Lionel Messi’s dead-ball hat-trick puts Barca back on top

Lionel Messi delivered an incredible dead-ball hat-trick on Saturday to steer Barcelona to a 4-1 victory over Celta Vigo and ease the pressure on his coach Ernesto Valverde.

Messi scored with a penalty and then a pair of sumptuous free-kicks either side of half-time after Lucas Olaza had briefly pulled Celta level with a free-kick of his own at Camp Nou. Sergio Busquets drove home to make sure of the win late on.


A 34th treble in La Liga puts Messi equal with Cristiano Ronaldo, while a much-needed win sends Barca above Real Madrid on goal difference and back to the top of the table at the end of a testing week.

“It is impossible not to depend on Messi, he illuminates everything,” said Valverde. “We depend on him like any team would depend on him. He unlocked the game.”

Madrid had briefly claimed first place after continuing their own goal-surge by hammering Eibar 4-0, a game in which Karim Benzema scored twice and Eden Hazard exploded into life.

But while Madrid appear to be hitting their stride, Barcelona’s momentum had stalled. After losing to Levante and failing to break down Slavia Prague in the Champions League, scrutiny had again turned on Valverde and his future as Barcelona coach.


Barcelona’s disgruntled fans had whistled their team against Slavia in midweek and when Olaza equalised for Celta, that tension and restlessness threatened to return.

Instead, Messi took command, this hat-trick taking his tally to nine goals in seven games, 612 in total for his club.

“Obviously when it’s tight we have the advantage of having the best player in the world and the best free-kick taker in the world,” said Busquets.

Yet his precision from free-kicks is a skill the 32-year-old has worked on and improved in recent years, his conversion rate currently at four goals from his last seven attempts in the league.

The last time a player scored a hat-trick from set-pieces in La Liga was when Messi himself achieved the same feat in 2012 against Espanyol, albeit with two penalties and one free-kick.

There was good news for Barcelona too in the return of Luis Suarez, who came off the bench after recovering from a calf strain.

Messi scored his penalty in the 23rd minute after Joseph Aidoo had blocked Nelson Semedo’s cross with his hand.



It was Messi that conceded the foul for Olaza’s curling free-kick that was well-hit enough to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen, even if the goalkeeper might have been disappointed not to be able to get across.

There was little Celta keeper Ruben Blanco could do about Messi’s efforts, the first in stoppage time before the interval and the second three minutes after the restart.

They were almost carbon copies of each other, bending over the wall and nestling in the top right-hand corner.

Celta, under their new coach Oscar Garcia, never looked like mounting a comeback and Busquets put the result beyond doubt with a low shot five minutes from the finish.

Real’s players might have been watching on their way home from Ipurua, where they went three up inside 29 minutes, Sergio Ramos scoring a penalty between two Benzema strikes, the second also a spot-kick after Ramos delegated to his teammate. Fede Valverde added a fourth in the second half.

Benzema’s double takes him to 157 goals for Real Madrid, above Ferenc Puskas into sixth in the club’s all-time list, but his excellent display was trumped by a creative masterclass from Hazard.

“His first half was very impressive,” said coach Zinedine Zidane. “We are happy and he will be a huge player for Madrid, for sure.”

Hazard’s vintage performance


Benzema latched onto Hazard’s pass in the 17th minute and after Valverde and Luka Modric missed, the ball spilled back to the Frenchman, who found the corner from an acute angle.

Three minutes later it was two, Hazard the creator again, his feet too quick for Pablo De Blasis, who caught his opponent’s right leg. Ramos slid the penalty home.

Hazard sparkled, with a brilliant nutmeg, a ‘rabona’ cross and too many glides past defenders to count.

Ramos passed on the second Madrid penalty, awarded for a foul on Lucas Vazquez, to allow Benzema to make it three before Valverde had added a fourth, cracking in Modric’s pass for his first goal in La Liga.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Lionel Messi has injury scare after scoring 2 goals in Barcelona draw

BARCELONA, Spain — Nothing can silence the Camp Nou crowd like the thought of an injury to Lionel Messi — especially four days before a clash against Real Madrid.

So a chill ran through Barcelona’s supporters during the Spanish league match against Valencia on Saturday when Messi sat down on the sideline, his right leg stretched before him, and received a massage from a team trainer.

Little did it matter that the team’s all-time leading scorer had just struck two goals to lead Barcelona back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 2-2 draw. Any hint of Messi being sidelined with the season entering its critical phase with titles on the line immediately overshadowed yet another outstanding performance by the Argentine.

Messi may have been hurt when Valencia defender Antonio Lato ran into him.

The scare comes before Barcelona hosts Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal.

“Please don’t let it be anything serious,” Barcelona midfielder Carles Alena said. “We hope he will be back in full form on Wednesday.”

Coach Ernesto Valverde said Messi was undergoing medical exams.

“He is bothered by something, but we will have to wait to see what the doctors say,” Valverde said. “I imagine that it is not that bad.”

Messi missed Barcelona’s first clasico against Madrid in October due to a broken right arm. His teammates did fine without him, routing their fierce rival 5-1 and sealing the fate of coach Julen Lopetegui.

Madrid, however, is playing much better now. It has won four straight before hosting Alaves on Sunday.

Before his fitness put a damper on a thrilling match, Messi extended his scoring run to nine straight games across all competitions. His double took his league-leading tally to 21 goals in 22 rounds.

Barcelona’s winning streak in la Liga ended at eight matches in a row. It leads second-placed Atletico Madrid by six points before its closest title rival visits Real Betis on Sunday.

TRADING BLOWS

Valencia took advantage of Sergi Roberto playing out of position as a fill-in left back for Jordi Alba. Daniel Wass led several attacks from Roberto’s side, starting with a pass for Dani Parejo to test Marc-Andre ter Stegen before Denis Chershev put the rebound off the post.

Parejo started a move that produced Kevin Gameiro’s opener in the 24th minute when he tackled Messi. That sprung a counterattack led by Rodrigo Moreno, who slipped a pass forward to set up Gameiro.

Parejo doubled the advantage from the penalty spot after Roberto knocked down Wass trying to dispute a cross.

Valencia lost Gameiro to injury shortly after when the striker asked to be substituted after being shaken up when he knocked heads with Gerard Pique.

Messi got his first goal from the penalty spot in the 39th after Nelson Semedo was fouled by Lato.

Messi struck again in the 64th when Arturo Vidal laid the ball off for him on the edge of the area. Messi quickly unleashed a curling, left-foot strike around two defenders, who impeded goalie Neto from seeing the ball until it was too late to react.

“We played at a good pace, counterattacked well, scored twice and could have scored more,” Parejo said. “The team’s performance was magnificent.”

SEVILLE SLIDE 



Celta Vigo broke a five-match losing streak and escaped the relegation zone by beating Sevilla 1-0 at home thanks to Okay Yokuslu’s second-half goal.

Fourth-place Sevilla has won only one of its last six league games.

BASQUE DERBY

Real Sociedad defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 to deal its northern Basque Country rival its first defeat since the arrival of coach Gaizka Garitano.

Garitano had kept Bilbao unbeaten through seven league games since replacing Eduardo Berizzo in December.

FAN VIOLENCE

Getafe’s 0-0 draw at Levante was marred by 11 Getafe fans being arrested for provoking a clash with rival supporters outside the stadium in Valencia.

Getafe, which condemned the violence, rose to fifth as the small Madrid-based club continued its impressive season on the field.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Messi a man on a mission in the Champions League

BARCELONA, Spain — Lionel Messi looked every bit a man on a mission.

Messi started the Champions League in brilliant fashion Tuesday night, setting a record with his eighth hat trick in the competition to lead Barcelona to a 4-0 rout of PSV Eindhoven.

The outstanding performance was the first step toward Messi keeping his promise that the season would end with Barcelona lifting another European Cup.

Barcelona’s otherwise excellent 2017-18 campaign that ended with the Spanish league and Copa del Rey titles had one blemish: a shock 3-0 loss at Roma in the Champions League that squandered a 4-1 first-leg victory and meant elimination in the quarterfinals.

That made it three years in a row that Barcelona has been ousted in the quarterfinals of a tournament that Messi has helped it win four times, but not since 2015. Meanwhile, Barcelona has had to endure rival Real Madrid winning it three times in a row.

With that loss to Roma in April still hanging over the club, Messi addressed Barcelona’s fans at Camp Nou before the club’s traditional exhibition match to kick off the new season.

“If last season was very good with the Copa and La Liga, we all still feel bad about our exit from the Champions League and how it happened,” Messi told Barcelona’s supporters in August. “Today we promise to do everything we can to bring that beautiful and coveted cup once again to this stadium.”

Long after establishing himself as the club’s all-time leading scorer, Messi has finally taken on the role of undisputed team leader after inheriting the captain’s armband from Andres Iniesta.

That meant shedding his reticence to talk in public. And when he spoke out, he set the bar as high as possible.

Messi backed up his words against PSV to ensure Barcelona made a strong start in a tough Group B that also includes Tottenham and Inter Milan.

Now 31, Messi also knows that his best chances to win the World Cup are most likely behind him after another disappointment with Argentina this summer, meaning his final place in football history will likely depend on sustained excellence at Barcelona.

Messi’s first goal against PSV was a beauty as he used his left foot to lift a free kick over the wall and beyond the reach of goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet. He netted two more goals from passes by Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez.

“(Messi) takes extraordinary things and makes them routine,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “The free kick got us going. It was a majestic strike . I have never seen anything like him in my career. We have to pinch ourselves to realize that we are seeing a player that is one-of-a-kind.”

Messi’s first was his eighth goal from a free kick so far in 2018.

Rakitic said that when Messi steps up to take a free kick, “often times, you’re already thinking about where to celebrate it.”

Messi has scored twice from free kicks in six matches this season. He unlocked the Alaves defense to start a 3-0 win in the opening round of the Spanish league.

Barcelona will seek to keep its lead of the Spanish league and get a fifth win in as many rounds when it hosts Girona on Sunday. Messi will also be aiming to increase his tally of seven goals in six matches across all competitions.

Last season, Messi added to Barcelona’s 6-1 demolition of Girona by slotting a free kick under the defensive wall. He repeated that same trick to score against Alaves last month.

PSV coach Mark van Bommel, a former Barcelona player, tried to take away that option for Messi by ordering a player to get on his knees behind the defensive barrier to block a low strike. Messi clipped it over their heads instead.

“He put it right in the corner of the goal frame,” van Bommel said. “Technically, Messi is the best player in the world.”

Barcelona will have to wait three weeks before its next Champions League match, when it visits Tottenham in London.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Barcelona celebrates La Liga triumph in city parade

BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona players and coaches showed off the Spanish league and Copa del Rey trophies to the city and themselves in selfies in a victory parade on Monday.

Riding atop an open bus, the team chanted and saluted fans as they wended through city streets before thousands of people.

The two-hour-long parade also served as a farewell for veteran playmaker Andres Iniesta, who last week announced he will not return for a 17th season with the club. The words “Infinit Iniesta” were painted on the bus that carried the team.

Barcelona won the Spanish league for the seventh time in 10 seasons on Sunday, a week after clinching its fourth straight Copa del Rey title.

Barcelona still has four matches left in the league but can’t be caught by second-place Atletico Madrid or third-place Real Madrid.

Barcelona failed in its attempt to win the treble when it was eliminated by Roma in the Champions League quarterfinals.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Samsung launches new S9 phone with augmented reality features

BARCELONA, Spain — Samsung unveiled its new flagship smartphone on Sunday with a focus on augmented reality features as it seeks to keep its title as the world’s biggest smartphone maker.

The South Korean firm showcased the Galaxy S9 on the eve of the official start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which comes after a year of flat smartphone sales.

With no other major handset maker using the annual event, the world’s largest phone show, to launch a new flagship device this year, Samsung had the opportunity to grab the spotlight.

The S9 features essentially the same design as last year’s previous flagship, with the full screen and curved glass edge of the S8, which was followed by Apple’s iPhone X and others.

But it includes louder sound, a faster processor and software that turns selfies into animated emojis, which will appeal to consumers who are increasingly preferring to use their phones to send text messages rather than talking.

Samsung also included a dual lens camera on the Galaxy S line for the first time, which will improve low-light capture and enhance slow motion video, which is popular on social media.

A service powered by artificial intelligence (AI) allows users to point its camera to instantly translate a sign in a foreign language.

It is also one of the few flagship phones left that still comes with a standard headphone jack.

“Despite these incremental innovations, Samsung will have to smartly leverage its brand and marketing machine to correctly position the new smartphones to a target audience,” said Forrester analyst Thomas Husson.

Global smartphone sales fell by 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter due to slower than expected Christmas sales, according to research firm IDC.

Overall global smartphone sales for 2017 were virtually flat — down 0.1 percent at 1.47 billion units — as phone makers struggled to come up with innovations that encourage customers to upgrade their devices.

Cost concerns

Samsung suffered a humiliating recall of its Galaxy Note 7 device in 2016 after several devices exploded, but its Galaxy 8 smartphone was a consumer and critical success.

While it kept its lead over Apple as the world’s biggest seller of smartphones in 2017 with a 21.6 percent market share, up from 21.1 percent in the previous year, Samsung faces stiffer competition from Chinese rivals like Huawei and Xiaomi that offer cheaper handsets with many high-end features.

The S9 will sell for 859 euros ($1,055), a price which analysts warned could turn off many consumers.

While the S9’s camera is “markedly different” in quality from older smartphones that people already own “consumers may delay purchase because of rising flagship prices,” IHS Markit said in a research note.

“Samsung must work hard to market the benefits of these designs to counter negative pricing perception.”

Huawei unveiled a new laptop and tablet in Barcelona earlier on Sunday but will present its new flagship smartphone — the P20 — on March 27 in Paris.

Thomas said this will allow it to “fine tune its marketing message based on how the new Samsung S9 devices are perceived by consumers”.

Earlier on Sunday South Korea’s LG unveiled the V30S — an updated version of its flagship V30 smartphone launched six months ago — which features higher memory and artificial intelligence-based technologies that focus on photos and voice recognition.

More than 100,000 people are expected to descend on Barcelona for the annual show, which features driverless carmakers, social media giants and chip companies in addition to handset makers. /cbb

source: technology.inquirer.net

Bodies strewn on street in Barcelona van rampage

BARCELONA, Spain – Barcelona’s most famous street was packed with tourists when a van drove into the crowds on a sunny Thursday afternoon, leaving scenes of carnage and panic.

“There were bodies on the ground with people crowding round them. People were crying,” Xavi Perez, who sells sports magazines just 100 meters away from the attack, told AFP.

The region’s interior minister gave a grim toll from what police said was a terror attack: 13 dead and more than 50 injured.

Among the foreigners caught up on Las Ramblas was Aamar Anwar, a renowned Scottish human rights lawyer in Barcelona for a conference and had been walking down the boulevard when the terror unfolded.

“All of a sudden I heard a crashing noise and the whole street just started to run screaming,” he told Sky News, describing a scene of thousands of people struck by chaos and panic.

“I saw a woman next to me screaming for her kids.

“Literally within 30 seconds, police vans, ambulances, police officers with guns were piling out, and we were sectioned off and then being pushed rapidly back,” he said.

Another witness said he saw a man fleeing.

“I saw a man run down the Ramblas, with police chasing him and he appeared to drop a black metal object. It looked like a pistol,” said the witness who only gave his first name, Sergio.

Another man at the scene told Spanish television channel TVE that he saw the suspect.

“It was a person in their 20s, he was very young, brown hair, a slim face. I saw him when the van stopped. We were very close to everything.”

‘Screams and then a crash’

As people ran for their lives they were replaced by armed police officers who sealed off the scene.

“Van upon van of police officers” then arrived, Anwar said. “They have quite clearly unfortunately had to plan for something like this.”

Another visitor, Susan McLean, who was 100 meters away, said it was terrifying.

“All of a sudden, scores of people ran towards us — hysterical, children hysterical. They first of all said someone had been shot.

“It calmed down for a moment then all of a sudden a second wave of people came down the street. Our hotel was one street away so we got ourselves out,” she told Sky.

“We could see the police, we could see all the cars stopped.

“The police were doing their job. We really had no idea what was going on other than we had to get ourselves out of there very quickly.”

Tom Gueller, who lives on an adjoining road, fled the scene when he saw the van hurtling through the crowds.

“I heard screams and a bit of a crash and then I just saw the crowd parting and this van going full pelt down the middle of the Ramblas and I immediately knew that it was a terrorist attack or something like that,” he told BBC radio.

“I ran away, I mean I live near, I had to run back about 50 meters or so and go up to my flat and obviously see what’s happening on the road from my balcony.”

Asked about the van, he said: “It wasn’t slowing down at all. It was just going straight through the middle of the crowds in the middle of the Ramblas.”

Steve Garrett was in a nearby market and sheltered in a bakery with several others.

“Coming from England it was reminding me a great deal of what happened in London, so we were very concerned about what might happen next.”

Armed police then appeared.

“They seemed to sweep through the market area. They seemed to be looking for someone. They were going very carefully, very cautiously, stall to stall,” he said.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Barcelona hoping Ramirez can spoil Madrid’s title march

BARCELONA, Spain — A year ago, Sandro Ramirez wasn’t good enough for Barcelona.

Now, the Catalan club is hoping the cast-off forward can upend Real Madrid’s march to the Spanish league title.

For Barcelona to win a third consecutive league title it needs to beat Eibar at home on Sunday and have Malaga defeat Madrid, which enters the final round needing only one point to claim its first title since 2012. And the in-form Ramirez is Malaga’s biggest threat.

Told last May there was no room for him alongside Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, Ramirez could understandably savor Barcelona’s struggles this season. But the 21-year-old Spaniard said he would love nothing more than to give back something to the club that made him into a professional at its “La Masia” academy.

“I really hope I can score a goal and give Barca the league,” Ramirez told BEIN television. “I really hope that this dream comes true. I owe them everything.”

Ramirez left his home in the Canary Islands to join Barcelona’s academy when he was 14. His road wasn’t easy, however. He had to recover from injuries to both knees before he earned his debut with the first team under Barcelona coach Luis Enrique in 2014.

But not even Pedro Rodriguez’s departure for Chelsea opened up consistent playing time. With six goals in two seasons playing limited minutes, Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez decided not to renew Ramirez’s contract last May.

So, for nothing in return, Barcelona let Ramirez walk away while it paid Valencia 30 million euros (then $33.5 million) for striker Paco Alcacer.

“Last season was the most difficult one for me,” Ramirez said. “But you know that the guys in front of you are the best, so I don’t regret anything.”

Ramirez found a spot on Malaga, signing for three seasons. After a slow start, he is finishing the season in spectacular form. Malaga has won six of its last eight matches, with Ramirez scoring seven of his 14 goals this season in those recent victories.

None was bigger than his opening goal in a 2-0 win over Barcelona on April 8 that robbed it of the chance of capitalizing on Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid just hours before.

Ramirez said the goal against his former team “helped vindicate me.”

“I didn’t celebrate it like a goal scored against the best team in the world, but I must give it my all for Malaga,” he said.

Malaga’s surge has come under coach Michel Gonzalez, a former Madrid player who took over in March with the team in danger of being dragged into a relegation fight.

The players responded and reeled off wins over Sevilla, Valencia and Celta Vigo, in addition to the upset of Barcelona, to settle into 11th place.

“From the very first day (Michel) said that I was fundamental for him and that is what a football player needs to hear,” Ramirez said. “Confidence is critical in football. I am ambitious and I know I can give a lot more. We are playing well. It’s my desire to finish this in the best way possible.”

No doubt Barcelona shares that wish as well.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Barcelona’s Iniesta doubtful for Liga derby against Espanyol

MADRID — Barcelona has Neymar back from a suspension but captain Andres Iniesta is in doubt for the local derby against Espanyol this weekend in the Spanish league.

Iniesta is bothered by a right leg muscle injury, and did not practice on Friday. He was rested in the 7-1 win over Osasuna on Wednesday, three days after he played from the start in the 3-2 win in the clasico against Madrid.

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said he will wait as long as possible to try and field the midfielder.

If Iniesta can’t play, his likely replacement will be Andre Gomes, who scored twice against Osasuna.

Iniesta has not been a regular starter as in previous seasons. Also, the Spain midfielder missed five games at the beginning of the season because of a left leg muscle injury.

Neymar is welcomed back after missing the last three games because of a red card in the 2-0 loss at Malaga on April 8. He served one match for the automatic suspension and two more for sarcastically applauding an assist referee after being sent off.

“He is ready to play,” Luis Enrique said of Neymar. “He will be vital for us.”

Barcelona has thrived against Espanyol, winning 11 of their last 12 games in official competitions. Espanyol’s last victory was in the 2008-09 season, 17 matches ago.

Barcelona is tied for the league lead with Real Madrid, which has a game in hand. Madrid hosts Valencia on Saturday.

Madrid, which relinquished the league lead on head-to-head tiebreaker when it lost the clasico at home, returns to Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to play a Valencia team that has lost two matches in a row and hasn’t won in three rounds.

Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane did not say whether he will rest some starters for the Champions League semifinal against Atletico Madrid next week. Cristiano Ronaldo and some others didn’t play on Wednesday in the 6-2 win at Deportivo La Coruna.

source: sports.inquirer.net

‘Nothing impossible’ for impressed Messi

Five-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi paid tribute on Thursday to Barcelona’s sensational Champions League comeback from a 4-0 first leg thrashing to beat Paris Saint Germain 6-1.

Messi scored Barca’s third goal from the penalty spot as the Spanish champions struck three times in the final two minutes plus stoppage time to qualify for the quarter-finals.

“When there’s effort, attitude and desire, NOTHING is impossible,” Messi posted on his official Facebook page.

“Impressive stuff from the team and our fans.”

In a rare sign of exuberance, Messi jumped into the crowd amid delirious scenes when Sergi Roberto grabbed Barca’s sixth and decisive goal in the 95th minute.

And the Argentine was penned in at the Camp Nou as he tried to leave hours after the game.

His partner Antonella Roccuzzo posted a video of the pair attempting to leave the stadium only to be held up by fans banging on the windows to chants of “Messi, Messi, Messi.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Surprising Alaves to take on Barcelona in Copa del Rey final

MADRID — There could hardly be more contrasting teams in the Copa del Rey final.

Alaves, the recently promoted club from Basque Country, will be playing in the final of a major tournament only for the second time in its 96-year history.

Barcelona, on the other hand, will be making its 39th appearance in the Copa final.

Barcelona has won virtually every possible title in the competitions it has played.

Alaves’ only winner’s trophy is for Spain’s second division.

In the final on May 27, Barcelona will field the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Neymar.

Alaves’ top forward is Deyverson, a Brazilian barely known even in his native country.

“This was unthinkable in the beginning of the season,” Alaves coach Mauricio Pellegrino said after their clinching 1-0 home win over Celta Vigo on Wednesday in the semifinals. “We’ll be mobilized for this final.”

The only other time Alaves enjoyed this kind of success was 16 years ago when it reached the final of the UEFA Cup. It lost to Liverpool 5-4 in extra time in a thriller in Dortmund.

It has mostly struggled since then, spending several years out of Spain’s top division. The club, founded in 1921, was promoted to La Liga this season after 10 years in the lower divisions, including four in the third tier.

“After 96 years, to reach the Copa final for the first time, there will be a ’before’ and an ’after’ this achievement,” Alaves president Alfonso Fernandez de Troconiz said. “It’s been an amazing season.”

Barcelona, meanwhile, has been in the Copa del Rey final in seven of the last nine seasons, including the last four. It has won it a record 28 times, including the last two.

But despite the lopsided matchup, there’s reason to believe in an historic result in the final.

Alaves stunned Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou in the Spanish league this season, handing the Catalan club its only home loss with goals by Deyverson and Ibai Gomez.

The teams meet again in the league on Saturday in Basque Country. Barcelona is second in the league with 18 more points than 12th-place Alaves.

Before the league loss, Barcelona had won five straight games between the two sides, including four in the Copa del Rey. It won both games in the last 16 in 2007, and cruised to a 6-1 aggregate win in the early rounds in 2012.

Barcelona has yet to lose a Copa del Rey home-and-away series since coach Luis Enrique took over in 2014, a run of 12 straight triumphs.

It made it to this year’s final by eliminating Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, and Atletico Madrid, the latter in the semifinals.

Alaves got past Deportivo La Coruna, second-division club Alcorcon, and Celta, which eliminated Real Madrid in the quarterfinals.

Barcelona is already certain to be without defender Sergi Roberto and striker Luis Suarez, who were sent off on Tuesday in the 1-1 draw against Atletico at Camp Nou. Suarez was handed a two-game suspension on Thursday for refusing to immediately leave the field after being shown the red card.

The venue for the final has yet to be determined, although it will likely be in Madrid.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez hinted on Thursday that the club’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium likely won’t be available because renovation work will be underway during the final.

Last season, officials wanted Barcelona and Sevilla to play the decider at the Bernabeu, but a Bruce Springsteen concert was scheduled for the venue and Madrid avoided having its biggest rival celebrating a title on its grounds. The final was eventually played at Atletico’s Vicente Calderon Stadium. –Tales Azzo

source: sports.inquirer.net

Guardiola leaves Aguero on the bench in loss at Barcelona

BARCELONA, Spain — Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave Sergio Aguero out of his Manchester City starting lineup Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) backfired badly in a 4-0 loss at Barcelona in the Champions League.

Premier League-leading City failed to fill the void created by the absence of its top scorer. Barcelona capitalized and seized its opportunities, with Lionel Messi scoring three goals and setting up Neymar for another.

The loss at Camp Nou against Guardiola’s former team exposed two of the manager’s most important decisions as being off the mark.

Aguero’s exclusion was tactical. But another big factor in the loss will revive doubts about getting rid of England goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Despite scoring five goals in six Premier League matches and another six goals in Champions League qualifying and group phase matches this season, Aguero watched from the dugout as Barcelona took control of Group C with a commanding victory.

Guardiola instead resorted to a formation he used often at Barcelona, playing without a clear striker and instead aligning Kevin De Bruyne up front as a “false 9″ with wingers Manuel “Nolito” Agudo and Raheem Sterling.

“It was my decision. I wanted more midfielders,” said Guardiola, confirming that Aguero was not troubled by any lingering injuries from recent international duty.

De Bruyne was the only City player to occasionally threaten Barcelona’s goal. His best opportunity came late with Barcelona already three goals clear, but goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen did well to stop him one-on-one.

Another issue highlighted in City’s fourth consecutive game without a win was the poor form of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Bravo, who Guardiola pushed City to sign from Barcelona at the start of the season, was sent off in the 53rd minute after back-to-back errors. Bravo first flubbed a pass right to Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and then used his hands to block his shot while outside the box, earning a red card.

Guardiola acknowledged that the mistake, which occurred when his team was trailing by a goal, crushed any chances of a comeback. Even so, he defended his goalkeeper.

“He knows what he did,” Guardiola said. “He has a lot of experience. He has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world for the past 10 years. I have no doubts in him.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Barcelona, Madrid play last games with title in the balance

BARCELONA, Spain — It all comes down to the last match.

With the title still up for grabs, Barcelona and Real Madrid have one game to play on Saturday with only one point separating them.

Barcelona can retain its title, making it eight in 12 years and 24 in club history, with a victory at Granada. At the same time, Madrid visits Deportivo La Coruna hoping to culminate a spectacular comeback and get a huge boost of confidence for its Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on May 28.

“This match is custom made for Barcelona’s players. This type of game is what inspires teams,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said Friday. “There are games when you have to motivate players, but there is more than enough motivation for this game. It is more about controlling the emotions.”

Barcelona holds a one-point advantage and the tiebreaker over Madrid, so the team coached by Zinedine Zidane needs to beat Deportivo and hope Barcelona drops points to add to its record 32 titles.

Zidane has asked his players to concentrate on their match, and said he would not follow the score from Barcelona’s game from the dugout while his team plays.

“I’m not going to find out what has happened (with Barcelona’s match) until the end,” Zidane said. “We don’t depend on ourselves, but we have to think only about our match and how we can win and get the three points. Then we will see.

“We have faith. We have won 11 games (in a row) and we are within one point with one match to go. We have to believe until the very last second.”

Here are some more things to know about Saturday’s decisive matches:

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LUIS’S LEGACY

Last season, Luis Enrique matched Pep Guardiola’s treble of Champions League, Spanish league and Copa del Rey titles.

And his team was on course to repeat that feat until it fell to Atletico in the Champions League quarterfinals. That coincided with a three-game losing run in the Spanish league which let Madrid surge back into contention.

Now, Barcelona’s season, regardless of the outcome of the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla on May 22, rests on whether it can handle the pressure at Granada.

“I think we recovered the level of play that we are accustomed to several weeks ago,” Luis Enrique said. “Now, it is just like every week. We have to play better than Granada, create more chances and limit theirs to get as close as we can to taking the three points.”

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THE ZIDANE EFFECT

Zidane made his debut as a top coach against Deportivo in January, when his new team thrilled the Santiago Bernabeu with a decisive 5-0 win that its fans hoped was a sign of bigger things to come.

Since replacing the fired Rafa Benitez, Zidane has guided the team to the Champions League final and a strong record of 16 wins, two draws and one loss in the Spanish league.

“I am happy, not only my work, but that of all my players,” Zidane said. “But I haven’t won anything yet. We will see after the season is over. We have two very important finals to play.”

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TOP GUNS

Barcelona and Madrid claim six of the top seven goal scorers in the competition, and the title could depend on which trio has its day.

Barcelona’s Luis Suarez leads the league with 37 goals. The Uruguay striker is supported by Lionel Messi, who has scored 26 times, and Neymar with 24.

Suarez has scored 11 of those goals in the last four matches, helping Barcelona end a four-game winless slide that almost cost it the league lead with a run of four straight wins by the combined score of 21-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo tops Madrid’s scorers with 33 goals in the league. Karim Benzema has added 24, with Gareth Bale contributing 19, including a few critical winners in recent weeks.

Bale returned to practice after missing last weekend’s match with a leg injury. Zidane said that Ronaldo and Benzema were completely recovered from their nagging leg injuries as well.

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THE OPPONENTS

Both Granada and Deportivo are safe from the relegation fight and without options of earning a berth in European competition next season.

Madrid has won on its last four visits to Deportivo, but Riazor Stadium is traditionally a tough ground for Madrid, where it has won 13 times in 49 visits.

Barcelona has dropped points on nine of 21 trips to Granada’s Los Carmenes Stadium.

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THE PRECEDENTS

If history matters, it’s on Barcelona’s side.

This will be the eighth time the two powerhouses have both arrived to the final round with options to win the title. Barcelona came out on top in six of the previous seven occasions.

The Catalan club edged Madrid in the inaugural 1929 league and did so again in 1960.

It got much worse for Madrid during back-to-back debacles in 1992 and 1993, when it lost an advantage to Barcelona in the final round with losses at Tenerife.

Madrid finally outdid Barcelona in 2007, while a Barcelona side coached Guardiola protected its lead to win in 2010.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Messi scores 2 as Barcelona strike force reaches 100 goals

MADRID — Lionel Messi continued his impressive form by scoring two goals in Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Eibar in the Spanish league on Sunday, as the strike force of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar reached a total of 100 goals this season in all competitions.

It was the fourth goal, scored by Suarez after Messi’s earlier brace, which brought up the scoring century, keeping the trio on track to beat the record of 122 set by them last season.

Messi scored with a great run in the 41st and added a penalty in the 76th, leaving Barcelona with an eight-point advantage over Atletico Madrid, which won 3-1 at Valencia to keep pace with 10 games to go.

Real Madrid remained 12 points behind Barcelona after trashing Celta Vigo 7-1 on Saturday with four goals by Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We are where we are thanks to our hard work,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. “Now we enter the decisive stages of the season and we are fighting for titles but there are still a lot of points left. There are no guarantees that we will keep playing at this level. We will not get distracted by those saying that we have already won the league.”

Messi is enjoying his best form of the season. The five-time world player of the year has scored 15 goals in the last 10 matches, and eight in the past four, staying on course to win his eighth league title with the Catalan club.

Munir El Haddadi opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a cross by Suarez, who netted his league-leading 26th goal in the 84th.

It was Barcelona’s 11th straight win in the league. It hasn’t lost in 36 consecutive games in all competitions. The last defeat for Enrique’s squad was a 2-1 loss at Sevilla in the seventh round in October.

“Our motivation is to keep this lead until the end and win the title,” Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano said. “We know there is still a lot of league left and any setback could give a chance to our opponents to move closer. It’s a good advantage but we have to keep playing like this and avoid mistakes.”

It was the fourth loss in a row for Eibar, which remains in eighth place in the standings.

Messi netted his 20th league goal with a remarkable run from near midfield that culminated with a low shot into the far corner. The Argentine star cleared two defenders before striking from inside the area.

He calmly converted the penalty kick prompted by a hand ball inside the area, sending his shot into the middle of the goal as the goalkeeper dived away.

Messi had scored a hat trick in the 5-1 rout of Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.

Munir, replacing suspended Brazilian striker Neymar, had opened the scoring with an easy goal from close range after a low cross by Suarez.

Suarez scored the fourth goal after sneaking the ball between the legs of a defender and firing a low shot from inside the box. The Uruguay striker hadn’t scored in three matches following a run of seven straight games with at least one goal.

Suarez had missed the last two penalty kicks awarded for Barcelona, which is the team with the most penalty calls in its favor in the league this season with 14.

Suarez, Messi and Neymar scored 122 times last season to surpass the 118 goals netted by Real Madrid strikers Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain in 2011-12.

Atletico Madrid defeated Valencia with goals by French forward Antoine Griezmann in the 24th, substitute striker Fernando Torres in the 72nd and midfielder Yannick Carrasco in the 85th. Russian striker Denis Cheryshev scored Valencia’s goal in the 28th.

Gary Neville’s team was trying to win for the sixth time in seven games in all competitions. It was Valencia’s second consecutive home loss in the league, dropping it to 11th in the standings.

Earlier Sunday, 10-man Real Betis defeated visiting Granada 2-0 to move further from the relegation zone. Betis defender Juan Manuel Vargas was sent off with a second yellow card in the 53rd.

Granada, 18th in the 20-team standings, had to use defender Cristiano Biraghi in goal in second-half injury time. That was after goalkeeper Andres Fernandez got a red card for touching the ball outside the area, a foul that led to Betis’ final goal.

Athletic Bilbao won 2-0 at Sporting Gijon to move to sixth place and leave its opponent second-to-last on the table, while 10th-place Real Sociedad drew last-place Levante 1-1 at home.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Messi, Neymar to start Club World Cup final

Lionel Messi and Neymar were both named in Barcelona's starting line-up for the Club World Cup final against River Plate on Sunday.

Argentine Messi had been doubtful after missing Thursday's semi-final against Guangzhou Evergrande because of a kidney stone, while Brazilian Neymar had also missed the 3-0 win over the Asian champions through injury.

The pair will lineup alongside Uruguayan Luis Suarez, who scored a hat-trick in the semi-final.

Barcelona are aiming to win the title for the third time and River Plate are hoping to become the first South American side to lift the trophy since Corinthians beat Chelsea in 2012. - Reuters

Messi tips 'fabulous' Neymar as future Ballon d'Or winner

MADRID - Four-time world player of the year Lionel Messi on Thursday hailed his "fabulous" Barcelona team-mate Neymar as a future Ballon d'Or winner.

A year after 22-year-old Neymar's arrival at Barcelona, the two South American stars are becoming increasingly at ease with each other on the pitch.

Their partnership has been one of the keys to La Liga leaders Barcelona's success so far this season with Neymar scoring four of his six goals from Messi passes.

Argentine Messi said his partnership with Neymar was becoming increasingly efficient as he hailed the Brazilian as "a great player".

"It's the second season that we're playing together and we're starting to know each other better," said Messi.

"As well this season the (Barca) strikers play more in the middle of the pitch so we can pick each other out more and find connections. It's a pleasure to play with him ... We've a very good relationship, he's a fabulous boy."

Messi added that their partnership was helped by "the freedom" that coach Luis Enrique gives the Argentine on the pitch.

"The coach told me I could go where I wanted. Sometimes I move back a little to try to make the final pass and to create," explained Messi.

Messi won the Ballon d'Or title four times between 2009 and 2012, but lost his crown last year to Real Madrid's Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo.

But he insisted that thoughts of reclaiming the title were far from his mind.

"I've repeated it several times, I'm not in competition with Cristiano. I play my game, I do my work and I'm not interested in rivalry with him or anyone else.

"Individual awards are those that matter least to me, I want to have a great year and make sure my team achieve their goals."

The Argentine added that he expected Neymar to win the title at some stage in the future.

"He's going to get it, through his qualities, the way he is, I've no doubt that he can at some time win it," said 27-year-old Messi.

"He has great potential, he's a player who has a lot of qualities and he can go as far as he wants. I'm lucky enough to rub shoulders with terrific players on the pitch and he's among them."  — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Olympics: Nostalgic Dream Teamers fancy Team USA's chances for hoops gold

BARCELONA - Original "Dream Team" members David Robinson and Chris Mullin renewed their love affair with Barcelona 20 years after the squad's gold medal triumph and are confident the current crop of U.S. Olympians will match their achievement.

"Old great memories," Mullin, a jump-shooter on the all-conquering 1992 team, told Reuters after watching the U.S. practice at Palau Sant Jordi on Monday (Tuesday, PHL time), a day ahead of the Olympic champions' final tune-up before London against Spain.

"I love the city, it's a beautiful place to be. I think there's a connection with Barcelona and that team. I think we embraced the city and I think that the people that were around at that time have a connection. It's a distant home."

Robinson also basked in the memory of the 1992 Dream Team experience, when he along with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird ushered in an era of National Basketball Association (NBA) stars competing on the Olympic stage.

"We went back to the arena out there in Badalona and it was a lot of fun," Robinson said about the arena where they enthralled fans around the globe.

"It brought back memories of how nice the people were, how crazy it was out on the Rambla. There's always zillions of people around. It made it a lot of fun."

Robinson, Mullin and teammate Clyde "The Glide" Drexler were honored during halftime of Sunday's U.S.-Argentina friendly to enthusiastic cheers from the Barcelona crowd.

Despite a tight 86-80 scoreline in favor of the Americans, the Dream Team alumni said they were impressed by the latest squad.

"They can put the ball in the basket," Robinson said. "They've got a few guys that are virtually unstoppable when they want to be.

"You've got a LeBron James and a Kevin Durant. You've seen guys like Russell Westbrook go off and Kobe [Bryant], you know what he can do. These guys are unstoppable. It's going to be tough for any team to slow us down."

Said Mullin: "Offensively, there are so many gifted players sharing the ball and creating good shots for each other."

Force turnovers

Robinson said defensive pressure was the U.S. key.

"They have to work together a little bit better, especially on perimeter defense. Giving wide open three-point shots, people are going to make those shots out here," he said.

"You have to at least get a hand in their face to challenge some shots. They get a little better on their rotations and they're going to be OK."

Mullin saw it differently.

"Perimeter-wise they're phenomenal. