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Showing posts with the label La Liga

Spain: Real Madrid move closer to La Liga title

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Real Sociedad 0 - 1 Real Madrid Arda Guler scored on his first La Liga start, helping Real Madrid move closer to securing the title with a win against Real Sociedad.  An important day for Real Madrid. More reaction coming up on https://t.co/Mu4Cn3wz9B https://t.co/aHAGzCmT3P — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) April 27, 2024 Real Madrid's 19-year-old Turkish midfielder scored Madrid's first goal in the match, midway through the first half, by turning in a cross. Carlo Ancelotti made several changes after last weekend's victory in El Clasico, giving opportunities to other players. Real Sociedad started strongly but couldn't convert their dominance into goals, as they failed to breach Madrid's defense. Takefusa Kubo's attempt to equalize for Real Sociedad was denied by the offside flag, immediately after Guler's goal. The second half was less eventful, with both teams struggling to create chances. However, Real Madrid did enough to secure a vict

Spain: Real Madrid held by Vallecano

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Rayo Vallecano 1 - 1 Real Madrid Real Madrid dropped points against local rivals Rayo Vallecano to slow down their title push.  The match kicked off with Real Madrid looking sharp, taking an early lead as Joselu expertly converted Fede Valverde's pass. However, Rayo Vallecano clawed their way back into the game, equalising through Raul de Tomas' penalty after VAR spotted Eduardo Camavinga's handball. More Real Madrid news and stories can be found here La Liga news and stories Real struggled to create many opportunities thereafter, ultimately settling for a solitary point. This draw allowed the 35-time La Liga champions to widen their lead over second-placed Girona to six points. Following this result, Athletic Bilbao brought high-flying Girona back down to earth with a 3-2 victory on Monday. This has further boosted Real Madrid's chances.  Real Madrid now sit eight points clear of their long-standing rivals Barcelona, who clinched a late victory against Celta Vigo

Spain: Girona look the real deal

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Barcelona 2-4 Girona Barcelona finished the weekend in fourth place in the La Liga table and are now seven points off the top thanks to a painful 4-2 loss. Throughout this match, Girona dominated and made a statement about their title credentials as they convincingly won this Catalan derby.  Highlights Check out the highlights from the match in the video below.  FC BARCELONA 2 vs 4 GIRONA | LALIGA 2023/24 MD16 (youtube.com) The opening 45 minutes were just as wild and entertaining as any neutral could hope for, with both teams playing really well with the ball and taking big risks in possession that left them extremely vulnerable at the back. The home side started as the better side and could have taken the lead within the first 10 minutes. However, one bad pass in midfield allowed Girona to counter-attack and Viktor Tsigankov gave Artem Dovbyk an easy tap-in to put the visitors in front.  The 2023 La Liga winners answered quickly after a great corner taken by Raphinha found Rober

Latest Transfer News: 14/08/2023

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 Let's explore the latest transfer news from across Europe It has been another busy day. Real Madrid signs Chelsea goalkeeper on season-long loan Real Madrid have announced the signing of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea on a season-long loan. He will cover for Madrid's regular number one Thibaut Courtois, whose anterior cruciate ligament injury will keep him out of the league for the majority of the season. As a Chelsea goalkeeper, Kepa has made 163 appearances since joining from Athletic Bilbao for £71m in August 2018. Real Madrid started their season with a 2-0 win over Athletic Club. West Ham United sign Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse has joined West Ham United from Southampton for a fee thought to be in the region of £30 million. In addition to making 410 senior appearances for the club, the midfielder captained Southampton, who were relegated to the Championship last season.  You can see some of his best moments for the club in the video below. Footag

Icons: Ronaldo

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Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo, is our latest football icon.  He played for some of the world's biggest clubs and was a huge icon during the 1990's and 2000's. A brief introduction to 'The Phenomenon'. Nicknamed The Phenomenon and R9, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, Ronaldo had a huge impact on a generation of forwards and attacking players that followed him. His individual accolades include being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times and winning the Ballon d'Or twice. <More football icons> The start of his career. He started at Cruzeiro and moved to PSV in 1994. He joined Barcelona in 1996 for a then-world record transfer fee, and at 20 years old, he was named the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year, making him the youngest recipient of the award. Despite being a fan favourite and developing an affinity with the clu

