SPANISH FOOTBALL CLUBS DOMINATE FINANCES

The prestigious financial consultancy "Deloitte" has released its annual study on the finances of the most powerful Football (Soccer) teams. For the first time since the study began, the giants of Football suffer a significant decrease in their income. Its estimated that the top  20 Clubs will lose over 2 billion euros in revenue at the end of the 2020-21 season, reports the consultancy.

The ranking is still dominated by Spanish Football Clubs, FC Barçelona, repeats at the top of the ranking ahead of Real Madrid. Interestingly, no Premier League team is in the Top 3 after Bayern Munich climbs to the third place. Said this, FC Barcelona is currently undergoing an economic crisis with a huge debt that has it "technically" almost bankrupt. One would expect Real Madrid to overtake Barça in the Financial Ranking shortly. The Madrid Club has over the years been "prudent" with sending as they have strengthen the income side with merchandising & TV Rights.

 

Complete Top 10 ranking (euros) 2020:

1.FC Barcelona 715.1 million
2.Real Madrid 714.9 million
3.Bayern Munich 634.1 million
4.Manchester United 580.4 million
5.Liverpool 558.6 million
6.Manchester City 549.2 million
7.Paris Saint-Germain 540.6 million
8.Chelsea 469.7 million
9.Tottenham Hotspur 445.7 million
10. Juventus 397.9 million

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UEFA TOP 10 CLUBS RANKING | Spanish Football Clubs

UEFA has released its Clubs classification list & from a Spanish Football perspective it should not surprise. The state of Spanish Football has experienced a decline as the two top Clubs Real Madrid & FC Barcelona begin a period of transition & rebuilding as their solid players become older & performance is declining. This is especially noticeable at Real Madrid who has a noticeable list of key players over the age of 30: Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Marcelo, Benzema...etc, as with Barça: Busquets, Pique, Messi etc.

Said this, the UEFA Club Ranking based on the results obtained by teams in their European participation in the last five seasons reflects relatively well the changing balance of power in European Football. While FC Barcelona holds second position, Real Madrid continues to slip down the ladder (from 3rd to 4th). The two other Spanish Clubs among the Top 10: Atlético de Madrid , is 5th and on the heels of their eternal rival Real Madrid, while FC Sevilla sits 9th. The last two mentioned Spanish Clubs have a better chance of climbing their positions if they can continue moving forward in European competitions, more so Sevilla than Atletico.

A similar situation is occurring with English Football, as we witness the decline of traditionally strong Clubs like Manchester United & Liverpool FC over the past seasons

UEFA TOP 10 Ranking: Clubs:

1- Bayern Múnich (GER) 120,000 points
2- FC Barcelona (SP) 116,000
3- Juventus (ITA) 111,000
4- Real Madrid CF (SP)110,000
5- Atletico de Madrid (SP) 108,000
6- Manchester City (ENG) 103,000
7- Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 99,000
8- Manchester United (ENG) 97,000
9- Sevilla FC (SP) 90,000
10- Liverpool FC (ENG) 89,000

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LA LIGA 2019-2020 | LEADING GOALSCORER - GOALKEEPER AFTER ROUND 20

The Spanish Football League - La Liga 2019/2020 - is currently at 20 Rounds from its total of 38 for a full season. Appropriate moment to see how the "Leading goalscorer" (EL PICHICHI) & "Leading goalkeeper" (EL ZAMORA) provisional classification tally is currently standing.

