SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 ROUND 9 SATURDAY RESULTS | RONALDO vs MESSI

I am currently out of town on a long weekend break & have managed to find a “Wi-fi” zone in a beat-out track bar- cafe. I have asked for a good strong cafe while I post a bit about Spanish Football & the fantastic three matches played yesterday of Round 9.

In a quick summary fashion, here are the results & scorers:

REAL ZARAGOZA 1 (Lazaro) – VALENCIA CF 1 (Lazaro own goal)

HERCULES 1 ( Trezeguet ) – REAL MADRID 3 (Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo x2)

Highlight that Karim Benzema came on in the 2 ºhalf & “revolutionized” the team with valuable goal passes.

FC BARCELONA 5 (Messi, Villa, Alves, Messi, Villa) – SEVILLA FC 0

Both Real Madrid & FC Barcelona are showing all there fire power & are building things up nicely for there head-to-head clash at the end of November in the big derby game – “El Clasico”. It a classic case of "anything you can do, we can do better".

Cristiano Ronaldo - Lionel Messi

CRISTIANO RONALDO & LIONEL MESSI are also continuing in there particular competition with 15 goals each – in all competitions - so far in this 2010-2011 season. However, Cristiano Ronaldo leads Messi in the Spanish League – Liga goal tally with 12 goals so far to date, compared to Messi who is curernt second with 7 goals. At this rate , & if it was possible to keep up this goal scoring rhythm, an end of year figure of 50 goals ( all competitions ) is a viable option. Incredible numbers in anyones language.

There is more Spanish Football Round 9 games tonight, however I will not be able to give the habitual results & scorers summary while I am currently out. I will however, be back in tomorrow sometime to highlight top stories & news.

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FC BARCELONA 2010 | IBRAHIM AFELLAY - JAVIER PASTORE SOUNDING

The 24 year old PSV EINDHOVEN attacking midfielder IBRAHIM AFELLAY is sounding more & more as a possible “2011 Winter Transfer Market” operation with direction Spain. Earlier the player was sounding as a possible Atletico de Madrid signing, but Spanish giant FC BARCELONA has entered the picture in a very serious manner. The Dutch player finishes contract this year & will be a free agent as of the 1^st of January which makes the player a very attractive bargain & asset. Other European Clubs are also knocking on the door of Afellay, like Manchester United, Chelsea & Sevilla Fc, but Barça is in the front running. The Spanish Club is concerned that their actual season 2010 – 2011 squad is short & liable to risk if injuries were to appear in the vital back end of this current season.

 

Ibrahim Afellay

With this in mind, another name is sounding heavily at "Camp Barça" as a possible signing from Italian Football. Argentine sensation JAVIER PASTORE of PALERMO is hotly rumoured to be close to falling into the Barça net, with the only unknown being if Barcelona will make an offer this January 2011 or wait till the end of the season. Here too, there is competition & concretely from Manchester City who may begin a possible bidding “war”.

 

Javier Pastore

In either case, stay tuned, as with most things in Football rumours run riot & what is white today will be black tomorrow. I will be keeping an eye on developments & let you know if new details surface in the coming days or weeks.

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ENZO ZIDANE | LIKE FATHER LIKE SON ?

Remember this player? 

Recognize the player in the dark out?

Apart that both wear ( wore ) the REAL MADRID CF uniform, they share DNA. The youngster is called ENZO ZIDANE ( born France, mother Spanish origin), is 15 years old & is causing a mini tug of war between the French Football Federation & the Spanish Football Federation. The son of French Football legend ZINEDINE ZIDANE is on the verge of jumping a level & into the National Team stage & Spain may call him up for U-17 duties, along with France. Who will young Enzo choose?


According to FIFA rules Enzo will be forever loyal ( cannot play for another ) to the National side that he decides to run onto a the field which is the A-team. That is,  until he plays a single minute with the Absolute Team ( Spain or France) , the young man can still have time to decide to whom he wishes to pledge his services. Therefore, even if Enzo plays for the Spanish U-17, 19 or 21 Teams, he could still play for France if he plays in the ABSOLUTE TEAM. The kid has sometime to think! Tweet

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2010 - 2011 SPANISH CUP RESULTS - 1º LEG THURSDAY MATCHES

The last three games of the 1º leg of the SPANISH CUP season 2010 -2011 ( the last 32 teams stage) concluded tonight with the following results & scorers

Gurpegui for At Bilbao

Second Division Club ( & last years Real Madrid killers ) ALCORCON lost 0 - 1 to ATHLETIC DE BILBAO thanks to the 54th min goal scored by defender GURPEGUI. Bilbao go into the 2ºleg with a valuable away goal.

