MARCUS REUS | REAL MADRID HAS COMPETITION

The FIFA imposed prohibition of signing players until 2016 - ractified by the CAS - on FC Barcelona has eliminated a serious competitor from the Marcus Reus signing race. The Borussia Dortmund & German International is the hottest property on the Football Market that everyone wants, including Spanish Club Real Madrid. With FC Barcelona totally out of the picture, Real Madrid has it a "little" more easier to attempt to lure the German over to Madrid next season.

However there is fierce competition from the Big European Football Clubs, that will not make it easy for the Spaniards:

• Chelsea FC: considered their number one priority signing for next season. The English Club is one of the big rivals for Real Madrid to attempt to sign Marco Reus.
• Bayern Munich: been after the players "yes" for some time, would be the ideal replacement for veterans Ribery & Robben.
• Manchester City: has been following for sometime.
• PSG: The Sheik owner of PSG needs a big star to accompany Ibraimovic in his last years of his career. Youth, projection & talent, Reus would be the ideal signing.
• Manchester United: the Club continues with its reconstruction. Reus would be their "right side" Di Maria.

The surprise news this morning from that Spanish Club Atletico de Madrid has an "pre-agreement" with Marcus Reus. This is unconfirmed news "leaked" by a local journalist picked up by English media.  

As you can read, Real Madrid has serious competition in order to convince & get the signature of Marcos Reus. Stay tuned.

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WORLD SOCCER | CRISTIANO RONALDO WINS BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2014

The Soccer Magazine "World Soccer" has Awarded Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo their "Best Football Player of the Year 2014". CR7 was voted by 100 journalists & other World Soccer experts, ahead of Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer & FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi.

Traditionally, the winner of the "World Soccer" Player of the Year coincides with the soon to be announced France Football - FIFA Golden Ball winner. We will have to wait & see if this "tradition" continues.

World Soccer Best Player of the Year 2014 list:

1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 928 pts
2 Neuer (Bayern) 789 
3 Messi (FC Barcelona) 593
4 Robben (Bayern) 458 
5 Muller (Bayern) 354 
6 Lahm (Bayern) 264 
7 James Rodriguez (Real Madrid) 243 
8 Luis Suarez (FC Barcelona) 218 
9 Di Maria (Manchester United) 183 
10 Kroos (Real Madrid) 168 
11 Neymar (FC Barcelona) 166 
12 Diego Costa (Chelsea) 146 
13 Ibrahimovic (PSG) 138 
14 Agüero (Manchester City) 79 
15 Bale (Real Madrid) 78 
16 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) 69
17 Schweinsteiger (Bayern) 61 
18 Toure (Manchester City) 56 
19 Mascherano (FC Barcelona) 39 
20 Godin (Atletico de Madrid) 35 

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VALENCIA CF SIGNS MIDFIELDER ENZO PEREZ

Valencia CF has reached an agreement with Portuguese Football Club Benfica for the transfer of Argentine International player Enzo Perez. The agreement is obviously conditioned by the corresponding medical exam - which should be OK - & this procedure should sealed the signing on January 2nd 2015.

It is expected that the player will arrive sometime today at Valencia. Valencia CF already showed their interest in the Argentine player last summer, but their attempts were frustrated at that time. This complements the express desires of Coach Nuno who considers the midfielder a vital piece for his Football project.

Enzo Perez has cost Valencia CF 25M€ & has signed for the remainder of this season plus four more.

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FERNANDO TORRES GOES ON LOAN TO ATLETICO DE MADRID

Back from the Xmas break & the big news is that Fernando Torres has returned to the Club that put him on the World Football stage, Atletico de Madrid. The return of the "prodigal son" has been made official by the Spanish Football Club. 

Complicate negotiation between three Clubs & another player involved, Atletico de Madrid Italian winger Cerci. In the end the mutual interests of all parties coincided with logic as:

• Chelsea FC wanted to get off their list of players Torres & in the process get some money, 
• AC Milan wanted to get off their list of players Torres & wished Cerci of Atletico de Madrid,
• Cerci wanted an exit as he had no regular place in the Atletico team,
• Fernando Torres was delighted to return to Spain & attempt his last opportunity to regain lost form & prestige.