LA LIGA 2019-2020 season provisional leading TOP 10 leading goalscorers classification after Round 20:

1. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) 14 goals
2. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) 12
3. Luis Suarez (FC Barcelona) 11
4. Ávila (Osasuna) 9
5. Roger (Levante) 9
6  Ángel (Getafe) 8
7. Budimir (Mallorca) 8
8. Gerard (Villarreal) 8
9. Loren (Real Betis) 8
10.Lucas Perez (Alaves) 8

LA LIGA 2019-2020 season provisional leading TOP 5 leading goalkeepers classification after Round 20:

1. Oblak (Atletico de Madrid) 14 goals received
2. Vaclik (FC Sevilla) 20
3. David Soria (Getafe) 20
4. Masip (Real Valladolid) 23
5. Rui Silva (Granada) 26

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS | REAL MADRID & AT MADRID

Champions League tonight with REAL MADRID & ATLETICO DE MADRID in Group matches. Here are brief summaries, along with goalscorers & the final results.

REAL MADRID hosted PARIS ST GERMAIN & although both teams have secured the pass to the next stage of Champions League, Real needed to win to keep alive their chance to take top spot of their Group. Above is the starting XI team for Real Madrid.

A great first 45 minutes from Real Madrid. The Spanish Club controlled the game, showed a high level of intensity that has not been seen for a long time in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Real played the ball at a very high speed and created plenty of goal opportunities of which PSG goalie Keylor Navas stopped literally a "goal bath". Tremendous Hazard, a genius Benzema and midfielder Valverde was everywhere.

Same tonic in the second half with Real Madrid dominanting. However, an injury to Hazard & the substitution of Valverde allowed PSG to get more ball control & find spaces. Neymar who came on at the start of the 2ºhalf bettered the PSG attack. When Real Madrid was 2-0 up a mix up between Varane & Real Madrid goalie Courtois allowed Mappe to score & towards the end with a more relaxed Real Madrid Paris St Germain sub Sarabia equalized two minutes later. Gareth Bale hit the post from a free-kick in the last minute.

Great game from Benzema, Hazard, Marcelo & Valverde for Real Madrid, while for PSG Navas was the goal savior & Mbappe was dangerous.

Final result

REAL MADRID 2 - PARIS ST GERMAIN 2 

Goalscorers:
1 - 0 (17') Benzema
2 - 0 (79') Benzema
2 - 1 (81') Mbappé
2 - 2 (83') Sarabia

ATLETICO DE MADRID travelled to Italy to play JUVENTUS FC. The objective was a win for the Spaniards in order to secure their pass into the next stage of Champions League without depending on fate or third parties.

Above is the Atletico starting XI team.

Juventus FC ended the first half 1 - 0 up in a very close & contested match thanks to a genius of Dybala, who was the best player in the first 45 min. 

Alvaro Morata had a golden chance towards the end, although it was off-side. There was also a great opportunity for Angel Correa who combined well with Joao Felix but opted for the center instead of the shot. Atletico de Madrid now must win Lokomotiv to secure their pass onto the next stage of Champions League. If Atletico does not, it will depend on what Leverkusen does against Juventus FC which has already the Top Group spot and has nothing to play except their pride. Atletico played a fair game, but faced a Juventus team which defended very well and took advantage of a genius of Dybala.

FINAL RESULT

JUVENTUS FC 1 - ATLETICO DE MADRID 0

Goalscorer:
1 - 0 Dybala 45m +  

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SPAIN 5 RUMANIA 0 | EURO 2020 GROUP F RESULT

Last EURO 2002 Group F qualifiers tonight with SPAIN hosting RUMANIA & winning 5 - 0 to secure the Top spot of their Group for direct passage to next years European Championships.

Above is the Spain starting XI.

Below is a summary with goalscorers: Fabian (7 min), Gerard Moreno (32 min), Gerard Moreno (42 min), Rus (own goal 45 min) & Oyarzabal (90 min).

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EURO 2020 | SPAIN 7 MALTA 0 - GROUP F QUALIFIER

EURO 2020 Group F qualifying match between SPAIN & MALTA played in the city of Cadiz. Spain sits comfortably at the top of the group & wants to win both games, Malta & next Mondays Rumania clash to stay first of Group F.

Here is a brief summary of events, goalscorers & final result.

Spain starting XI line up vs Malta:
Pau Lopez; Jesus Navas, Albiol, Ramos, Bernat; Rodri, Thiago, Cazorla; Sarabia, Gerard Moreno & Alvaro Morata

As expected with Malta last in the Group table & the least strong,  Spain dominated all the match with the visitors putting up an ultra defensive line-up. There was up to 6 defenders in-line as Malta hopped to avoid a scandalous result & if lucky find a counter-attack that may have lead to a goal.

Malta held out the best they could most of the 1º st half only "halting" Spain down to two goals up to the 45th min. 

However, the 2º half was a completely different game with Spain scoring another 5 goals. Two Spanish players debuted in the 2º half; defender PAU TORRES (Villarreal) & DANI OLMO (Dynamo Zagreb) with both scoring a goal in their debut. Good match played by Cazorla (also scored) & Gerard Moreno ( assisted on various occasions & scored a goal).

The final result could have been greater in favour of Spain but they missed more than a dozen goal opportunities, including a disallowed off-side & a post.

FINAL RESULT: SPAIN 7 - MALTA 0

Goalscorers:
1 - 0 (23´) Alvaro Morata 
2 - 0 (41') Santi Cazorla
3 - 0 (62') Pau Torres
4 - 0 (63') Pablo Sarabia
5 - 0 (69') Dani Olmo
6 - 0 (71') Gerard Moreno

7 - 0 (85') Jesus Navas

Next Group match for Spain next Monday in Madrid against Rumania.

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS | At MADRID | REAL MADRID

UEFA Champions League Groups action tonight with ATLETICO DE MADRID at home hosting BAYERN LEVERKUSEN & REAL MADRID away facing Turkish Club GALATASARAY. Here is a brief summary of the main events, goalscorers & the final results.

Above is the starting XI for Atletico de Madrid, a team without Felix Joao who was injured this weekend thus opening a space up for Herreria,  & Angel Correa getting a start.

The first 45 minutes were somewhat bland with nothing really outstanding. Atletico de Madrid began trying to put on the turbo but fizzled out after a number of goal occasions. From there both followed their plans until they reached the half whistle. Lack of imagination on both teams.

With things looked the same as the 1º half Atletico needed to move things if they were to shake off the rocky German team. Coach Simeone put on Alvaro Morata & it paid off. In the 78th min LODI crossed & found his teammate MORATA who headed in the eventual winning goal. 

An important & very worked victory for Atletico de Madrid.

FINAL RESULT: ATLETICO DE MADRID 1 - BAYERN LEVERKUSEN 0

GALATASARAY hosted REAL MADRID which put forward the above starting XI. Midfielder Valverde & young Brazilian Rodrygo got a start, both played well.

It was a must win situation for Real Madrid, while a black cloud was also hovering the head of Coach Zidane. The Spanish Club started well but quickly fell into old habits allowing spaces in defense & opportunities for the Turks. Real Madrid goalie COURTOIS made two (three) very important saves to keep his team alive. However, Real Madrid reacted in the 18th min when HAZARD found TONI KROOS who shot through the ball with deflection into the net. 

From here until the end of the game Real Madrid looked to seal things with a second goal that did not come. They tried, 22 attempts at goal & hit a cross bar from Hazard, this basically summed up the Real Madrid night. Not being able to shut things allowed Galatasaray to attempt the draw & they had their occasions to do just this while Real Madrid was at times risking.

In the end a vital victory away, a sigh of relief for Zidane & more breathing space for Real Madrid to fine tune their goal opportunities & their overall game.

FINAL RESULT: GALATASARAY 0 REAL MADRID 1

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SWEDEN 1 SPAIN 1 | EURO 2020 GROUP RESULT

EURO 2020 Group qualifiers continued tonight with SPAIN travelling to SWEDEN. The Spanish National Football team needed a draw tonight to get the sufficient points to automatically get their ticket to the Euro Championships. Here is a short summary with goalscorers & the final result.