OSASUNA finished their 1ºleg game with a 1 - 1 draw against DEPORTIVO. The goal for the home team came via JUANFRAN in the 67th min, while the equalizer for Depor came via SAUL in the 70th min.

Sapong scores for Real Sociedad

REAL SOCIEDAD started well scoring two goals via SARPONG in the 7th min & ELUSTONDO in the 31st min to amazingly collapse & finally lose 2 -3 to ALMERIA. The visitors made a miraculous comeback to score three goals ( away goals!) in the 2ºhalf to turn certain defeat into a glorious victory. GOITOM started the miracle with a 60th min goal, followed by two goals from team-mate ULLOA in the 71st & 88th min to "destory" Real Sociedad. Increidible! Tweet

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FC BARCELONA - REAL MADRID CF "EL CLASICO" 2010 - 2011 | WHICH DATE ? DON´T KNOW - YET!

I am getting plenty of emails from SFS readers asking me for the date of the FC Barcelona – Real Madrid “Clasico”: the first of the two big games in the Spanish Football – League season. In theory, it’s the weekend of the 27th of November & this 2010 – 2011 season the first game is at “Camp Nou”, the home ground of FC Barcelona.

Ronaldo - Messi will meet in this years "Clasico"

However there is a huge debate happening in Spain at this moment on whether to change the date to Monday 29th of November. Why? The Catalan region hold its Autonomous Parliamentary Elections on Sunday the 28th November, thus Sunday is cancelled at this moment on political & security grounds. This leaves Saturday 27th of November as an option, BUT due to election laws, there cannot be any “political” promotions or insinuations 24 hours before the election date; this is the so-called “Day of Reflection”. As we all know, the FC Barcelona – Real Madrid match is “politically” charged & a victory either way, or a spontaneous person running on the field with a political message etc ( apart from signs ) could get massive publicity & may affect the next day election results which this time around will be tight with an existing delicate local/national political balance which could break the current “equilibrium”. To add to this complex situation, ex FC Barcelona President, Joan Laporta, is on the election ticket for the “Catalonia Independent Party” & Football may influence here as well. Thus, Catalonia politicians have suggested that the FC Barcelona – Real Madrid game be moved to Monday 29th of November. Yet, many people here are not happy as many fans travel from outside of Barcelona (from all around Spain) to be at this game & will miss it due to work obligations; added to which the TVs are not happy as they wish to transmit on the weekend. BIG DILEMMA!


But there is more folks, days before Champions League will be celebrated with Real Madrid playing Tuesday 22nd Nov in Amsterdam against Ajax & thus they prefer SATURDAY, & Barça plays Wednesday 23rd of Nov in Greece & to recover more MONDAY would be great from them. In fact, FC Barcelona would like Monday for another added reason such as “marketing – brand value” in the Asian countries, while Real Madrid wishes a Saturday because it is tradition & wish to find a more “tired” Barça from Champions.


The debate goes on, but we will need to know before the 18th of November, which is the deadline date.


So to answer everyone: What is the date of this season (2010 – 2011) FC Barcelona – Real Madrid “Clasico”? One of the following options:


1. 27th of November – Saturday
2. 29th of November – Monday
or 3. 28th of November – Sunday – 21.00 hours (less likely but a last resort option)

As you can see, in Spain,  Football is a social phenomenon. Stay tuned! Tweet

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REAL MADRID PHOTO | SEASON 2010 - 2011 | IDEAL STARTING 11

Everytime  I check the blog stats, I see that the search for ( & download ) the REAL MADRID PHOTO is amongst the most popular. I am amazed at the amount of visits that are received from around the World in search of the latest image of the Spanish Soccer Team.


To keep the hungry fans happy, I have found this very latest picture of the REAL MADRID TEAM PHOTO season 2010 - 2011. The special element with this particular image is that it is the "ideal starting 11" that Coach Mourinho has found & is most comfortable with as it is the most used in mayor competitions.

REAL MADRID ideal starting 11 season 2010 - 2011

TOP, Khedira, Ramos, Pepe, Xabi Alonso, Carvalho & Cristiano. Below: Casillas, Marcelo, Di María, Özil & Higuaín.

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2010 - 2011 SPANISH CUP RESULTS 1º LEG WEDNESDAY MATCHES

A huge night of SPANISH CUP action with 11 games scheduled & still three games are down for tomorrow night before this 1º leg gets finished. Some interesting results, as with the characteristics of this competition, there have been some surprises. Here is a quick summary of the Wednesday night Spanish Cup results along with the goalscorers.

