Suarez keeps LaLiga burning

Suarez keeps LaLiga burning

Six days after vanquishing Clasico rivals Real Madrid away from home, Barcelona took all three points with a hard-fought 3-0 derby win at Espanyol on Saturday night at Cornella-El Prat.

Things looked in doubt at half-time as Barcelona looked bereft of ideas in attack, but a massive error from Jurado gift-wrapped a Luis Suarez goal in the 50th minute before Ivan Rakitic sealed the result in the 76th minute thanks to Lionel Messi's playmaking. Barcelona then tacked on a late score, when a whiff from Espanyol defender Aaron paved the way for Suarez's second of the night.

It was a Barcelona derby through and through: Play was physical and there was plenty of acrimony between the two teams to keep referee Undiano Mallenco busy the whole night. In the end though, the three points went back to the Camp Nou, as Barcelona retook their place atop the La Liga table with 81 points.

Manager Luis Enrique reverted back to a 4-3-3 formation after fielding a 3-4-3 in the midweek walloping of Osasuna. Andre Gomes came in for the injured Andres Iniesta, while Neymar returned from his three-match suspension to fill out the MSN in attack.

It was a nervy start for Barcelona as Espanyol could have easily taken the lead early one when Felipe Caicedo found Jurado, but the shot from the former Real Madrid youth product rolled wide of the far post.

Barcelona were having difficulty dealing with Espanyol's physicality, with Neymar in particular bearing the brunt of a number of hard fouls. It all played to the Pericos' favour, as Barcelona were unable to find their desired rhythm and instead found themselves drawn into a backyard brawl.

And when Barcelona did threaten deep in the Espanyol half, they were met by Quique Sanchez Flores' rock-solid defensive block. Luis Enrique's men were resigned to passing the ball in a semi-circle around the area until a cross either was cleared or floated out of play.

For all of Espanyol's stellar defensive work in the first-half, it all went down the drain early in the second-half when Jurado committed an astounding error. The Perico midfielder tried to play a long back-pass, presumably to goalkeeper Diego Lopez, but it didn't have enough juice on it and Suarez gladly swooped in and finished for the 1-0 Barcelona lead.

Seeking a goal to get back on level terms, Sanchez Flores went to his bench as the banged up Caicedo made way for Leo Baptistao and Pablo Piatti was replaced with Hernan Perez.

Still, the bulk of play belonged to Barcelona. Espanyol were forced to roll the dice and push lines forward, giving Barcelona more room to operate with Messi pulling the strings.

La Pulga took over and right as the match ticked over into the final quarter-hour, the Argentine set the table for Barcelona's second by leading a break that saw him feed Rakitic on the left and the Croatian stroked the easiest of shots past Diego Lopez to make it 2-0.

Deflated after the Rakitic goal, a lapse in concentration cost Espanyol another goal, as Aaron completely whiffed on a clearance and against it was Christmas morning for Suarez, who pounced on the ball right in front of goal and easily scored past Diego Lopez for the 3-0 final.

Match Sheet:

0.- Espanyol: Diego Lopez; Javi Lopez, David Lopez, Diego Reyes, Aaron; Javi Fuego (Marc Roca, min. 80), Victor Sanchez, Jurado, Piatti (Hernan Perez, min. 66); Caicedo (Leo Baptisao, min. 61), Gerard Moreno.

3.- Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Andre Gomes (Mascherano, min. 78); Messi, Suarez, Neymar.

Goals: 0-1, min. 51: Suarez; 0-2, min. 76: Rakitic; 0-3, min. 87: Suarez

Referee: Undiano Mallenco (Navarra). Yellow Cards: Gerard Moreno (Min. 14) for Espanyol, Javi Fuego (Min. 68) for Espanyol

Red cards: None

Stadium: Cornella-El Prat

Attendance: 31.708

Read More

Real Madrid earn 17th late point of LaLiga season

Real Madrid earn 17th late point of LaLiga season

In what has become a running theme of Zinedine Zidane's first full campaign in charge of Real Madrid, the club has demonstrated an ability to win games late on with Los Blancos earning 17 points in the last 10 minutes of matches this term.