A history of football video games

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Fifa 23 was the 30th game in the popular video game series.  It was previously revealed that the game will be the last in the franchise, but it most certainly doesn't spell the end of football video games. Let's explore the history and future of football video games. What was the first football video game and what football games did people before that? Despite the sport not being as popular in the United States, the first dedicated interpretation of football in video game form was based on the NASL (North American Soccer League) Soccer.  Before Video Games were around, people recreated their favourite football moments with Subbuteo. This type of game has remained its popularity. Ever since the 1940s, millions of fans have adored it and replicated some of their favourite moments from the real world. The first version of FIFA and the Ultimate Team revolution years later The first version of FIFA was called FIFA International Soccer and was released in 1993. The game only featured

Spain: Scores and news from La Liga

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Let's explore a busy day of Spanish football  Real Madrid 3 - 1 Sevilla Real Madrid showed again why they are the dominant side in La Liga as two late goals ended the resistance of visitors Sevilla.  Madrid were set to drop points for only the second time this season before substitute Lucas Vazquez and Fede Valverde secured victory. Luka Modric tapped in an early opener for the hosts before Sevilla's Erik Lamela slid in a second-half equaliser. Real Madrid's Lucas Vázquez said: "The spirit of wanting to win. After they tied, the team suffered. Knowing how to suffer is important in order to win. The team has done everything to get the victory." 💬 @Lucasvazquez91 : "The spirit of wanting to win. After they tied, the team suffered. Knowing how to suffer is important in order to win. The team has done everything to get the victory." #RealMadridSevillaFC pic.twitter.com/5YB11nX4E4 — Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 22, 2022 The Madrid bo

La Liga history: Barcelona v Real Madrid

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Barcelona and Real Madrid. Enough said. El Clásico has been around for over a hundred years. It is one of the most exciting and talked about football matches. This not only because of the passion that each games brings, but because of its history as well. Do you remember the first time? The first time the two teams ever met to play each other was in 1902. But the first League El Clásico was in 1929. It was played in Barcelona at their Les Colts stadium, but the Barcelona fans had to endure their first El Clásico loss when Real Madrid beat them 2-1. They got the last word though, winning the reverse fixture 1-0 and thus the first LaLiga title. There have been a combined total of 281 El Clásicos and Barca currently leads in wins There have been 248 competitive matches and 33 exhibition matches between Madrid and Barcelona. Of the 248 competitive matches, Real Madrid has won the most, with 100 wins to Barca’s 96 (and 52 draws). Barcelona has more wins in exhibition matches with 19 to Madr

La Liga: Real Madrid and Antonio Rudiger latest news

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Reports say Real Madrid have agreed deal for Antonio Rudiger  Reports in Spain suggest that Real Madrid have agreed a deal to sign Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger when his contract expires at the end of the season. On Sunday, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel told the media Rudiger had failed to agree a new deal with the European champions. Rudiger has also spoken to Bayern Munich and he was offered a contract worth more than £200,000 to stay at Chelsea. The 29-year-old is expected to sign a four-year-old deal at the Bernabeu with a medical set to take place in London. European Super Football understands the various fees that had been demanded by Rudiger's camp proved far too steep for Chelsea. The reaction to this transfer have been interesting. One Chelsea fan joked after Real Madrid conceded two early goals against Manchester City: "It’s not to late to change your mind @ToniRuediger #CFC" Antonio Rüdiger has agreed to sign a contract with Real Madrid until 2026, per @