The above image shows the starting SPAIN XI team, with Carvajal, De Gea, Thiago, Gerard, Iñigo Martinez & Rodri getting a run. Sergio Ramos was out suspended after receiving a yellow card in Norway, his 5th.

The great start of Spain, which was able to get quickly three very clear occasions (especially a hand to hand with Thiago) which gradually gave way to the reaction of Sweden. The local team had a very clear idea; defend, use the counter-attack & their superior physical strenght. The Swedes got stronger & Spanish goalie David De Gea had to make a fabulous save from a Quaison header to avoid the 1 - 0 in the 32nd min. Later on Spanish defender Iñigo Martinez also had to intervene to avoid a Swede goal.

The second half started with Sweden getting ahead 1 - 0 in the 49th min through BERG after De Gea made two saves. Things get complicated for Spain which was looking for the equalizer & at the same time creating spaces for Sweden. The local side created many goal opportunities, of which one of those De Gea was injured & was replaced by Kepa. The clock kept ticking & the nerves set into the Spanish Game, which made Spanish Coach Moreno put on Rodrigo Moreno & Jesus Navas to be more vertical. It paid off.

In the 92nd min a Spanish corner found Fabian who crossed hard into the square to find the tap on of forward RODRIGO who equalized. Spain saved at the last moment with a final disappointed Sweden team which had fought hard & played well all game. 

The result qualified Spain automatically for the upcoming EURO 2020 Championships.

FINAL RESULT: SWEDEN 1 - SPAIN 1


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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | REAL MADRID - AT MADRID RESULTS

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE tonight with REAL MADRID CF playing at home & ATLETICO DE MADRID located in Moscow (Russia) for their Group matches. Here is a brief summary of the main events at both games, along with goalscorers & the final results.

REAL MADRID hosted Belgium Club BRUGGE in match that was important for the Spaniards to get a positive result. Above is the REAL MADRID starting XI (image) which would later suffered changes, some that will open up speculation & debate.

REAL MADRID started terribly with a Brugge opening goal in the 9th min in silly circumstances that again puts in doubt the Spanish defence & goalkeeper COURTOIS. It was a clear sign that things were not to go the way of the locals as they attacked to create chances but failed to convert. Real Madrid would pay the price for missing chances with the second Brugge goal in the 39th min. Again childish mistakes in defence, a stumbling goal that put in doubt once again COURTOIS. Tonight Keylor Navas was dearly missed & the home crowd voiced this opinion. 

A shocker of a first half with Real Madrid looking at the "barrel of the elimination gun". A loss tonight would make it uphill for the rest of the qualifiers & extremely difficult to pass onto the next Rounds. Real danger moments.

Real Madrid Coach Zidane reacted by substituting COURTOIS for AREOLA & NACHO for MARCELO. The second half was to be "do or die" stuff to avoid possible future problems in Champions League. Real Madrid attacked & kept running into the Belgium team defensive wall. The frustration & anxiety was creeping into the Madrid game & the crowd was sensing that a disaster was about to come upon them.

However, Real reacted with a goal in the 55th min through a RAMOS header from a Benzema pass. Later Brugge defending solidly allowed their aggressiveness to take the better of them & their Captain VORMER saw double yellow cards & was sent off. From an associated free-kick CASEMIRO scored the second & draw for Real Madrid in the 85th min. 

End & final result a draw, with Real Madrid on the edge of the abyss up till the 85th minute. A bad result for the Spanish Club but it could have been worst, a defend & zero points in the Group with a very dark Champions League future.

FINAL RESULT & GOALSCORERS:


Real Madrid 2 Brugge 2
0 - 1 (9')  Dennis Bonaventure
0 - 2 (39') Dennis Bonaventure
1 - 2 (55') Sergio Ramos
2 - 2 (85') Casemiro

ATLETICO DE MADRID travelled to Moscow to play LOKOMOTIV for their Group match. Above is the starting XI team for Atletico (image).

