SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 / 2010 - ROUND 24 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

Seven games played in Round 24 of the Spanish Football League
(La Liga) with plenty of goals & the usual dose of controversy
depending on which team you follow.

(photo: Sporting vs Malaga_elmundo.com)



Excellent match between REAL SPORTING DE GIJON & OSASUNA
with the home team winning in the end 3-2. Sporting player DE
CUEVAS
continued his great form scoring first in the 17th min,
but Osasuna began to dominate & were rewarded with an
equalizer via a penalty from NEKOUNAM & then another by
VADOCZ in the 49th min.

But Sporting get turned on when their home crowd roar them
on & reacted with an equalizer via BARRAL & then the winner
via another match penalty, this time to Sporting, that DIEGO
CASTRO scored in "palanka fashion" the 80th min. Happiness
reigns at Sporting with their 3º valuable points.

(photo: Mallorca celebrate a goal_ marca.com)


VALLADOLID lost 1-2 to MALLORCA & hasn´t seen a victory in
9 games. The home team scored first in the 49th min via
BUENO, but lapses & being caught out by the opposition
counter-attacks resulted in two goals from RUBEN in the 69th
min & the Mallorca winner in the 83rd min thanks to ALVAREZ.


(photo: Xerez & Espanyol in action_marca.com)












A just & fair 1-1 draw at XEREZ against RCD ESPANYOL. Espanyol
scored first via OSVALDO in the 10th min & Xerez managed to
equalized via BERMEJO in the 76th min.

(photo:Llorente scores_marca.com)











VILLAREAL
managed to lift itself from the mid-week loss &
exit from the Europa League with a 1-0 victory over
DEPORTIVO with a goal in the 35th min from LLORENTE.
However, Deportivo are really suffering their bad-luck with
injuries this season & are not giving a very good image at all,
their play is ordinary to say the least.


(photo: Almeria scores_elmundo.es)



RACING DE SANTANDER continue in their rough patch with
another loss at the hands of ALMERIA 2-0. Almeria scored their
first goal in the 29th min via SORIANO & scored their second
in the 67th with CRUSAT. Racing seems to have lost direction
& discipline, with a mention to young player (now Real Madrid
player) Canales down in form since he signed contract.

(photo: the hand-ball penalty_marca.com)













Controversial match depending on who you follow. ATLETICO DE
MADRID
defeated VALENCIA CF 4-1 after the latter finished
with 9 men on the field. The visitors scored first via DAVID SILVA
in the 20th min after a penalty on Atletico player Reyes wasn´t
called. But it turned into a "hot night" after Valencia Captain
Marchena hand-balled in the penalty square that was initially
not called, but caused the Atletico players to pressure the
referee to consult the 4th emergency official who did call hand ball
& thus the penalty was finally awarded. The post-complaints lead
to Marchena being given a Red Card for insults that conditioned
his team & the match towards Atletico´s favour. DIEGO FORLAN
equalized in the 30th min with the penalty & Atletico began to be
the superior team.

Valencia bravely stood firm thanks to goalie Cesar who stopped
Aguero on 3 occasions until AGUERO finally beat him with a
header in the 77th min. Then Valencia received another Red
Card when Miguel tackled Reyes that looked worst than it really
was, but the damage was done & Valencia down with just 9º
men were demoralized. Atletico scored two more goals in the
85th min via DIEGO FORLAN & JURADO ( came on for Aguro)
in the 92th min.

Important win for Atletico that was conditioned by the Red
Cards, but it was a win & that is what counts for Atletico.

SEVILLA FC drew 0-0 with ATHLETIC DE BILBAO & with 10 men
after Sevilla player ROMARIC was sent off in the 7th min. Bilbao
didn´t take advantage of the situation & Sevilla can thank goalie
Palop once again for some decisive saves. Shared points.

SFS FLASHBACKS: ZINEDINE ZIDANE 2002 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL GOAL

One of the great goals of Football - Soccer - & European Cup History.
ZINEDINE ZIDANE scores REAL MADRID´s 2º goal & winner in the
45th min against Bayern Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League
Final

Poetry in motion, not to be missed:


SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 / 2010 - ROUND 24 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

REAL ZARAGOZA managed a very valuable victory away from home
against higher placed GETAFE 0-2. Both goals were scored
relatively early by Zaragoza Chilean "Winter Market" signing SUAZO
in the 3rd & 19th min. The player made a warm gesture to his fellow
countrymen who have suffered an earthquake earlier this morning
with a dedication.

(photo: Suazo)


TENERIFE hosted a "hungry" REAL MADRID , a game that gave them
chances but weren´t able to stop the "attacking waves" from the
Madrid class players. In the end Real Madrid won well 1-5 with

GONZALO HIGUAÍN
scoring twice ( 29th & 41st min) & taking his
seasons tally to 16 goals as he gives chase for the "Pichichi" title.

(photo: Higuaín scores_elmundo_efe)




At the start of the 2ºhalf Tenerife scored their only goal via AYOZE
in
the 46th min, that should not have counted as it looked like
Casillas was fouled. But KAKÁ restored the "status-quo" two minutes
later with his goal, which was followed later in the 78th min when
CRISTIANO RONALDO scored a penalty & in the 91st min when
substitute RAÚL scored his team fifth.

Good win, Real Madrid mantain the chase & pressure on FC Barcelona
who currently lead the classification table with a 2 point advantage.

