celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Liga match between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid CF at Estadio Anoeta on June 21, 2020 in San Sebastian, Spain. Real Madrid took advantage of rival Barcelona being the first to stumble after the Spanish league resumed, and retook the lead with a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday. Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema scored second-half goals as Madrid moved ahead of its rival for the first time since the restart. Ramos converted a 50th-minute penalty kick and Benzema added to the lead in the 70th to move Madrid in front of the Catalan club, which on Friday was held by fourth-place Sevilla to a 0-0 draw.  Madrid and Barcelona are level on 65 points, but Madrid has a better goal difference and...
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Barcelona held to a goalless draw at Sevilla

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona in action during the Liga match between Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on June 19, 2020 in Seville, Spain. Barcelona missed the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the LaLiga table to five points after being held to a 0-0 draw at Sevilla. The slip-up gives Real Madrid the opportunity to put the pressure on Barcelona when they face Real Sociedad on Sunday, where victory will see them move level on points with their great rivals. A solid Sevilla, who remain third, defence frustrated the visitors as Lionel Messi was made to wait for his 700th goal with club and country. Luis Suarez wasted Barcelona’s best opportunity with just a minute remaining when he fired a first-time shot narrowly over the crossbar. And at...
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Karim Benzema scores twice as Real Madrid defeat Valencia 3-0 to keep pace with Barcelona in title race

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid celebrates a goal during the spanish league, Liga Santander, football match played between Real Madrid and Valencia CF at Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium on June 18, 2020 in Valdebebas, Madrid, Spain. Karim Benzema scored twice and Marco Asensio added another on his return from a 10-month injury layoff as Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 on Thursday to keep pace with leader Barcelona in the Spanish league. The home win left Madrid two points behind Barcelona, which defeated Leganes 2-0 on Tuesday for its second straight win after the pandemic break. Madrid took control of the match after a lackluster first half in which Valencia had the most significant scoring chances and a goal disallowed by video review. Benzema opened the scoring in the 61st minute after ...
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Atletico Madrid Cruise to 5-0 win at Osasuna

Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid celebrates 0-2 with Koke of Atletico Madrid, Diego Costa of Atletico Madrid, Angel Correa of Atletico Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Osasuna v Atletico Madrid at the El Sadar stadium on June 17, 2020 in Pamplona Spain. Atletico Madrid are up to fourth in La Liga after cruising to a 5-0 win at Osasuna. Joao Felix netted in either half, while Marcos Llorente came off the bench to add a third before fellow substitutes Alvaro Morata, the on-loan Chelsea striker, and Yannick Carrasco also got on the scoresheet. Raul Garcia's penalty and Asier Villalibre's goal helped Athletic Bilbao to a 2-2 draw at Eibar, whose goals came from Kike and a spot-kick from Fabian Orellana. Celta Vigo moved two points clear of the drop zone after a goalless...
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Messi and Fati strike as Barcelona see off Leganes at Camp Nou

Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates after scoring his teams second goal from the penalty spot during the Liga match between FC Barcelona and CD Leganes at Camp Nou on June 16, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. A goal from Ansu Fati and a second-half penalty from Lionel Messi saw Barcelona record a hard-fought 2-0 home victory against Leganes at Camp Nou. After La Liga recommenced at the weekend, Barca returned with a comfortable 4-0 victory versus Mallorca, but the fixture against Leganes on Tuesday was their first in front of a closed doors Camp Nou. It was by no means a vintage performance, as they huffed and puffed for most of the first half until Fati hit a snapshot into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0 a few minutes before the break. Barca, naturally, enjoyed the majority of ...
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