SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA ROUND 22 SATURDAY NIGHT GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL tonight under very cold conditions, as in most Western Europe, with 5 matches scheduled as part of Round 22 of LA LIGA. Here are all the final results along with the goal scorers.

Levante - Racing

LEVANTE drew 1 - 1 with RACING DE SANTANDER in an interesting game of Football that saw the latter more determined to grab the points. Levante has lost the initial season impulse that took them so high up the ladder , but managed to get ahead first in the 23 rd min via KONE. But Racing are fighting for their "Liga life" & have improved their Football & were rewarded for their work with the equalizer in the 61st min via ARANA. Racing wanted the game more than Levante.

Castro scores for Mallorca

REAL MALLORCA managed to clear the snow off the pitch & played REAL BETIS in a "heated match" that finished in a 1 - 0 victory. Tough match with two sides determined to get the victory & under some difficult weather conditions.

Mallorca got ahead when CASTRO scored in the 23rd min, from here it was "aggressive" with red card to Betis defender Mario in the 75th min & two more red cards to Mallorca ( Ramis 86 th min & Victor 92 nd min). Hard day at the office for both sides.

Llorente misses a chance.

Top game between ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO & RCD ESPANYOL with the latter drawing 3 - 3 in extra-time to snatch away the victory from Bilbao. In fact, Bilbao will be disappointed with this result as Espanyol climb pass them in Euro table positions & Bilbao has Clubs like Atletico de Madrid breathing down their necks to push them off the Euro positions. The last minutes "mental relaxation" by Bilbao cost them 2 valuable points that may become important in later rounds.

The match was "see-saw ( end to end ) stuff" with Bilbao getting ahead in the 25 th min via DE MARCOS, but Espanyol replied quickly to equalize in the 32 nd min via ROMARIC. Espanyol then got themselves ahead in the 47th min via WEISS, but Bilbao reacted via LLORENTE to equalize in the 57th min. Bilbao looked the more dominant & went ahead with a JAVI MARTINEZ goal in the 64 th min & had the victory in the hand. But Espanyol kept at it & scored the equalizer via ALBIN in the 92 nd min to quiet the Bilbao stadium & frustrate the Bilbao fans & Coach Bielsa.

Ramos scores for Madrid

GETAFE were beforehand listed as a dangerous team & REAL MADRID knew it, so concentration had to be at a maximum. The match finished  0 - 1 for Real Madrid under windy conditions & with the team not as sharp as in the last games. In fact, Real dominated most of the game but failed badly to "finish off" Getafe with more goals & thus suffered in the latter part of the game. Added to this, Real had some luck as a penalty was not given to Getafe in the second half after Pepe hand-balled in the penalty area. Had the referee called it things would have been very different.

The winning goal came via a SERGIO RAMOS header from a corner in the 18th min. Real Madrid tried to score more but Benzema, Ronaldo, Higuain (late) ...& company just could not manage to fire the ball correctly home. This slowly gave Getafe confidence & as the match went on Getafe grew in their play, so much so, that Real Madrid was calling for the referee to blow the final whistle. 

Tello scores for Barça

FC BARCELONA won 2 - 1 REAL SOCIEDAD suffering in the final 15 minutes & with Busquets joining the long list of injured players.

Barça started with 4 youngsters tonight, Tello, Dos Santos, Thiago & Cuenca, all doing well most of the match. Barcelona dominanted a Real Sociedad side that concentrated on defending & looking for the counter-attack opportunity.

Young TELLO scored early for Barça in the 8th min & from here Sociedad was lucky that LIONEL MESSI & company were not in fine tune,  as Messi & his team-mates - Cuenca hit the bar - missed more than half a dozen opportunities that normally are converted into goal.

Barça dominated the second half & MESSI - finally - scored in the 72nd min. But when Barça thought they had the victory in "the bag", VELA scored for Real Sociedad to put the nerves into the Barça team. Puyol went off & the defence looked wobbly. Real Sociedad grew in confidence & attacked more & more with some good chances occurring that unfortunately did not materialize for Sociedad. However Barcelona held out the "nervous last 15 minutes" & took the 3 points. 

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | FROM IMPORTER TO EXPORTER

Another young SPANISH FOOTBALL pearl leaves for foreign shores to build upon his talents & hopefully begin a solid Football career. This time English Premier League Club MANCHESTER CITY has paid 3M€ to REAL MADRID for POZO . The U-17 Spanish International is in England but cannot play due to the fact that he is only 15 years old & needs to wait until he reaches 16 years according to English FA rules. Pozo will celebrate that "long awaited" date on the 3rd of March.

Pozo

Pozo joins a growing list of young Spanish Football talents that are leaving Spain & concretely going to English Football : Bellerín (17 years, Arsenal), Ayala (20 years, Norwich), Ignasi Miquel (19 years, Arsenal), Toral (16 years, Arsenal), Román (18 years, Manchester City) y Suso (18 years, Liverpool).

Spain was until recent years mainly  an "importing" Football nation , now it is increasing becoming a mayor "exporter" of Football talent.