Fernando Torres goes to Atletico on loan from Milan for the remaining part of the season , plus the next. Atletico de Madrid Italian player Cerci goes to AC Milan.

Everyone knows that Fernando Torres is no longer the player that tantalized the Football World. However, there is faith that he may regain "lost sensations" back home, & Atletico Coach Simeone believes in Torres & that he can contribute positively to the squad. We will see. 

For now, welcome back Fernando Torres, lots of luck.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SPANISH FOOTBALL SPORTS

Taking some days off from posting & grabbing some Christmas time with the family. 

I wish all the regular readers of Spanish Football Sports - & visitors -  a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy this special time of the year with your loved ones. 

Will be back real soon! Cheers.

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THE MANCHESTER UNITED INTEREST FOR GARETH BALE

The news travelling out of England that Manchester United is willing to make a 150M€ offer for Real Madrid & Welsh international Gareth Bale apparently has truth according to local media sources.

However, the Premier League Club has two big obstacle:

• the 1,270 M€ contract release clause, seeing that Real Madrid does not wish to sell,
• the "NO" from the player who is reported to be happy at the Spanish Club.

This last point has caused confusion as UK sources claim Bale has given the green light. However, although it is true that adapting to a new country, language & city has not been easy for the Welshman, his 18 months at the Clubs has already given him Champions League, FIFA World Clubs, UEFA Super Cup & Spanish Cup titles, were he has been involved directly in the teams wins. Doubt Bale would want to go elsewhere.

Said this, where Manchester United may be successful if with Real Madrid left-back Fabio Coentrao. The English Club was very close to signing the player in 2013 & still has interest. Stay tuned!

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SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA ROUND 16 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

The remaining four games - & last for 2014 - of the Spanish Football Liga Round 16 were played with the following final results & goalscorers.

Villarreal are "on fire" notching up another win & jumping into 5th place of the Liga table with eyes firmly on Champions League positions. Villarreal won 3 - 0 Deportivo A Coruña, a team in the opposite extreme with a horrific season so far. The goals came in the 10th min through Jonathan, & Vietto got two - 68th & 73rd min.

Granada drew 1 - 1 with Madrid Club Getafe. The home team has not tasted victory for three months & it looked as if this would change when Jhon Cordoba put them ahead in the 39th min. But Getafe put on their this season "marginalized" midfielder Pedro Leon who changed the course of his team setting up team-mate Velazquez who equalized in the 77th min.

Elche hosted Malaga FC & lost 1 - 2. The "hero" of the game for Malaga was substitute Luis Alberto who scored the second & the winner for his team in the 77th min after being on the field only 30 seconds. Earlier Elche scored first through Lomban in the 46th min, to which Camacho equalized for the visitors in the 49th min.

Athletic Club Bilbao lost 1 - 4 against  Atletico de Madrid in tonights big clash. Bilbao started well but later fell "victim" to the deadly Atletico counter-attacks & Griezmann who managed a HAT-TRICK.

Bilbao went ahead early with a Rico free-kick header in the 17th min. Later Bilbao forward Aduriz missed a clear goal chance to go further ahead but failed to convert, which would result costly later. Atletico Madrid reacted with a Griezmann 46th min goal, & later Raul Garcia equalized converting a controversial penalty in the 53rd min. Griezmann then scored two more goals - 73rd min & 81st min - with perfectly executed team counters that sentenced the game the visitors way. Atletico de Madrid with the 3 points stay close to Real Madrid & Barça in the Liga ladder.

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REAL MADRID 2 SAN LORENZO 0 | WINS 2014 FIFA WORLD CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Spanish Football Club REAL MADRID finishes their incredible year with another Title, the FIFA World Clubs Champions 2014, after defeating Argentine Club San Lorenzo 2 - 0 in tonights Final.

Fairly comfortable game for Real Madrid with San Lorenzo showing very little Football & more their attempts at "physical distraction". Their input was the amount of fouls committed & their at times "dirty tactics" that reinforced their lack of Football level. Bad image from the Argentine Club.

The two goals for Real Madrid came in the 37th min with a Sergio Ramos header, & the second in the 51st min through a Gareth Bale shot that the San Lorenzo goalie "swallowed" (slipped under his body) innocently. The other news was that Cristiano Ronaldo did not score, although he tried all night, but he was awarded later the "Silver Ball" (2º Best Player) of the Tournament.