(photo: Pedro scores_marca)









FC BARCELONA
had a "small" scare at home against MALAGA who
they finally managed to defeat 2-1 & maintain themselves "La Liga"
leaders. Malaga were ultra-defensive the 1ºst half & stopped the
numerous occasions & opportunities elaborated by Barça. Dani
Alves was back & his presence was noticed as he was a
"pain -in -the -ass" all night for the opposition defence.

It was´nt until the 68th min that Barça youngster PEDRO opened
"the can" with his goal. It looked like "smooth sailing" until Malaga
forward & 2ºhalf substitute VALDO broke the Barça defence &
equalized in the 80th min. Barça got nervious, but a magnificent
left hand side build- up with a Pedro-Maxwell intervention & a
sublime Xavi pass to Alves that found MESSI in the small square
gave the winner in the 83rd min. Barça had recovered from their
"small hiccup" & Ibrahimovic was disallowed a possible 4th goal for
fouling a Malaga defender. Watch this VIDEO - allow to load:



Tense moments & a difficult game for Barça, but the class &
quality came to the rescue as it should for the reigning champs.

REAL MADRID: RIBERY "HAD" AN AGREEMENT

The "secret" that everyone knew about but no one admitted has
come out in the open after BAYERN MUNICH Directive Uli Hoeness
admitted that Frenchman FRANCK RIBERY had come to an "agreement"
with REAL MADRID. Spanish sports daily “Marca” has published today
in its online edition,that Ribery wished to abandon Bayern Munich due
to problems with ex Coach Jurgen Klinsmann last season.

(photo:Ribery_marca.com)























However, the Bayern Directive has added that Ribery has changed
mind & will consider renewing with the German Club if they can
guarantee a team that will be competitive next season & assure that
the side can compete for important titles.

Said this, along with Real Madrid, there is a list of European Clubs
that have Ribery in mind of which FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC,
Manchester City & now Juventus has joined. The latter has put the
Frenchmen as a maximum priority according to Italian press, but the
economic problems at Juventus could halt their ambitious plans.
Meanwhile, at Real Madrid alternative names have sprung up into
the picture, like Valencia CF player David Silvia & Sevilla FC winger
Jesús Navas.

Stay tuned!

SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM: LIST OF 23 PLAYERS GIVEN FOR UPCOMING FRANCE FRIENDLY

Spanish National Football Coach & Selector, Vicente Del Bosque, has
announced his list of 23 called up players to represent SPAIN in the
upcoming Friendly International match against France at Paris next
Wednesday.





Each list calls the attention of the media as the South African World
Cup Finals are just months away, & lists of this nature may give hints
to what the National Team Selector has in mind for his final 23 names
to make up the Spanish team for the ultimate Football event.

Here is today’s list of 23 players that make up the Spanish National
Team:

Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Albiol, Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso
Barcelona: Piqué, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi & Iniesta.
Valencia: Marchena, Silva, Mata & Villa.
Villarreal: Diego López, Capdevila & Senna.
Sevilla: Navas & Negredo.
Liverpool: Reina & Torres.
Arsenal: Cesc Fábregas.
Fenerbahce: Güiza.

EUROPA LEAGUE - VIDEO : VALENCIA CF 3 - CLUB BRUGGE 0

Here is the VIDEO of goals & highlights of yesterdays EUROPA
LEAGUE
3-0 victory of Valencia Cf over Club Brugge. Intense
game, with numerous goal opportunities & same outstanding
saves:


EUROPA LEAGUE 2009 - 2010 2ºLEG RESULTS: VALENCIA GOES ONTO THE LAST 16 TEAMS & VILLAREAL ELIMINATED

VALENCIA FC defeated BRUGGE 3-0 in the 2º leg EUROPA LEAGUE
clash qualifying themselves for the next phase & pulling back the tie
after losing in the 1º leg 1-0 away at Belgium.


(photo: Brugge goal Stijnen stops Villa)


















Valencia scored in the first 20 seconds via MATA & that rocked the
Belgium side against the ropes. Valencia had numerous chances to
score a bag full of goals but Brugge goalkeeper STIJNEN played the
game of his life & stopped more than a half a dozen clear attempts
to keep his side in the game. In fact, Brugge also missed some
important clear opportunities as Valencia keeper Cesar also showed
his art.

After the 90 minutes, the game went into extra-time & Valencia got
its second via PABLO HERNANDEZ in the 96th min to put the Spaniards
into the next phase, but a goal from Brugge at any moment would have
eliminated Valencia. Brugges nearly did this when they missed a "sitter"
around the 110th min mark to see later Valencia counter-attack &
score their 3ºrd goal again via PABLO HERNANDEZ.

Brugges eliminated but they nearly had it won,& they certainly made
Valencia work & sweat for their victory.


(photo: Wolfsburg celebrate a goal_marca.com)














VILLAREAL
travelled to Germany with a 2-2 agg from the 1ºst leg
to see how WOLFSBURG did a complete demolition job on them to
win the 2º leg return leg 4-1 (6-3 on agg) & eliminate them.

It was a nightmare night for the Spanish with a defence that had
serious faults the whole match. DZEKO scored first for the Germans
in the 9th min, followed by a second when Villareal defender ANGEL
put in an own goal.

With Wolfsburg two goals ahead, Villareal gained hope when their
defender CAPDEVILA scored in the 29th min, but it all feel apart in
the 40th min when GENTNER scored & later again when Brazilian
GRAFITE in possible off-side scored the Germans 4th goal in the
63rd min.

Wolfsburg clear & deserving winners.

EUROPA LEAGUE 2009-2010 2ºLEG: ATLETICO DE MADRID GOES ONTO THE NEXT PHASE (SEE VIDEO) & ATHLETIC DE BILBAO ELIMINATED.