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SPANISH CUP 1º LEG SEMI - FINAL RESULT | VALENCIA CF 1 FC BARCELONA 1

SPANISH FOOTBALL tonight with the 1º leg semi-final match of the SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) between VALENCIA CF & FC BARCELONA. Here is a brief summary of the main events, the scorers & the final result.

Pinto touches ball outside the box

VALENCIA CF finished the match with a 1 - 1 draw against FC BARCELONA. The main controversy was the "handball" by Barça goalie Pinto in the early part of the first half that should have been a direct red card. Barça has been publicly complaining these last days about the bad treatment they receive from the referees & tonight they should consider changing their discourse as they were clearly favoured. 

Jonas scores

The first half was clearly Valencia in control as the Barcelona defence looked "lost" & out of synchronization. Valencia put Barça against the ropes & put in a deadly punch in the 27th min when a Mathieu pass found JONAS alone in the square to score & put Valencia ahead in the game. 

Puyol scores for Barça

But CARLES PUYOL came to the rescue - again -  in the 35th min when he headed a corner home for the draw, after Valencia goalie Alves failed to clear the ball.

The second half was Barça who took back control with the main highlight being a failed penalty by MESSI which goalie Diego Alves stopped in 57th min. Then Barça hit the wood-work a couple of times when Dani Alves flew down the flank.

Now its off to "Camp Nou" for the 2º leg next week. The tie is wide open. 

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JUVENTUS EYES HIGUAIN &/OR BENZEMA FOR NEXT SEASON

News from Italy, concretely from "Tuttosports" & picked up locally via Spanish Sports daily "As", mentions that JUVENTUS has REAL MADRID forward GONZALO HIGUAIN as mximum signing objective for next season. But there is more, in case it all gets difficult , Juventus has a Plan- B , that is,  KARIM BENZEMA.

Gonzalo Higuain

Both have been for sometime on the Italian Clubs list of players to strengthen the squad. However, the market prices are very steep - Real Madrid will not sell cheap - & the mentioned players - for now - are happy at Real Madrid.

Stay tuned!

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SPANISH CUP 1º LEG SEMI FINAL RESULT | MIRANDES 1 - ATHLETIC BILBAO 2

SPANISH CUP 1º leg semi final match between 2º Division B Club MIRANDES & Liga Club ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO. Simple explanation & summary, the "downgrading" of the "dream ticket" for Mirandes. FERNANDO LLORENTE scored twice for a 1 - 2 away result for Bilbao, with late Mirandes goal.

Fernando Llorente

Please do not get me wrong, Mirandes were brave & put in a good performance, they should be proud & Bilbao had to work hard for their victory. But , Bilbao are Bilbao, & they did not travel to Mirandes to be second actors. In fact, they practically shut the tie. BUT Mirandes in the last second scored a "it could happen" goal by LAMBARRI. Now off to "San Mames" (Bilbao)... 


Life - in this case, Football - is tough, but full of hopes .

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 21 MONDAY NIGHT RESULT

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with the Monday Night,  & the last scheduled Round 21,  match of LA LIGA. 

Godin scores for  At.Madrid

The home stadium of "El Reyno" for OSASUNA is a fort, a stronghold, that has seen many Clubs pass a hard time & had to exercise some hard work to get something positive from the visit. It was not any different for ATLETICO DE MADRID tonight which managed a valuable 0 - 1 victory thanks to the 39th min goal from defender GODIN.

But the true saviour was young Atletico de Madrid goalkeeper COURTOIS who made two match winning saves late in the game, that keeps his team on a "winning streak" lifting Atletico closer to the Euro table positions,  & short from its seasons objective of a Champions position.

Atletico has changed its mentality & their play under Coach Diego Simeone who has infused into his players some field "grit". Osasuna will be unhappy & may feel unlucky, but as said above, tonight Courtois seems to have changed his uniform in a "telephone booth" as he was "Super-goalie".

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 21 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL continued today with five top games in Round 21 of the SPANISH LEAGUE. Here is a brief summary of the matches, with all the scorers & with the final results.

Martins for Granada

REAL BETIS lost 1 - 2 to GRANADA with the latter having their new Coach Abel debut with victory. The fact was that it was a competitive match fought out between two Clubs from Southern Spain with certain rivalry.  Granada got ahead in the 12th min via IGHALO & maintained the rhythm with MARTINS scoring a second in the 39th min.  The second half was palyed hard & Betis was rewarded with a goal in the 81st min via PEREIRA to which Granada held firm until the end. 

R.Sociedad

REAL SOCIEDAD hosted REAL SPORTING DE GIJON & sent the latter into further "troubles" defeating the visitors 5 - 1. Real Sociedad caught Sporting asleep with two rapid goals by ZURUTUZA ( 2nd & 3rd min). The player would latter get his nose broken in an aerial battle with Gijon player Gregory.