Team-mate Sergio Ramos won the MVP of the Final & was award the "Golden Ball" as the "Best Player of the Championship". Another highlight was the 22nd straight victory of Real Madrid, the 700th match of Real Madrid goalie Iker Casillas & he lifting another trophy as the Club Captain. 

The only nnegativeaspect for Real Madrid was the injury to Marcelo, that did not look too bad at the end of the match. While on the opposite end Coentrao did a good job substituting the Brazilian.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA ROUND 16 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Last Spanish Football Liga weekend for 2014 with Round 16 games scheduled & before the Christmas break. Following are all the final results along with the goalscorers.

Celta de Vigo started the season well but have lost steam in a worrying manner. Another loss 0 - 1 to Almeria yesterday - Friday Night game - with a victory for new Coach Juan Ignacio Martinez (JIM). The winner came in the 16th min through Hemed.

Walk in the park for FC Barcelona with a 5 - 0 win over bottom of the Liga ladder placed Cordoba. One sided affair, & sometime boring game as Cordoba could have stayed home. The goals fell in the following manner:

• Pedro 1st min , 1 - 0
• Suarez 52nd min, 2 - 0
• Pique 74th min , 3 - 0
• Messi 81st min, 4 - 0
• Messi 90th min

Levante hosted Real Sociedad & drew 1 - 1 in the very last moment of play to get a point. The opener came in the 48th min when Canales put the visitors ahead, but a 92 nd min penalty transformed by Ivanschitz saved the day for Levante.

Eibar hosted Valencia CF & made the visitors work hard to pull the 3 points with a 0 - 1 victory. Good team Eibar which has been showing us their Football worth all this season. The winner for Valncia came in the 32nd min through Alcacer.

Exciting & entertaining match between Rayo Vallecano & RCD Espanyol  with the latter taking the 3 points. Espanyol won 1 - 3 with 10 men after Stuani was sent off in the 81st min.  Espanyol went ahead first with a 5th min Sergio Garcia goal, that Baptistao qualized for Rayo in the 45th min. However, the match went in favour of Espanyol after Lucas Vazquez scored in the 76th min & Sergio Garcia again in the 96th min

More Round 16 Spanish Liga matches tomorrow.

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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY THURSDAY GAMES RESULTS

The last four remaining Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey 2º leg games were played tonight with the following final results & goalscorers.

Atletico de Madrid drew 2 - 2 with L´Hospitalet going into the next stage of the Kings Cup after having done the hard work in the 1º leg winning 0 - 3. Small attendance with At. Madrid giving a run to the players that aren't getting the minutes. 

Mandzukic scored both goals for Atletico in the 19th & 74th min, while Alcazar scored both for the visitors in the 67th & 84th min. 

Atletico de Madrid will now meet Real Madrid in the next round.

Elche eliminates Valladolid thanks to the 6th min goal from Adrian & final score 1 - 0. Elche will now face FC Barcelona in the next stage of the Spanish Cup for them. 

Athletic Club Bilbao won 1 - 0 Alcoyano with a goal from Viguera in the 38th min & qualify for the next stage. 

Malaga FC won  4 - 1 Deportivo A Coruña & go through to the next stage of the Spanish Cup. The goals fell in this order:

• Santa Cruz 51st min, 1 - 0
• Postinga 57th min, 1 - 1
• Recio 59th min, 2 - 1
• Santa Cruz 68th min, 3 - 1
• Camacho 93rd min, 4 - 1

This is a graph of all the results & next stage match-ups of the Spanish Cup.

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BEST GOALKEEPERS FOR 2014

UK paper "Daily Mail" has published their list of "The Best Goalkeepers for 2014". Bayern Munich Neuer tops the list, but Spanish International & Manchester United goalie David De Gea flys the Spanish flag high in the Nº 2 spot. Iker Casillas is ranked 7th while the other Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas is Nº 10. 

A sightly "Premier League biased" ranking, with Joe Hart of Man City perhaps over-ranked. 