UCL: Atlético knock Red Devils out

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Manchester United 0-1 Atlético (aggregate 1-2) Renan Lodi headed the only goal against Manchester United to edge Atlético into the last eight The first half was high on endeavour but low on chances. It saw Anthony Elanga ]denied by the head of Jan Oblak from a low Bruno Fernandes cross before Rodrigo De Paul's deflected shot was pushed away by David de Gea. João Félix did have the ball in the net for the visitors, but Marcos Llorente had strayed offside before teeing up the Portuguese striker. It proved a short reprieve for United. João Félix's back-heel released Antoine Griezmann, who stood up an inviting cross to the far post for Renan Lodi to head in. The Red Devils increased the pressure after the break, and nearly levelled when Jadon Sancho's ferocious volley fizzed just over. Raphaël Varane thought he had forced extra time with a thumping header from Alex Telles' free-kick, but Oblak continued his stunning resistance as Atlético dug in to see out the remaining t

Spain Real Madrid extend lead at top of La Liga

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Real Madrid 4 - 1 Valencia Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of the La Liga table as they eased to a comfortable win over Valencia. They slowly took control of the game and led through a Karim Benzema penalty after Casemiro was fouled. Valencia were angered by the decision and faded badly in the second half. This ultimately allowed Vinicius Junior to score from two simple second half finishes.  Goncalo Guedes saw a penalty saved but headed in the rebound for Valencia before Benzema struck again. Benzema now has an incredible 301 goals for Real Madrid. He trails only Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and Alfredo Di Stéfano in the club's all-time list. Not bad company for him to be in. For more Real Madrid news click the link below. European Super Football (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Elsewhere in Spain Granada 1 - 1 Barcelona Barcelona missed the chance to move up to third after being held by Granada. Antonio Puertas found the top corner in the 89th minute to salvage a point

La Liga: Sevilla 1 - 1 Barcelona

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Barcelona failed to find a win that would have taken them up to fourth place in La Liga. Sevilla took the lead after Ivan Rakitic rolled the ball into the area for Alejandro Gomez's first-time finish. Ronald Araujo's header levelled before half-time and despite Jules Kounde being sent off for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba, Barca could not breakthrough. You can watch the highlights in the video below. Xavi's side do move up one spot to seventh in La Liga. Second-placed Sevilla failed to make up ground on league leaders Real Madrid and are now five points adrift of Carlo Ancelotti's men. Already looking ahead to 2022 after a torrid 2021 Everyone associated with Barcelona will be hoping that 2022 brings better fortunes after losing superstar Lionel Messi on a free transfer, sacking manager Ronald Koeman and being knocked out of the Champions League group stage this year. Reports from around Europe seem to suggest that they have agreed a deal to sign Ferran Torres from

Midweek football stories and gossip: 01/12/21

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Let's have a look at some football gossip from around Europe Mancini to Old Trafford? Italy head coach and former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has emerged as a candidate to be appointed Manchester United manager next summer. The former City manager is reportedly interested in getting back into club football. It remains to be seen whether he would carry on as manager of Italy throughout the Qatar World Cup should they qualify. Barcelona looking to re-build Barcelona has offered Manchester United the opportunity to sign Brazil winger Philippe Coutinho. He would become one of very few players to play for both Liverpool and Manchester United. It has been reported that Barcelona have a "total agreement" in place to sign Manchester City and Spain forward Ferran Torres, 21, but hope City will lower their asking price of  around £60m. Would he leave Manchester for Barcelona and then be part of the huge regeneration project under Xavi.  More news from around the Premier

La Liga news: Barcelona re-sign Dani Alves

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Barcelona have announced reached an agreement in principle to re-sign 38-year-old defender Dani Alves. Five years after he originally left the Nou Camp for Juventus. Alves has won nine top-flight titles with Barca, Juve and Paris St-Germain. He will arrive on a free transfer for the rest of the 2021-22 season. He spent eight years at Barcelona between 2008 and 2016 winning La Liga six times and also won three Champions League titles and the Copa del Rey on four occasions.  In a statement announcing the news on their official website. Barcelona described Alves as: "The greatest right-back in Barca history"  "The Brazilian will be joining training from next week but will not be able to play until January." Dani Alves first came to the club in the summer of 2008 after five brilliant seasons in Sevilla. In the Catalan capital, he made the right back slot his own across eight seasons, making 391 official appearances and scoring 23 goals. More Barcelona news can be fo