Sevilla FC celebrate a goal against Real Union

SEVILLA FC virtually wrapped up things with 4 away goals against REAL UNION. The goalscorers were NEGREDO with two in the 45th & 69th min, along with ALFARO in the 89th min & J.CARLOS in the 93rd min. Result 0- 4

MALLORCA defeated REAL SPORTING DE GIJON 3 -1 with goals for Mallorca from CAVENAGHI (12th & 33rd min) & RUBEN ( 90th min). The away goal from Sporting that keeps them bearly alive came in the 60th min via BARRAL.

HERCULES FC 0 - MALAGA 0. Totally opened for the 2ºleg match.

VALLADOLID lost 0 - 2 to RCD ESPANYOL & are on the ropes. Goals from ALVARO who scored twice in the 39th & 55th min.

Lower division Club PORTUGALETE held out GETAFE to a 1 - 1 draw. Goals via SARDINERO in the 6th min for Getafe, & the equalizer in the 52nd via BERGARA

High scoring game between XEREZ 2 - LEVANTE 3. The home goals were by JOSE MARI (33rd min) & BERMEJO ( 64th min), while the visitors scored via STUANI twice ( 60th & 81st min) & XAVI TORRES (90th min).

Logrones - Valencia CF: Spanish Cup 2010

LOGRONES lost 0 -3 to VALENCIA CF & is virtually knocked out of the Spanish Cup. The goals were scored by ADURIZ ( twice - 55th & 60th min) & VICENTE in the 80th min.

POLI EJIDO 1 (MORENO 90th min) - VILLAREAL 1 (ALTIDORE 43rd min).

Surprise result as CORDOBA defeated RACING DE SANTANDER  2 - 0. Goals by O.RIERA in the 25th min & DIAZ DE CERIO in the 75th min.

Sergio Aguero in action 2010

ATLETICO DE MADRID travelled to the Canary Islands to meet UNIVERSIDAD LAS PALMAS & won 0 - 5 to seal their pass to the next stage of the Spanish Cup. The star was SERGIO AGUERO who dazzled & scored two goals ( 41st & 53rd min), along with GODIN in the 24th min , DIEGO COSTA in the 48th min & FRAN MERIDA in the 84th min.

REAL BETIS lost 0 - 1 to REAL ZARAGOZA thanks to a penalty in the 62nd min converted by GABI.

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2010 - 2011 SPANISH CUP 1º LEG TUESDAY RESULTS | REAL MURCIA 0 REAL MADRID 0 | CEUTA 0 FC BARCELONA 2

The "big" Spanish League Teams began their particular attempt at winning the 2010-2011 SPANISH CUP with the start of the 1º leg games of the last 32 teams stage. Two matches tonight were played,  with the bulk happening tomorrow & three on Thursday night that gives the Spanish fans plenty of Football this week.

Benzema against Real Murcia - Spanish Cup

REAL MADRID travelled to REAL MURCIA ( 2º Division B ) for their 1º leg SPANISH CUP clash without Carvalho, Ozil & Xabi Alonso all given a rest & with a pre-match warning from Coach Mourinho that he did not wish a repeat of last seasons Alcorcon humilation 4-0 loss.

This was the Real Madrid starting 11:

Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Raúl Albiol, Pepe, Arbeloa; M. Diarra, Granero; Pedro León, Canales, Cristiano Ronaldo & Benzema.
The match ended in a 0 - 0 draw result. Real Murcia placed its "entire" team in defence & stopped everything thrown at them. Real Madrid hit posts & missed many chances, but found Murcia goal keeper Dani Hernandez unbeatable tonight in perhaps his best match - in his entire life!

Coach Mourinho had said before the game that tonight was a serious test for Benzema to prove his worth in this Real Madrid team. The end result was a complete failure, with slow movements & lack of "enthusiasm" that finished when he was replaced in the 62nd min. This may have sentenced the Frenchman as the young Striker is not taking his opportunities & is not showing any signs of improvement. All the opposite with Pedro Leon, who is in the same boat & played well with many chances, lots of running, good passes & great skillfull details that showed another attitude.

But the news tonight is that Real Madris could ´nt score against a 2º Division B team & the phantoms of Alcorcon hang in the air. Real Madrid goal keeper Casillas did not have any work tonight which is positive but Real missed chances which should now need be solved in the 2º leg return match.