Top 10 World Goalkeepers for 2014:

01.- Manuel Neuer (Bayern de Múnich)
02.- David de Gea (Manchester United)
03-. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea)
04.- Joe Hart (Manchester City)
05.- Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
06.- Hugo Lloris (Tottenham)
07.- Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
08.- Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint-Germain)
09.- Samir Handanovic (Inter de Milán)
10.- Keylor Navas (Real Madrid)

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COPA DEL REY - SPANISH CUP WEDNESDAY GAMES FINAL RESULTS

Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey 2º leg return matches continued tonight with the following final results & goalscorers.

Eibar lost 1 - 2 to Madrid Club Getafe & was eliminated from the Spanish Kings Cup. The goals fell in this order:

• Vigaray 22nd min, 0 - 1
• Diego Castro 34th min, 0 - 2
• Piovaccari (penalty) 55th min, 1 - 2

Getafe go through.

RCD Espanyol won 1 - 0 Alaves with the 64th min goal from Jairo, thus 3-0 overall aggregate. 

Levante drew 0 - 0 with Albacete, but qualified for the next round thanks to the 1 - 1 1º leg result with the away goal.


Cordoba drew 1 - 1 with Granada, but was eliminated.  The goal for Cordoba in the 5th min by Florin, but the "knock out punch" came with the 59th min equalizer by Mainz. Granada moves on to meet Sevilla in the next stage.

Real Sociedad knocked out Oviedo winning 2 - 0 with two goals from their giant Islandic forward Finnbogson - 28th & 61st min goals.

Villarreal won 3 - 0 Cadiz, with goals from Trigueros (penalty) in the 55th min,  & 2 from Gerard - 78th & 88th min. Villarreal qualify.

More Spanish Cup games tomorrow.

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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY TUESDAY GAMES FINAL RESULTS

While the World Soccer audience had their eyes on the TV watching Spanish Football Club Real Madrid win 0 - 4 Cruz Azul in the FIFA World Clubs semis, in Spain four return 2º leg games were being played of the Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey. Here are tonights final results with the goalscorers. 

Celta de Vigo eliminated 2º Division Club Las Palmas winning 3 - 1. The goals fell in this order:

• Larrivey 19th min, 1 - 0
• Mina 50th min, 2 - 0
• Aleman 53rd min, 2 - 1
• Orellana 92nd min, 3 - 1

Near surprise after Madrid club Rayo Vallecano was leading t one stage 2 - 4 Valencia CF. The Valencia Coach Nuno made 3 changes in the 2º half & his team came back to equalize the final result 4 - 4 & qualify for the next round. The last Valencia goal looked illegal from Rodrigo & Rayo went off the field very upset.  The goals came in the following order:

• Alcacer 8th min, 1 - 0
• Jozabed 20th min, 1 - 1
• Pozuelo 23rd min, 1 - 2
• Pereira 38th min, 1 - 3
• Morcillo (own goal), 2 - 3
• Embarba 61st min, 2 - 4
• Alcacer 65th min, 3 - 4
• Rodrigo 71st min, 4 - 4

Valencia through on aggregate.

Whitewash as FC Barcelona won 8 - 1 Huesca to go through walking into the next stage of the Spanish Cup. HAT-TRICK for Barça forward Pedro. Here is the order of all the goals:

• Pedro 20th min, 1 - 0
• Pedro 27th min, 2 - 0
• Sergi Roberto 29th min, 3 - 0
• Iniesta 39th min , 4 - 0
• Pedro 43rd min, 5 - 0
• Adriano 68th min, 6 - 0
• Adama 78th min , 7 - 0
• Sandro 84th min, 8 - 0
• Gasper 86th min, 8 - 1

Almeria eliminated Real Betis winning tonight 2 - 1 (6 - 4 agg). The match included the goal of the Kings Cup by Almeria Zongo from the middle of the field. Goals fell in this order:

• Michel 58th min, 1 - 0
• Zongo 75th min, 2 - 0
• Perquis 77th min, 2 - 1

More Spanish Cup matches tomorrow.

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REAL MADRID WINS 0 - 4 CRUZ AZUL IN FIFA WORLD CLUBS SEMI-FINAL

Real Madrid defeated Mexican Club Cruz Azul 0 - 4 in the first semi-final of the FIFA World Clubs Championships being held on Morocco. The Spanish Football Club goes into the final next Saturday against the winner of the other semi-final between San Lorenzo & Auckland to be played tomorrow.

