Lionel Messi Accused of Racism

Lionel Messi Accused of Racism by Royston Drenthe

Innocent until proven guilty. That's the longstanding principle in matters like this, but whether or not it will prevail in the case of Royston Drenthe vs. Lionel Messi will become clear in the next few days.

Drenthe has accused Messi, the world's best player and reigning Ballon d'Or winner, of racism.

If he's telling the truth, the ramifications for Messi and Barcelona could be far-reaching. If he's not, Drenthe has stooped just about as low as you can go to seek out attention for himself.

Either way, Drenthe can expect to be besieged by the media in the days and weeks to come.

The Dutch midfielder, who is set to return to Real Madrid after a failed loan spell with Everton this season, claims Messi referred to him in the past as "negro".

It's the same accusation that was leveled at Liverpool's Luis Suarez by Manchester United's Patrice Evra. That case went before an FA disciplinary panel and resulted in Suarez being banned for eight matches and fined £40,000.

Here's what Drenthe told Dutch website NU.nl, with translation by Mirror.co.uk:

 "I played against him [Messi] many times and we always have problems with each other.


You know what bothers me so? That tone with which he always says, 'negro, negro'. I understand that 'negro' in South America is very common, but we can not stand it.


Mahamadou Diarra, my team-mate at Real, could explode if 'negro' was aimed at him. The Argentinean Gabriel Heinze and Gonzalo Higuain said it initially on the training ground, but they were stopped.


When Hercules [the team Drenthe spent a year on loan with last season] played Barcelona, during the game I had a small altercation with him [Messi]. He gave me a hand in the match and again said a few times, 'hola negro'."

Thus far there has been no comment from Barcelona, Messi or Real Madrid. We have heard nothing further from Drenthe either.

It may be that nothing more will be said on the matter and, albeit very slowly, the issue goes away.

But with Spanish football fighting a very public battle against racism, the authorities could feel obliged to act. FIFA may even force their hand. The most obvious step would be to reach out to Drenthe and ask him to confirm the allegation.

If he does, we may yet see Messi facing a charge similar to the one against Suarez.

At that point, the reputation of the best footballer on the planet will suffer whatever the outcome. Messi's standing as one of sport's most untarnished role models will be forever undermined, and there will be many who will turn against him.

But, for now, we have a moral obligation to assume innocence on both the parts of Drenthe and Messi.

If Drenthe is telling the truth, his case needs to be heard. Equally, Messi's standing should be in no way affected unless this accusation is proved, and a ruling made.

To those who will argue that it doesn't matter if Messi said it or not, I will say this—while "negro" may very well be an acceptable term in South America, it surely doesn't take long to realize you can't take it with you to Europe.

Ignorance is not a defense in my book. But again, for now, no defense is required.

Source: Bleacher Report

Messi breaks record

Barcelona 4 - 0 Espanyol

Messi breaks record for most goals scored in a single European league season

The Argentine's record-breaking year is showing no signs of abating after he broke Dudu Georgescu's feat of 47 strikes in a single league campaign on the continent

Lionel Messi has now scored the most goals in a single European league season after netting four times in Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Espanyol on Saturday.

The prolific No.10 broke Dudu Georgescu's record of 47 goals for Dinamo Bucharest in the 1976-77 campaign when he put the Blaugrana 2-0 up during the Catalan derby at Camp Nou.

Messi is now on 50 league goals for the season, having followed up his pair of strikes with a further two more on the night and securing his eighth hat-trick of the campaign in the process.

The record is just one of several in what has been a memorable season for the Argentine, beginning with his five goals against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League to earn him the distinction of being the competition's first player to score five in a single match.

Messi also became Barca's all-time top goalscorer and the highest scorer in one Spanish season, while in the past week, his treble against Malaga meant he broke Gerd Muller's long-standing 67-goal haul in one campaign.

Source: goal.com

Lionel Messi scores five in Barcelona Champions League win

Lionel Messi became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League fixture as brilliant Barcelona crushed Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 to cruise into the last eight.

