El Clasico report

Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona

Cesc & share Varane strikes in absorbing contest

Los Blancos' French center-back produced an exemplary performance, Which included a fine late goal, to help cancel out the Blaugrana's opener early in the second half

The shares were spoiled in a pulsating Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, as a thumping late header from Raphael Varane earned Real Madrid a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona.

The Catalan side looked to have put one foot in the final as they led late on after Cesc Fabregas had put them 1-0 up with a well-taken goal shortly after the break, only for Madrid's young defender Varane to secure the home team a draw in the 81st minute. 

Madrid were without five first-team players for their fourth Clasico of the season, as Iker Casillas and Pepe missed out because of injury, while the likes of Sergio Ramos, Fabio Coentrao and Angel Di Maria were all absent through suspension. Barcelona, meanwhile, named a full-strength starting line-up, with Jose Pinto retaining his place in goal, as he has done for the Copa del Rey.

For all their missing men it was los Blancos that made the brighter start of the two sides. Within a minute of kick-off Ronaldo was charging at the heart of the Barcelona defence, and his driving run towards goal was only stopped by a cynical challenge from Gerard Pique. The Portuguese attacker took the set piece himself and proceeded to force Pinto into making a fine diving stop.

In the 12th minute a moment of mastery from Andres Iniesta created a chance for the overlapping Jordi Alba, but the Barcelona left-back could only volley wide of Diego Lopez's goal after bursting through the Madrid defence and connecting with Iniesta's effortless chipped pass. 

Moments after being booked for a mistimed challenge on Cesc Fabregas, Ricardo Carvalho bundled into Iniesta 25 yards from goal, and from the resulting free kick Xavi came within inches of giving Barcelona the lead, as his devilish curling effort rattled the crossbar with Lopez beaten. 

Carvalho then nearly supplied an assist for Barcelona when his tame back-pass allowed Messi to steal the ball and tee up Xavi inside the Madrid box. The Barcelona midfielder arrowed a shot towards the bottom left corner but Madrid's young centre-back Varane was there on the line to brilliantly hack Xavi's goal-bound strike away from danger. 

On the half hour mark, Karim Benzema nearly scored for the home side when he found space in behind the Barcelona back-line to meet Jose Callejon's superb pass and send a volley crashing into the side-netting from a tight angle.

Somehow, a frantic opening first half ended 0-0 despite an avalanche of chances being created by two teams putting clear emphasis on attack rather than defence. 

Madrid mimicked their strong start to the first half after the break and fashioned a chance after just 40 seconds of the second period - Benzema hammering a shot over 18 yards from goal. 

Despite their pressure Madrid found themselves a goal behind in the 50th minute when Fabregas clinically side-footed the ball past Lopez after being played in by Messi. Just a single touch was needed by Messi to both dispossess Xabi Alonso and play a weighted through ball into the path of Fabregas, with the former Arsenal captain producing a cool finish to give the Catalan side a 1-0 lead. 

Then, if not for a sumptuously timed challenge from Varane, Fabregas could well have given Barcelona a two-goal lead. The Frenchman's tackle on his opponent brought Jose Mourinho to his feet, and prompted the coach to make an immediate change with his team on the back foot - introducing Luka Modric for Callejon.

Ronaldo then missed a glorious opportunity to head Madrid level from close range, but he could not test Pinto after connecting with Essien's teasing cross from the right. 

Pique, perhaps not to be outshone by Varane up the other end, then produced an equally brilliant tackle on Ronaldo as the Portugal international shaped to send a shot goalwards inside the Barcelona penalty area. 

With Barcelona seemingly set to hold out for the win, up popped Varane in the 81st minute to rise highest and send an emphatic header past Pinto from Mesut Ozil's free kick to make it 1-1 and set up an enticing second leg at Camp Nou on February 26.

Source: goal.com

La Liga Report

Levante 1-2 Barcelona

Messi double saves Barca as Argentine joins Cristiano Ronaldo on record 41 La Liga goals

Pep Guardiola's men were awarded a contentious spot kick as they came from behind to beat the Granotas and narrow the gap once again on league leaders Real Madrid

Barcelona had a controversial penalty to thank as they ground out a narrow 2-1 win at Levante to close the gap on Liga leaders Real Madrid back to four points ahead of next weekend's Clasico meeting.