The 1ºst leg clash in Madrid finished with ATLETICO DE MADRID
drawing 1-1 with Turkish side GALATASARAY. The 2º leg EUROPA
LEAGUE
return match promised to be a tough affair & it was, with
strong play, a sending off & controversy. The return game finished
with GALATASARAY losing 1- 2 against ATLETICO DE MADRID, 2-3
on the overall aggregate to take the Spaniards onto the next phase.

(photo: Forlan flying into the Q/finals)












It was a hard fought game with Aguero going off in the 1ºst half
when he received a vicious kick on the jaw from a Galatasaray
player that the referee didn’t see & certainly deserved a Red
Card. However, the match lifted a notch & began to really heat
up in the 2º half when SIMAO put Atletico ahead in the 62nd
minute to see how Galatasaray player KEITA equalized just 3
minutes later. It was heading for extra-time as both teams were
trying hard to score to avoid it when the Turks claimed a hand-ball
from Atletico defender Perea in the 78th min who slipped &
appeared to accidentally touch the ball, or that’s what the referee
thought as a penalty was not called. This infuriated the Turks &
especially their player Erkin who was sent off with double yellow
cards in the 80th min after taking out his frustration with some
really dangerous tackles.

With Galatasaray down to 10 men, Atletico in the 89th min managed
an inspiring move from Reyes who split the Turkish defence to pass
to DIEGO FORLAN – who came on earlier for the injured Aguero - to
dribble a defender in the outer goal area & score the winning goal.
Watch the below VIDEO of the winner:




In typical Atletico fashion, the Spanish team qualifies in dramatic &
last minute circumstances


(photo: Anderlecht on a scoring roll)
.












ATHLETIC DE BILBAO drew 1-1 with ANDERLECHT in the 1º leg
& travelled to Belgium for the return game to lose tonight 4-0,
which is 5-1 on overall aggregate. There is not much to say here
except that it was a night for Bilbao to forget as their opponents
were far & away the better team. Anderlecht showed their
intentions early in the 4th min with the opening goal from LUKAKU
which was followed by a second in the 26th min when Bilbao
defender SAN JOSE scored an own goal.

It didn’t stop here as the home team continued “steam-rolling”
with a third goal in the 48th min via JUHASZ that was followed
with a spectacular fourth goal in the 67th min by LEGEAR who
brought the house down.

Conclusion, Athletic de Bilbao unfortunately eliminated & thrashed
by a superior Belgium team.

EX REAL MADRID COACH SCHUSTER GIVES HIS "CLUB INSIGHTS"

The German Ex Real Madrid player & Coach Bernd Schuster has
never been one to hold back on his words. During an interview on
Spanish late night Sports radio, the controversial Football
personality let these two “bombs” go:

The 1st Bomb:
"Sin Cristiano, el Real Madrid sería una pastilla para dormir"

“Without Cristiano, Real Madrid is a sleeping pill”

(photo: ex Real Madrid Coach Bernd Schuster_marca.com)























The 2nd Bomb:
"Yo hubiera traído a Villa. Pero había mucha gente que no quería que
viniera. Desde el equipo, hasta arriba, empezando por el equipo y
luego arriba se echaron atrás"

“I would have brought in David Villa. But there were a
lot of people who didn’t wish him to come. From the
team all the way to the top who finally went back on
the idea”

This last comment insinuates that it was current Captain RAUL
who campaigned against Villa arriving at Madrid. Schuster was
directly asked by the radio host to which he answered in an ironic
fashion:
“mmm...What a cough that I have”

FC BARCELONA: SHOULD BARÇA BE CONCERNED WITH MESSI SLUMP?




Should FC BARCELONA fans be concerned about LIONEL MESSI?

This question has been raised because there is a clear lack of freshness with the player which has manifested itself in his performances in the last few games. This same observation has been on Barça Coach Guardiola´s mind & now he is meditating putting the current FIFA World Player & Golden Ball winner on the bench. Is this wise or will this decision cause a chain
reaction with decreased confidence?
(photo: Messi_as.com)


The cause could be the saturation of matches & the pressures that a player like Messi, with his young age, is submitted to daily can lead to mental tiredness. This last point is important, as
maximum concentration & cerebral quickness transmits itself throughout the body, especially the legs & reflexes; with performances below optimal standards appearing if the “mind”
is not 100%.

SFS thinks this is just a common player’s cyclical "slump" due to physical & mental tiredness & that the current World Nº1 will bounce back soon to contribute positively to this team

What are your thoughts? Is this just a common drop in form? Should “Camp Barça” be concerned?

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2009 - 2010 QUARTER FINAL 1º LEG: CSKA MOSCOW 1 - SEVILLA FC 1. WATCH THE MARK GONZALEZ GOAL (VIDEO)

SEVILLA FC managed a valuable away goal in their 1-1 draw in
tonights 1º leg CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Quarter Final match

against CSKA MOSCOW. It was ALVARO NEGREDO that put the
ball into the back of the net in the 25th min from a great Jesus
Navas pass, just when Sevilla were demonstrating their best
Football.

(photo: Alvaro Negredo)














However, the Russian team was to equalize in a spectacular fashion
with a "screamer" from ex Betis player MARK GONZALEZ in the
65th min. Watch the VIDEO of the goal:




Now its back to Sevilla for the 2ºleg match to determine who
goes through to the semis.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2009-2010 QUARTER FINAL: STUTTGART 1 - FC BARCELONA 1

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Quarter Finals & STUTTGART managed a 1-1
draw against reigning Champions FC BARCELONA that would have
tasted sour for them. A controversial game with "unseen" possible
penalties committed to the German taht were not called & a possible
foul in the Barça goal.