Pedro scores against Ceuta

FC BARCELONA travelled to CEUTA for their 1º leg SPANISH CUP match & won 0 - 2. Barça Coach Guardiola left all the big names at home as this starting 11 shows:

Pinto; Adriano, Fontás, Bartra, Maxwell; Thiago, Mascherano, Keita; Pedro, Bojan & Jeffren

As policy, Guardiola trusts wholeheartedly in his younger B team players & the strategy paid dividends even if it was two "veterans" who scored their goals. Brazilian MAXWELL scored first in the 17th min & then PEDRO scored in the 25th min.

The damaged was done in the first half & Barça controlled things in the 2º half to find more chances to only find a tight Ceuta defence & an excellent goal keeper that stopped a greater scoreline.

Barça should be happy,  as both goals tonight have double "weight" as away goals.

More SPANISH CUP action tomorrow!

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FIFA - FRANCE FOOTBALL WORLD PLAYER 2010 | 7 SPANISH PLAYERS IN FINAL 23 CANDIDATES LIST

FIFA , along with "new" partners FRANCE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE, have handed in their final list of 23 World Football Players who are candidates for this years 2010 FIFA - FRANCE FOOTBALL World Player Award. The winner will be announced th 10th of January 2011 & there are 7 Spanish National Football Team players on the list of 23 given today.

The seven Spanish candidates are Andres Iniesta, Xavi, David Villa, Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona ), Iker Casillas & Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid) & Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal FC). The hot favourites at this stage are Xavi Hernandez & Andres Iniesta, although there are many other big names with probabilities of winning the converted Award.

The other players to note are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Forlan, Dani Alves & Ozil; the other Spanish League based players.

Here is the full list of 23 names:

Xabi Alonso (Spain), Daniel Alves (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Cesc Fábregas (Spain), Diego Forlán (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Júlio César (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Maicon (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Mesut Özil (Germany), Carles Puyol (Spain), Arjen Robben (Holland), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Holland), David Villa (Spain) & Xavi Hernandez (Spain).

In the "Best Coach Catagory" , Spanish Football Team selector Vicente Del Bosque was nominated.

Who do you think deserves the FIFA-FRANCE FOOTBALL Magazine World Player 2010 ? Tweet

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA 2010 -2011 | ROUND 8 | SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL via its SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA - celebrated 6 games tonight of Round 8 with plenty of action, excitement & goals. Tomorrow the last game of the Round will be played between Real Sociedad & Deportivo.

Boateng scores for Getafe

GETAFE poured on the magic onto an "unknown" & outplayed REAL SPORTING DE GIJON with a 3 - 0 victory. BOATENG opened the scoring in the 8th min, followed by COLUNGA who converted a penalty in the 51st min with MARCANO scoring the third in the 59th min.

Osasuna - Malaga

OSASUNA need to win desperately to bring some confidence & calmness back to the side & they did in convincing fashion with a 3 - 0 win over MALAGA. NEKOUNAM started things rolling with the first goal in the 3rd min, followed by MASOUD in the 35th min & ARANDA with the third 55th min.

Malaga are going through a rough patch that they will wish to get out asap.

Datolo scores for RCD Espanyol

RCD ESPANYOL keep rolling on nicely with another well fought out win over LEVANTE 2 - 1. DATOLO scored first in the 12th min to rattle Levante who managed to pick themselves up again & give Espanyol plenty of work, but CALLEJON scored the second for Espanyol in the 80th min to secure things. However, Levante down with 10 men ( Xisco red card 55th min) managed a well earned consolation goal in the 83rd min via STUANI. 

Almeria - Hercules CF

ALMERIA & HERCULES FC fought out a 1 - 1 draw in an entertaining match with chances to both sides. VALDEZ scored for Hercules in the 37th min & ULLOA equalized for Almeria in the 83rd min.

Luis Fabiano

The best version of SEVILLA FC meet ATHLETIC DE BILBAO & won 4 - 3 in a fantastic match of Football. Bilbao made a comeback attempt that nearly paid off & Sevilla FC was awarded a doubtful penalty towards the end the may have effected the result, but Sevilla will claim they played with 10 men from the 64th min.

The first half was all Sevilla with goals from LUIS FABIANO in the 34th min & KANOUTE in the 44th min. The second half started well for Sevilla with a third goal via LUIS FABIANO in the 62nd min, but then Sevilla went down to 10 men when F.Navarro got a red card ( 2x yellow). This gave Bilbao oxygen & spaces to which they exploited & attacked down the wings to find FERNANDO LLORENTE who scored in 74th min & again via a penalty in the 77th min.