Relatively controlled game by Atletico de Madrid taking the initiative early while Lokomotiv was comfortable defending & looking to counter-attack. Atletico created their chances, especially Diego Costa from a corner & Morata who had an opportunity. The first half ended 0 - 0

In the second half Atletico picked up a notch & scored in the 48th min through youngster FELIX JOAO. The momentum kept going for the Spaniards who scored their second through THOMAS in the 58th min.

Lokomotiv had a clear chance to score in the 73rd min with Krychowiak but Atletico goalkeeper OBLAK made a fabulous save.

Well deserved & important victory for Atletico de Madrid away.

FINAL RESULT:
LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW 0 ATLETICO DE MADRID 2 

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FC BARCELONA VALENCIA CF | UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS

UEFA Champions League 2019-2020 kicked off this season with Group games scheduled with Spanish Clubs FC BARCELONA & VALENCIA CF down for their Group duties. Here is a short summary of the main events along with goalscorers & the final results.

Interesting starting XI for Barça tonight with Arthur & 16 year old Ansu Fati in the line-up. Above in the image is the full 11 names. 

An equalled first half for both teams with Borussia Dortmund having more occasions, especially a golden chance by Reus that was stopped by Barça goalie Ter Stegen. FC Barcelona had good periods of control of the ball, specially when Brazilian midfielder Arthur took command. Said this, Borussia Dortmund was not overwhelmed by Barça & managed to counterbalance the situation & created their goal opportunities.

The second half converted Barça goalie TER STEGEN in "Man of the Match", he solely avoided that his team lose tonight with some magnificent saves. The Barça goalie stopped a REUS penalty in the 56th min. Later Borussia Dortmund hit the bar. 

Messi came on to play 30 mins after a long stint out through injury but he could turn the wave. Tough night for Braça in Germany, nearly lost to Borussia

Lastly, bad news for Barça was the injury to Jordi Alba.

FINAL RESULT: BORUSSIA DORTMUND 0 FC BARCELONA 0

VALENCIA CF travelled to London to play Chelsea FC in an unsettling fashion after their Coach Marcelino was fired last week & replaced by Celades. The new Coach has not the full backing of the Senior players & their is a "bad vibe" in the air. However, tonight they pulled things together to give a good image & get the 3 points.

Below is the starting XI team for Valencia CF:

The first half did not have a clear and defined dominator. Valencia CF started defensively allowing Chelsea FC to control while looking to launch their counter-attacks. As the game progressed Valencia gained in confidence & pushed forward reaching more often the area of Chelsea goalie Kepa. Chelsea FC although with more game control did not show signs of danger & did not trouble the Spanish team. Chelsea only troubled Valencia Cf a couple of times, one with a Willian goal opportunity.

The second half allowed fans to witness an entertaining match with chances going to both teams. However, it was Valencia CF through their forward RODRIGO that scored in the 73rd min with a rehearsed tactical play having Captain Parejo involved.

Chelsea won a penalty in the 85th min but ROSS BARKLEY missed hitting the crossbar. Valencia held out &, must I say, surprised. Well done!

FINAL RESULT: CHELSEA FC 0 - VALENCIA CF 1

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UEFA TOP EUROPEAN CLUB RANKINGS

UEFA has released its list of the TOP EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CLUBS. The first three Clubs are Spanish with REAL MADRID CF in first position, followed by ATLETICO DE MADRID second & FC BARCELONA in third place.

From a Spanish Football perspective the big gainer is Atletico de Madrid which jumps into second place overtaking traditionally bigger local rival FC Barcelona.

UEFA Top 10 European Football Club Rankings:
1. Real Madrid CF
2. At. Madrid 
3. FC Barcelona
4. FC Bayern Munich
5. Juventus 
6. Manchester City FC
7. Paris St. Germain
8. Liverpool FC
9. Arsenal FC
10. Manchester United

To see the full list you can visit the UEFA website .