The Argentine has now scored 53 goals in 49 games for club and country this season, moving him to within seven goals of becoming the club's record scorer.
Cesar Rodriguez struck 235 times during a 13-year stint at the Nou Camp but Messi looks set to eclipse that before his 25th birthday.
At times he appeared to be playing on an entirely different level as he brought his phenomenal tally up to 228 goals in 311 appearances - which includes 186 in his last 201 games - and condemned the Germans to a 10-2 aggregate defeat.
And his five at this stage of the competition helped Barca send out the clearest signal yet that they intend to reach their third final in four years and become the first club in Champions League history to defend the title.
The 24-year-old scored twice in a relatively ordinary first-half showing from the home side before adding three more after the break as Barcelona went through the gears to ruthlessly dispatch a Leverkusen team who beat Bayern Munich at the weekend.
There was even time for manager Pep Guardiola to hand young midfielder Tello a European debut as a replacement for Andres Iniesta, and then see the 20-year-old score twice in seven minutes.
Leverkusen substitute Karim Bellarabi fired in the smallest of consolations when he curled into the corner in stoppage time, but the German side were well and truly trounced.
Guardiola has been linked with the managerial vacancy at Chelsea but on this evidence would be mad to walk away from the best side in Europe, particularly when armed with a one-off of a number 10.
Leverkusen, trailing 3-1 from the first leg and without an away win in this competition since October 2002, committed men forward early on, but when Gerard Pique cut out a cross Barca sliced their way through in a matter of seconds as Xavi clipped a pass over the top to find Messi running in on goal.
The striker had time to wait for 20-year-old Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno to come out before beating him with a magnificently weighted left-foot lob.
Messi doubled the lead when he danced inside from the right before planting a shot into the far corner.
He then began a spell of four goals in 13 manic second-half minutes when he completed his eighth hat-trick of the season with a right-footed lob after Cesc Fabregas had played him in.
Guardiola took the chance to rest the peerless Iniesta and Xavi in midfield, but there was no let-up for Leverkusen as Tello scored within a minute of coming on from another Fabregas pass.
Tello was involved in Messi's fourth as his pass forward was not gathered by Leno to gift the world player of the year a tap-in, and Tello then made it 6-0 on the night with another clinical finish from Dani Alves's pass.
There was still half an hour remaining, but Barca did finally take their foot off the gas before Messi added his fifth with a fine curling effort from 20 yards.
It was incredibly the 88th goal scored by Barcelona at the Nou Camp this season.
Bellarabi momentarily halted the procession with his fine late finish from an acute angle but that did nothing to detract from Barcelona - and Messi's - exquisite display.

Source: BBC Sport

Cristiano Ronaldo pulls away from the suspended Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Sho

The Portuguese superstar opened the scoring in Real Madrid's emphatic victory over Espanyol, 

while the Argentine picked up a booking too many and was unavailable at the weekend

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opener in Real Madrid's comprehensive 5-0 win against Espanyol to open up a four-point gap between himself and Lionel Messi, who missed Barcelona's 3-1 triumph over Sporting Gijon due to suspension.

Robin van Persie scored two goals in Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Liverpool, moving clear of Aleksandrs Cekulajevs, while Burak Yilmaz found the back of the net in Trabzonspor's smash-and-grab win against Besiktas to gain ground on the Latvian.

CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg battled to a 2-2 draw but Seydou Doumbia wasn't on the scoresheet for the Army Men. Mario Gomez, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Antonio Di Natale were all unable to score, and remain level with Doumbia.

The quartet were all joined on 36 points by Wayne Rooney, who opened the scoring in Manchester United's 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose hat-trick helped AC Milan crush Palermo 4-0.

History & How It Works

In 1967-68, French football magazine L'Equipe opted to hand out an award to the top goalscorer in all European leagues for his good performances during the season. Between 1968 and 1991, high profile names such as Eusebio, Gerd Muller, Ian Rush and Marco van Basten won the coveted trophy.

However, the gap between big and small leagues started to grow in the early 90s and L'Equipe decided to make the competition unofficial after the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) issued a protest in 1991. Darko Pancev won the award that season with 34 goals, but the CFA claimed that a player had scored 40 goals in Cyprus that term.

Adidas, sponsor of the awards, still handed out the trophy until 1996 before European Sports Magazine (with L'Equipe as a member) decided to make the title official again. ESM divided all European leagues in three groups according to strength, and attached to each group a quotient by which the number of goals is multiplied to obtain the player's rating. The European Golden Shoe was thus no longer necessarily handed to the top goalscorer, but to the player with the most points. 

The weightings are determined by the league's ranking on the Uefa coefficients, which in turn depend on the results of each league's clubs in European competition over the previous five seasons. Goals scored in the top five leagues according to the Uefa coefficients are multiplied by a factor of two, and goals scored in the leagues ranked six to 21 are multiplied by 1.5. Goals in all other leagues are all worth one single point.

This measure has prevented players from so-called weaker leagues from winning the European Golden Shoe, since a goal scored in, for example, Armenia, Estonia or Azerbaijan, carries less weight than a goal scored in Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga or the Premier League.

Players such as Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Forlan and Lionel Messi have won the European Golden Shoe in the past few seasons.

