SPANISH NATIONAL FEMALE SQUAD | CANADA 2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Female Spanish National Team Selector & Coach Ignacio Quereda has handed in the final of 23 players to represent Spain in the World Championships in Canada next month.

Goalkeepers: Ainhoa Tirapu (Athletic de Bilbao); Lola Gallardo (Atlético de Madrid) & Sandra Paños (Levante)

Defenders: Ruth García (Barcelona), Celia Jiménez (Alabama), Melanie Serrano (Barcelona), Marta Torrejón (Barcelona), Irene Paredes (Athletic), Leire Landa (Barcelona), Elisabeth Ibarra (Athletic), Ivana Andrés (Valencia)

Midfielders: Vero Boquete (Frankfurt), Silvia Meseguer (Atlético), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona), Jennifer Hermoso (Barcelona), Marta Corredera (Barcelona), Virginia Torrecilla (Barcelona).

Forwards: Sonia Bermúdez (Barcelona), Amanda Sampedro (Atlético), Priscila Borja (Atlético), Vicky Losada (Arsenal), Natalia Pablos (Arsenal), Erika Vázquez (Athletic).

First match in their Group will be the 9th of June in the city Montreal against Costa Rica. The second Group match will be the 13th against Brazil & the third game on the 17th against Korean Rep.


Good luck to the girls!

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EURO 2012 | SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM PHOTO AGAINST ITALY

For all the Spanish Football Sports readers & visitors here is the team photo of the SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM starting 11 today in the Euro 2012 Group C opener against Italy that finished in a 1 -1 draw. 

Spain 11 vs Italy Euro 2012

Spanish National Football Team:-
top left-right: Casillas, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Busquets & Pique
bottom left-right: Silva, Iniesta, Cesc, Xavi, Arbeloa & Alba

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MALAGA 2 VILLAREAL 1 | SPANISH FOOTBALL MONDAY NIGHT RESULT ROUND 14

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with the last game of Round 14 in LA LIGA with the habitual Monday Night of Football. Interesting match that saw MALAGA defeat VILLAREAL 2 - 1 in a good game for the home team,  with the visitors complaining that they were badly done with some referee decisions.

Toulalan scores for Malaga against Villareal

Malaga got off to a flying start early when a corner gave its fruit via TOULALAN who scored in the 4th min. Villareal reacted & perhaps played their best Football to be rewarded in the 15th min with a MARCO RUBEN equalizing goal.

The rest of the the match was Villareal trying but not being able to break the Malaga defence. ISCO scored the Malaga second in the 40th min & his team managed to shut the gate for Villareal thereafter.

Bad loss for Villareal which is having a "horror season", while Malaga get back into Euro positions in the Spanish Football League classification table.

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THE FOOTBALL COUNTER-ATTACK | CRISTIANO RONALDO - REAL MADRID GOAL AGAINST AJAX IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | VIDEO

Yesterday during the REAL MADRID - AJAX Champions League match we had the chance to all witness a perfect text book example of the use of a "counter-attack" in Football. It occurred around the 23rd min & it all started from defender Sergio Ramos ending up with Cristiano Ronaldo 16 seconds later & goal. Here is the VIDEO:



For the youngsters & the technical profiles here is an image of the build-up:

Quick, sharp, accurate, deadly & poetry in motion. Very difficult to execute but when you have so many talented players in one side it becomes easier, & yes, it gets trained & a lot.
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USA 0 SPAIN 4 | INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL FRIENDLY RESULT

The World Football - Soccer Champions SPAIN defeated USA in a International Friendly at Boston (USA) 0 - 4 in their first game of a two match Spanish Football National Team tour that takes them onto Venezuela next week.  

Spanish Football International Cazorla scored twice

The match was played on an awkward surface with natural grass placed on top of the habitual artificial surface which made it uncomfortble to play the ball as it did not bounce. Said this, both teams adapted perfectly, especially Spain which made it look like there was never any "technical" problems at all.  Spanish Coach Del Bosque said before the match that everyone would get a run & players who normally dont start began the match in the starting line-up like Reina, Negredo, Silva...with Valero, Torres, Casillas.. etc all rotating through the match. 

Spain was dominant all the game, but more so in the first half that saw three goals.