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SPAIN 4 FAROE ISLANDS 0 | EURO 2020 RESULT

SPAIN hosted FAROE ISLANDS in Gijon (Spain) for their Group F EURO 2020 Qualifier. The final result being 4 - 0 victory for Spain further consolidating their Top Spot in the Group.

Only Sergio Ramos & Rodrigo Moreno started in the Spain XI after last Wednesday match against Romania with the rest getting a run from the bench. Spanish Captain Sergio Ramos equalled the International Caps record along with Iker Casillas of 166 games for Spain. It's obvious Ramos will surpass this figure to take the most Internationally Capped player records in the near future.

The whole match was dominated by Spain which attacked while Faroe Islands defended & looked for a counter-attack opportunity. Spain continuously kept smashing against the Faroe Island defensive wall but managed to score through RODRIGO MORENO who scored twice in the 13 th & 51st min.

The only real chance to pull a goal back for Faroe Islands came in the 73th min through a counter-attack that was stopped by DE GEA when the opposition player fired at goal.

Little more to add from here as Spain kept looking to add to the scoreline & did so when substitute PACO ALCACER scored the 3rd & 4th for Spain in the 89th min & the 92nd min.

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ROMANIA 1 SPAIN 2 | EURO 2020 GROUP F QUALIFIER RESULT

SPAIN defeated ROMANIA 1 - 2 away tonight in their Group F EURO 2020 Qualifier. It's the first time the History of the Spanish Football National Team that they have defeated Romania in their home stadium. A competitive match that saw Spain dominate the first half & complicate their advantage in the second half with a RED CARD included that left Spain down to 10 men.

However, the victory consolidates Spain on top of the Group F table & has them firmly on the path to secure their Euro 2020 qualification.

The above is the Spain starting XI team, the surprises being Navas (ahead of Carvajal), Saul (ahead of Parejo) & Alcacer (ahead of Morata).

The first half was totally dominated by Spain. The best player on the field was Romanian goalkeeper Tatarusano who made 4 - 5 point blank saves to avoid a scandalous Spain runway result. The Romanian was truly outstanding & frustrating for the Spanish players.

The goals for Spain came in the first 50 mt. through a penalty scored by SERGIO RAMOS & PACO ALCACER at the beginning of the second half.

But credit to Romania which did not drop their heads & lifted in their pressure looking to pull the result back. Romanian Coach Cosmin Costa began moving the bench bring on ANDONE who reacted & headed the Romanian goal in the 59th min. From here Romania put Spain onto the back foot with pressure & more aggression.

Spain suffered a RED CARD when Spanish defender LLORENTE fouled being the last man in the 79th min & left Spain with 10 men. This forced Spain to change strategy & defend their 1 goal lead which allowed Romania to be the main protagonist.

Spanish goalie KEPA had to make important match saving interventions as Spain suffered to keep their lead. However their experience, with some luck, allowed Spain to hold on, take the 3 points & the victory. 

GOALSCORERS:

0 - 1 (29') (P.) Sergio Ramos
0 - 2 (47')  Paco Alcacer
1 - 2 (59')  Florin Andone

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EURO 2020 | SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM LIST FOR RUMANIA & FEREO ISLANDS

Newly appointed Spanish National Football Team Selector & Coach ROBERTO MORENO has handed in his first list of selected Spanish Football players for the upcoming EURO 2020 Group qualifiers against RUMANIA in Bucharest the 5th of September & the FEREO ISLANDS in Gijon (Spain) the 8th of September. The surprises are mainly the Carzola & Aspas leave the team & Unai Nuñez & Sarabia get called up. 

Below is the full list:

List of players for the Spanish National Football Team:

Goalkeepers: De Gea, Kepa & Pau López

Defenders: Gayà, Jordi Alba, Dani Carvajal, Hermoso, Unai Núñez, Sergio Ramos, Diego Llorente & Jesús Navas

Midfielders: Parejo, Sergi Busquets, Rodrigo, Thiago, Saúl, Fabián, Suso, Ceballos

Forwards: Rodrigo Moreno, Sarabia, Paco Alcacer & Oyarzabal

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUPS 2019-2020

UEFA kicked off officially its season with the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Group draw celebrated this afternoon/evening in Monaco. The results for Spanish Football Clubs are shown below. All 4 Spanish representatives have very difficult teams & thus Groups, with Atletico de Madrid & FC Barcelona as prime examples.

GROUP A
Paris St Germain
Real Madrid CF
Brujas
Galatasaray

GROUP D
Juventus FC
Atletico de Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen
Lokomotiv Moscow

GROUP F
FC Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund
Inter de Milán
Slavia de Praga

GROUP H
Chelsea FC
Ajax Amsterdam
Valencia CF
Lille

Spanish Football was represented in the individual Awards by LIONEL MESSI who won BEST FORWARD.

UEFA BEST FORWARD SEASON 2018-2019
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)


UEFA PLAYER OF THE SEASON 2018 - 2019
1.Virgil Van Dijk (HOL/Liverpool)
2.Lionel Messi (ARG/ FC Barcelona)
3.Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Juventus)
4 Alisson Becker (BRA/Liverpool) 57 pts.
5 Sadio Mane (SEN/Liverpool) 51.
6 Mohamed Salah (EGY/Liverpool) 49.
7 Eden Hazard (BEL/Chelsea-Real Madrid) 38.
8 Matthijs de Ligt (HOL/Ajax-Juventus) 27.
8 Frenkie de Jong (HOL/Ajax-Barcelona) 27

10 Raheem Sterling (ENG/Manchester City) 12
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SPAIN 3 SWEDEN 0 | EURO 2020 QUALIFIER RESULT

SPAIN hosted SWEDEN tonight at the "Santiago Bernabeu Stadium" (Madrid) for their Group F EURO 2020 Qualifying match. Here is a brief summary of events, goalscorers & the final score.

The Spain starting 11 team had some surprises with goalkeeper KEPA starting over David De Gea, and FABIAN starting as well. Later in the 2º half Real Sociedad forward OYARZABAL would get a run & debut for Spain. 

Above is the Sweden starting 11 with an outfit throughout for their direct Football style.

Spain starting well & confident putting forward their touch & passing Football style. It was not long into the match that Spain was creating goal opportunities. However, bad luck for Sweden early as upfront man Claesson fell badly & had to be replaced. This caused a tactical change which strengthened the Swedish defence & they began to lock down their area. 

It became increasingly difficult to penetrate the Swedish defence as Spain kept smashing into their wall. The first half finished with a sense of desperation on the Spanish side.

However, the second half saw a more determined Spain passing the ball around patiently looking for the Swedish error which was to come. After long patient passing & incursiones into the Swede area, the break came in the 64th min when a hand ball was rewarded with a penalty. Spanish Captain SERGIO RAMOS who achieved a "World Record" tonight of 122 International victory games & results, took the penalty & scored in the 64th min. 

Sweden opened up a bit more to attempt to go up forward but a brilliant move by substitute forward ALVARO MORATA who lost his defensive marker was fouled in the area & awarded a penalty. He took it & scored Spain's second goal in the 85th min. 

Two minutes later with Sweden acknowledging their loss, with another substitute OYARZABAL scored the third in the 87th min.

FINAL RESULT: SPAIN 3 - SWEDEN 0
Goal Scorers:
1 - 0 (64') (P.)
Sergio Ramos
2 - 0 (85') (P.)
Alvaro Morata
3 - 0 (87')
Mikel Oyarzabal

Spain achieves its 4th straight Group F victory & secures the top spot with a 5 point difference with the second placed nation. Sweden is considered the "main competitor" of the Group & a victory tonight was the prime objective to keep Spain's EURO 2020 qualification on course.

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