Jose Barkero gave the home team a surprise lead with a penalty before Lionel Messi levelled with half an hour to go. The Argentine then stepped up to score a spot kick to bring his league tally this campaign to 41 goals, joining Cristiano Ronaldo in breaking the Portuguese's record of 40 from last term.

Barcelona started the game brightly and after some early spells in possession, forged their first opportunity on goal in the 10th minute. Alexis Sanchez's cross found Thiago Alcantara in the box six yards out yet the midfielder could only flick his header wide of the mark.

Nine minutes later Thiago should have done better again with his head following Messi's inviting free kick. The young midfielder was able to ghost past his marker but headed his effort straight into the grateful arms of Gustavo Munua.

In the 22nd minute the home side were awarded a penalty against the run of play. Barkero's corner was parried by Victor Valdes with Juanfran's follow-up striking the hand of Sergio Busquets, earning the defensive midfielder a yellow card in the process. Barkero calmly stepped up to slam the ball down the centre of the goal with Valdes diving to his left.

Despite the Blaugrana continuing to dominate possession, they could have gone into half-time two goals down when Levante created a glorious chance in the 38th minute. Adriano and Valdo's collision left Pedro Lopez with plenty of space to attack the Barca goal down the wing. The full-back cut infield before dragging his shot narrowly wide of the goal from the edge of the box.

Although the Catalan giants kept possession well in the early stages of the second half, a sloppy pass from Thiago nearly allowed Levante to double their lead. Arouna Kone took the ball off the Spain international before charging upfield and sliding it to Barkero in the Barca penalty area. The playmaker attempted to play the return ball with Valdes out of his goal but Carles Puyol was on hand to mop up the danger.

With Barcelona stepping up the tempo they got their just reward in the 64th minute when Messi equalised. The Argentine played a clever one-two with Alexis before curling the ball into the far corner of the net from the edge of the box - the attacker now scoring in 10 consecutive Liga games, equalling a record held by Ronaldo and Mariano Martin.

On 71 minutes Guardiola's men were awarded a controversial penalty after Isaac Cuenca and Pedro Botelho collided in the box with the assistant referee flagging for a spot kick to be given. Messi stepped up to smash the ball into the top corner, sending Munua the wrong way to draw level with Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the Pichichi prize awarded to La Liga's top goalscorer. Both men are now on 41 Liga goals this term.

Levante attempted to fight back yet Barca comfortably saw out the game to claim a priceless win in Valencia.

Barca now travel to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Chelsea before welcoming Real Madrid to Camp Nou next weekend in a pivotal Primera Division clash, while Levante are next in action at Sevilla on April 21.

Real Madrid 3-1 Sporting Gijon

Cristiano Ronaldo records 41st La Liga strike as Los Blancos reach 107 goals

Mourinho's side moves seven points clear of Barcelona in the hunt of its first La Liga title in four years.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 41st La Liga goal helped move Real Madrid seven points clear of Barcelona at the summit of the Spanish Primera Division as the team came from behind to deny a valiant Sporting Gijon side at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Los Blancos found themselves behind when Sergio Ramos handled in the penalty area gifting Miguel de las Cuevas the chance to fire the visiting team ahead from the resulting spot kick, which the Argentinean duly obliged in doing.

Jose Mourinho’s side responded seven minutes later when Ramos, making amends for his earlier error, found Gonzalo Higuain with a superb cross to nod home. Ronaldo completed the turnaround in the 73rd minute before Karim Benzema scored the third late on. 

In a tiresome opening that was broken up by constant stoppages Madrid was unable to find its usual rhythm as Sporting remained defensively sound continuously frustrating the home side. 

Despite Real Madrid’s dominance in the early stages the best chance fell to Trejo after the visitors launched a quick breakaway. Alvaro Arbeloa was pressured into a mistake by the midfielder allowing the Sporting man a sight of goal but could only muster a tame effort that Iker Casillas comfortable saved. 

The fabric of the tie continued with Madrid dominating, as both Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo tried their luck with long range efforts but neither truly tested Juan Pablo. The Asturians offering little as an attacking force suddenly sensed an opportunity when Trejo burst through forcing the Madrid defense to retreat. The Argentinean looked to cut inside to fashion himself a shooting opportunity only to be denied by Sergio Ramos’ arm resulting in the visitors being awarded a spot kick. 

Miguel de las Cuevas, the sole goal scorer in this fixture last season, stepped up to emphatically fire Sporting ahead stunning the Bernabeu faithful. 