It looked like a At Bilbao comeback was possible when a penalty ( doubtful ) was awarded to Sevilla which KANOUTE converted in the 80th min. But Bilbao kept fighting & scored a third via GABILONDO in the 93rd min.

At.Bilbao were very angry over the 80th min penalty at the end of the match!

Villareal scores against At.Madrid

A shock result for ATLETICO DE MADRID fans who visited VILLAREAL after losing 2 - 0. Not so surprising for Villareal & non Atletico fans if one has been following the progression this season of the "yellows". The midfield onwards is classy, effective & deadly if given just an inch as Atletico did tonight. The goals came via CANI in the 8th min & ROSSI in the 52th min. Atletico missed young defender Dominguez who was sent off & Forlan who came on in the 2ºhalf but is terribly out of form.

Villareal were simply the better side. Tweet

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INDOOR SOCCER | SPAIN DEFEATS BRAZIL 2 -1 TO WIN GRAND PRIX CUP 2010

SPAIN defeated BRAZIL 2 - 1 in the Final of the INDOOR SOCCER INTERNATIONAL GRAND PRIX tournament celebrated in the city of Anapolis in Brazil. The goals for Spain came thanks to RAFA USIN & ORTIZ, with FERNANDINHO scoring for Barzil.

Spain in action against Brazil 

This tournament has been organized by the Brazilian Indoor Soccer Federation since 2004 & it has alwyas been won by the local team. Spain wins for the first time day & breaks the string of Brazilian victories. Spain is currently the "Best Indoor Team in the World" with Brazil being their closet rivals for the last few years. Tweet

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA | ROUND 8 | SATURDAY GAMES RESULT | VIDEO REAL MADRID 6-1 RONALDO (4 GOALS)

Hi Guys , back from my business trip & I can finally begin updating SFS Blog readers. Here is a brief post on yesterdays three games played of the SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA - Round 8. SPANISH FOOTBALL was given a treat last night with plenty of goals & some wonderful Football from the already known stars.

The first game was REAL ZARAGOZA against FC BARCELONA with the latter winning 0 - 2 thanks to two goals from LIONEL MESSI in the 42nd & 66th min. Zaragoza were down to 10 men after about half hour which facilitated things for Barça who shook off a "sticky" Zaragoza to grab the 3 points.

REAL MADRID CF keeps Top ladder spot after demolishing RACING SANTANDER 6 -1 with CRISTIANO RONALDO on fire scoring 4 goals & taking him to the "Top Spot "of this seasons current "Highest Goal scorer" - Pichichi - table with 10 goals in the Spanish League to date. HIGUAIN scored first from a brilliant Di Maria pass in the 10th min & OZIL scored the teams sixth in the 63rd min. Racing managed a consolation goal in the 73rd min via DIOP.

Here is the VIDEO HIGHLIGHT with all the Real Madrid goals (6-1) against Santander (hope video doesn´t get taken down):

Real Madrid looked really good last night & seems to be progressing with each match. They now look dangerous compared to rivals FC Barcelona who look tired.

The VALENCIA CF bubble burst last night with a 1-2 loss to REAL MALLORCA. The goals from Mallorca came via CASTRO ( penalty) in the 6th min & another in the 28th min. For Valencia SOLDADO managed to score in the 35th mion via a penalty.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM RECEIVES THE 2010 PRINCIPE DE ASTURIAS PRIZE FOR SPORT

The SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM was yesterday awarded the prestigious "Principe de Asturias Prize" for Sporting acievement 2010, for their outstanding effort in winning the FIFA 2010 World Cup. But more than this the prize was given for the teams demonstration of creating a unique playing style admired by the Football World & above all , human values like honour, dedication, lead by example, team spirit & endevour.

Spanish Football Team members applauded for their prize

The Principe de Asturias prize is the equivalent of the "Nobel Prize" for the "Spanish speaking World", but not exclusively given to Spanish speaking persons. It is one of the highest distinctions that prizes science, culture, social & universal values achievements.

Spanish Football Team Coach Del Bosque receives the Prize

Coach Del Boaque was accompanied by 10 Spanish Football members & received personally the certificate from the hands of the Prince of Spain Felipe. In an act that broke protocol, Del Bosque looked to find Euro 2008 winning Coach Luis Aragones, who was critical with Del Bosque during the initial World Cup stages, to bring him on stage to receive the acknowledgement that he to was an important piece of this award. Tweet

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EUROPA LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 | ATLETICO DE MADRID 3 - ROSENBORG 0 | VIDEO OF GOALS

Here is the VIDEO highlight of yesterdays EUROPA LEAGUE Group B match between ATLETICO DE MADRID - ROSENBORG. Video shows goal from Godin & the mini-revolution caused by SERGIO AGUERO who scored the second after only 2 mins on the ground, plus his assistence for the third by DIEGO COSTA.