Real Madrid had a fairly comfortable match except for a penalty that fortunately Iker Casillas stopped from Torrado in the first half, & a post in the second. Apart from this little more did Cruz Azul trouble Real Madrid. 

The other news is that Cristiano Ronaldo did not score, but he assisted in two goals which is positive for his team. The goals fell in the following order tonight:

• Sergio Ramos 14th min, 0 - 1
• Karim Benzema 36th min, 0 - 2
• Gareth Bale 50th min , 0 - 3
• Isco 72nd min , 0 - 4

Real Madrid now awaits its Saturday final opponent.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAWS | SPANISH FOOTBALL CLUBS

UEFA drew the match-ups of the last 16 Clubs in Champions League this midday with the following results for the three Spanish Football Clubs involved:

• Manchester City - FC Barcelona
• Schalke 04 - Real Madrid
• Bayern Leverkusen - Atletico de Madrid

These are the playing dates:

• 17/18 - 24/25 February 2015
• 10/11 - 17/18 March 2015

All three Spanish Clubs were Group leaders so they won the right the play the return 2º leg match at home, an obvious advantage.

If luck is a factor, FC Barcelona seems to have gotten the stiff end facing Manchester City, compared with the other two Spanish Football Clubs. It is logical to say that all the Clubs in this phase of the competition are all top level, but some more than others beforehand. 

Real Madrid will be relatively satisfied with their match-up, while Atletico de Madrid has a difficult clash with Laverkusen. 

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SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA ROUND 15 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

Four games of Spanish Football Liga scheduled today of Round 15. Here are the final results along with all the goalscorers.

Exciting clash between RCD Espanyol & Granada with the home team winning at the end with a 2 - 1 final result. Espanyol got themselves ahead first through Caicedo in the 33rd min, to then see Granada equalize through El-Arabi in the 60th min. But Stuani was to be the hero today for Espanyol - again - when he managed the winner in the 90th min. 

Sevilla FC drew 0 - 0 with the revelation team of the season Eibar. Step back in the plans of Sevilla which faced today an unbreakable defensive wall by Eibar. Sevilla claimed a penalty on Reyes in the final minutes but it was not given. Shared points.

Big slip for Atletico de Madrid which lost 0 - 1 to Villarreal. Complicated match for the home team with a well positioned tactically Villarreal side. Atletico just could not break through at all & their usual game of counter & fixed plays were neutralized. The home team complained a disallowed Mandzukic header goal mid second half, but the winner came in the 85th min by Villarreal player Vietto. 

Big Spanish Basque Region derby between Real Sociedad & Athletic Club Bilbao which ended in a 1 - 1 draw. Perfect start for Real Sociedad which got ahead in the 3rd min with a Carlos Vela goal. They later missed their opportunities & allowed Bilbao to grow until De Marcos scored the equalizer in the 61st min. Bilbao player Laporta - 80th min - was sent off with a double yellow, & Bilbao held out till the end the home side attacks. Shared points!

MONDAY NIGHT ROUND 15 GAME.
Deportivo A Coruña - Elche

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SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA ROUND 15 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Spanish Football Liga Round 15 continued today with four scheduled games. Following are all of the final results, along with todays goalscorers.

FC Barcelona travelled to Madrid to play Getafe. The final result was a 0 - 0 draw which opens up a 4 point gap with Liga leaders Real Madrid. Getafe also put in their bit making the game difficult & awkward for the visitors frustrating them as time raced. Getafe did create their goal opportunities, but Barça goalie Bravo made some great saves to avoid the damage. Barça also had their chances, one notable being Lionel Messi hitting the bar from a free-kick.

Both sides also claimed penalties that were not called. Shared points!

Madrid Club Rayo Vallecano was overrun in the first half of their match with Valencia CF with three goals that were to be the final 3 - 1 result. Valencia at home needed to win so as to not lose points with the top of the ladder Liga contenders. The visitors had more ball possession but were ineffective to convert into goals. 

Valencia opened with Feghouli header in the 13th min, which he added with his second in the 34th min. Two minutes later Piatti scored the third. The second half was more a contained affair but Valencia had already sealed the match earlier.