Tough midfield USA-Spain International Friendly

Spanish midfielder SANTI CAZORLA scored two tonight in the 27th & 40th min, along with ALVARO NEGREDO in the 31st . The latter hit the cross-bar before he scored & David Villa shaved the post to highlight total control from the Spanairds.

Negredo scores for Spain

The second half was not so intense for the Spanish side as the constant changes halted the momentum of the team throughout the 45 minutes. Spain did score another goal thanks to FERNANDO TORRES in the 73rd min, who broke a 9 month "goal drought" with the Spanish National Football Team. Torres, just as his team-mate in the first half Negredo, also hit the "wood work" denying him & Spain a goal.

Comfortable win from Spain as expected from the World Champions, with entertainment, great skillfull Football-Soccer & everyone happy with the opportunity to see the best Football players in the World in the USA.

Now Spain goes off to Venzuela to play their last International Friendly before the summer break.


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CRISTIANO RONALDO - LIONEL MESSI | WORLD FOOTBALL YING -YANG

History has a long & steady list of personalities who go down as the “best in their profession” that have battled it out with someone else that has driven both to their limits in order to reach their top level. It’s a type of “ying-yang” situation were one person has no meaning without the existence & interaction of the other.

It now comes to my mind some names that highlight this idea & observation:

Boxing: Mohammed Ali – Joe Frazier

Sugar Ray – Marvellous Marvin Hagler 

Basketball: Jordan – Magic Johnson
Motorbike: Valentino Rossi – Jorge Lorenzo

Tennis: Roger Federer – Rafael Nadal
McEnroe - Ivan Lendl

Athletics: Ben Johnson – Carl Lewis

These are just a few “top of my head” examples from ,000s of names from all walks of life in the areas of politics, business, society & sports throughout history.


World Football – Soccer currently has its own “ying-yang” example, Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi. Both are competing to be “The Best in The World” & are indirectly assisting each other to bring out the best of themselves, & their intense & fierce rivalry is extracting qualities beyond their own talents that take each further & further beyond the boundaries of Football.

Cristiano Ronaldo 2011

Spanish Sports daily paper “AS” gives an interesting article on this angle & highlights how both Cristiano Roanldo & Lionel Messi have shared the Football Title honours this season. Cristiano Ronaldo wins in the individual awards area while Messi wins with the collective. The end results however, is closer than one thinks.  

Here is a run down on some important numbers.

Each has scored 53 goals this season in all competitions. This is simply superhuman stuff, it is absolutely incredible as both are “light years” from the rest.

Cristiano Ronaldo takes:

• European Golden Boot (Shoe) season 2010-2011 …40 goals
• Spanish League Top Goalscorer – “El Pichichi” season 2010-2011 …40 goals
  This sets an “All Time Historical Record” in Spanish Football. Simply amazing
• Spanish Cup Title

Lionel Messi 2011

Lionel Messi takes


• Spanish Football League Title 2010 - 2011
• UEFA Champions League Title 2010 - 2011
• Champions League maximum goal scorer season 2010-2011…12 goals


Both Ronaldo & Messi share the season scoring goal average ( all competitions) : a goal every 86 minutes.


In summary, a technical draw between Ronaldo & Messi as highlighted by the Spanish Sports paper. The other observation is that both "cannot live" (sporting wise) without each other & their merits may sub-consciously be directly influenced & effected by their fierce rivalry to out do the other. Lastly, the winners are you & me, plus all the Football lovers & fans around the World. We are all in a privileged moment of Football History that allows us to witness & enjoy two enormous & supernatural Football players. May that period be long, be competitive & stay healthy.


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ROUND 35 SPANISH LEAGUE FOOTBALL SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL & its LEAGUE was super emotional as Clubs put in the extra effort to either avoid relegation into the 2nd Division & fight it out for the limited European places at the Top of LA LIGA ladder. Seven games played tonight in Round 35 with nerves, frustrations, controversy & for some,  complete joy. Here is a summary of todays events, results & scorers.

Barral scores the equalizer for Sporting

REAL SPORTING DE GIJON came back to equalize in the final moment to finish their clash with DEPORTIVO A CORUÑA in a 2 - 2 draw. Very controversial finish from Deportivo´s point of view as a penalty ( a second ) was called in Sporting s favour that leaves doubts,  & the conversion by BARRAL in the 96th min put Deportivo one step away from the relegation zone.