Dani Parejo's free-kick sent a wave of nerves around the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu as it appeared that the capital club would be surrendering the LaLiga title advantage to Barcelona only for Marcelo to step up with another late winner.

The Brazilian showed his technical prowess with a fine strike from inside the penalty area and it could well be a goal that is replayed for years to come if the club go on and secure the title.

Marcelo's finish was the 20th goal scored by Zidane's charges this season after the 80th minute.

Thanks to these late miracles the club has manage to earn a grand total of 17 points which could carry the club to their first domestic championship since Jose Mourinho's time in the Spanish capital.

Read More

Neymar the most influential footballer in the world

Neymar the most influential footballer in the world

Despite just being 25 years of age, Neymar is one of the most influential footballers in the world, and he joins only six other athletes in the yearly list.

The Brazilian in fact is the only footballer on the list, showing how important what he does off the pitch is alongside his on-pitch exploits.

Conor McGregor, Tom Brady, Lebron James, Simone Biles are amongst the other athletes on Time's prestigious list.

Read More

Cristiano Ronaldo is more decisive than Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo is more decisive than Messi

Real Madrid progressed to the Champions League semi-finals thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, who appeared with five goals against Bayern Munich when it mattered most, at the same time as Lionel Messi was frustrated by the Juventus defence.

Not only did the No. 7 net his 100th Champions League goal during the tie, but he has now equalled Alfredo di Stefano with 32 goals between the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of Europe's premier club competition.

Messi, on the other hand, could not find a way past Gianluigi Buffon and has now failed to score in his past nine quarter-final outings, while his tally for the final three rounds of the tournament remains at 16, half of Ronaldo's.

That gap could increase further given that the 32-year-old will take part in two, and perhaps three, more matches with the star-covered ball this season, whereas Messi will have to wait until the 2017/18 campaign for his next continental display.

Read More

A Clasico at the edge of the abyss

A Clasico at the edge of the abyss

Barcelona have no time to recover from their Champions League K.O. against Juventus, as Sunday's Clasico awaits just a few days later.

The current realities of each team couldn't be in starker contrast, as a euphoric Real Madrid have reached the Champions League semi-final for the seventh consecutive season, whereas the Blaugrana were once again knocked out in the quarters.

In LaLiga, Los Blancos sit three points ahead with a game in hand, so they are well within the driver's seat.

In other words, the pressure is clearly on Barcelona to attempt to salvage their season.

For such a high-intensity and profile clash, Real Madrid's extra day rest could tilt the match in their favour even further.

Neymar will miss out due to his ban, putting a dent into the Blaugrana attack and, ultimately, their chances.

"We have to win at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu," Iniesta said. "It is our last chance."

Read More

Ramos to Pique: Rewind and watch the PSG game

Ramos to Pique: Rewind and watch the PSG game

Controversy and Real Madrid create enough headlines on their own but when you put the pair together it is a goldmine and Los Blancos defender Sergio Ramos has responded to Gerard Pique by telling him to look back at Barcelona's 6-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

The latest spat comes after the Barcelona defender sent out a cryptic tweet after Madrid's second goal was controversially allowed to stand despite Cristiano Ronaldo being in an offside position.

Pique's tweet struck a nerve within the Real Madrid captain as he made clear that refereeing decisions also went in favour of Los Cules in the last round.

"He should rewind and look back to the PSG game and see if he thinks the same about the referees, let's wait and see what happens with Juventus in the second leg," he explained.

Tuesday evening's officiating has rather unsurprisingly sparked yet another debate about the impending introduction of a Video Assistant Referee [VAR] into the sport and the veteran defender is indeed an advocate for its use.

"You have to live with these decisions although I am in favour of the VAR," said Ramos.