Cordoba hosted Levante & both put in a grey match with a final 0 - 0 result. Only real chances of scoring came from fixed plays, with little creativity from the field. Shared points! 

A 21st min header by Samuel was enough to give Malaga a 1 - 0 victory over Celta de Vigo. It is the fourth match in a row that Celta fails to score a goal, very indicative of their dive in form which should put them on alert. Malaga FC keep adding points & climbing. 

More Round 15 Liga games tomorrow.

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ALMERIA 1 - REAL MADRID 4 | ROUND 15 SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA RESULT

Spanish Football Liga Round 15 kicked off tonight with Almeria hosting Real Madrid. The latter plays on a Friday due to their participation next Week in the "FIFA World Clubs Championships" currently happening in Morocco.

The final result was a 1 - 4 win for Real Madrid in their last Liga match for 2014. The victory by Real Madrid gives them their 20th straight victory, thus pushing the record further while soon to be new Almeria Coach Juan Ignacio Martinez - JIM - watched from the stands. 

Almeria played well, showing aggression & drive to reach the Real Madrid goal. The visitors had to work for their chances as the habitual free flowing game was somewhat lacking, perhaps due to James Rodriguez absence.  Things were relatively equal up until the 80th min when Real Madrid - especially Cristiano Ronaldo - scored two quick goals. 

A turning point was the 63rd min penalty missed by Almeria, stopped by Iker Casillas, when the score-line was 1 - 2. If Almeria had been able to equalize things may have gone differently. Lastly, some of the goals scored tonight were brilliant, starting with the opener for Madrid with an Isco curler, the long range shot from Verza for Almeria & the header later from Bale.

Special mention to Real Madrid midfieder Illaramendi who played a grand game, notching his fourth in a row, & gaining confidence every time. By the way, the 2 goals from CR7 tonight takes his Liga tally to 25 goals, simply amazing.

Order of goals:

• Isco 34th min, 0 - 1
• Verza 39th min, 1 - 1
• Bale 42nd min, 1 - 2
• Cristiano Ronaldo 81st min, 1 - 3
• Cristiano Ronaldo 88th min, 1 - 4

More Liga Round 15 games over the weekend.

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FERNANDO TORRES BACK TO ATLETICO DE MADRID ?

Interesting piece of news coming out of Spanish Sports press concerning Atletico de Madrid & the soon to open "Winter Transfer Season". According to Sports paper "AS" the Spanish Football Club has 3 names on the table: Fernando Torres, Shaqiri & Podolski. Atletico de Madrid is thinking of signing a forward to complement Mandzukic & give the Croatian some needed rest with so many games scheduled in all competitions.

AC Milan has offered a straight swap between their forward Fernando Torres & disgruntled Atletico de Madrid winger Cerci. The latter is not having the minutes that he would like & has voiced his nervous situation to the Club. Cerci is valued in Italian Football & Milan could be an option. Fernando Torres is not the player that put him in the Football elite seasons back & his performance at Milan is below expectation. The fact is that Torres is being hammered by Sports press by both Italian & British media as being a "flop" , & worst, "useless" by English Press.

The return of Torres would excite the fan-base, but the player would have to expect to currently play a more "secondary" role for the moment, plus his huge salary is also an important obstacle.

Atletico de Madrid has been talking to representatives of Swiss player Shaqiri. Much liked by Club Directives for his speed, Coach Simeone has put the break on for the moment with talks.

Lastly, German International & Arsenal FC forward Podolski seems to be another option. The player ends contract soon & wishes to leave in January. The transfer is priced around 20M€ , but this figure could fall because Arsenal is interested in Cerci. Including the Italian in the operation could make it all more viable & attractive for Atletico to attempt Podolski. 

Stay tuned for possible further developments.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WEDNESDAY GAMES RESULTS

UEFA Champions League Group match action continued tonight with the last two Spanish Football representatives on show. Here are the final results with all the goalscorers.

FC Barcelona hosted Paris St Germain for their Group F match. Plenty in play, the top spot of the Group, pride & "revenge" for Barça who lost the Paris encounter. The final result was 3 - 1 to FC Barcelona in an entertaining game of Football that saw Barça give the final knock-out blow with the third goal in the 76th min, while PSG fizzed out after not converting some great goal opportunities earlier on that could have sway things their way.