Jose Mourinho’s side continued to be frustrated by Los Rojiblancos’ diligent defending but were finally rewarded seven minutes after falling behind. Ramos delivered a superb cross toward the far post where Higuain had managed to steal a yard giving him the room to divert the ball home with a glancing header. 

Los Blancos came close to going ahead prior to the break but Nuri Sahin’s wonderful free kick clipped the top of the crossbar as the sides went into the interval level.

The significance of the match was realized on the Real Madrid bench at the break as Mourinho opted to introduced Benzema and Angel Di Maria in the hope of finding a second goal.

Similarly to the first half Madrid controlled the early exchanges as they looked to force an opening but the northerner’s defense remained resolute as the home side’s best chances came from set pieces but Ronaldo failed to convert any of them despite his recent heroics. 

As the match entered into the final furlong Sporting began to slow the tempo in the hope of frustrating the Madridistas, but it was in vain as the home side’s pressure told 17 minutes from time. Di Maria worked space allowing him to swing in a cross that found Ronaldo unmarked and the Portugal international beautifully directed his header into the back of the net via the base of the far post. 

Sporting Gijon’s resilience was finally undone in the 81st minute when Mesut Ozil slipped a gorgeous ball through to Benzema. The Frenchman, from an acute angle, thrashed his finish past Juan Pablo into the opposite corner as Mourinho’s side notched their 107th goal of the campaign equaling the record held by John Toshack’s 1989-90 team.  

Marcelo and Benzema both wasted late opportunities to find the 108th goal but Madrid will know that heading into next week's El Clasico that it will be a minimum of four points clear of Barca, while Sporting continues to look destined for the drop. 

Source: goal.com

Barcelona 5-3 Granada

History-making Messi breaks club goalscoring record as gap at top of La Liga is reduced to five points

Los Cules' talismanic Argentine scores a hat-trick to surpass Cesar Rodriguez's all-time goalscoring record, as Pep Guardiola's side continue to cut Real Madrid's advantage

 

Despite an impressive second-half comeback from Granada, Barcelona emerged 5-3 victors in the two side's La Liga clash at Camp Nou, thanks to a well-taken hat-trick from the record-breaking Lionel Messi, and further goals from Xavi and Cristian Tello. 

Xavi gave Barcelona the lead after just four minutes following good build-up play from Isaac Cuenca and Messi. Cuenca did well to evade his marker on the left before lifting a cross to the back post that Messi carefully nodded back into Xavi's path, and he made no mistake in finding the back of the net with his strike from eight yards.  

Cuenca was again the provider as Barcelona increased their lead fifteen minutes later, the attacker jynxing his way past Guilherme Siqueira on the left once more before sending an inviting cross into the area. Granada's Borja Gomez looked to have nodded the ball away to safety, but Messi had other ideas, immediately sending a sublime side-footed volley back across goal and in off the post. 

Barca ended the opening 45 minutes comfortably on top in this game, with Granada rarely venturing out of their own half. 

They started the second half just how they ended the first, in complete control, and Messi should have increased their lead on 52 minutes after more fantastic wing play from Cuenca, but the Argentine could only scuff his shot wide in a crowded penalty area.

Granada pulled a goal back against the run of play to make it 2-1 on 55 minutes courtesy of their captain Diego Mainz. The Granada skipper did well to rise highest inside the Barcelona penalty area to head home Martins' whipped free-kick from the left-hand side. 

The away side then remarkably levelled the scores after the referee awarded them a penalty when Daniel Benitez went down inside the area after tussling with Dani Alves. The left-back Siqueira stepped up and confidently dispatched the penalty into the back of the net, sending Victor Valdes the wrong way in the process. 

Despite Granada's spirited comeback, normality resumed midway through the second half, with Barcelona retaking the lead through their talismanic Argentine, Lionel Messi. 

History was made in the 72nd minute as Messi provided a trademark lobbed finish to give Barcelona a 3-2 lead, running through one-on-one against Julio Cesar after a fine ball from Alves had found the attacker in space behind the Granada back four. 

That goal takes Messi's tally in official competitions to 233, making him Barcelona's leading goalscorer of all time, one ahead of the club legend Cesar Rodriguez, who had previously held the record with 232. 