Source: goal.com

Barcelona lose to Osasuna 3 - 2

Osasuna 3-2 Barcelona

Pep Guardiola's experimental side lose in Pamplona as La Liga starts to slip away

Despite a valiant effort at a comeback, the Blaugrana suffered their second league defeat in 47 matches and a blow to their title hopes after a first-half flurry from the hosts

A questionable first-team, a frozen pitch, and an inspired opposition contributed to Barcelona's 3-2 defeat at Osasuna at the Estadio Reyna de Navarra on Saturday evening as the Catalans now risk falling 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid by the end of the weekend.

A first-half brace by Dejan Lekic gave Osasuna a magical start. The second period saw a flurry of goals as Alexis Sanchez reduced the deficit, only for Raul Garcia to restore a two-goal cushion. Cristian Tello made it 3-2, but Barcelona could not complete the comeback.

The Catalan side began the match with a modified starting XI as Sergi Roberto, Pedro and Thiago Alcantara started in place of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas.

The changes hurt the Liga giants early on as Osasuna got off to a dream start.  In the fourth minute, Raul Garcia received the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box and it flicked on to find a sprinting Lekic, who buried his strike past Victor Valdes to open scoring.

Pep Guardiola's men attempted to fight back but struggled to establish their quick, one-touch game on the frozen pitch.

The hosts did not sit back and settle for a solitary goal as they were soon two up. After being picked out by Raul Garcia on the right flank, Alvaro Cejudo looped in a cross which found a surging Lekic, who tapped past Valdes for his second of the night to send the home crowd into raptures.

The first half ended with the Blaugrana establishing dominance in possession but not being able to create any goal-mouth opportunities with it.

Guardiola made a few changes at the start of the second half but instead of bringing on Iniesta, Xavi, or Fabregas into the game, he introduced Isaac Cuenca and Tello as Carles Puyol and Pedro made way.

Although the changes may have bemused a few fans, they worked. Cuenca centred the his cross from the right and found an unmarked Alexis, who slid the ball past Fernandez to bring the Catalans back into the game.

But the goal did not faze Los Rojillos and instead, they marched towards their opposition's goal, once again to be rewarded. After a pass from Valdes was intercepted, Nino was picked out on the left. The experienced forward sent in a cross and Raul Garcia managed to tip past Valdes at the near post, punishing the keeper for his straying too far off his line.

The match continued to see-saw back and forth as the Blaugrana reduced the deficit once more. After being picked out on the right, Tello checked past his marker and blasted past Fernandez from close range into the top corner to make it 3-2.

Barcelona looked to have equalised when Alexis found the back of the net after Lionel Messi clipped in a cross, but was adjudged to be offside by the linesman when the ball took a slight touch off Sergi Roberto. The away side continued to pressure their opponents until the final whistle, but they could not find an equaliser as they stumble to their second defeat of the season.

With the loss, Barcelona could find themselves 10 points adrift of top spot if Madrid beat Levante at home on Sunday. Osasuna's fantastic upset victory sees them temporarily move up to seventh place.

Source: goal.com

Real Madrid and Barcelona yesterday's scores

Malaga 1 - 4 Barcelona

Liga - Messi hat-trick conquers Malaga

Lionel Messi scored his fifth hat-trick of the season as Barcelona cruised past Malaga with a 4-1 victory at La Rosaleda.