The goals fell in this order:

• Ibrahimovic 15th min, 0 - 1
• Messi 19th min, 1 - 1
• Neymar 41st min, 2 - 1
• Luis Suarez 76th min, 3 - 1

Some excellent executed goals tonight, especially Neymar. Plus special mention to Barça defender Bartra who played as right back & put in a "blinder".

Confidence boosting win for FC Barcelona as the "machine" begins firing on all cylinders.  

Athletic Club Bilbao hosted Bate Borisov in their Group H match. The Spanish Club had the objective of a victory tonight in order to secure the 3rd spot & stay in Europe via the "Europa League" competition. Successful night with a final 2 - 0 victory with goals from San Jose in the 47th min & Susaeta in the 88th min.

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UEFA CHMPIONS LEAGUE TUESDAY GROUP GAMES RESULTS

UEFA Champions League Group matches tonight with two Spanish Football Clubs down for action. Here are the final results from both games along with the goalscorers.

Very intense & fought out game at Juventus with their Group A match against Atletico de Madrid. The Italians needed to win or draw in case Olympiakos won their match against Malmo, while Atletico wanted to win to secure the top spot of the Group. Both sides did not speculate & each went according to their original plan, however fierce Spanish defending & tactical play & great Goalkeeping from both sides contributed to the end result of a 0 - 0 draw. 

Both teams go through to the next stage of Champions League.

Real Madrid won their Group B match 4 - 0 against Bulgarian Club Ludogorets. In doing so they break the record for straight wins by a Spanish Club with 19 games undefeated, plus go through the next stage of Champions with all their Group games won. 

The Spanish team played Ludogorets with 10 men from the 18th min when Marcelinho was sent off for hand-ball on the goal line. Cristiano Ronaldo converted the penalty in the 20th min & put Real Madrid ahead. It was then all Real Madrid with Ludogorets goalie Stojanov making half a dozen saves to keep the scoreline reasonable. Although Bale in the 37th min, Arbeloa in the 80th min & young Medran in the 87th min scored the rest of the goals for Real Madrid, the conscious playing for Ronaldo to score more goals in his pursuit of the Messi European goal mark, hampered the teams general attacking play with missed chances when perhaps more direct Football was needed. 

Gareth Bale was taken off with a bleeding nose - will need to hear news later - & players like Keylor Navas, Illaramendi & Isco put in good matches, along with defenders Nacho & Varane. Special mention to the Bulgarians for their brave performance with 10 men, they always looked for the goal & gave an excellent & brave impression of their Club.

Tomorrow more Champions League games with FC Barcelona & Athletic Club Bilbao scheduled.

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TOP 100 PLAYERS IN WORLD FOOTBALL 2014 | FOUR FOUR TWO MAGAZINE

The prestigious UK Football Magazine "Four Four Two" has given its list of the "Top 100 Players in World Soccer". The top 4 names are:

Nº1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF)
Nº2 Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
Nº3 Manuel Neur (Bayern Munich)
Nº4 Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

The winner of this particular Top 100 usually goes on to win the FIFA - France Football Golden Ball. Cristiano Ronaldo is favourite & his naming here is certainly a good omen. See the full 100 list on the link above. Meanwhile, the magazine has notched up a nice video of over a minute long that runs through the Top 10, worth a watch. 



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SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA ROUND 14 MONDAY GAMES RESULTS

Spanish Football Liga action tonight with the last two scheduled matches of Round 14. Here are the final results with all the goalscorers. 

Eibar was in 2º Division last season & is currently making a great campaign in Liga this season. Today Eibar defeated 5 - 2 Almeria, the goals came in the following order:

• Piovaccari 3rd min, 1 - 0
• Berjon 21st min, 2 - 0
• Albentosa 31st min, 3 - 0
• Soriano 43rd min, 3 - 1
• Naves 57th min, 4 - 1
• Capa 74th min , 5 - 1
• Edgar 77th min, 5 - 2

While Eibar sits mid table, Almeria hoovers dangerously at the bottom end of the Liga table. 

Levante drew 1 - 1 with Madrid Club Getafe. The goals came from Yoda who opened for Getafe in the 56th min, & the equalizer for Levante came from Martins in the 71st min. 