Sporting reacted timidly & scored in the 46th min via DE LAS CUEVAS, but that would be all for Gijon. Real Sociedad finished the visitors off with goals from ELUSTANDO (76th min), ARANBURU (91st min) & GUZMAN ( 93rd min)

Guiza for Getafe

LEVANTE lost 1 - 2 to Madrid Club GETAFE. The home side was unlucky in this match, as Getafe took their chances & scored. The goals for Getafe came via GUIZA in the 32nd min & D.CASTRO in the 82nd min. Levante scored their only goal via RUBEN SUAREZ in the 91st min via a penalty that cost Getafe defender Lopo a red card.

Racing - Valencia CF

This match will be remembered as the "Battle of El Sardinero" ( Sardinero name of the Racing stadium). The final result between RACING DE SANTANDER & VALENCIA CF ended in a 2 - 2 draw. There was goals, body to body contact, posts & plenty of heated moments as the home side was playing more for its Liga future.

The home side got ahead via ADRIAN in the 2nd min & the "battle continued" thereafter. Valencia scored twice via ADURIZ to equalize (66th min) & then to get themselves ahead (79th min). But it was not over as Racing equalized in the 88th min via BERNARDO, & Racing missed a "sitter" in the last seconds that could have given them the victoty. In the end, shared points & some bruises.

Toulalan for Malaga in action

Southern Spain derby between MALAGA FC & SEVILLA FC with the home Club winning relatively comfortably 2 -1. The loss by Sevilla keeps their "bad streak" in "La Liga" in motion. The goals for Malaga came via WELINGTON in the 7th min,  & later Sevilla player  LUNA equalized in the 15th min. But Malaga reacted quickly & got back ahead in the 19th min via SEBAS. From here the game got stuck in the midfield with Malaga Frenchman & midfielder TOULALAN doing a wonderful job for his team in stopping the Sevilla creative play-makers & thus halting any progression, & the midfield "battle" gave 13 yellow cards. There were the odd occasions & chances to both sides, but Malaga looked comfortable & did all the real hard work in the first half. Malaga player Isco saw a red card in the 78th min after a hard tackle on Sevilla forward Negredo.

Monday Night Spanish Football Round 21 game:
Osasuna - Atletico de Madrid

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SPANISH SPORTS | RAFAEL NADAL LOSES AUSTRALIAN TENNIS FINAL & SPAIN LOSSES IN HANDBALL

Serbian World Nº1 Tennis player NOVAK DJOKOVIC starts the 2012 Tennis season as he finished last,  winning the 2012 AUSTRALIAN OPEN 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 & 7-5 Spanish player & World Nº 2 RAFAEL NADAL is a historical match that lasted nearly 6 hours.

Rafael Nadal

The Spaniard started well to take the first set, but Djokavic reacted over-powering Nadal with his serve & stroke shots to take the second & third set. The fourth was Nadal in his "pure state" playing with his heart & courage to force a fifth set after taking the tie-break. Nadal had Djokavic on the ropes in the fifth after breaking his serve but the Serb won it back & never looked back again.

Djokavic wins the Australian Open

Rafael Nadal once again falls to the power-play of the Serb in another Grand Slam final. In the end the result came down to fine details,  & in the case of Nadal , some bad decisions in crucial moments of the game. The Spaniard has "lost" his "killer instinct" as his only playing flaw is that once he has his opponent "down", Nadal fails to finish off the work with a clean "kill". This allows his adversaries - Djokavic in this case - to clean their wounds & lift to fight again having learnt the lesson. Said differently, keeps letting off the hook his main opponents, today not being any different.

Congratulations to Djokavic for his extraordinary performance & victory, well deserved. I have no doubt we will be seeing again Djokavic - Nadal in more Tennis finals this season. 

Spanish Handball Team 2012

Staying with SPANISH SPORTS, SPAIN lost to CROATIA 31 - 27 in the third place ( Bronze Medal ) match of the European HANDBALL Championships. 


One of those days I suppose were nothing goes right ...Congrats to Croatia!

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LIGA ROUND 21 SATURDAY NIGHT GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonigt with four matches of Round 21 played of the SPANISH LEAGUE. Here is a run down of all the main events, scorers & the final scores.

Fernando Llorente 

Madrid Club RAYO VALLECANO played a good match but lost 2 - 3 to ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO with an inspired FERNANDO LLORENTE on the field who scored a HAT-TRICK for Bilbao ( 15th , 22nd & 67th min). The goals for the home side came via MICHU in the 10th min & ARRIBAS in the 26th min. Bilbao position themselves in the Euro positions of the Spanish Liga ladder.

Weiss scores

RCD ESPANYOL made forget their elimination mid-week in the Spanish Cup by 2ºB Division Club Mirandes with a 1 - 0 victory over REAL MALLORCA. The winner came from WEISS who scored in the 18th min. Real Mallorca were very upset with the red card to their goalie AOUTE in the 46th min, that was´nt. This left Mallorca with 10 men & unable to get back into the match.

Ozil 

REAL MADRID defeated last placed REAL ZARAGOZA 3 - 1 with the latter putting in a good performance considering their precarious situation on the Liga table. In fact the visitors scored first in the 10th min via LAFITA when the Real Madrid defence feel asleep, literally, total lack of concentration.

With Altintop, Carvalho & Granero starting for Real, the locals slowly began taking back control of the situation & the equalizer came in the 31st min via KAKA. Real Madrid continued with their good play in the 2º half, especially with an inspired Ozil, & the second goal came when CRISTIANO RONALDO finished off a Carvalho pass in the back of the net in the 49th min. Then OZIL was rewarded with a goal,  ( the third ) in the 55th min, for all his good work.

From here Real Madrid relaxed, after losing Xabi Alonso to injury & Marcelo was under a cloud physical as he had to stay on the field because Mourinho had already made the 3 substitute field changes. We will need to know later how far the "injury" to Xabi & Marcelo extend to.

Villareal - FC Barcelona

VILLAREAL went in looking to put up a serious fight against FC BARCELONA & ended up getting a 0 - 0 draw, which now opens up a 7 point gap between Real Madrid & Barcelona on the  Spanish League classification table. 


Villareal was dominant in the first half & had chances to score goals ( a Gonzalo goal was disallowed) as Barça looked disorientated & without  their usually flowing style. In the second half Barça played much better & had chances to score but "smashed" into Villareal goalie Diego Lopez who managed to keep his - & the Villareal - goal clean.

The Spanish League title gets a bit more steeper for Barça after tonight's result.

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MOURINHO TO REFEREE TEIXEIRA : SPANISH FOOTBALL QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Slow day relativelty speaking for SPANISH FOOTBALL , although tomorrow things will certainly pick up as La Liga gets into action with both Barça & Real Madrid playing their respective games.

However, thought I let all the readers know what REAL MADRID Coach MOURINHO told - straight at his face - the Spanish Cup 2º leg quarter-final referee TEIXEIRA after the 2 - 2 result which knocked out Real from the Spanish Cup. The Madrid Club claimed 2 penalties, a wrongly disallowed goal, a harsh red card to Ramos, no cards to Barça Dani Alves after 4 "extreme" tackles...etc.


As the below image shows,  Mourinho went to the carpark where the referees had their cars & waited for the referee Teixeira, their along with Mourinho,  was Spanish Sports Barcelona based paper "Mundo Deportivo" to witness the following events:

Mourinho

Mourinho spoke out to the referee the following , making this the QUOTES OF THE WEEK in Spanish Football:


"¡Vaya artista! ¡Cómo te gusta joder a los profesionales!"


'Artista, jodes a los que trabajan. No respetas a los profesionales serios. Ahora te vas a fumar un puro y te reirás, sinvergüenza".

translated to English ( at times literal which may make it worst than it really is. In fact its very colloquial):


"What an Artist! You love f*cking up the professionals!"


"Artist, you f*ck around those who do their work. No respect for the serious professional. You're going to now smoke a cigar and you'll laugh, your a rascal. "


The man does not mix his words & obviously speaks his mind. 

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LEVANTE 0 - VALENCIA CF 3 | SPANISH CUP 2ND LEG QUARTER FINAL RESULT

SPANISH FOOTBALL tonight with the last scheduled 2º leg quarter-final match of the SPANISH CUP (Copa del Rey). Here is a brief rundown of the scorers & final result.

Aduriz for Valencia CF

LEVANTE hosted VALENCIA CF which visited with a 1 - 4 advantage from the 1º leg match. In fact, the tie was fairly safe for Valencia which gave some rest to some key players. Levante maintained a slim hope of attempting a miracle but that went down the drain in the 25th min when Valencia forward ADURIZ scored.

Valencia then "smelled blood" & continued looking to "kill - off" the Levante ambitions with a second goal from PIATTI in the 30th min. Levante reacted with heart & some tough tactics to tie-down the visitors but PIATTI again scored for Valencia in the 85th min to put things beyond reach & doubt. Valencia win 0 - 3 ( 1 - 7 agg) & goes into the Spanish Cup semi-finals.


The Spanish Cup semi-finals match-ups now look the following:
At.Bilbao - Mirandes
Valencia CF - FC Barcelona

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SPANISH CUP 2ND LEG QUARTER FINAL MATCH RESULTS - WEDNESDAY NIGHT

SPANISH FOOTBALL action with two 2º leg SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) quarter-finals clashes tonight with the following final results & scorers.

Mallorca-Bilbao

REAL MALLORCA hosted ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO with a 0 - 2 deficit from the 1º leg encounter. The home team was vibed up to attempt to turn around the result but failed to do so as the "Basque" Club defended well & played it cool to keep their advantage. In fact Bilbao added to the aggregate when Mallorca player RAMIS scored an own goal in the 76th min to put Bilbao ahead. The blow broke the "spirits" at bit of the home team as Bilbao got themselves in the the semi-finals. The possible negative consequence of the Bilbao victory was the injury to young Muniain & a red card to Susaeta in the 90th min Final result: 0 - 1

FC Barcelona

Finally we witnessed a "Clasico" in correct Football conditions. FC BARCELONA drew 2 - 2   ( 4-3 agg) REAL MADRID , but the latter was just a goal away from going into the semi-finals. In my opinion Real Madrid lost the quater-final, firstly by not putting the attitude seen tonight at the "Santiago Bernabeu" in the 1º leg, & secondly the 6-8 missed opportunities tonight in the first half that would have given then this q/final phase.

HIGUAIN missed in the first 10 seconds an opportunity that no one can explain, then the some player missed two more sitters & OZIL, the "Best man" for Real Madrid , then hit the bar from an outside shot. These missed opportunities also saw the saves from Barça goalie Pinto that kept Real out in the first half.

But you cannot knock around Barça & not finish the job, & they - the difference with Madrid - did take their chances & scored via PEDRO in the 43rd min ( a Messi set up) & in the 47th min from a DANI ALVES drive into the corner of the goal. Two clear chances , two goals, while Real Madrid had 10 clear goal ocassions & zero goals. 


The second half was pure Football, top World class level as Barcelona started strong but lost fizz as time went on. Mourinho took off Higuain for Benzema & Kaka for Callejon & Real found air again. In the 67th min Ozil found CRISTIANO RONALDO with a precise pass & the latter scored. Then in the 71st min Coentrao found BENZEMA who took out Puyol & fired home the second. Real Madrid "smelled blood" & went for the third that would have given them the semi - final birth & they had Barça floored as the chances came & the opportunities were again missed. Barcelona managed to hold on & took the tie pushed to the limits, very lucky to have gone off the field alive. In other words, a real scare for Barça tonight.

The end sees Barcelona into the semis, but with a feeling that Real Madrid had deserved more the victory. The controversy was served all game with a terrible performance from the referee that missed clear penalties ( both sides ) , gave an unjust red card in the 88th min to Sergio Ramos & some doubtful off-sides. In fact, the Real Madrid team feels - perhaps wrongly or rightly - that the referee influenced ( robbed them) the result again & depending from which side of the fence you watched the match, some may have been right.

The Barcelona victory had a high cost with the injury to Iniesta with a torn hamstring muscle & Alexis with a shoulder complaint. For Real Madrid , Pepe played & put in a more "concentrated" & excellent performance.

In conclusion, congratulations to Barcelona,  & to Real Madrid for lifting up to the occasion & giving us all the best Football in the World.

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SPANISH CUP RESULT | MIRANDES 2 ESPANYOL 1

SPANISH CUP ( Copa de Rey ) action tonight with the return match between 2º B Division Club MIRANDES & Liga Club RCD ESPANYOL. The latter won in the 1º st leg 3-2 & this match was totally up for grabs. After an exciting game of Football the final 2 - 1 result served to qualify Mirandes ( 4-4 agg, away goal advantage) into the Spanish Cup semi-finals & keep the SPANISH FOOTBALL "fairytale" story alive for Mirandes.

Mirandes-RCD Espanyol

MIRANDES put in a splendid & brave performance. The first half was basically Mirandes on top with more ball possession & they did not look at all as a lower Division team. There was definitely something in the air, the feeling that something special may occur tonight.

Infante for Mirandes laments missed chance

RCD ESPANYOL started the 2º half more in tune/alert as they quickly scored a valuable away goal in the 46th min via RUI FONTE. Mirandes did not buckle at all & went looking for the equalizer that came via man of the moment PABLO INFANTE in the 57th min with a brilliant outside shot.

From here, the match was a nail-bitter as Mirandes smelled the opportunity & knew that one more goal would make Club History. Mirandes attacked & missed some vital occasions to seal things, while Espanyol kept them at bay. Then, as everyone thought Espanyol was through to the semis, a cross from Infante found the head of CANEDA in the +90th min to score the winner, a semi-final birth & create Club History. 

The final whistle, a pitch invasion of fans with happiness flowing everywhere. A beautiful Spanish Football & Cup story that Mirandes hopes never ends. For now enjoy the moment.
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REAL MADRID | WHAT´S UP WITH NURIN SAHIN ?

REAL MADRID is the talk of the Spanish Football scene for all the wrong reasons. You may think being 5 points in front of their rival in the LIGA calssification table & up there in Champions would be motive for some good vibes, however it is not the case. There is an apparent dressing room split between Coach Mourinho & some "heavyweight Spanish players", a inside "rat" that filters news to media & the apparent desire of Coach Mourinho to leave at the end of this season. This & the fan-base criticism of his last "defensive" line-up against Barça in the 1º leg Spanish Cup Q/F clash.

While a positive result can rapidly change all this, there is another question or "unknown" hoovering over the heads of many Real Madrid fans & Football followers: whats up with NURIN SAHIN?

Sahin

The ex-Dortmund 22 year midfielder was signed by Real Madrid to aid Xabi Alonso in the midfield & to add some "bit" upfront. The youngman came as the best player of the "Bundesliga" & raise positive expectations locally.

But the man has had some real bad luck with injuries to both knees that has halted his progression & regular playing activity at Real Madrid. In fact his non-appearences has created much speculation to whether Coach Mourinho has permenantly side-lined the player or not.