The Argentine forward opened the scoring shortly after the half-hour mark in a pedestrian first half before Alexis Sanchez's goal three minutes after the interval sparked the match into life.
Goals two and three for Messi on 51 and 81 minutes respectively gave the reigning Liga champions a four goal advantage, before Rondon pounced to give the flustered home side a consolation five minutes from time.
Malaga almost restored a little pride with a late surge during which Rondon and fellow substitute Seba Fernandez came close to further reducing the defecit, but Messi too was twice denied at the death by Wilfredo Caballero in goal.
The win pulled Barca closer to leaders Real Madrid, but Los Merengues later beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 at the Bernabeu to move back five points clear at the summit.
Employing their traditional belief that patience is a virtue, the visitors were in no panic in their hunt for the lead against a Malaga side strong at the back but lacking the ideas to cause Barcelona's makeshift back four many problems.
The hosts' chief source of a potential opener was Isco, and on the quarter hour mark the teenage midfielder tested Victor Valdes on two occasions in quick succession.
First, his speculative drive from outside the penalty area had to be tipped over the bar by the stalwart goalkeeper, before the resulting corner was kept out by Valdes' impressive double save from Isco and then Martin Demichelis.
Eric Abidal - who scored the winning goal in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final at Real Madrid - almost surged through in the box with half an hour played, but when Caballero made himself big and forced the left-back into a unfeasible shooting position, his cut-back to Messi led to a cross-cum-shot from the Ballon d'Or winner which was blocked yards from the goal line.
Messi would finally find the back of the net three minutes later, but not before Ruud van Nistelrooy scuppered a golden opportunity for a close range volley when he mis-hit Eliseu's cross to the far post.
It was a miss Malaga would rue within moments when Adriano's cross from the left at the other end was met by the head of the Argentine maestro for the game's first goal.
Though they spent most of the time chasing shadows or digging deep inside their own penalty area, the home side almost created another big chance on the stroke of half-time when a raking ball upfield was one decent first touch away from leaving van Nistelrooy one-on-one with Valdes.
However, when the Dutchman's header down took him away from goal slightly, it was enough of an invitation for Javier Mascherano to nip in and outmuscle his larger adversary to end the half with the clean sheet intact.
It appeared that Pep Guardiola was not best pleased with his team sitting on the one goal advantage, as they came out for the second half ready altogether more purposefully.
With 48 minutes on the clock Thiago lit the touch paper by forcing Caballero into a decent double save before the goalkeeper was finally beaten on the second rebound by Sanchez.
And only a further three minutes were required for two to become three as the visitors capitalised on complacency on the ball from the Malaga midfield and Messi strode forward on the ball before slotting his second into the bottom corner.
The World Player of the Year was only denied a faster treble by the woodwork 16 minutes from time when his free-kick from inside the 'D' came back off the underside of the crossbar.
But the goal frame would only deny him for a further seven minutes, when a lightning counter led to the best of the bunch: a confident 30 yard run forward beyond two defenders capped by an exquisite finish across Caballero with pinpoint timing and placement.
The fourth goal conceded appeared to be the final straw for a poor Boquerones team, who sparked by their substitutes during the second half began to finally test the Barca back line and even pulled a goal back.
Recio's 20-yard drive was a cracking one, but Valdes' spill of the shot allowed fellow replacement Rondon to pounce and put away a consolation off the far post.
He was inches from a second two minutes later only for his header from the cross of third substitute Fernandez to go inches wide, as did the winger when the two switched roles in stoppage time.

Source: Yahoo! Sport

Real Madrid 4 - 1 Atletico Bilbao

Real Madrid spot on

Cristiano Ronaldo slotted home two penalties to ensure his side won 4-1.

Real Madrid bounced back from their midweek Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona with a comeback victory over 10-Athletic Bilbao that kept them five points clear at the top of the Primera Division.

In-form Athletic had threatened to add to Madrid's misery following their 2-1 home loss to Barca in the first leg of their cup quarter-final tie when Fernando Llorente gave them an early lead.

However, Jose Mourinho's men drew level soon after through Marcelo before two second-half penalties from Cristiano Ronaldo and a late goal from Jose Callejon helped Madrid stay clear of second-placed Barca, who beat Malaga 4-1 earlier today.

Athletic played out the final 24 minutes with a man less after Oscar De Marcos was dismissed in the incident that led to Ronaldo's second successful penalty as the Basque side suffered only a second defeat in 15 league games.

Madrid would have been desperate for a good start today following yet another defeat to Barca, but they found themselves trailing after just 13 minutes following a clinical Athletic counter-attack.

The move started with goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz quickly throwing the ball out to Javi Martinez, who in turn fed possession inside to Ander Herrera before racing down the wing to pick up a return pass from his team-mate. Martinez then floated over a deep cross into the area where his Spain colleague Llorente volleyed home his 11th goal of the season.

It should really have been 2-0 six minutes later as well.

Fortunately for the hosts, De Marcos failed to turn the rebound in from close range after Iker Casillas parried a shot from Iker Muniain.

De Marcos really should have scored with that chance and Madrid made the most of their let-off to equalise soon after.

Karim Benzema volleyed a good opening well over in the 24th minute, but 60 seconds later Marcelo coolly slotted in the equaliser after playing a one-two with the Frenchman on the edge of the area.

Benzema saw a header saved by Iraizoz as Madrid sought a half-time lead, but they survived another big scare in the 39th minute when Llorente missed a great chance for the visitors, the powerful striker slicing horribly wide with his left foot with only Casillas to beat.

Madrid may have been fortunate to have been level at the interval, but they dominated the second half and were in front after winning a penalty just 30 seconds after the restart.

Ander Iturraspe was penalised for tugging back Kaka, and from the resulting spot-kick Ronaldo slammed in his 22nd league goal of the season.