We hope the the video will not be take-on off, if so excuse us. Tweet

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EUROPA LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 GROUP MATCHES | RELATIVELY GOOD NIGHT FOR SPANISH TEAMS

Busy night for all four SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAMS as they played their EUROPA LEAGUE Group qualifying matches with overall general joy for the Spanish fans. I personally wasn´t able to witness all four matches but managed to keep the pulse of most via TV, radio & a Twitter account, therefore excuse me if some summaries are brief & to the main detail.

Sergio Aguero scores the 2º goal for Atletico

ATLECTICO DE MADRID needed to win their Group B match against ROSENBERG if they were to keep alive hopes of passing onto the next level. They did this with a confident & well earned 3-0 victory that also included the "comeback" from injury from Sergio Aguero.

The first goal came via Atletico defender GODIN who headed in the ball in the 16th min. From here it was fairly even with chances occuring at both ends. However, the magic & the calmness came in the 2ºhalf when SERGIO AGUERO came on after 3 weeks of injury. He scored the second in the 66th min & then played the part in the third which DIEGO COSTA scored in the 75th min.

Happy Atletico fans tonight!

Marco Ruben scores the Villareal winner

VILLAREAL won 1- 0 Geek team PAOK Salonica to take top spot of Group D. It wasn´t easy as the Greeks turned out to be very tough to crack outfit with their defensive set up & didn´t allow many chances to appear. However, it was Villareal player MARCO RUBEN who took his chance in the 37th min & scored what would later turn out to be the winner.

Getafe player Marcano tussles with Camoranesi 

GETAFE travelled to Germany & lost 0 - 1 to STUTTGART in their Group H match to virtually say goodbye to the Europa League for this season. The German goal came in the 29th min when MARICA converted a goalkeeper fumble into a goal. The Spaniards were rowing upstream for the rest of the match.

Kanoute scores Sevilla FC only goal

Ukrainian team KARPATY LUIV are difficult to play at home just as SEVILLA FC found out tonight in their Group J clash. The Spaniards needed to win to stay alive in the competition & managed to do just that with a "true grit" win thanks to the solitary goal scored by KANOUTE with a header in the 34th min. Final result 0 -1. Tweet

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SPANISH GOALKEEPERS CASILLAS - ZUBIZARRETA IN TOP 10 IFFHS LAST 25 YEARS BEST LIST

The FIFA backed International Federation of Football History & Statistics ( IFFHS ) has released their Top 10 list of the "Best Goalkeepers" in the last 25 years. There are two Spanish players on that list with current Spanish National Football Team Captain & Real Madrid goalkeeper IKER CASILLAS in 4ºth place, while ex FC Barcelona & Valencia CF player ZUBIZARRETA is in 7th place.

Iker Casillas receiving the 2010 FIFA World Cup

While most have no doubt that the Nº1 World Goalkeeper is currently Real Madrid player IKER CASILLAS, the IFFHS does emphasize that it is over the last 25 years. While Casillas is still relatively young - 29 years of age - those above him have been in the "business" much longer & are true veterans.

Buffon 

According to the IFHHS it is Italian player BUFFON who takes the Nº1 spot ( for the moment) ahead of retired Danish & Manchester United player Schmeichel in 2º place, with 3ºrd going to currently active Dutch player Van Der Sar, also with Manchester United.


Here is the Top 10 IFHHS Goalkeepers (last 25 years) list:

1 Buffon (ITA)

2 Schmeichel (DEN)

3 Van der Sar (HOL)

4 Casillas (SP)

5 Kahn (GER)

6 Chilavert (PAR)

7 Zubizarreta (SP)

8 Zenga (ITA)

9 Taffarel (BRA)

10 Preud’homme (BEL).

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP C - D RESULTS | RANGERS 1 VALENCIA CF 1 | FC BARCELONA 2 COPENHAGUE FC 0

Two Spanish Football Clubs played their Group CHAMPIONS LEAGUE matches tonight, with one away at Scotland & the other here in Spain. 

Rangers Edu scores against Valencia CF

VALENCIA CF travelled to meet GLASGOW RANGERS to play their 3 round Group C clash at Ibrox Park. As expected it was a difficult & rough turf to play Football at but they managed to pull a 1 - 1 draw with some luck on their side. 