On a more positive note it was actually the former Sevilla defender's 100th match in the Champions League on Tuesday night and he made clear just how proud he was to reach such a rare milestone.

"It is a beautiful figure to reach and I hopefully can continue here for many years as long as I enjoy my job," he said.

Despite still having a semi-final to play there are some within the Real Madrid fanbase that are already dreaming of an appearance in the Cardiff final, however the 31-year-old refused to entertain such a notion with so much football left to play.

"We can't talk about the final because we are only in the semi-final but it is clear," he added. "We want to be the champions and we are very happy to have eliminated Bayern, one of our biggest challengers."

Read More

Magnificent Marcelo inspires Real Madrid to victory

Magnificent Marcelo inspires Real Madrid to victory

Is he a left-back? Is he a box-to-box midfielder? No, he's simply Marcelo.

Technically he is a left-back because that's how he's listed on the team sheet, but if there's anything to take away from the Brazilian's performance in Real Madrid's frenetic 4-2 extra-time victory over Bayern Munich, it is that this is a player who refuses to - and is mercifully incapable of - playing within the conventional confines of his position.

The history books will show that Cristiano Ronaldo decided this game with a hat-trick (German and Catalan editions may choose to focus on refereeing errors) but it was Marcelo's flair, boundless energy and defensive diligence that helped his side weather a Bavarian storm at the Bernabeu.

The former Fluminense man made his first vital intervention as early as the 9th minute, putting his body on the line to block a goal-bound Thiago Alcantara effort.

Admittedly, the 28-year-old also gave Arjen Robben far too much space to receive cross-field passes and launch dangerous balls into the box.

But the vice-captain was left with far too much to do against the Flying Dutchman and roving right-back Philippe Lahm in the first half, as Real found themselves stretched and over-run by Carlo Ancelotti's charges.

However, in true Marcelo style, he refused to let defensive difficulties curtail his forward forays.

The 28-year-old took up the role of chief counterattacking outlet, and also created a boatload of quality chances when his side had possession of the ball.

Indeed his attacking verve was crucial to relieving his embattled defensive colleagues, and enabled Real to somehow stumble into the dressing room at halftime without conceding.

The second half began as did the first - with the vice-captain saving his team's bacon, this time heading Robben's chipped shot off the line with Keylor Navas well beaten.

So determined was the Brazil international to thwart Bayern's goalscoring attempts that, in hindsight, it might not have been the worst idea to hand him the goalkeeping gloves for Robert Lewandowski's penalty kick.

The 64th minute introduction of Marco Asensio helped Los Blancos defend their left channel with more assuredness, and Marcelo promptly set about lifting his performance to ludicrous heights.

At times, it seemed like he was playing as a defender, left winger and No.10 at the same time.

There were fizzing low balls, whipped-in crosses, slipped-in through passes, a plethora of dribbles and even a solid shot on target.

However, the No.12 offered far more than just attacking bravado, as he set an example with his work rate and indefatigable running.

His tireless approach was embodied by one laborious, lung-bursting run in the 93rd minute to keep the ball in play near the halfway line, fists pumping into his chest like a marathoner at the final stretch.

However, the club veteran saved his most memorable play of the game, and arguably his career, for extra-time.

Taking possession in his own half, the left-back looped the ball forward to Toni Kroos, accepted the return pass to feet and proceeded to maraud right through the heart of the Bayern defence, before unselfishly laying the ball off to Ronaldo to complete his hat-trick.

It was a move that was strikingly similar to his extra-time goal against Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final, in that he spotted a tiring opponent and decided to catch them off-guard with a sudden burst of energy and directness.

This time however, the Rio de Janeiro-born man chose to pass up an easy one-on-one goalscoring opportunity to instead pick out Ronaldo, whose goal will unfortunately be tarnished by the fact that he was in an offside position.

It feels like a great shame that Marcelo didn't score himself as he would've earned a thoroughly deserved spot on the scoresheet, with a goal that would have surely gone down as one of the greatest in the history of the Champions League knockout stages.