Deportivo started well with an 8th min goal from ADRIAN & looked good until a penalty was given to Sporting to which AYOZE scored in the 35th min & equalized. Deportivo were not daunted & continued with their confident play & ADRIAN put them ahead with his second in the 40th min.

Rough & tough second half that saw Deportivo attempt to hold out until a "controversial penalty" was given to Sporting right at the end that allowed the equalizer & took away 2 vital points out of their hands. Now they are in real trouble on the ladder

Getafe win & give hope

Different story at GETAFE which started in the relegation positions & won tonight 2 - 0 to get out at the expense of ALMERIA who says GOODBYE to the Spanish League. COLUNGA put Getafe ahead in the 4th min & PEDRO RIOS gave a second in the 53rd min. Getafe are still in danger but have greater hopes, while I send my best wishes to all the wonderful fans at Almeria who see their team drop.

Toquero for Athletic de Bilbao

Great match between ATHLETIC DE BILBAO & LEVANTE with the home team winning 3 - 2 in a game that complicated itself for Bilbao. The win strengthens Bilbao´s claim for a Euro place as they attempt to "fend off" Sevilla & Atletico de Madrid.

Bilbao dominated most of the game with TOQUERO scoring in the 30th min, DAVID LOPEZ in the 47th via a penalty & FERNANDO LLORENTE in the 62nd. But things went wrong & Levente nearly surprised Bilbao with two quick goals from STUANI in the 77th min & NANO in the 85th min. Levante nearly spoiled the party!

Young Giovani MVP for Racing

Vital victory by RACING DE SANTANDER away 2 - 3 to HERCULES that puts the latter deeper into the relegation black hole. It was an intense match as one would expect between two teams playing for their Spanish League future & that saw a direct Red Card to Hercules Valdes in the 60th min.

Young GIOVANI is getting better with games & is directly responsable to have helped Racing at this critical end part of the season. Two goals from the player in the 13th & 40th min along with team-mate HENRIQUE in the 46th min. For Hercules there failed attempt gave two goals from SENDOA in the 39th min & THIAGO in the 42th min that wasn´t enough. 

Valencia CF back in the groove

VALENCIA CF has the main objective of cementing the Spanish Football League 3rd place on the ladder & defeated REAL SOCIEDAD 3 - 0. ROBERTO SOLDADO keeps knocking them in & scored two goals in the 16th & 37th min, along with JONAS in the 25th min.

The loss for Real Sociedad puts them dangerously in the orbit of the relegation zone "black hole". Warning lights at San Sebastian.

Atletico de Madrid - Malaga 

Never is an team ("animal") more dangerous than when injured. ATLETICO DE MADRID found that out with MALAGA losing 0 - 3 at home as the latter are fighting to survive in the Spanish Football 1º Division. A heavy blow for Atletico as their faint Champions League aspirations disappear & their Europa League plans are now in danger.

As expected a very hard fought out game which was very physical as both teams went all out in their endevours. But it was Malaga that got ahead via RONDON in the 29th min & that man again, BAPTISTA in the 35th min.

Atletico attempted to recover from this shock but the "nail in the coffin" came in the 84th min via MARESCA to put things beyond the home side. Celebrations for Malaga that makes a big leap into the mid positions of the ladder, while Atletico de Madrid underestimated the  fighting spirit of their adversary tonight.

Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick man

SEVILLA FC lost 2 - 6 to REAL MADRID & thus delays any festive actions that FC Barcelona may have had in mind in celebrating tomorrow because mathematically they cannot claim the Spanish League Title just as yet. Apart from this,  the Spanish Football League Top Goal scorer for season 2010-2011 prize - "El Pichichi" - slanted towards CRISTIANO RONALDO with his 4 goals ( HAT-TRICK) tonight ( 30th , 64th, 70th & 76th min). The other goals for Real Madrid came via SERGIO RAMOS with a header that opened proceedings in the 21st min & KAKA that managed his in the 41st min.


The match was dominated by Real Madrid most of the time except for small burst periods in the second half when Sevilla FC got their rewards & goals via ALVARO NEGERDO in the 60th min, & again the same player late in the 84th min.

To end, three matches tomorrow to finish off Round 35, with Barça included,  & without doubt Lionel Messi aiming to cancel out & pull back some goals in the head to head clash with Ronaldo for the "Pichichi" award.