The Valencia goal keeper Cesar was protagonist tonight for his many saves & for being involved in the opening goal for Rangers when Rangers player EDU headed in the 34th min with possible foul included on Cesar. However, Cesar undaunted continued to keep Valencia alive during the rest of the 1ºst half from the Scottish onslaught.

Valencia CF players celebrated Edu own goal

The 2º half saw how fate could be cruel - or karma brings balance back to the force - when Rangers EDU scored an own goal header in the 47th min to equalize the match & give Valencia oxygen & the strength to hold out for the rest of the match. 

A draw that keeps Valencia second behind Manchester United & were Rangers will need to win here in Valencia to keep their Champions hopes alive.

Lionel Messi scores 1º goal against Copenhague FC

FC BARCELONA needed to win to keep out any possible future ghosts & they did 2 - 0 against COPENHAGUE FC in their Group D clash. A misleading result because the Danes can leave "Camp Nou" with their heads high as they gave Barça a "bath" in the 2º half with Barça´s  Coach needing to put on Xavi to stop the bad play.

The first half was Barça with the magnificent Iniesta pouring the magic,  & the unlucky plus out of touch David Villa hitting the post. But it was LIONEL MESSI who put in his magic with a majestic goal in the 18th min who opened the score-line to calm things Barça´s way. From here Barça dominated again but as it is occurring with other matches this season  they fail to "kill off" their opponents & this lifts the spirits of the opposition side.

With spirits high Copenhague gave Barça a bath 90% of the 2º half with excellent disciplined defending & tactical set-up complemented with effective counter-attacks. The latter strategy nearly paid off 3 - 4 times but  the Danes missed their golden chances. Barça Coach Guardiola was forced to pull out of the bench Xavi to fix things & put some order as the Danes were firing.

As we have become accustomed of late right in the last moment a lack of concentration from the Danish defence let in LIONEL MESSI in the 92 nd min to score the second goal.

Before closing, two points:
1. Very impressed with Copenhague FC. Brave, full of initiative & disciplined; they almost pulled off the surprise with a draw
&
2. Excellent player & defender JORGEHSEN. The 20 year old is a rough diamond & a potential future star. I have no doubt that the youngster will be moving soon to better & bigger places. Magnificent! Tweet

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FIFA WORLD RANKINGS OCTOBER 2010 - SPAIN REMAINS Nº1

FIFA will release its monthly WORLD NATIONAL TEAMS RANKING publicly next November the 17^th where SPAIN retains for another month its Nº1 spot. Up to 156 matches were taken into account for the month of October (80 Internationals & 76 Friendly matches), which takes the number up to 641 matches for the year so far in the table calculations.

Here is the Top 10 October 2010 list:

1. Spain 1.881 Pts

2. Holland 1.683
3. Brazil 1.493
4. Germany 1.481
5. Argentina 1.320
6. England 1.205
7. Uruguay 1.167
8. Portugal 1.123
9. Croatia 1.086
10. Russia 1.061 Tweet

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HUMOR - VIDEO | VAN PERSIE THE BOY HITS THE POST

Put a Football heroe, kids & a TV camara together & you get what happens to this poor boy. He literally hits the post - with his head. Arsenal & Dutch International Star Van Persie was obviously affected. 



This video simply goes beyond Spanish Football as it is universal :O) Tweet

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REAL MADRID 2 AC MILAN 0 | RESULT GROUP G CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2010 - 2011

REAL MADRID CF practically ensured its qualification onto the next stage of the 2010 - 2011 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE after they defeated 2 - 0 AC MILAN in their Group G match,  thus making it three straight wins to secure top spot of the group ladder with 9 points. The result was just as Real Madrid could have scored three - four more clear goals had luck gone their way. 

Cristiano Ronaldo scores against AC Milan from a free kick

The damage was done early when CRISTIANO RONALDO in the 13th min powered a free-kick that went through a "defensive hole" in the Milan wall. There was nothing the Italian goalkeepr could do as he was taken by complete surprise. Then a minute later while Milan was still recovering from that blow, Real Madrid midfielder OZIL scored the teams second with a deflection from defender Bonera which again left the Milan keeper without options.

Ozil scores Real Madrid´s second goal in the 14th min

AC Milan reacted & actually took control of the match for about 15 mins & created good chances that were not driven home. Midfieder Seedorf sent a shiver through the Madrid spine when he missed a clear chance that woke up Madrid again who took back control of ball & game. This time Ronaldo , Di Maria & Higuain was stopped by an effective Milan keeper Amelia who made important saves to avoid a "white-wash".