Football icons: Raúl

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Raúl González Blanco, known to most within football as Raúl, is considered one of the most important players in the history of Real Madrid. He is regarded as one of the greatest Spanish players of all time and also one of the best forwards ever. Key events in his career He started his career in the academy of the Atlético Madrid before later moving to Real Madrid's youth academy and played at its various levels. He signed professional terms in 1994. He spent 16 years of his career playing for Real Madrid and is the club's second all-time top goalscorer with 323 goals and has the most appearances in the history of the club, with 741. With Los Blancos, Raúl won six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League titles, scoring in two finals, four Supercopa de España titles, one UEFA Super Cup and two Intercontinental Cups.  Throughout his time in Madrid, he would have played with some of their greatest ever players. This includes the likes of Zidane, Roberto Carlos, David Beck

La Liga news: Ronald Koeman sacked by Barcelona

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Ronald Koeman’s spell as manager of Barvcelona came to an abrupt end after he was sacked following a 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano. This exit provides something of an unhappy conclusion for the former player. Koeman won them their first European Cup in 1992 and leaves the club in further turmoil on and off the field. FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first team coach — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 27, 2021 A statement on the Barcelona website reads:  “FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach,” an official club statement read after the 1-0 loss. The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano.  "Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva. FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.” The last match This defeat at Rayo Vallecano proved to be one too ma

From the archives: Real Madrid 2 - 6 Barcelona. 2009

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Let's have a look at a time when Barcelona went to Real Madrid and scored six This was a key moment in one of the greatest campaigns in the club's history What happened then? Gonzalo Higuain had actually headed Real ahead but Thierry Henry curled an equaliser and Carles Puyol then nodded Barca in front. Lionel Messi slotted past Iker Casillas and, after Sergio Ramos replied with a glancing header, Henry clipped into an empty net and Messi rolled in another. Gerard Pique later tapped in the sixth Barcelona goal of a remarkable match. Then Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said the following after the match:  "It is not easy to win at the Bernabeu and this is one of the happiest days of my footballing life, as we have made a lot of people happy." "We have taken a very big step towards winning the title. We wanted to kill it, to kill the league here. It's a very sweet night winning at this stadium and in front of these fans. "It is not going to hurt ahead

Diego Forlan the cult hero

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A cult hero is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as... a writer, musician, artist, or other public figure who is greatly admired by a relatively small audience or is influential despite limited commercial success. Diego Forlan is definitely a cult hero in the football world.  Forlan signs for Manchester United Forlán was signed for Manchester United by Sir Alex Ferguson for just under seven million pounds back in January 2002. He made his debut on 29 January as a 76th-minute substitute for Ole Gunnar Solskjær in a 4–0 away win at Bolton Wanderers.  He made his first start in 4–0 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur on 6 March. Forlán made 13 Premier League and five UEFA Champions League appearances in the 2001–02 season but did not score. Becoming a cult hero During a two month period in the 2002/2003 season, Forlan became a legend in the eyes of many Manchester United fans. On 1 December, he scored his first brace for the club with goals in the 64th and 67th minute of an away 2–1 Prem

La Liga news: Ronald Koeman issues statement on Barcelona future

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Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman caused more controversy after he refused to answer questions before walking out of a press conference The under-pressure Barca head coach delivered a short, pre-prepared statement before leaving. This pressure recently increased after a poor Barca performance against Granada CF. Koeman's statement in full Hello everyone. The club with me as coach is in a situation of rebuilding. The financial situation of the club is connected to the sporting activities and vice versa. This means we as a team have to rebuild the team without being able to make any big financial investments. This needs time. The young talent today could be the next big world stars in just a few years. To rebuild this team, young players will be given opportunities like Xavi and Iniesta had in their day. But we must ask for patience. Achieving a high ranking in La Liga is a great success. In the Champions League, we can't hope for miracles. The defeat by Bayern Munich last week