That drew him level with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts following the Barcelona player's hat-trick against Malaga, and the world's most expensive player soon passed the Argentinian after Madrid won another penalty in the 67th minute.

Ozil went down under a challenge from De Marcos and although Benzema fired in the loose ball, the penalty had already been awarded.

De Marcos was shown a red card and Ronaldo added the full punishment from 12 yards as he sent Iraizoz the wrong way.

Mourinho immediately replaced Benzema with Gonzalo Higuain and the Argentina international twice came close to adding to his side's lead, first being denied by a brilliant save from Iraizoz before later hitting the near post after rounding the Athletic custodian.

It was another substitute who added a late fourth, though, as Callejon latched onto Higuain's perfect through-ball to slot past Iraizoz and complete a convincing triumph.

Source: ESPN

Lionel Messi wins third straight FIFA award

Lionel Messi Wins Third Straight Ballon d'Or Award

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has claimed his third straight FIFA Ballon d'Or Award for the world's best football player, according to ESPN UK. Messi beat out Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo and Blaugrana teammate Xavi to claim the trophy.

Messi scored 53 goals during the calender year and helped Barca win La Liga, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup to cap off yet another remarkable season for the dynamic offensive threat.

He is the first player since Michel Platini to win the award three consecutive times.

There isn't a more feared player on the planet than the Argentine dynamo. His incredible pace paired with lightning-quick cuts make him virtually unstoppable for opposing back lines and once he possess the ball inside the box he's rarely stopped.

When you consider how many players are playing at such a high level around the globe, it's amazing to consider the same player can earn enough voter respect to claim the award three straight times. But if anybody's deserving, it's Messi.

The 24-year-old striker is able to stand out from the crowd despite playing on a loaded Barcelona roster that features several of the world's best players. It takes a special, truly one-in-a-lifetime talent to play at such a high level on a yearly basis.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Messi's game is the lack of slumps he endures. He's improved his distribution game in a major way over the past couple of years which has allowed him to have a significant impact on the outcome of games even if he doesn't hit the net himself.


That constant desire to improve is why voters have no other option but to keep handing him the award. His game is never stagnant. He's always seeking out new ways to attack opposing defenses that are focused solely on stopping him and they just can't find a way to do it.

It's always difficult to assess the long-term ramifications of things that are happening in current day, but football fans around the world will probably look back on the last few years as the Age of Messi. And slowly, but surely, he's climbing his way up the all-time greats pecking order.

One thing's certain, nobody claims three successive player of the year honors because of luck. It comes down to hard work and wanting it more than the 11 players on the other side.

Messi has done that for the past three years and, don't look now, but he's already got two goals in as many games in 2012.

"It's a great personal pleasure for me," said Messi.

"It's the third time I've won it. It's just an amazing honour. I want to thank everyone that's been involved with me -- my team-mates, trainers, physios, the coach (Pep Guardiola) and everyone at Barcelona.

Sources: the australian sport and bleacher report

"I'd also like to thank the Argentina national team as well."

He also joins Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten as the only men to have won the prize on three occasions.

"I want to share this honour with my team-mate, Xavi," added Messi, who then addressed his club-mate in the audience at the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala.

"He deserves it, too. I want to share it with you, because you deserve it as much as me. It's a pleasure to be here alongside him and to play with him."

The award was formed when the Ballon d'Or merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2010 and is voted for by national team coaches and captains, as well as a panel of football journalists selected by France Football magazine.

Barça claim as world's best

It was the moment when reality bit contemporary Brazilian football on the backside. Barcelona's 4-0 win over Santos -- I dread to think how many the Blaugrana could have scored -- did not only win the Club World Cup. It was also the moment when not even the most fervent Brazilian nationalist could doubt that the mantle has changed hands. Once Brazil was the spiritual home of the beautiful game. Beyond all question, that honor has crossed the Atlantic to Catalonia.

The Club World Cup final was never truly a matter of being Lionel Messi against Neymar. Before the game, Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas revealed how the Spanish champions would protect themselves against Neymar -- ensuring that, as in all its games, the opposition hardly has possession of the ball. True to his word, Barcelona went out and imposed its collective philosophy on the game, something to which Santos had no answer.

If in Neymar the South American champions could count on their own version of Messi, Santos had no one of the quality of a Xavi or an Andres Iniesta. This is no coincidence. First in football comes the idea. And the dominant strain in Brazilian football over recent years has been thinking on the following lines: The physical development of the game and the reduction of space on the field mean that the central midfielders should be 6-foot, and that if the move contains seven or more passes, the chances of a goal are reduced.

In this context, it is no surprise that Brazil has not been producing Xavis and Iniestas. It has not been looking for them. It has been searching for big, defensively inclined central midfielders to block the middle of the field (think Gilberto Silva) and flying athletic attacking fullbacks to launch counterattacks down the flanks.

The high priest of this kind of thinking is Santos coach Muricy Ramalho, who guided Sao Paulo to three straight Brazilian championships (2006-08) and led Fluminense to the title last year. His teams have traditionally been based on counterattacks and set pieces. "If you want to see a spectacle," he likes to say, "then go to the theater."

Or go to watch his team surgically taken apart by Barcelona. Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas ran midfield rings around Santos, toying with the Brazilian side as if in a training exercise. The first half was every bit as one-sided as Barcelona's midweek stroll against Asian champion Al Sadd -- with the difference that the size of its ambition and the scale of its dreams left Santos looking sadder. Pep Guardiola's men proved, as they do week after week, that Brazilian football needs to have a rethink. Especially at this moment, when money is abundant.

In recent years, the South American champions have won the Copa Libertadores in the middle of the year and arrived weakened at the Club World Cup because key players had been sold leading up to the year-end competition. This was not the case of Santos. In comparison with the team that beat Penarol of Uruguay in June, the side arguably arrived in Japan stronger. Neymar has been retained, striker Borges and midfielders Henrique and Ibson acquired.

Sunday's match was not decided by a financial imbalance. It was the imposition of one footballing philosophy over another, a victory for the skillful little guys with the low center of gravity, a triumph for the spectacle and self-expression of the pass-and-move approach -- a win like many that South American football has enjoyed in its glorious history.

Source: ESPN Soccer

Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona yesterday.

Swansea City 0 - 1 Manchester City.

Early Chicharito strike keeps Red Devils within five points of leaders City

The Mexican star struck early against the Premier League new boys to give Sir Alex's Ferguson's men the spoils in a hard-fought encounter

Manchester United moved back to within five points of Premier League leaders Manchester City after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.

Javier Hernandez's 11th minute strike gave the visitors all three points, with the Mexican slotting home after Ryan Giggs played him clean through after Angel Rangel’s defensive error.

Swansea started in brave fashion in front of their home fans, opting for a 4-3-3 formation against the reigning champions, who welcomed Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs back to the starting line-up.

But just over 10 minutes into the game, Rangel saw his slack pass intercepted at the edge of his own area, allowing Giggs, playing for the first time in his home nation, to surge into the box and square for Chicharito, who calmly lifted his effort into the net from close-range.

It was a tense 90 minutes in Wales, with both sides carving out a host of chances early on. Scott Sinclair was guilty of the worst miss of the match when he allowed a cut-back to slip through his legs with the goal gaping in front of him, as the hosts squandered a glorious chance to equalise.

Swansea, who were defending an unbeaten home record in the league this season, pressed hard for a share of the spoils in the second half, with Danny Graham in particular looking a big threat to David de Gea’s goal.

But United’s rearguard, which saw Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand partnered together once more, held firm against the pressure from the Swans, and the visitors saw a handful of chances to make the points secure go begging towards the end.

Wayne Rooney came close with two efforts in quick succession and Nani curled an effort just wide of the far post after a late, twisting run.

With only one minute left on the clock, Phil Jones saw a rasping drive rattle against the post after a counter-attack which had displayed a quality of football largely lacking for much of the game.

While a second goal may have made Ferguson’s time on the touchline a little more comfortable, in the end, the clash was settled by Hernandez's early strike, with the Mexican showing just how crucial his clinical finishing could be to United's title chances this season.

The win keeps the Red Devils on the tailcoats of fierce rivals City, who had cemented their place at the top of the pile with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United earlier on Saturday.

Source: goal.com

Real win thriller in Valencia

Real Madrid went back on top of La Liga with a thrilling 3-2 win at fellow title-chasers Valencia.

After Barcelona’s 4-0 win at home to Real Zaragoza briefly put the defending champions top on goal difference - and with Los Che knowing a win would put them a point behind the Liga leaders - Madrid almost played the perfect tactical game as goals from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos put them 2-0 up.

Former Real striker Roberto Soldado pulled one back for the hosts soon after Ramos’s goal, but that was swiftly followed by yet another strike from Cristiano Ronaldo - his 14th in La Liga this season - after Valencia keeper Diego Alves went walkabout.

But the night was not done as Soldado snatched a poacher’s second, setting up a grandstand finale that saw Real hold on - just, as Aritz Aduritz fired straight at Iker Casillas, while Soldado had another sublime finish ruled out for offside and hit the bar in the final seconds.