The second half was practically all Real Madrid as they attacked & attacked but could not convert the 2 - 0 lead into something more in line with the actual play on the field. Milan only managed to scare Madrid a couple of times with a Pirlo free-kick that hit the bar & Robinho (sub-late) whos shot was stopped by Casillas.


Various observations before ending. Real Madrid are progressing in a positive manner as they are managing to effectively build a solid block with everyone defending & pressuring the opponents. Di Maria , Ozil & Higuain not only played forward but defended all night in their own area , running & stopping the Milan creation. Khedira is complementing magnificently Xabi Alonso allowing the latter freedom to be more creative, along with a very solid & disciplined defensive line that was great tonight in all aspects. But it is Brazilian MARCELO who for me was "Man of The Match" with his excellent defending & forward attacks that showed that he is evolving rapidly into a World Class Level player, & still so young. Lastly, Ronaldo does not need words with his 100% effort, danger & skills, forgetting that his temper showed signs tonight during moments of the game.

In conclusion, a great result , with this important test for Real Madrid getting an A note as it indicates that Mourinho is progressing with his ideas & with this team & that they only can get better & better. Tweet

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FC BARCELONA 2010 | NOLITO - ANOTHER BARÇA SCHOOL PROMISE

FC Barcelona is not only famous for being a huge World Football Club, but also for its youth programme (“La Masia”) & the string of young talented Football players that the Club turns out yearly. The examples are many like Puyol, Valdes, Pique, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro, Bojan, Jeffran, Thiago, Cesc Fabregas etc. who are already World stars or have made the jump to the Barça 1ºst team squad.

Nolito scores for Barça B - 2010

There is a new name on the horizon who has made his debut this season in an official Spanish League match with FC Barcelona against Mallorca two weeks ago that left a great impression. His name is NOLITO (1986) & currently a regular with FC Barcelona B side were he has already scored 4 goals this season, plus given 5 assistances of goal.


According to Barcelona based Sports daily “Sport”, five European Clubs have shown interest in the player; Fiorentina, Monaco, Benfica, Panathinaikos y Spartak de Moscow. The player finishes contract next year & will be free as of the 1st of January 2011, to which Barcelona will need to renew his contract of risk see another promise leave the nest. keep an eye on this player, I bet that Barça will renew shortly. Tweet

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VIDEO | THE 6 NEW REAL MADRID SIGNINGS FOR SEASON 2010 - 2011

REAL MADRID CF via its "Real Madrid TV Channel" ( thanks for the video) did a special report on the Clubs six new signings for season 2010 - 2011: Sergio Canales, Di Maria, Pedro Leon, Khedira, Ozil & Carvalho. They all speak about their sensations, BUT & unfortunately neither YouTube has the translation button enabled nor is there sub-titles. I ask for forgiveness for this lack of foresight by the producers of the clip, but thought that with this handicap it may still be of interest for the many Real Madrid fans who read Spanish Football Sporst Blog.

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REAL MADRID CF | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 GROUP G | STARTING 11 LINE-UP AGAINST AC MILAN

REAL MADRID CF faces its first real big season 2010 - 2011 challenge & exam when they meet Italian giants AC Milan today (Tuesday) in their Group G Champions League qualifying match. This match will be a good test to see if Coach Mourinho is progressing with his work to put together a "new look" & younger Real Madrid Team to levels in which they can really hope to aspire & become Spanish League & Champions contenders this season.

AC Milan visit with a "new look" side as well with Ibrahimovic & Robinho the new signings, along with always dangerous Ronaldinho, Pato, Pirlo & Seedorf who rise to the ocassion when they play at the "Santiago Bernabeu Stadium".

Arbeloa Real Madrid defender.

Real Madrid Coach has put his faith in the following starting 11 line-up:

Casillas; Arbeloa, Carvalho, Pepe, Marcelo; Xabi Alonso, Khedira; Di María, Özil, Cristiano Ronaldo & Higuaín.

It´s the same team that defeated Malaga 1 - 4 last Saturday in the Spanish League , where Arbeloa stays in his right back position after Sergio Ramos failed to recover from his knee problem. The others are & have found "sweet form", especially Ronaldo & Higuain who are scoring again & along with Ozil who is in fine touch; all of whom will be tested for their true level against the Italians.

What is beyond doubt is that it promises to be a grand match that should not be missed & Spanish Football Sports Blog will be posting a summary with result, scorers & images straight after the game.  Tweet

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