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SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE ROUND 33 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE action this afternoon - night with the Sunday Round 33 schedule matches in play. The main highlights are the Clubs fighting to get out of the relegation zone, those attempting to assure their place next season in LA LIGA & thoses teams fighting it out for the limited Euro places on the Spanish League table. Here is a summary of events, results & the scorers.

Real Sporting assured their place in the
Spanish League

REAL SPORTING DE GIJON defeated RCD ESPANYOL 1 - 0 & celebrated it if they had won the Champions League. The three points basically nearly assures their place in the Spanish League next season & that in itself for a humble Club like Gijon is like winning the European Cup.


Hard fought out match that NACHO NOVO decided in the 60th min in favour of the home team. 

Malaga won & momentarily out of danger zone

MALAGA managed three vital points away defeating RACING DE SANTANDER 1 - 2 as they momentarily get out of the relegation zone awaiting tomorrows result when Real Zaragoza plays their game.


Brazilian JULIO BAPTISTA put Malaga ahead in the 31st min proving how important he is turning out for the Club this part of the season. Then team-mate SEBA FERNANDEZ scored the second in the 34th min.

Things slightly complicated itself in favour of the home side as Racing picked up a few gears & scored in the 73rd min via ROSENBERG. But Malaga held out to their delight & their relief.

Mallorca too strong against Getafe

REAL MALLORCA won a lesser GETAFE 2 - 0 in a game with a correct result. NUNES scored first in the 25th min & Japanese player AKI scored the second in the 67th min. Coach Laudrup for Mallorca has done a great job this season given the "limited" resources at Mallorca.

Hercules with "tooth & nails" to attempt to stay
in the Spanish League

HERCULES managed a vital 1 - 0 win over DEPORTIVO. The goal by TIAGO in the 70th min is worth its weight in gold as it gives the team three points & nearly puts them out of the dangerous relegation zone. If they can pulled a few more wins they may be able to escape the gravitational force of 2º Division. Today is a great start in attempting to do so.

Sergio Aguero decisive in Atletico de Madrid victory

ATLETICO DE MADRID managed to fix a complicated match & period into a firm 4 - 1 victory over LEVANTE as the former puts all its "Football eggs" in gaining a place in the scare Euro League places of the Spanish League. They are currently up there just "out" fighting it out with Bilbao & Sevilla FC & today was a giant leap forward in their objective.

Atletico started well with two goals disallowed & ELIAS finally put in a grand free-kick in the 18th min to score the first for Atletico. However things turned sour & Levante equalized via a penalty that CAICEDO converted in the 39th min & the level of the home team dropped alarmingly.

The second half saw SERGIO "KUN" AGUERO come to the rescue with his authority stamping goals in the 50th min & another in the 70th from the penalty spot. Then the fourth for Atletico came in the 83rd min when MUÑUA put in a own goal from a Raul Garcia play.

Negredo scores for Sevilla FC

High scoring, very competitive & entertaining game of Football between SEVILLA FC & VILLAREAL with the former taking the points 3 - 2 after the visitors made a late attempt to turn things around. Sevilla FC with this win grabs harder onto the valuable 6th spot that gives them Europa League access & manages for now to "brush off" Atletico de Madrid hot in their pursuit.

The first half was all Sevilla with RAKITIC scoring a nice goal in the 9th min that was followed by another from team-mate ALVARO NEGREDO in the 14th min. Villareal thankfully reacted & slowly grinded back into some good play to be rewarded in the 56th min when defender MARCHENA scored. Sevilla reacted quickly to send a clear message of intentions in the 62nd min when ROMARIC put in his teams third, but Villareal were not giving in & ROSSI put in the second for Villareal in the 73rd min.

The comeback attempt was somewhat halted when Villareal defender Marchena was sent off with a red card & left the team with 10 men. With this numerical disadvantage Sevilla managed to hold out the visitors & grab the victory.

MONDAY NIGHT ROUND 33 MATCH:
Real Zaragoza - Almeria

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ROUND 31 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS SPANISH LEAGUE FOOTBALL

SPANISH LEAGUE action today with the scheduled Round 31 Sunday games of Spanish Football. Plenty of hard fought out matches as the bottom classified teams on the Liga ladder fight with "tooth & nails" to avoid the "relegation zone". Here is a brief run down of todays Liga events with the results & the scorers.

Felipe Luis scores for At Madrid

ATLETICO DE MADRID have one blind objective to save this season; to get into Euro ladder positions. The aim goes through winning their games at home & today they defeated an usually "poor" REAL SOCIEDAD 3 - 0. The news was that Atletico de Madrid forward Diego Costa started leaving Diego Forlan on the bench & more controversy during the week.


It was Diego Costa who set up FELIPE LUIS who scored a goal to put Atletico ahead in the 12th min. Atletico was looking comfortable with numerous chances & in the 45th min MARIO SUAREZ got the home teams second & the reward for the teams efforts.

The second half saw a more stable Real Sociedad but Atletico kept applying the pressure with SERGIO AGUERO scoring the teams third in the 78th min. In the end, the result possibly matched the best Atletico performance for the whole season to date.

Sporting Gijon against Osasuna

REAL SPORTING DE GIJON defeated OSASUNA 1 - 0 via the goal from DAVID BARRAL in the 60th min. A giant leap forward for Gijon who manage to brush off their shoulders the relegation zone "phantom" & secure nearly their place another season in the maximum category. Osasuna will need to gets some wins together to avoid danger.

Racing against Levante

RACING DE SANTADER draw 1 - 1 with LEVANTE, again allowing the visiting team to snatch a draw ( or a win in some occasions) in the very last minute. Racing got ahead via an own goal from Levante player NANO in the 32nd min & from here dominated for most of the game. But right at the end, Levente drew via RAFA JORDA in the 89th min.

Levante retain their "amazing" undefeated streak.

Osvaldo misses for Espanyol

HERCULES is battling to get away from the relegation zone & managed a 0 - 0 draw with RCD ESPANYOL which keeps losing "steam" as the season marches onward. Tough match with both looking to grab the victory & with plenty of chances to both teams that had both goalies earning their pay today.

Malaga against Deportivo

Another draw this time at MALAGA who are in real trouble & look firm candidates to drop into the 2º Division. The home side draw 0 - 0 with DEPORTIVO A CORUÑA & with the latter down with 10 men in the second half. Deportivo itself should not "smile" too much, they are another Club dangerously close to the relegation zone.

Soldado scored twice for Valencia CF

The the 3rd place on the Spanish League classification table was up for grabs & VALENCIA CF managed to secure it after defeating VILLAREAL 5 - 0. Villareal may have still been under the "spell" of their brilliant 5 - 1 victory over Twente in the Euro League last Thursday & perhaps a bit tired from the effort, & not to mention the important loss to injury of defender Gonzalo for the rest of the season. But that´s no excuse, nor is it a reason to lessen the great performance from Valencia which was as "smooth as silk tonight" on all fronts.

ROBERTO SOLDADO continued with his goal scoring form opening up proceedings with his 13th min on target shot. The goals later came in the second half after some ragged Villareal opposition & fighting spirit that was put out with a second goal from MATA in the 55th min & a third via BENEGA in the 61st min.

This opened up the Villareal "can" which were overrun  & frustrated by the lack of their effectiveness tonight & Valencia took over with another goal from MATA in the 72nd min & SOLDADO with his second in the 74th min.

Last game of Round 31 of La Liga - MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
Real Zaragoza - Getafe

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FRANCE 3 SPAIN 2 | U-21 INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY RESULT

The SPANISH U-21 NATIONAL TEAM played FRANCE in a friendly match & lost 3 - 2 to the "Blues". The Spanish side was a bit of an experiment with players lined up who habitually don´t play together, but this is no excuse at all. The French side played better & deserved to win, but suffered towards the end & were nearly equalized.

The French U-21 team were 3 - 0 up by the 35th min thanks to some basic mistakes by the Spanish defence & some bad coordination in midfield. Plus, Spain lost Juan Carlos to a Red Card in a vital moment just after the first Spanish goal & that left Spain with 10 men on the field.

Spain played better - & their Best Football - from the 37th min onwards when FRAN MERIDA scored the Spanish opener & then a second goal arrived with Spain down to 10 men via RIOS in the 60th min. It looked possible that Spain could turn things around & make an incredible comeback but it did not eventuate as France held out & stood firm to the Spanish pressure.

Great win for the French youngsters & encouraging comeback attempt under the circumstances by the Spaniards.

France u-21 defeat Spain in International Friendly: L´Equipe

Match details:

France 3: Gorgelin; Corchia, Stambouli, Mangala, Makonda; Guilavogui, Pajot (Varene, m.70); Saivet, Griezmann (Sylla, m.88), Gueye (Cabella, m.60); Riviére.