Spanish Sports journo Feliz Diaz has put light on the "Sahin situation" today in his column on the online paper "Elconfidencial". Apparently the reason why Sahin is not appearing is that the player is "frightened" to injure himself again. Said in another way, its a psychological situation & not physical. The player feels deep pains when executing long hard passes or drives with the ball & this causes him plenty of doubts when it comes to playing.

Coach Mourinho has been attempting to lift that mans spirits & confidence including him in the squad lists & thus attempt to find some warmth from his team-mates, but its up to Sahin to overcome his situation as the Club medical team has given their 100% OK to his knee conditions.

So that's the run down, I personally hope the man can get passed this "mental" thing & show us his Football.
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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 1 MONDAY NIGHT GAME RESULT

Last game tonight of Round 1 of the SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE with the following result & scorers. Both VILLAREAL & REAL SPORTING DE GIJON needed the points to keep contemplating  surviving this season  at the top level. However, only one got away with the objetive as Villareal won 3 - 0 Gijon.

The goal scorers were MARCOS RUBEN in the 56th min, BORJA VALERO in the 58th min & BRUNO in the 90th min. Comfortable win for Villareal , more "shit" for Gijon which is in deep trouble.

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RUMOUR | JOSE MOURINHO TO LEAVE REAL MADRID END OF SEASON

A high rating & daily late night SPANISH FOOTBALL programme dropped the bomb live on air. At around 02.00 ( very late night ) a regular - staff journalist in middle of a debate on JOSE MOURINHO & the supposed crisis within his dressing room with some players, received a call & was informed by an "unknown source" the news.

Jose Mourinho has it decided that he will LEAVE Real Madrid at the end of this season , 30th of June. Win or not win a title. Apparently the Coach has had enough of some attitudes. 


Before getting excited, or depressed, this is not the first time Mourinho has threatened to leave the Club. 

José Mourinho

The reasons are varied but apparently their are three main ones: the Spanish Sports media which has hammered the man since his arrival, the Club itself which he feels does not defend his work enough against his, & the Clubs,  enemies & some players themselves that have "filtered" sacred dressing room conversations to press that show less than a professional attitude & manners. This last area has defender Sergio Ramos & goalie Casillas under the spot light , but the "rat" could be anyone from another player, Club workers or Club Directives.


This all could be a tactic to motivate the side & the Club, for the upcoming 2º leg Spanish Club match against FC Barcelona to attempt make a heroic comeback from the 1º leg 1 -2 result. This could be a threat to force the Club to bring to light the "rat"... it could be anything & it could be entirely false.


What is a fact,  is that  Mourinho has won many enemies while in Spain, many influential enemies with friends in "important places" who are waiting in the "shadows" to deliver their revenge. Mourinho feels unsupported, alone against the World & the only person truly carrying the Real Madrid flag into battle. The Coach believes that if the Club, the fans & the players are not happy with him & his work that he has not place or motive to stay any longer.

This news will spark off rumours in England, where the name MANCHESTER CITY is sounding & Mourinho to substitute Mancini.

Stay tuned...more in coming days & months.
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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 1 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL this afternoon-night with the continuation of Round 1 ( the retake of the "players strike" at the start of the season) with five matches scheduled. Here is a brief summary of all the main events, the final results & the goal scorers.

Osasuna-Valencia CF

OSASUNA drew 1 - 1 against VALENCIA CF in a very rough & aggressive match at Pamplona. The atmosphere was heated on the stands & on the ground as both sides went in hard all game. The first goal came late via Valencia forward SOLDADO in the 85th min, but Valencia Captain Albelda received a red card for a strong tackle which lead to a free-kick to Osasuna & consequently the equalizer via LOLO in the 92nd min. Stiff!

Rayo-Mallorca

RAYO VALLECANO lost in another hard fought out match with REAL MALLORCA 0 - 1. Both sides need points & played liked they needed them like water. However, it was RAMIS & his 56th min goal that gave the final victory to Mallorca & the three points.

Malaga- FC Barcelona

The FC BARCELONA "machine" keeps churning away & running over opponents, in today´s case, MALAGA with a 1 - 4 away victory. The star was LIONEL MESSI who scored a HAT TRICK ( 32nd , 50th & 80th min ) with the other goal coming from ALEXIS in the 47th min who is beginning to find his place & form. The other highlight for Barça today was INIESTA who is a delight to watch play, the man is a real marvel.

Malaga managed a consolation goal in the 85th min via RONDON, & they could have scored more earlier in the match had they been more accurate & precise, apart from the Barça goalie Valdes doing his work.

Levante - Real Zaragoza

This was the "siesta" match of the day, that is boring, with two sides determined to defend & do little more. This is why the LEVANTE - REAL ZARAGOZA match ended in a "exciting" 0 - 0 draw.

Marcelo scores

REAL MADRID is said - by Spanish press - to have problems in the dressing room between the Spanish veterans & Coach Mourinho which was sparked after the mid - week Spanish Cup loss to Barça. The Pepe incident was also in the air as the defender was left on the bench for young Varane. All this made the match with ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO a dangerous encounter as Barcelona had earlier won their game against Malaga & was "provisionally" just two points behind.


The match was tense , end to end stuff with Bilbao dancing around Real Madrid. The Basques scored first with wonderful counter-attack that found FERNANDO LLORENTE alone who booted the opener in the 13th min. Madrid looked "rocky" & Casillas had to work hard until MARCELO ended a team 1-2-3 combination to equalize in the 24th min.

The second half kicked off with a penalty on Kaka which CRISTIANO RONALDO scored "cool" as a cucumber" on the 47th min. This situation lifted the Madrid spirits which began controlling & playing better but without the odd scare that could have put things back in place for Bilbao. Then in the 65th min a Real counter-attack ended with a penalty on Ozil, a red card to Bilbao player De Marcos & a goal to CRISTIANO ROANLDO who converted again in "cool" fashion.

With spaces & Bilbao down to 10 men, Real Madrid took over & Higuain ( on for Benzema ) hit the post & later in the 86th min gave a pass to CALLEJON ( on for Kaka ) who scored the fourth & sealed things. Final result 4 - 1, & still 5 points ahead of Barça in La Liga

By the way IKER CASILLAS played his 600th game with REAL MADRID, simple amazing & still has more years of service to give. Congratulations.

In conclusion, another big hurdle jumped tonight under a "so called" tense atmosphere in-house that some say is about to explode with a serious divorce between Coach & some players ( Ramos, Casillas...). Now the 2º leg Spanish Cup match mid - week against FC Barcelona were a loss again ( & in what style ) could ignite the Club. I personally feel that the Spanish Press is exaggerating things beyond reality, although I do not deny that things are tense & that a "player" has filtered news to the press that same see as breaking the "rules".


Monday Night Football : Round 1
Real Villareal - Real Sporting de Gijon

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 1 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL & its LIGA went back in time,  in a sort of matter,  as this weekend Round 1 was celebrated & four match were scheduled. Remember that the Spanish Football season did not kick - off due to a players strike? Well today part of that missed Round was celebrated.

Here is a brief summary with the final results & scorers of tonight's games.

Casquero - Getafe

RACING DE SANTANDER continue in their own particular & Football inferno after lossing 1 - 2 to Madrid Club GETAFE. The home side got ahead in the 13th min after STUANI scored from a terrible defensive error from Getafe. However, the visitors recovered from that mistake & took control scoring the equalizer in the 25th min via GAVILAN & the winner in the 83rd min via MIKU.

RCD Espanyol

RCD ESPANYOL have hit a sweet moment with another victory,  & thus managing to get the Club in the meantime into Euro positions in the Spanish League Table, after defeating 3 - 0 GRANADA. The goals came in the 26th min with BAENA, the 45th min with a VERDU penalty & in the 80th min with RUI FONTE

A At.Madrid goal

New ATLETICO DE MADRID Coach Diego Simeone has lifted & motivated his team back into the "good Football" groove after winning 0 - 4 away in a lovely fashion REAL SOCIEDAD. This Atletico team reminds a bit of the "Jekyll & Mr.Hyde" story, as tonight the side was totally different than it was a few weeks ago. They actually played Football, & well.


FALCAO scored a HAT-TRICK; first goal in the 3rd min via a penalty, in the 82th min with a superb runaway outside the box chip over the opposition goalie & in the 91st min from a Koke pass into the box. The other goal came via young ADRIAN in the 46th min.

Negredo

Huge city of Seville derby tonight between REAL BETIS & SEVILLA FC which finished as many derbys do, in a draw result. In fact it ended 1 - 1.

It was as expected,  high intensity, action both sides, aggressive, charged & many other superlatives that one would wish to add. Sevilla started in full flight but it was Real Betis that got ahead in the 26th min from a superb free-kick from BEÑAT. Sevilla reacted & lifted a gear & was rewarded when Navas crossed to see ALVARO NEGREDO header for the equalizer in the 40th min. 

From here it was "crazy", up & down, shots at goal, both keepers flying to stop all sorts of attempts & the crowd screaming their hearts out. There was yellow cards & a red card to Sevilla defender Fazio in the second half that forced Sevilla to defend more with 10 men. Real Betis found spaces & attacked in waves with Sevilla looking for counter-attacks opportunities. 


Final whistle with 1 point to each & 1,000s with stretched vocal chords from the shouting & cheering. A great game!

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FC BARCELONA NEW UNIFORM DESIGN 2012-2013

If the "news filtration" out by Spanish Sports Barcelona based paper "Sport" is correct, FC BARCELONA fans should begin saving their money for the new uniform that will be official next season: 2012-2013.


Below is an image/s of the new design/s that signals that if you just forked out 90€-110€ for the current uniform, you will be shortly "old school".

Proposed & approved 2012-2013 uniform

The FC BARCELONA Directives have approved the new designs & the reaction has been immediate from the mayority of Barça fans: NEGATIVE. The "social media" channels are hot today with a general rejection from the "common & ground based" Barça fan-base.

There are still some minor details on design to be figure out, like the Cataluna region colours on the neck or on the sleeves & if to put the Clubs slogan "som més que un club" (were more than a Club) on.


What is your take on this?

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SPANISH CUP 1º LEG QUARTER FINAL RESULT | VALENCIA CF 3 - LEVANTE 1

The last scheduled SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) 1º leg quarter-final match was played tonight in a regional derby between Liga Football Clubs VALENCIA CF - LEVANTE. An entertaining match which gave some great goals , plays & intensity that finished 4 - 1.

Valencia - Levante

Valencia started more plugged-in than the visitors with rapid counter-attacks that gave their fruit in the 24th min when JONAS culminated a good attack. The inertia was unstoppable for Valencia with SOLDADO scoring the second in the 31st min.

Roberto Soldado scores

Levante managed to halt the attacks & reacted with a surprise "missile" from KONE that was a true cracker in the 37th min. However, Valencia was on a roll & scored a third via PIATTI in the 45th min that injured in the process the Levante keeper when they clashed in a disputed ball.


The second half was "messy" with hard tactics employed by Levante to stop Valencia scoring more goals as the visitors knew that there was still a 2º leg match to play next week & on their home turf. This lead both sides to clash on the field where the "aggressiveness" outshone the earlier Football. Lets not forget that it was a local "derby" with passionate "rivalry" tensions high, apart from a semis birth.

The last 15 mins saw both teams with some good chances & good goalie saves, but Valencia scored a "diverted" fourth goal via TINO COSTA in the last minute after a deadly counter-attack. They basically have the q-final tie in the bag barring surprises next week.

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REAL MADRID 1 - FC BARCELONA 2 | SPANISH CUP RESULT 1º LEG QUARTER FINAL

A "status-quo" result. REAL MADRID watched & were finally out played by FC BARCELONA to lose the 1º leg of the SPANISH CUP quarter-final at the "Santiago Bernabeu Stadium" with a 1 - 2 result. Healthy & optimistic score for Barça which will host the return 2º leg game next week in their home "fort".


Real Madrid surprised (shocked) everyone with their initial line-up starting with Altiltop (right-back) , Carvalho ( 113 days without play ) & Coentrao ( left back ). Also there was a Higuian-Benzema bet upfront that latter failed to give results, while Pepe was put in the midfield & later did a "party-trick" on Messi that will be the talk all day, but back to Football. It was a very "Italian" looking tactical set up with orders to put the ball upfront in pure English style. Barça on the other hand keep to "business as usual". 

Cristiano Ronaldo scores for Madrid

It seemed that the Mourinho "Italian-English" feel was working as the counter-attack style was surprising Barça. Then CRISTIANO RONALDO managed to beat Pique & goalie Pinto to put Real Madrid ahead in the 11th min. It looked as if it would be Ronaldo´s night , but... "flash in the pan", at least he scored his teams only goal & that deserves credit & merit.

Midfield tactics

Slowly Barça began to find their groove & ALEXIS hit the post to send an early warning, so much so that Real Madrid goalie IKER CASILLAS had to do a "miraculous save" to hold back the inevitable, as it turned out later. 

Carles Puyol scores a header

Both sides went into the dressing rooms fairly equalled with Barça perhaps warning more of what was to come, especially Alexis who was putting in a fine game both attacking & defending.

All the Real Madrid earlier 1º st half hard defensive work went down the drain when Xavi put in a corner to which PUYOL meet all alone to head the equalizer in the 48th min. Once again Real Madrid ( & Pepe this time ) were caught with their pants down in the fixed-play aerial area, childish mistakes that will cause more loses if not fixed soon.  

Iniesta

More action came with an Inietsa post & a fine save by Barça goalie Pinto to keep out a Benzema header from going into the net. But Barça kept dominating the ball & making Real run after them which of course is humiliating, not to mention tiring. Real Coach Mourinho put on Callejon, Ozil & Granero to find the extra legs but nothing, a Messi pass found ABIDAL who scored the winner in the 79th min.

From here Real Madrid resigned from the task & accepted once again that they are NOT at the level of FC Barcelona. They do have the consolation of thinking that perhaps in the 2º leg at "Camp Nou" they may be able to better & win... but witnessed tonight & past results , I doubt it at this stage.

Another psychological blow - & on home turf again - that may had negatives effects in the short - term for Real Madrid which has an important Liga game this weekend with a need to win result. Barcelona will wait & see if they can cut back in the Liga as well.

Story to continue next week...

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AT BILBAO 2 - MALLORCA 1 | SPANISH CUP QUARTER FINAL 1 º LEG RESULTS

While the Football World stands still & fixed to the Internet, Tv or a Radio with the 1º leg Spanish Cup match between Real Madrid & FC Barcelona, most forget that before & just finished was another SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) 1º leg match Quarter Final clash between ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO & MALLORCA. The final result was a 2 - 0 win for the "Lions" that puts them in the driving seat for the return match at Mallorca

Fernando Llorente

The "Basque Club" was intense at home & managed to freeze the Mallorca "hot" moments & thus take advantage of their home ground advantage & warm atmosphere. The goals came via FERNANDO LLORENTE in the 35th min with his trademark header from a De Marcos cross, & the second from young MUNIAN in the 59th min to seal things up for Bilbao. 

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