(photo: Cacau scores_elmundo.es)



The first half was all Stuttgart who exploited the poor Barça ball game
& their defensive openings, one of which lead to their opening goal in
the 25th min by Brazilian player CACAU. In fact, Barça was "terrible"the first half & was lucky to still be alive after 45 minutes.


(photo:Ibrahimovic equalizes for Barça)


Then in the 52nd min IBRAHIMOVIC managed to score & equalize for
Barcelona after Pique - in possible off-side position & / or foul -
headed down to the Swede. An important goal the masked the poor
team performance of Barça as it gives them a valuable away goal
vital for the 2ºleg match at "Camp Nou".

The Germans will be disappointed as the played a great game, while
Barça will be happy to have escaped to be able to fight another day.
Things of Champions they commonly say in Football!

REAL MADRID: CRISTIANO RONALDO & XABI ALONSO PENALTY TALK (VIDEO)

It was last Sunday & REAL MADRID was leading 5-2. Cristiano Ronaldo
is tripped in the penalty area & it is given. Ronaldo had a goal
already, Higuaín & Kaká had two each & a “Hat-trick” would have
been nice. Cristiano Roanldo & Kaká take the penalties at Real
Madrid, but this occurred:




Xabi Alonso: “Cris, leave it to me”
Xabi Alonso: “I haven’t scored a goal as yet”
Xabi Alonso: “Allow me to put one in”
Xabi Alonso: “Come on”
C.Ronaldo: “The next one, I promise”
Xabi Alonso: “No, give me this one”
C.Ronoldo: “No, this one is mine”
Xabi Alonso: “Come on, gives us the ball”

Meanwhile the crowd shout “Raul, Raul, Raul”

Ronaldo finally gives in to Alonso´s requests.


By the way CR9 didn’t celebrate the goal. BUT THIS DOES NOT
MEAN
there is any “bad feeling” between these two players
or within the Real Madrid camp. Although the national media are
looking for diffrent interpretations.

What’s your thoughts?

VIDEO: DAVID VILLA GOAL AGAINST GETAFE - PURE CLASS

VALENCIA CF & Spanish International forward DAVID VILLA has
gone into the lead in the Spanish League goal scoring tally with
17 goals so far, ahead FC Barcelona player Messi (16 goals) & Real
Madrid player Higuaín (14 goals). The race will be definately on
until the end of the season between these 3, with the possiblity of
Cristiano Ronaldo joining them, for the prestigious "Pichichi Award".

Until then enjoy this gem of a goal scored yesterday by Villa against
Getafe. Watch the "cool as a cucumber" attitude with an exquisite
touch tecnique, poetry in motion:


FC BARCELONA THINK IN OSASUNA DEFENDER AZPILICUENTA?

Spanish sports daily “AS” publish that FC BARCELONA has its mind
on OSASUNA U/21 Spanish International defensive winger CESAR
AZPILICUENTA
. The players contract ends in 2012 & his contract
release clause is situated at 15M€, which makes the Osasuna
defender relatively accessible economically in reference to the
market.


(photo: as.com)























The Barça idea is to have Azpilicuenta as a “back-up” for Dani Alves
in case, as has been the case recently – of injury. The Barça Captain
Carles Puyol has had to leave his central defending duties to cover
the right-back position but this has “weakened” the middle especially
when follow central defenders have also been injured.

Stay tuned!

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 / 2010 - ROUND 23 MONDAY GAME RESULT: VALENCIA CF 2 - GETAFE 1

Round 23 of "La Liga" came to an end tonight with the last scheduled
match between VALENCIA CF & GETAFE. The home side defeated
2-1 the visitors after a great start that was dimished when Valencia
defender Alexis was sent off with double yellow cards in the early
part of the 2º half.

(photo: David Villa in action_as.com)












However, the damage to Getafe was done before Valencia went
down to 10 men, after DAVID VILLA scored twice ( 39th & 52nd
min) to take his Liga tally to 17 goals this season & put him leader
as the Nº 1 goal scorer in Spanish Football for the moment ahead
of Barça´s Messi who has 16 goals.

For Getafe, MANU managed to pull one back in the 76th min
as Getafe attempted to take advantage of their extra man, but
it was too late as Valencia held tight in defence.

REAL MADRID: SEVILLA FC WINGER JESUS NAVAS NEXT PLAYER TRAVELLING TO MADRID?

Spanish Football Magazine “Don Balon” has published a “scoop”
in their current online edition. Apart from announcing that they
too believe that REAL MADRID Coach Manuel Pellegrini will not
continue next season, they advance that Real President Florentino
Perez wishes his team to play more via the wings & has SEVILLA
FC
& 25 year old Spanish International player JESUS NAVAS in
mind as an option for next season.

(photo: Jesús Navas)


















The idea seems clear; if Bayern Munich gets tough with FRANCK
RIBERY
, goes over board with their French wingers transfer price
&/or Ribery himself gets too cocky in the negotiations, Real
Madrid will change strategy & begin negotiations with Sevilla FC
were they share a good business relationship at Club level & a
great personal feeling at Presidential level.

The other player in mind & not mentioned by “Don Balon” is
Valencia CF player David Silva. Here however there maybe a
tussle with FC Barcelona who see the Spanish International as
the natural replacement for Thierry Henry.

Stay tuned on developments.

WORLD FOOTBALL CLUBS: FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID IN TOP 10 MOST CLUB MEMBERS

Have you ever wondered which Club has the most Club members?
Football Finance Web “futebolfinance.com” gives the Top 10 list
of Clubs on a Global scale. Two Spanish Clubs are highlighted; with
Portugal placing its Lisbon Club Benfica in the Nº1 position with
the grand figure of 171,000 members for 2009.

(photo: FC Barcelona 2010)




















Here is the Top 10 list:

1. Benfica - Portugal 171,000 members
2. FC Barcelona - Spain 163,000
3. Manchester United - England 151,000
4. Bayern Munich Germany 146,000
5. FC - Portugal 115,000
6. International Port Alegre - Brazil 100,000
7. Sporting CP - Portugal 96,000
8. Real Madrid - Spain 92,000
9. River Plate - Argentina 82, 000
10. Schalke 04 - Germany 72,000

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 / 2010 - ROUND 23 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS (VIDEOS)

Six games in Round 23 of the Spanish Football League - "La Liga" -
have been played tonight with plenty of beautiful of goals to give
the night shine & plenty to talk about.

(photo: Cristiano Ronaldo remembers Madeira_efe)












REAL MADRID
defeated 6 - 2 VILLAREAL with
CRISTIANO RONALDO
inspired, man of the match & with a call to remembrance for his birth
place Madeira experiencing tragic floods. Real Madrid showed its
better half, after the mid-week Champions League defeat by Lyon, to
highlight authority, great & decisive play.

RONALDO started things with a magnificent 18th min free-kick;watch
the VIDEO of the goal:



Two minutes later KAKÁ converted a penalty that was given when
Ronaldo was tripped inside the square that Villareal cancelled out
in the 30th min with another fantastic free- kick goal from MARCOS
SENNA; watch VIDEO below of goal:



In the 2ºhalf the Ronaldo show continued with a deadly pass that
HIGUAIN scored in the 54th min which again was cancelled out
by Villareal Brazilian NILMAR. But the Villareal resistence ended
here with Real Madrid scoring 3 straight goals from HIGUAIN again
in the 71st min, again from KAKÁ in the 79th min & XABI ALONSO
in the 87th min from another penalty.

Real keeps the pressure on FC Barcelona & stays just 2ºpoints behind
in second place on the classification table.
























OSASUNA played out a 1-1 draw with VALLADOLID that could have
been much more as the post were hit 3 times throughtout the game
(twice by Osasuna). The goals came late with Osasuna getting ahead
in the 80th min by a spectacular "cracker" from MADUNJANIN that
was equalized by Valladolid in the 86th min via CAMUÑAS.

(photo: Malaga celebrate goal_elmundo.es)
















MALAGA managed a 2-1 victory against ESPANYOL with the latter
missing many chances to have turned the result around. Espanyol hit
the post, missed sitters & wasn´t given a possible penalty, but paid the
price for not taking their opportunities. The goals for Malaga came from
FERNANDO in the 13th min & OBINHA in the 75th min. For Espanyol
the goal came from VICTOR RUIZ in the 45th min.

(photo: At Bilbao celebrate a goal_marca.com)
















ATHLETIC DE BILBAO put on its own show with a 4-1 win over
TENERIFE. The goals for Bilbao came from LLORENTE from a
penalty, TOQUERO who played an outstanding game,
IRAOLA
& GABILONDO with another grand goal. For Tenerife the
consolidation goal came from
ALFARO



















REAL SPORTING DE GIJON
won 1-3 away over REAL ZARAGOZA.
The goals corers for Gijon were BILIC in the 38th min, MORAN in the
63rd min & BARRAL in the 93rd min. Zaragoza got one, at least, via
ARIZMENDI in the 92nd min.


















ALMERIA won a disappointing ATLETICO DE MADRID 1-0 with a
86th min goal from PIATTI after a defensive mistake from the visitors.
Almeria played well & even hit the post, but Atletico missed some
real opporunities (one from Forlan to note) that normally are scored
& tonight for some unknown reason were missed, & Atletico paid for
it & dearly.

Tomorrow Round 23 comes to its end with Monday night Football &
the Valencia CF vs Getafe match.

BASKETBALL: SPANISH CUP FINAL 2010 - BARCELONA 80 - REAL MADRID 61

FC BARCELONA gave a good old beating to their maximum rivals
REAL MADRID with a 80 – 61 score line to take this seasons
BASKETBALL SPANISH CUP Final & title (Copa del Rey).



















Barça gave a defensive lesson that stopped all of Madrid’s options &
ideas to allow Ricky Rubio to guide Barça along with the tournaments
MVP FRAN VAZQUEZ & Lorbek to rip apart their opponents.

A historic 19 point victory to Barcelona that will be felt for
sometime in Madrid

(photo: MVP Fran Vazquez)























Regal Barcelona 80 (19+21+24+16): Rubio (13), Navarro (8),
Mickeal (9), Lorbek (13), Morris (5) – intial five- Basile (6), Lakovic (1),
Ndong (1), Grimau (6), Vázquez (14) Sada (2) & Trías (2).

Real Madrid 61 (16+9+12+24): Prigioni (2), Jaric (7), Kaukenas (10),
Garbajosa (4), Lavrinovic (11), - intial five - Llull (10), Hansen (-),
Velikovic (11), Reyes (6).

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 / 2010 - SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Three games played Saturday night in Round 23 of the Spanish
League - "La Liga".















FC BARCELONA
stamped their authority with a devasting exhibition
over RACING DE SANTANDER. The 4-0 win came via the goals of
INIESTA (8th min), HENRY (28th min) with a great free-kick,
MARQUEZ (33rd min) with another free-kick & THIAGO (84th min).
The doubts about Barça were firmly squashed lat night to the glee
of Barça followers.

(photo: Jesus Navas scores)

















SEVILLA FC consolidated their Champions League table position with
a convincing 1-3 victory over MALLORCA. Mallorca scored first via
SUAREZ in the 4th min, but from here Sevilla & their best player NAVAS
took over. It was the young Sevilla International who scored & equalized
in the 23rd min. The Navas goals were followed by two more thanks to
DRAGUTINOVIC in the 57th min & PEROTTI in the 62th min.


DEPORTIVO defeated last table placed XEREZ 2-1. The goals for Depor
came from GUARDADO in the 2nd min & RIKI in the 6th min. Xerez
managed their goal thanks to BERMEJO who scored in the 37th min.

REAL MADRID: RAFAEL BENITEZ AGAIN IN MIND?

The Olympique Lyon Champions League 1-0 defeat has put REAL
MADRID
Coach PELLEGRINI on the ropes again. There is a sense
within the "noble" sector of the Club that the man doesn´t understand
the Real winning mentality, that Pellegrini is "afraid" tactically, does
not know were to place his star players yet alone who & that he
continues to make "Infantile" line-up errors that is degrading the Real
Madrid reputation & prestige.

Dirty rumour, speculation & "bad tongues" are saying that Pellegrini will
be ceased at the end of this season. Spanish sports daily "Marca" has
even insinuated that Real Madrid has "asked" Inter Milan Coach Jose
Mourinho his thoughts. However, SFS doubts very much the "Mourinho
Solution" has any weight as Mourinho is not wished at all by the Real
Madrid Top Directives (at least this is what they say)

So who could be a possible choice & solution?

(photo: Rafael Benitez)














Those same "bad tongues" have let loose the name of Liverpool FC
Coach RAFAEL BENITEZ as a viable option. The only difficulty here
is the rumoured "bad relation" with current Club Diretor-General
Jorge Valdano, but the relationship with President Florentino Perez
said to be excellent & this has more weight than the former.

SFS is sure that even Benitez does not know anything about this idea,
that it´s a local "creation" by interested "agents" & it is pure rumour,
but the news is gaining strenght that at least it is being thought about
& being studied.

Like to know your thoughts; do you think this is true & if it is a
good idea?

VIDEO: RAFAEL NADAL "RECOVERS FROM INJURY" WITH SHAKIRA

You may have been wondering what Spain´s greatest ever Tennis
player still active, ex-World Nº1 & currently Nº3 ranked is doing
since he retired from his Q/final game against Murray at this years
Australian Open with a worrying knee injury.

RAFAEL NADAL has been busy doing a musical video-clip showing
off his emotional side & his chest to the camaras. Watch a sneak
preview of the man rubbing his mantle piece up against Shakira:



The song is crap (shit) - my personal opinion & hope no offence taken
by the artists fans - but if it helps with his knee recovery then fine.

Sure Nadal´s girlfriend also understood that it was just marketing &
giving a hand to an extremely attractive Colombian women. Its all in
good fun with games.

SPAIN BEGINS ROAD TO EURO 2012 AGAINST LIECHTENSTEIN & ENDS WITH SCOTLAND

SPAIN begins its long road towards the European Nations Cup final
in 2012 on the 3rd of September against Liechtenstein playing away.
Spain is in Group I along with, these 3 other nations, Lithuania,
Czech Rep & Scotland, who have all agreed to set their games
schedule this afternoon.


(photo: Spain celebrates a goal_as.com)

















Euro 2012 qualifying Match schedule:

- 03/09/2010 Liechtenstein-Spain
- 08/10/2010 Spain-Lithuania
- 12/10/2010 Scotland -Spain
- 25/03/2011 Spain – Czech Rep.
- 29/03/2011 Lithuania - Spain
- 06/09/2011 Spain -Liechtenstein
- 07/10/2011 Czech Rep - Spain
- 11/10/2011 Spain -Scotland

EUROPA LEAGUE 2009-2010: SPANISH TEAMS NOTCH UP 3 DRAWS & 1 LOSS

Four Spanish teams participated tonight in the EUROPA LEAGUE
home & away phase with three draws & one loss.


(photo: Marcos Senna scores from free-kick_marca.com)











Great game at VILLAREAL with a 2-2 draw against Germany team
WOLFSBURG. Villareal scored first with a great free-kick from
SENNA
in the 42nd min. However it was Wolfsburg Brazilian star GRAFITE
who scored twice (with the last a penalty) in the 65th & 84th min to
almost give his side victory, but Villareal palyer RUBEN equalized in
the 85th min. This keeps the tie alive for the return leg.


(photo: Valencia Mathieu who went off injured later)























Bad night for VALENCIA CF who travelled to Belgium & lost to
BRUGGE 1-0, & it could have been worst. Valencia lost
David Silvia
in the 50th min to a Red Card (double yellow) that helped the
Belgium team score in the 56th min via KOVEMAHA. From here,
the local team had the advantage although Valencia tried hard &
even hit the post via Villa in the 70th min.

The tie is open & Valencia must win at home next week.

ATLETICO DE MADRID paid the price of not "killing off" GALATASARAY
tonight & allowed the Turks to comeback to finish the match in a 1-1
draw. Atletico was superior & scored first via a brilliant free-kick
from REYES in the 21st min. Watch VIDEO below:

(Allow VIDEO to load)


From here on Atletico had a series of chances that ex-Atletico
goalkeeper LEO FRANCO stopped for the Turks. In fact, Franco was
their best man as he stopped 4-5 almost certain goals that kept his
team alive. As expected in these circumstances & with so many missed
opportunities Galatasaray equalized via KEITA in the 77th min after an
Atletico mental lapse.

A disappointing finish & result for Atletico who should have won &
well.Now they must play the Turks in the "hostile" Istambul stadium &
attempt to cancel out the Galatasaray away goal advantage.

















ATHLETIC DE BILBAO played a 1-1 draw against ANDERLECTHT.
The visiting team scored first via BIGLIA in the 34th min to have
Bilbao defender SAN JOSE equalize in the 58th min. From here it
was end to end stuff were Bilbao had a brilliant chance missed in the
last seconds that wasn´t converted. Now its suffering time next week
as the travel to Anderlecht for the return tie.

TRANSFER RUMOURS: FC BARCELONA WORKING HARD FOR 2010-2011




The Barcelona sporting press are publishing that FC BARCELONA is
already busy planning their squad for the next 2010-2011 season,
even though the Club Presidential elections are due & the new
“bosses” are unknown. However, there is one chief who is outside
these forces & is already hard at work & that is Coach Guardiola
who has handed in his wish list. There are to positions that are a
priority, the need for a left hand winger & a creative midfielder.


(photo: on Barça list_sport.es)













The creative midfielder is well known, CESC FABREGAS the current
Spanish International & Captain of ARSENAL, while for the left-hand
side forward position the name FRANCK RIBERY of BAYERN MUNICH
is again sounding with force. With the latter its is said that Madrid has
a “verbal agreement” with Bayern, however since then Real Madrid
has turned its interest towards Spanish International David Silva &
that may have forced the Ribery Camp to “flirt” with Barça in case
Real does not come through. FC Barcelona knows that the
French International is a “complex” case & has a plan B up its sleeve
which is VALENCIA CF star & Spanish International JUAN MATA.

Lastly, the defensive area is wished to be reinforced aas well
especially the Dani Alves position & two names are being supposedly
looked at by the Club. They are OSASUNA player CESAR
AZPILICUENTA
& MANCHESTER UNITED Irish defender O´SHEA.

All these names are speculation at this moment & should be
accepted as such by everyone. But one thing is clear, FC Barcelona
is already working hard & is planned its squad for the new &
upcoming season.

Stay tuned for further news in the coming days, weeks & months.

THE SERGIO CANALES "MANIA"

The new REAL MADRID signing from Racing de Santander, SERGIO
CANALES
has seen how his life has dramatically changed overnight.
His jump to stardom has catapulted the 19 year old to become the
new “teen idol” of thousands of young adolescent females that
follow & scream their hearts out to the young player on his travels.














The player has had to see his personal security increased with more
bodyguards when he was overwhelmed by hundreds of fans on his
19th birthday last week that swarmed onto Canales with gifts & well
wishes. This is the “new” life that Sergio Canales will have to come
to terms with as his media profile increases. No doubt, Real Madrid
will wish to exploit his “boyish” looks to do some smart marketing
so that both Club & player benefit mutually. Let’s hope the young
man does not get overwhelmed by it all. For the moment, it looks
like Sergio Canales is handling well his new situation like a veteran
& raises confidence that he will take it all as a true professional.

These four below on the video were experts at handing the “fan
phenomenon”, perhaps Canales should take a leaf from their book
& write down some observed tips for his next outing in public:



Was that Canales running in front? :o)

REAL MADRID: PLAYING LIKE THIS WILL NOT WIN THEM THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE



"Nos llevamos un mal resultado y una mala impresión del
equipo
"
“We take back a bad result & a very poor impression
of the team”

(Jorge Valdano Real Madrid Director General)
















If yesterday was an indicator, REAL MADRID WILL NOT win this years
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, the prime objective seeing that the Final will
be played on their home ground; the mythical “Santiago Bernabeu
Stadium". The European Cup (now Champions League) is an obsession
for Real Madrid who has won 9 titles & has over the years fallen in
love with it to claim the tournament as their own. The Clubs global
strategy, both institutional & economical, has the European title as
the cornerstone & thus invests “astronomical” sums of money to
acquire the “Best players in the World” for such endeavour. This
year is extremely awkward as there exist certain “paranoia” at Real
about the hypothetical possibility of “arch-rival” FC Barcelona
winning their 4th Champions League on Madrid turf; a humiliating
experience that Real wishes to avoid for the record books. Last
nights Champions League Quarter- Final 1º leg match against Olympique
Lyon highlighted the continual team deficits & aroused once again
serious doubts on this seasons 300M€ project .

(photo: Real Madrid players after the Lyon goal_as.com)















There are many areas were one can begin to analyse in order to
attempt to come up with some logical responses, SFS will
concentrate on these mere observations:

1. Real Madrid has lost respect. The opponents quickly see that the
play does not respond to the image & reputation. Many teams begin
with a defensive & conservative line-up to transform themselves
into attacking & adventurous sides once they observe that Real is
not as dangerous as initially believed.
2. Real Madrid suffers from over confidence which causes them to
jump onto the field with a certain relaxation that is dangerous.
Yesterday, Real Madrid had already won the Lyon match in their
heads before it had started. The 0-3 victory the Saturday before
against last placed “Liga” side Xerez is not comparable against a
European Team in Champions League.
3. An apparent lack of understanding of what the Real Madrid
institution & history stands for & what it means to millions of
followers. The team can lose, but at least go down “dying”, giving
all your heart & soul. Perhaps so many new faces have yet to learn
for whom & where they are in reality actually playing. Where
is the professional & personal pride?
4. Surreal & difficult to understand Coaching decisions. Yesterday
Coach Pellegrini decided to put in the starting line-up Mahamadou
Diarra
over Lass Diarra. The former has not played a full game in
a full year plus is a defensive midfielder when Lyon had already
shown their cards that their initial intention was to defend & not
attack. But there is more, indecision with Ramos if central or a
lateral defender, Arbeloa if right or left, Marcelo, Higuain or
Benzema, where to put Kaká…etc & etc. We are near done this
season & theses tactical issues have yet to be resolved.
5. Small team thinking & mentality, not too mention excuses. Sure
last nights pitch was terrible, yes there was a penalty on Ronaldo
in the 2ºhalf, but a Club of Madrid dimensions & history should
never need to resort to these issues, they need to win on the field
with goals & authority, something non-existent yesterday.
6. It was the perfect night for Captain Raul to have come on in the
2º half to pull his team forward, show his character & lead by
example. Instead Coach Pellegrini puts on Benzema who has just
come out of an injury & had his head more in smiling to his ex-team
mates, the crowd & camaras.
7. There is a serious dependence on Cristiano Ronaldo, the man is
good but alone he cannot win a game. The big signings have not
reached the level that most expect. Here there are mental &
physical limits that have not been worked & need to be taken care
of in the coming weeks.

(photo: Coach Pellegrini)


















We could go on further, we can see that things are not going correctly
& hasn’t for sometime, which leads one to believe that Real Madrid
will not win this years Champions League if they continue this path.
Coach Pellegrini illustrates by his actions that he is not the man for this
ambitious project & will most likely find himself without work next
season if Real does not win the Champions &/or “La Liga”.

Allow SFS to finish with an optimistic tone & put faith in the idea
that Real Madrid (in the name of Spanish Football) , its Directives,
its players & coaching staff will reflect on last nights Lyon 1-0 loss &
poor performance to solve the errors with these thoughts:

(a)That everyone at Real Madrid prepare themselves correctly for
what will be the most important game of the season to date for the
Club & turn around this Quarter-Final with a convincing victory that
will send a message throughout Europe that Real Madrid is serious in
its aim for the title.
(b)To win back respect, pride & achieve a victory that causes a
tremor in the minds of opponents who themselves will be forced
back into fear & on the defensive.
(c)To finally find the stage for the “stars” to shine & show their
true worth with play, coordination & victories.

SFS is confident this will happen & that the 2º leg Quarter Final
against Lyon at the “Santiago Bernabeu” will be a different story.
If not, the earthquake will send tremors throughout Europe that
will cause many building to fall into rumble, the first being Coach
Pellegrini, & perhaps Club Director General Jorge Valdano, who
hired Pellegrini in the first place.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1º LEG QUARTER FINAL 2010: OLYMPIQUE LYON 1 - REAL MADRID 0 (VIDEO)

The "curse" of the Lyon "Stade Gerland" continues to haunt REAL
MADRID
who were defeated 1-0 by OLYMPIQUE LYON. In fact,
the French win is well deserved as the local team put in a very
serious, disciplined & well organized game that "chocked" Real
Madrid with intense pressure with every Spanish move. The French
did not show any shyness & planted a well studied strategic plan that
payed off for them tonight.

Real Madrid was uncomfortable & wrong footed all night, added to
which Xabi Alonso & Marcelo received yellow cards which will make them miss the return leg of this CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Quarter-Final tie.

The only goal came in the 47th min when Real midfielder Granero
lost the ball in the center to which MAKOUN received & riffled a
great long range shot that hit the back off the net. Watch the VIDEO
of the goal below:

(Allow VIDEO to load)


From here Real Madrid attempted to come back with Benzema coming
on after a near miss from Higuain, who he substituted, to add freshness
up front, but Lyon kept firm with their thoughtout "defensive wall".

Real Madrid go home disappointed & with some thoughts on how to
turn around this Quarter-final when they meet again for the return
leg at the "Santiago Bernabeu" Stadium in Madrid. We expect Real
Madrid to have the home advantage & the quality to be able to win,
& well, to go onto the semis. However, tonight Lyon let know that
the Madrid objective will not be easy & that Real win need to fight
& win well to stop them from going to the next phase instead.

EXCUSE ME, HAVE YOU SEEN HENRY?

Where is Thierry Henry?

That’s the question that fans & media have been asking these last
few days. The FC BARCELONA French International has been “missing”
for the last three official games & speculation is mounting as to
whether there has been a “fall out” between Coach Guardiola &
the French forward.

(photo: Henry in action_elmundo.es)

















It isn’t turning out to be the best season for Henry who’s form is low
& his position has been overtaken by young Barça promise Pedro.
Added to this it seems that another young Barça prodigy, Bojan, has
overtaken Henry as the next choice to play if needed.

The relationship between Guardiola & Henry has always been of
mutual admiration & many a time Guardiola has shielded Henry from
severe criticism & has put faith on the Frenchman in important
games. But has something occurred that has damaged this “special”
relationship? Has Guardiola decided that he can no longer defend
Henry over younger players who are proving to be in much better
form?

Henry has one more year of contract, but it looks probable as time
moves forward that he maybe the next star to leave Barça & with
destination to US Soccer. In fact, the speculation is strong & gaining
strenght that Henry could be facing his final months at Camp Barça.

Excuse me, does anyone know where Henry is?
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...