The victory puts Madrid three points clear of Barca, with Valencia in third four points behind Jose Mourinho’s side.

Both sides set out a relatively defensive stall, with Valencia operating with lone ex-Madrid striker Roberto Soldado and the visitors throwing in Lassana Diarra to congest the midfield as Cristiano Ronaldo played more as a winger.

Having been told by boss Unai Emery to “stay at home until Monday” if they were not convinced they could beat Real, Los Che started brilliantly, attacking with vigour but kick off as Tino Costa smacked an effort just wide.

In reality though Valencia had left most of their creative players on the bench, with Aduriz, Pablo Piatti and Jonas - who scored twice for Brazil against Egypt - strangely absent, as if somehow they lacked the hunger for victory even if they did boast the ability.

Real regrouped quickly enough and, with Sami Khedira elected as the attacking element of the three-man central midfield, they started to get forward with regularity as the Germany international half-volleyed wide after a Xabi Alonso free-kick created havoc in the box.

Karim Benzema, preferred to Gonzalo Higuain as the lone striker, drilled a low shot just wide after Ronaldo’s diving header was blocked, while Khedira miscontrolled after Alonso played him through again, Real now in charge of proceedings.

And they took a deserved lead on 20 minutes, thanks to quick thinking from Alonso, who lobbed a free-kick from halfway for Benzema to chase: the France striker, who has scored seven Liga goals all at home this season, broke his away duck with a delicate flick-volley combination that rasped past Diego Alves and in.

Two minutes later Real thought they had doubled the lead when Benzema lashed a ferocious finish into the roof of the net, but the ex-Stuttgart midfielder had strayed offside, while Ronaldo - sporting an early-90s style ‘step’ haircut - had a shot deflected by David Albelda off the post and wide.

Ronaldo, until then relatively quiet by his strutting standards, was finding more space and should have doubled his side’s lead after a deft through-ball from Benzema sent him scuttling clear: Alves was equal to his finish, spreading himself to keep out the attempted chip.

There were no changes from Valencia at half-time but they again started well, with Jeremy Mathieu driving a wicked low ball across the face of ball that somehow flew through the lunging Soldado.

That was about it for a good 20 minutes though as the match descended into a fit of histrionics, diving, shoving and gamesman-type attempts to get players sent off, with Jordi Alba the main culprit as he repeatedly tried to con the unflappable referee into showing Mesut Ozil a second yellow.

Valencia were the greater irritant in that respect, although six of the eight yellow cards were shown to Real players.

The match seemed to be drifting into ennui but, on 72 minutes, a Madrid corner saw Ramos rise imperiously to power a header in off the post to put his team 2-0 up.

It also sparked the hosts into life, with Emery bringing on Pablo Hernandez, who immediately raced through to force a superb save from Casillas - his first of the night. It was in vain though as Soldado drilled home the rebound, showing exceptional technique to meet the spinning ball first-time and guide it through a sea of players from a tight angle.

Within four minutes the two-goal lead had been restored, thanks in part to Alves’s rush of blood but also the brilliance of Ronaldo: the Brazil keeper raced out to clear a loose ball, losing out to Ronaldo who controlled an dragged in the finish from a tight angle.

But Valencia came back again and Soldado again put in a masterful finish, flicking the ball across Casillas and in after a clever low ball from Pablo.

It was 3-2 with seven minutes left and Los Che threw everything at Real to find a leveller, Soldado having one disallowed for offside - a shame for the purist as it was a wonderful first-time finish - and Aduriz firing straight at Casillas with Mathieu begging for the pass.

It was kitchen sink time and the real drama came in the fifth minute of stoppage time as Tino’s corner was rattled against the bar by Soldado, with Ronaldo blocking the rebound on the line with his chest.

Convinced it was a handball, Valencia surrounded the referee both then and seconds later at the final whistle, but it appeared to strike the former World Player of the Year on the chest and Madrid clung on for a superb victory.

Source: eurosport.com

Barcelona's Gerard Pique after 4-0 win over Real Zaragoza: We must continue picking up three points each week

The champions' stopper has emphasised the importance of maintaining their winning run, to give themselves the best chance of catching up with Real Madrid at the summit of La Liga

Following Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Real Zaragoza on Saturday, defender Gerard Piquesays it is imperative that his side carry on picking up points to keep up the pressure on Primera Division rivals Real Madrid.

The former Manchester United man scored the opening goal in what proved to be a convincing win for the Blaugrana, and he wants to see their ruthless streak sustained for the rest of the season.

"There are the games where the ball can be taken advantage of, especially when we have rivals closeby," Pique said after the match according to AS. "Today we have begun pressuring more and we have created more chances."

Pique then proceeded to discuss their forthcoming fixtures, which sees them travel to AC Milan in the Champions League, and Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season in the league, but is confident that they can come through unscathed.

"It is a complicated month, with many important games in the league such as against Real Madrid, and we want to stay top of our Champions League group," he continued. "But we have the quality to overcome it."

However, when quizzed on what he felt would be the outcome of Jose Mourinho's side's clash with Valencia, the 24-year-old preferred to put the onus back onto his team.

"We have to focus on ourselves and keep on adding three [points] out of three, because there will come a time when every game is like a final."

Barcelona temporarily go top of La Liga, but await Real's result with Valencia.

Source: goal.com

Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi: Who Will Be the Top Goal Scorer This Season?

We're at a stage now where you can't talk about one without bringing up the other; Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo go hand in hand, much like their respective clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. The race for the Pichichi, La Liga's top goal scorer, will undoubtedly fall to either No. 1 and 2 of world football. But it's the manner in which either will get there that will write headlines for the remainder of the season.

In Cristiano Ronaldo we're seeing a player fronting a much-improved Real Madrid from last year. There seems to be a lot less anger on the part of Madrid and more a desire to play the football they know best: counter-attacking in its finest form. Much like their counterparts in Catalonia, it's a brand of football that no other team can perform as well as they do.

The rotation of the front-line has been impressive and consistent. Ronaldo, the ever-present, links up well with any of the strikers on offer at the Bernabeu and continues his almost unrivalled scoring form.

But with all the praise the can be on offer for last season's Golden Shoe winner, the questions and comparisons can never end when the greater prize remains in the hands of Lionel Messi.

Both men have recently hit milestones for their clubs with Ronaldo reaching his 100th goal for Madrid and Messi scoring his 200th for Barcelona. It's almost humorous the way both hit these goal-scoring records at the same time, as if the world didn't already have enough to fuel the Messi vs. Ronaldo debate.

Ronaldo and Madrid are very much on the rise to not only remove the gap between themselves and Barcelona, they're also keen to prove that their £80 million signing can live up to and overtake the phenomenon at the Nou Camp.

This season that gap may be getting smaller and smaller.

The Barcelona attack on domestic glory is more central to Messi's individual game, using his intelligence and ability to unlock opposition defence and create space for others—a more systematic game moving their players strategically rather than the blitzkrieg-like counter-attacking of Madrid.

Does this always come to fruition? No, as we've seen against Sevilla. The greatest team of the modern age simply ran out of ideas and could find no way past Javi Varas. Similarly, Messi, who does hold one more goal this season over Ronaldo, recently went three games without scoring. Of course, he went on to score a hat trick in the fourth game, but that's where the problems arise.

If he's not doing it for Barcelona, then who will?

Madrid don't seem to have that problem. It's a burden of responsibility that does not weigh as heavily on Ronaldo and will perhaps favour him over the course of the season. With two of the finest strikers in world football alongside him and Xabi Alonso pulling the strings in midfield, Ronaldo can feel at ease knowing the goals will come.

Does this favour the Portuguese and allow him greater chance of becoming the top scorer in La Liga? Perhaps if he weren't going head to head with Lionel Messi.

But the difficulties will soon come to the fore for Messi, who so far this season has shown that he is human and is sometimes incapable of doing what we all expect of him.

The Pichichi and overall top goal scorer in Europe will fall to the player with the greater supporting cast—a company of talent who will ease the responsibility to be the best and allow for those at the tip of the sword to shine to their maximum

Source: Bleacher Report

Lionel Messi has ball kicked at his head while on the floor

Many have tried (and failed) to stop Lionel Messi over the years, but Colombia’s Abel Aguilar took a novel approach to the task, by firing the ball from close range at the forward’s head…while he was on the floor.

The Hercules midfielder took the dastardly pop at the Barcelona ace immediately after he was felled outside the box by Gustavo Bolivar, during Argentina’s 2-1 win over Colombia in their World Cup qualifier. 

The incident provoked a furious reaction from Messi’s team-mates, but it was the brilliant 24-year-old who had the last laugh – firstly scoring Argentina’s leveller, then turning provider for Sergio Aguero to nick it six minutes from time. 

I think we can safely assume the lesson here – like in the Incredible Hulk – is ‘ don’t make him angry!’ 

The result keeps Argentina joint top of their nine-team South American qualifying group, level on seven points with Venezuela and Copa America winners Uruguay, who have a game in hand.

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Source: Bleacher Report