But perhaps it's only appropriate that he looked for a teammate instead, as it exemplified how his flair, energy and audacity were dedicated towards the collective cause rather than the pursuit of personal plaudits.

The Brazilian finished his 400th game for Real with 68 passes (second only to Toni Kroos), creating as many chances (8) as Robben, Franck Ribery, Alcantara, Arturo Vidal and Xabi Alonso combined and completing more dribbles than anybody else on the pitch.

This was truly a performance for the ages from Marcelo, and one that Madridistas will be well advised to look back to if their team go on to become the first side to successfully defend their Champions League crown.

Read More

Cristiano Ronaldo: I just ask that the Bernabeu never jeers me

Cristiano Ronaldo: I just ask that the Bernabeu never jeers me

With five goals to his name over the two legs against Bayern Munich, Cristiano Ronaldo hauled Real Madrid to the semi-finals of the Champions League and the Portuguese man sought to remind the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu boo-boys of his value.

A hat-trick on the night helped Los Blancos to a 4-2 win and a 6-3 aggregate triumph, although it was far from smooth sailing.

Ronaldo's goal looked to have set Real on their way, but a Robert Lewandowski penalty kick and Sergio Ramos own goal took the game to extra-time until the winger's brace helped his side over the line.

"I just ask that the Bernabeu never whistle me," Real's all-time leading goalscorer told Antena 3 after the final whistle.

"I try to give my best in every game and even if I don't score, I try to work to help the team."

Although the capital club enjoyed a man advantage again in this second leg, Ronaldo was left assured as to his team's superiority.

"I have no doubts that Madrid were better tonight, it's not easy to score six goals against Bayern Munich," he stated.

"We knew we had to play very well or Bayern would hurt us, because they're a team who can score goals in any stadium.

"They showed that they're a great team but we played very well ourselves and had several opportunities in the first half.

"In the second half, we conceded two goals but we're used to suffering, and we're happy with the result."

With a semi-final spot secured, Ronaldo was inevitably asked about the team's ultimate goal of being the first side to successfully defend the Champions League.

"We're still far from winning the Champions League but we will try our best," he assured.

"It's still too early, but I hope [we can win it]."

Read More

Cristiano Ronaldo scores crucial goal from offside position

Cristiano Ronaldo scores crucial goal from offside position

As Real Madrid strolled to a extra-time victory over Bayern Munich, the Germans can feel unhappy that Cristiano Ronaldo's second goal on the night was offside.

"The Portuguese is offside when he receives Ramos' pass," said Andjar Oliver on Radio MARCA. "He is clearly ahead of the Bayern defence before cushioning the ball and beating Manuel Neuer ".

In the 52nd minute, referee Vitkor Kassai made a potentially tie-altering call in deciding to award a penalty to Bayern Munich which Robert Lewandowski duly converted.

According to ex-international referee and current MARCA pundit Andujar Oliver, this was the correct decision as it is a late challenge from Casemiro that didn't touch the ball.

Nonetheless, five minutes earlier, Arturo Vidal should have been sent off with a second yellow for a challenge on Casemiro.

Read More

Marcelo: Those that criticise Cristiano Ronaldo have a serious problem, envy

Marcelo: Those that criticise Cristiano Ronaldo have a serious problem, envy

Following his side's 2-1 comeback against Bayern Munich, Marcelo didn't seem to have much time or sympathy for those who seek to criticise the match-winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

Despite the Portuguese star's illustrious career for club and country, on both an individual and collective level, he still somehow has his critics, although Marcelo had one possible explanation.

"I think they have a problem, maybe it's envy," he began.

"I don't know what's wrong with them, he works hard and helps his team.

"It must be envy, you only have to look at this numbers and he still keeps on producing," he continued.

"He's happy to gave scored, but he's even happier about the result."

The left-back didn't deny that the sending off of Javi Martinez had been a boon for the holders.

"We made the most of it," he admitted. "We put in a great performance, but we also let in a goal."

Read More