Spain 2: Mariño (Robles, m.46); Mario, Bartra, Ayala, Nacho; Camacho (Illarmendi, m.46), Recio (Ríos, m.58), Mérida (Pacheco, m.46), Juan Carlos; Álvaro Vázquez (Falque, m.75), Canales.


Goals: 1-0, m.10: Riviére; 2-0, m.18: Riviére; 3-0, m.35: Gueye; 3-1, m.37: Fran Mérida; 3-2, m.60: Rios
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SPANISH FOOTBALL - SOCCER ROUND 22 SATURDAY NIGHT RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with Round 22 of the Spanish League with seven matches scheduled & plenty of goals. Here is a quick summary of the games, results & scorers. 

David Lopez scores for Bilbao

ATHLETIC DE BILBAO won 3 - 0 REAL SPORTING DE GIJON in a game "scared" by an early 15th min red card to Sporting defender Gregory that left Sporting in a serious disadvantage thereafter. Bilbao took the opportunity & scored a penalty in the 16th min by DAVID LOPEZ. Sporting tried to maintain the level but with 10 men & plenty of spaces Bilbao managed the second via TOQUERO in the 26th min. Then FERNANDO LLORENTE scored the third in the 73rd min to seal a great night for the the locals. 

Getafe back winning

GETAFE needed a win & managed it in big fashion 4 - 1 against DEPORTIVO. The visitors risked with very offensive Football that allowed Getafe to counter-attack in deadly fashion. Goals came thick & fast via COLUNGA with two in the 19th min & 26th min, along with MIKU in the 44th min & PEDRO RIOS in the 56th min. Deportivo managed a consolation goal via a penalty scored by RIKI in the 68th min.

Osasuna - Mallorca

OSASUNA drew 1 - 1 with REAL MALLORCA. Goal for Osasuna via FLAÑO & the goal for Mallorca via CASTRO in the 37th min.

Bernardello scores for Almeria

Fantastic match between ALMERIA & RCD ESPANYOL with the home side winning 3 -2 after the visitors attempted a heroic come back. Almeria did all the damage early with goals from SILVA in the 5th min, that was followed by a goal from UCHE a minute later & a third in the 18th min via BERNARDELLO. Espanyol recovered from the blow & scored in the 33rd min via VERDU & again via ALVARO in the 48th min.

Things got exciting as Espanyol looked for the equalizer & Almeria did everything to keep them out. In the end, Almeria managed the three points & a sigh of relief. Great match!

Racing scores against Zaragoza

REAL ZARAGOZA & RACING DE SANTANDER played out a 1 - 1 draw. The goal came via CHRISTIAN for Racing in the 13th min & the equalizer came for Zaragoza via BOUTAHAR in the 39th min. A point each & goodnight.

Valdo scores the winner for Levante

VILLAREAL were surprised by bottom of the ladder team LEVANTE with a 0 - 1 loss that gives the visitors three vital points in their efforts to stay clear from the relegation zone. The winner for Levante came in the 42nd min via VALDO. Surprise of the night in Spanish Football.

Messi again on the scoring sheet for
FC Barcelona

FC BARCELONA defeated ATLETICO DE MADRID 3 - 0  that included a LIONEL MESSI HAT-TRICK which helps keeps Barça Spanish League table lead in tact & put further pressure on rivals & second placed Real Madrid that must win tomorrow to not allow the 7 point gap between both to further widen & practically sentence the Liga title in favour of Barça

With this said, Barça was simply too good tonight, an under statement as they are without much doubt the "Best Team in the World" at this moment & gave no real options to Atletico who looked on at how the ball moved around them from side to side & into the goal net. The 1 st half was all Barça with dim flashes of Atletico - sorry Aguero - & two goals from MESSI in the 17th & 28th min.

The 2nd half was more of the same with poetic movements from Barça that danced on the field & accompanied by the Football music MESSI scored his third & "Hat-Trick" in the 79th min. The rest was Barça dancing again until the end of the match. Lionel Messi overtakes - for the moment - Cristiano Ronaldo as the Spanish League leading goal-scorer with 24 goals to date.

Tomorrow the last three matches of Round 22 , including Real Madrid.  Tweet

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SPAIN STILL NUMBER ONE IN FIFA WORLD RANKING FOR FEBRUARY

FIFA has released its monthly list of Top World National Football Teams with SPAIN retaining the Number One ranking. There has been little to really calculate for FIFA since last month except the Doha International matches & the more recent Asian Cup games were Japan won the title & lifted them 12 positions to place them in the 17th spot on the World ranking.

Below is the Top 15 list of National Teams for the month of February according to FIFA

Spain National Football Team

.1. Spain 1887 pts. 2. Holland 1723 pts.3. Germany 1485 pts.4. Brazil 1446.5. Argentina 1367.6. England 1195.7. Uruguay 1152.8. Portugal 1090.9. Croatia 1075.10. Greece 1016.11. Norway 995.12. Russia 982.13. Italy 965.14. Chile 947.15. Ghana 940

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REAL MADRID | MOURINHO - VALDANO - DARK HUMOUR

Football is unpredictable, so much so that one has to be very careful on what they say & how they act because the future & the results are totally unknown. With this Soccer philosophical note Barcelona paper "Sport" via its cartoon section "Futbolitis" has captured well the REAL MADRID situation after losing yesterday in La Liga & falling behind 7 points in the Spanish  League in reference to FC Barcelona.

The "Special One", Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho has entered the Real Madrid "glass store" as a raging Bull - no punt intended - & smashed - ruffed up many persons including Club Director General Jorge Valdano who has withdrawn to the wings to "strategically" observe.

There is a saying that "Revenge is better served on a cold plate" & if the results & titles do not come José Mourinho will evolve from "The Special One" to "The Ordinary One" & there is a long line of persons waiting to see that transformation & with a cold plate in their hand.


Here the "Sport" comic sum things; allow me to translate:

Valdano to Mourinho ..."You now have your Nº9 & now a 7 (7 points behind Barça). Do you want more?"

Futbolitis - Sport.es

Spanish Cup 2º leg semi final this Wednesday against Sevilla FC . Real Madrid have a 0 - 1 advantage, a knock out result here will ... lets wait & see the result. Tweet

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REAL MADRID TENSIONS 2010 | THE QUANTUM PHYSICS OF WINNING - "THE IRON LAW" OF FOOTBALL

We mentioned here that the 5 – 0 defeat of REAL MADRID at the hands of FC BARCELONA would have lasting “after-shocks” & lingering effects. Not only was the loss a setback classification wise, but a heavy blow on the Clubs moral & psychological levels, along with the coming to the surface of some in-house tensions that have been the talk of the press the last few days.


The Club has some visible cracks on its wall on all levels: the players, Coaching & Directives that are being currently sorted out & that some hope that the “Christmas spirit & break” will help further to mend. But there is only one true effective way to put ghosts back in the can, which is, winning again & constantly. This is nothing new to write about or explain to you as the reader, it´s an “Iron Law” of Football.

José Mourinho

The first of the “problems” is more psychological than anything else. The "mystical aura" of Coach Mourinho has been dimmed after what he describes as “the biggest defend in his career”. The “Special One”, or the “Messiah” for some at Real Madrid, now radiates out his mortality as he retired into a “shell” to recompose himself. The Team Spiritual leader, the Captain of the RM super-tanker & their ideologist has been absent these last weeks from the “World” which has lowered dressing room spirits & allowed the dreaded phantom of “Doubts” to enter the big picture. True to Coach Mourinho´s pedigree, experience & intelligence we are now slowly seeing the “Average One” gradually return to his more comfortable “Special One” category, something the Club & players are relieved to see, appreciating & desiring to happen as soon as possible.

Mourinho - Valdano

The second problem is at the Directive level. Real Madrid General Director Jorge Valdano & Coach Jose Mourinho are not exactly the Best Friends in the World. They have pushed aside past differences in order to work together,  & because they are excellent professionals. The 5 – 0 defeat at Barcelona & the injury of Higuain has accentuated the doubts that Mourinho has with the depth of his squad & with Karim Benzema in his capacity as substitute for Higuain. Coach Jose Mourinho wants the Club to sign a forward with guarantees in the upcoming “Winter Transfer Market”, but the Club – Valdano – believes that answers are already present in-house with the youngsters, the recovery of Kaka in January 2011 & that the Club should give Benzema their confidence after costing more the 30M€ to get him over. Both Cocah Mourinho & Jorge Valdano have turned this player solicitation into a mini “power struggle” over who has more influence & sway over President Florentino Perez. Although we have as yet to see the final result & if Mourinho finally gets his player, the turbulent waters will be calmed again if Real Madrid manage to keep winning again, that is, follow the already mentioned “Iron Law” of Football. Once back in the winning groove both personalities will focus on their responsibilities & not on each other.

Casillas - Ronaldo

The third problem is a dressing room situation. Apparently Captain Iker Casillas & Cristiano Ronaldo are not having a good time relationship wise. The situation came to notice when Ronaldo scored his last goal & only Marcelo, Pepe, Carvalho & Di Maria celebrated it with him. The apparent split is due to two main reasons (1) the comments made by Iker Casillas journalist girlfriend Sara Carbonero on Spanish TV that Ronaldo was egoistic & an individual on the field, something that Ronaldo reproached Casillas about; &  (2) the call to attention by some heavy-weight players in the dressing room ( Casillas, Ramos, Xabi …etc) to Ronaldo to ease his on-field antics ( provocations, out of tone comments to team-mates & his “party pieces") to concentrate on his Football & be more co-operative. This last aspect isn’t the problem, Ronaldo assumed the “positive constructive criticism”, what is the problem is that the Portuguese star feels that his team-mates have not been supporting him 100% outside the Club with the media & that he feels left alone facing all the latest criticism. This has been apparently all solved in the last days if we are to believe the comments from Casillas & Xabi Alonso on radio saying that things have been solved in-house.


The other dressing room issue is Sergio Ramos. Coach Mourinho is very disappointed with the Spanish International who seems to have his head somewhere else. His terrible performance in the 5 – 0 defeat at FC Barcelona along with his “loss of control” which lead to his famous Red Card has taken the glitz out of the player. Last news is that Mourinho has had a meeting with Ramos to attempt to sort out his “wavering” performances.


Why are we posting all about this today? Because it is possible that most of these tensions already existed ( as with any other Club) before the Barcelona 5 – 0 defeat but that the pre-unbeaten winning streak was serving to put the lid over it all. The humiliating loss at the hand of the arch rivals, the first of the season under the new Mourinho proyect, & its dimension has shaken off the “gravitational force” holding in place the frictions & allowed a mini Big – Bang to occur that is shaking the Club within. This is not a new phenomenon or the last, look at English Football & Chelsea FC with their particular turn of events as they too are under the influence of the need to return to the “Iron Law” of Football.

While winning everything is kept under control, when you begin losing & constantly everything goes out of control. We could be talking today of an institutional crisis & team problems at FC Barcelona if Real Madrid had won 0 – 5 …its just Football & the whimsical day to day, week to week of the Sport that is fuelled by the results. Tweet

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FOOTBALL - SOCCER LESSONS | FC BARCELONA "EL CLASICO" | THE 2º GOAL XAVI HERNANDEZ | VIDEO

The Monday night Spanish League - Liga Round 13 match, otherwise known as "El Clasico", between FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID  (5 - 0) is still causing news & analysis. This time from a more technical angle from Football lovers & professionals whom have enough material to study & show students the "Art" of playing Football: touch Football.

FC Barcelona has implanted a style that has become World famous that involves touching the ball no more than 2-3 times ( 1 is the ideal) with extreme speed to "dance" opponents, create spaces & thus exploit the gaps to score.


The 2º goal is being shown Worldwide as the perfect example of the Barça philosophy as there was 21 passes before Pedro put the ball into the net (although the below video picks it all up later & shows 14). Below is the video, & I suggest you count yourself & see the perfect build-up. Also notice how at one point Pedro falls (tackle) & picks himself up to race to were he intuitively thinks Villa will pass to score the goal. Another facet of the Barça mentality & team commitment.

This video will now become classroom material & will be shown to 000s of kids, Football apprentices, Coaching camps/seminars  & opposing teams many, many  times.



One of the architects of this style, as seen above, is the player who begins & finishes the play, XAVI HERNANDEZ. Spanish TV Cuatro followed the player & the video is eye-opening. Xavi illustrates why he is considered the "Best Midfielder In The World" & candidate for this years FIFA Golden Ball Award. The "Clasico" match was an exhibition from Xavi & pure poetry in motion. Another video for "classroom" study & analysis.



Lastly,  I will just finish with another piece of information that comes out of Monday´s game: Barça touches the ball 731 times compared to Real Madrid which touched 385 times. Tweet

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