Barcelona's substitute Tello added a fourth for the home side after a well-worked move between Xavi and Messi found the youngster unmarked six yards out. 

Messi still had time to complete his hat-trick late on, running on to a perfectly-weighted Alves through ball before dribbling round Cesar and firing the ball into the back of the net.

The home side then had Alves sent off for a second bookable offence, and again Granada were awarded a penalty. Siqueira bagged his second of the game with a nonchalant chip over Victor Valdes.

Messi will grab the headlines following his record-breaking goals in this match, but the victory is also important in the title chase, as Barcelona's three points tonight mean they are provisionally just five points behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, with the capital side set to play Villarreal tomorrow evening.

Source: goal.com

El Clásico: Real Madrid 1 - 2 Barcelona

Puyol and Abidal complete impressive second-half comeback for Pep Guardiola's side after Ronaldo's early opener

Two goals from unlikely sources give the Catalans a vital advantage going into the second leg of the Copa del Rey, despite going behind to the Portuguese's early effort

Second-half goals from Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal cancelled out an early Cristiano Ronaldo strike to help Barcelona overcome Real Madrid with a 2-1 victory in the Copa del Rey Clasico on Wednesday evening at Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid started the match the stronger and collected the advantage through the Portuguese, but Puyol's flying header and Abidal's neat finish completed a superb turnaround, and make Pep Guardiola's side favourites to progress to the last semi-finals of the competition.

Ronaldo looked desperate to shake the criticism he has received from sections of his own support in recent weeks, and he made two superb tackles in the opening exchanges, before firing his side ahead in the 11th minute.
Karim Benzema found a pocket of space inside the centre circle and slipped a perfectly weighted pass to the attacker down the left channel. Ronaldo then nicked the ball past Gerard Pique, utilising a neat step-over, before lashing a left-footed strike through the legs of Jose Pinto, with some question marks over the Barcelona stopper's positioning.
The veteran goalkeeper, only playing because of an agreement with Guardiola to feature in the Copa del Rey, should have blocked the effort, but Ronaldo and Madrid celebrated furiously as the Bernabeu erupted.
The Catalans bounced back, and came within inches of equalising just five minutes later when Cesc Fabregas clipped a delicate pass into the Madrid box, where Alexis Sanchez found space between Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentrao to loop a header towards goal only to see his attempt strike the inside of the post.
The first half was a fiery affair, and the high tempo of the play resulted in some late tackles. Pepe was at the heart of the drama, firstly earning a booking for an ill-timed challenge on Busquets, and then going down after a supposed wayward elbow from Pique, which earned the Barca defender a yellow card.
Despite going into the break a goal down, Barcelona had the best of the first half. Andres Iniesta squandered a decent chance inside the box with a left-footed strike that flashed wide,  after Lionel Messi saw a near-post shot excellently saved by Iker Casillas.
Madrid's gameplan had allowed them to lead at the interval, but it took Guardiola's side just three minutes to draw level through a superb header from Puyol.
Xavi's corner kick was dropped deep into the box and the Barca captain came flying in to power home an unstoppable diving header to make it 1-1, leaving Pepe in his wake.
Both sides were unlucky not to take the lead in the next 10 minutes, with Andres Iniesta and Karim Benzema both striking the woodwork. The Barcelona maestro fired off the crossbar with a deflected half-volley that Sergio Ramos did superbly to block. Benzema, meanwhile, clipped the outside of the left post with a glancing header that looked to have Pinto beaten had it been on target.
Barcelona continued to dominate possession as the game progressed, and their patient passing paid off in the 76th minute when Abidal scored his second-ever goal for the Catalans, with Lionel Messi the architect.
The Argentine, who had been strangely subdued for much of the contest, clipped a sensational pass over the top of the home defence to the Frenchman, who coolly took the ball down on his chest before stabbing past Casillas.
Madrid, similarly to the league match in December, had no response to Barca's comeback, and were unable to create a clear opening in the closing stages. Indeed, the match became more heated, and Carvalho, already on a booking, was fortunate not to see red for a late lunge on Alexis.
Near the end Pepe, who had been booked early on for a late challenge on Sergio Busquets, managed to stamp on the hand of Messi as the Argentine was getting to his feet after a  blate challenge, and may face further disciplinary action.
This result leaves Barcelona going into the return match with the advantage over Jose Mourinho's side. The second leg takes place next Wednesday at Camp Nou.

Source: goal.com