LALIGA

1Mar

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Atletico Madrid frustrated by struggling Espanyol

(L-R) Saul Niguez of Atletico Madrid, Victor Sanchez of Espanyol during the La Liga Santander match between Espanyol v Atletico Madrid at the RCDE Stadium on March 1, 2020 in Cornella Spain.Atletico Madrid missed the chance to move into La Liga’s top four as they were held to a 1-1 draw away at Espanyol.Diego Someone’s side came into this match with momentum behind them having won three of their last four matches in all competitions, drawing the other one, but were unable to claim the win that would have seen them draw level with Sevilla in the Spanish top flight table.It was Espanyol who opened the scoring after 24 minutes when Raul de Tomas’ flicked finish was turned into his own net by the unfortunate Stefan Savic. The hosts could have doubled their advantage soon after, with Victo...

1Mar

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Setien plays mind game with Zidane ahead of El-Clasico

Head coach Quique Setien of FC Barcelona Looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between SSC Napoli and FC Barcelona at Stadio San Paolo on February 25, 2020 in Naples, Italy.Barcelona manager Quique Setien has heaped the pressure on Real Madrid ahead of Sunday's El Clasico at the Bernabeu by proclaiming that the game is more important to Los Blancos than his own side.Barca hold a two-point lead over their rivals going into the game, which is the 26th game of both their La Liga campaigns.Real dominated the first El Clasico of the season which finished in a goalless draw, but Zinedine's Zidane side will be looking to take all three points on Sunday night."For them it's a key game, maybe not decisive, but more important than for us because if we win we'll go f...

24Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Felix back on target as Atletico beat Villarreal to go third

Joao Felix of Atletico de Madrid celebrates after scoring during the Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Villarreal CF at Wanda Metropolitano on February 23, 2020 in Madrid, Spain.Atletico Madrid record signing Joao Felix scored for the first time in the league for almost five months as his side beat Villarreal 3-1 at home on Sunday to climb back into the top-four in La Liga.The 20-year-old, who Atletico signed from Benfica for 126 million euros last year, had missed most of the last month through injury but came off the bench to score his side's third goal after Paco Alcacer had given Villarreal an early lead.Argentine forward Angel Correa pulled Atletico level shortly before halftime and captain Koke put them in front in the 64th minute.Substitute Felix rubber-stamped the win ...

23Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Eden Hazard injured during Real Madrid's clash with Levante

Eden Hazard of Real Madrid reacts during the Liga match between Levante UD and Real Madrid CF at Ciutat de Valencia on February 22, 2020 in Valencia, Spain.Real Madrid said Sunday that Belgium forward Eden Hazard has fractured his right lower leg, putting him in danger of missing the rest of the season.Hazard sustained the injury during Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Levante, which was just his second match since recovering from a fracture in the same area of his leg.Madrid’s medical report said that he had a “fracture to his right distal fibula,” but did not specify if it was in the same place.Nor did the club say how long it expects him to be out. Hazard missed almost three months due to his previous injury.Hazard’s injury comes before two important tests for Zinedine Zidane’s team.Madrid hosts ...

17Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Real Madrid falter as Celta Vigo grab draw

Eden Hazard of Real Madrid CF battles for the ball with Murillo of RC Celta de Vigo during the Liga match between Real Madrid CF and RC Celta de Vigo at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 16, 2020 in Madrid, Spain.Los Blancos were stunned by Fedor Smolov's first goal for Celta in the seventh minute and the home side failed to register a single shot on target in the opening half.However, they turned the game on its head within 13 minutes, Toni Kroos scoring again against Celta before Sergio Ramos slotted home a penalty after the returning Eden Hazard had been fouled.Mina's late leveller meant Zinedine Zidane's men only moved one point clear of Clasico rivals Barcelona, though their winning run came to an end.All eyes were on the returning Hazard, who was making his first appearance since...

16Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona pile pressure on Real Madrid at LaLiga summit with narrow win over Getafe

Sergi Roberto of FC Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona, Ansu Fati of FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates goal 1-0 during the La Liga Santander match between FC Barcelona v Getafe at the Camp Nou on February 15, 2020 in Barcelona Spain.FC Barcelona moved level of points with Real Madrid (who play on Sunday) at the top of the Liga Santander on Saturday night with a hard-fought 2-1 win at home to Getafe.The game started badly for Barcelona who lost Jordi Alba with a muscle injury and they were lucky to still be on level terms after Getafe had a goal ruled out by the VAR after Marc Andre Ter Stegen saved from Jordi Molina.Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring for Barca after a Leo Messi pass in the 33rd minute and Sergio Roberto doubled their lead five minutes l...

15Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Valencia 2-2 Atletico: Visitors held to 10th league draw before Liverpool clash

Carlos Soler of Valencia CF battle for the ball with Marcos Llorente of Club Ateltico de Madrid during the Liga match between Valencia CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Mestalla on February 14, 2020 in Valencia, Spain.Atletico Madrid were twice pegged back in Friday's 2-2 draw at Valencia to keep Diego Simeone's side in fourth in La Liga ahead of Liverpool's visit next week.Atletico host the runaway Premier League leaders at the Wanda Metropolitano in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Tuesday.Twenty four hours later Valencia are in Italy to take on Atalanta in Milan.Atletico's Real Madrid recruit Marcos Llorente right-footed the visitors' into an early lead before a close range header from Gabriel Paulista got Valencia back level five minutes before the break.Three minutes ...

11Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Eden Hazard Reportedly Set to Return against Celta Vigo

Eden Hazard of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League group A match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on November 26, 2019 in Madrid, Spain.Eden Hazard is reportedly set to make his long-awaited return to first-team action from an ankle injury in Sunday's La Liga clash with Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu.The Belgium international has been sidelined since November's 2-2 UEFA Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain but is expected to be included in the squad for Sunday's match, according to Marca's Juan Ignacio Garcia-Ochoa.Manager Zinedine Zidane does not want to take any risks with Hazard but could start him on the bench and bring him on in the second half, per the report.The 29-year-old joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in summer ...

10Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona come from behind to beat Real Betis as Messi grabs hat-trick of assists

Guido Rodriguez of Real Betis competes for the ball with Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona during the Liga match between Real Betis Balompie and FC Barcelona at Estadio Benito Villamarin on February 09, 2020 in Seville, Spain.Lionel Messi gave a hat-trick of assists on Sunday as Barcelona ended their turbulent week with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Real Betis to stay in touch with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.Madrid's 4-1 win away at Osasuna earlier in the day put pressure on Barca to respond, only for Betis to twice lead at the Benito Villamarin through a penalty from Sergio Canales and brilliant solo effort from Nabil Fekir.Yet both times Barcelona hit back as Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets pulled them level before Clement Lenglet headed in with 18 minutes left, all three goals teed...

9Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Atletico Madrid Earn Narrow Victory Over Granada After Angel Correa's Early Strike

Angel Correa of Atletico Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Atletico Madrid v Granada at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on February 8, 2020 in Madrid Spain.Atletico Madrid ended a barren run of five games in all competitions without a win with a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Granada in La Liga on Saturday, inspired by returning captain Koke.The midfielder was making his first appearance in the league since mid-December and wasted little time in making an impact on his struggling team, setting up Angel Correa to score the only goal of the game in the sixth minute.Atletico were comfortable in the first half but began to suffer in the second and it took a world class save from goalkeeper Jan Oblak to prevent Granada's Roberto Soldado levelling with a backheel.The win lifted At...

4Feb

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Ousmane Dembele Leaves Barcelona Training With Leg Injury

Lionel Messi of Barcelona talks to Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League group F match between FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund at Camp Nou on November 27, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele pulled out of training on Monday amid fears the Frenchman has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.“During this morning’s training session, Ousmane Dembele felt some discomfort in his right leg as a consequence of muscle fatigue,” Barcelona said in a statement. “He will continue with his rehabilitation.”Dembele has not played for Barca since November 27 but had been expected to return this month.The 22-year-old has endured a spate of injuries since moving to Camp Nou from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 and has only made nine appear...

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

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...

27Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Real Madrid beat Valladolid to go top of La Liga table

Nacho Fernandez of Real Madrid (C) scores his team's first goal during the Liga match between Real Valladolid CF and Real Madrid CF at Jose Zorrilla on January 26, 2020 in Valladolid, Spain.Real Madrid went top of La Liga on Sunday night with Nacho heading in Toni Kroos’ perfect cross with 12 minutes left to seal the 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid.The reserve central defender was given a rare start at right-back because Dani Carvajal was suspended and Alvaro Odriozola has been loaned to Bayern Munich.His goal puts Madrid three points ahead of Barcelona, who were beaten 2-0 by Valencia on Saturday and 10 points ahead of Atletico Madrid, who they face in the derby next week. Nacho ran to Zinedine Zidane to celebrate the strike in another show of support for a coach who was under press...

26Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona stunned as Setien suffers first loss in charge

Carlos Soler of Valencia, Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between Valencia v FC Barcelona at the Estadio de Mestalla on January 25, 2020 in Valencia Spain.Quique Setien suffered his first defeat as Barcelona manager as Valencia claimed their first home win over the Spanish champions since 2007.The hosts broke the deadlock when Jordi Alba deflected Maxi Gomez's powerful strike past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.Gomez, who had a first-half penalty saved by Ter Stegen, completed the scoring in the second half.There were unsavoury scenes before the game as rival fans clashed outside the Mestalla Stadium.Setien had enjoyed a good start to his Barca reign, guiding the club to victories over Granada in La Liga and UD Ibiza in the Copa del Rey round of 32.The visitors were ...

20Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Messi gives Setien Winning start with Barcelona

Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's first goal with his teammates Ansu Fati, Riqui Puig and Arturo Vidal during the Liga match between FC Barcelona and Granada CF at Camp Nou on January 19, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain.Lionel Messi goal gave Quique Setien a win in his first game as coach of FC Barcelona as Barca beat Granada 1-0 in the Camp Nou Stadium on Sunday.Barca looked in control against the rival that limited their options in attack, but posed few problems going forward.Setien had a couple of surprises in his first starting 11 with Samuel Umtiti starting in central defense, while Ansu Fati was given the chance in attack in the place of Luis Suarez, who will be out for around four months after a knee operation.Meanwhile Arturo Vidal started alongside Sergio Busq...

19Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Madrid go top after narrow win over Sevilla

Casemiro of Real Madrid celebrates goal 2-1 during the La Liga Santander match between Real Madrid v Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu on January 18, 2020 in Madrid Spain.Real Madrid have climbed to the La Liga Summit on Saturday after sealing a narrow 2-1 victory over 4th-placed Sevilla at the Bernabeu.Real lacked Incision in front of goal in the 1st half, but it changed just prior to the hour mark, when Casemiro lifted the ball over the keeper from a tight angle, after a neat one-two with Luka Jovic.The hosts were not in front for long, as 7 minutes later, De Jong whipped a low strike into the bottom corner.However, parity was shorter-lived, as Casemiro took full advantage of the space given to him in the area, by heading home his 2nd of the night in the 69th minute.The win takes Real Mad...

14Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona sack Ernesto Valverde and appoint Quique Setien

Quique Setien New Barcelona Head Coach.Barcelona have appointed Quique Setien as their new coach following the sacking of Ernesto Valverde and after failing to persuade their former player Xavi Hernandez to take over.Setien, the former Real Betis coach, is known for his attractive, attacking football with Barcelona having grown tired of Valverde’s approach even though the club is again top of La Liga and won its Champions League group.Setien, 61, led Betis to wins over Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid last season but lost his job after a downturn in form. However his exciting, attacking style of football is regarded as more in keeping with what Barcelona want while the Spaniard’s ready availability means that the club felt able to make a change.Valverde’s dismissal is the first t...

13Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona looking for new striker in wake of Luis Suarez’s injury

Luis Suarez of Barcelona reacts to a referee's decision during the Supercopa de Espana Semi-Final match between FC Barcelona and Club Atletico de Madrid at King Abdullah Sports City on January 09, 2020 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Barcelona will step up their search for a new centre-forward this month after Luis Suarez was ruled out for four months with injury.Suarez underwent surgery on his knee on Sunday and was expected to be sidelined for between four and six weeks, but is now set to miss most of the season.And they added: "The Uruguayan striker will be out for approximately four months."Barca could use summer signing Antoine Griezmann in a central role, but with no real other centre-forward apart from Suarez at the club, the Catalans will now look to bring in a striker this January.Inter M...

11Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Barcelona confirm Luis Suarez set to undergo knee surgery

Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona (C) reacts during the Supercopa de Espana Semi-Final match between FC Barcelona and Club Atletico de Madrid at King Abdullah Sports City on January 9, 2020 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Luis Suarez will have knee surgery on an external meniscus this Sunday, Barcelona have announced.Suarez, 32, is said to have been struggling with a niggling problem in his right knee for several weeks and it has finally been determined he will have an operation to prevent complications ahead of the season’s run-in.Media reports began circulating on Friday suggesting Suarez was set for a prolonged period of absence due to the problem.And, following examinations on Saturday, Barca have confirmed the Uruguay striker will be operated on by renowned knee specialist Dr. Ramon Cugat.Barcelona...