Football continues tomorrow with Champions League Group matches, with Atletico de Madrid & Real Madrid down for action.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA ROUND 14 SUNDAY GAMES RESULT

Spanish Football Liga continued today - Sunday - with 4 games scheduled of Round 14. Here are all the final results along with all the goalscorers.

Madrid Club Rayo Vallecano lost 0 - 1 to Sevilla FC. One of their many defensive mistakes lead to the winner in the 8th min. A mix-up between a Rayo defender & goalkeeper allowed Bacca to score. Rayo looked for the equalizer in the latter part of the game but Sevilla held strong in defence to secure the 3 points.

City of Barcelona derby with FC Barcelona hosting RCD Espanyol. The final result a runaway 5 - 1 victory for Barça with a HAT-TRICK from Lionel Messi included. Espanyol got themselves ahead in the 13th min but Barça reacted in the 44th min to equalize & later poured on the goals. This is the order of all the goals:

• Sergio Garcia 13th min, 0 - 1
• Messi 44th min, 1 - 1
• Messi 50th min, 2 - 1
• Pique 52th min, 3 -1
• Pedro 76th min, 4 - 1
• Messi 81st min, 5 - 1

Excellent response by FC Barcelona in reaction to the pressure being applied by rivals Real Madrid on the Liga classification table.

Villarreal inflicted the first loss for new Real Sociedad Coach Moyes winning 4 - 0. Real Sociedad fell apart after the first Villarreal goal came from an own goal from Zubikarai. There after Villarreal got their second through Cheryshev in the 73rd min, a third by M.Gomez in the 80th min & again M.Gomez with a fourth.The three points to Villarreal, & Real Sociedad go back to the drawing board to see if they can lessen some of tonights defensive mistakes.

Granada surprised pushing Valencia CF right up to the end. In fact, the home team deserved the victory, but Valencia are also a tough nut to crack & bit their teeth to manage a worked 1 - 1 draw down to 10 men when Alcacer was sent off in the 87th min. 

In fact, Valencia thought they had managed to shake off Granada when Alvaro Negredo put them ahead in the 83rd min. But Valencia lost Alcacer to a red card in the 87th min to which Granada fully exploited & managed the equalizer in the 89th min through Success - possible offside! Excitement & controversy right down to the wire.

More Spanish Football with Monday night Round 14 games still to be played:
Eibar - Almeria
Levante - Getafe

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SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA ROUND 14 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Spanish Football Liga action today with 4 games scheduled of Round 14. Here are all the final results along with all the goalscorers.

Elche hosted Atletico de Madrid & lost 0 - 2. The visitors were relatively untroubled with a comfortable match. The first goal came from a Arda pass - possibly off-side - that defender Gimenez fired home. A spectacular goal from the youngster who is taking his opportunity in filling in for injured Miranda to prove & show his class. The second goal came in the 53rd min from the reliable Croatian Mandzukic. Another 3 points to maintain pressure at the top of the Liga table.

Athletic Club Bilbao had their recent run of victories come to an end when Cordoba notched up their 1ºst Liga win defeating Bilbao 0 - 1. The winner came in the 23rd min from Ghilas. Bilbao simply was ineffective in their finishing, around 15 attempts at goal without scoring, plus without taking any merit from Cordoba.

Real Madrid hosted Celta de Vigo & won 3 - 0 equalling the straight wins record of Frank Rijkaard with his Barça squad of 18 consecutive victories, plus Cristiano Ronaldo overtook the Hat-trick Records of Di Stefano & Zarra, scoring all 3 goals tonight taking his current Hat-trick mark to 23.

The scoreline could have been greater but the Celta goalie Sergio Alvarez put in an excellent performance stopping the numerous opportunities that Real Madrid created all match. 

Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo 35th min (penalty), 65th min & 81st min. The Portuguese has so far 23 goals from 14 rounds, leading the top Spanish Liga goalscorer list.

The solitary goal in the 23rd min by Sergi Darder was enough to give visitors Malaga a 0 - 1 victory over Deportivo A Coruña. The rest of the "reason" was Malaga FC goalkeeper Kameni who put in a brilliant performance keeping the ball out of his net.

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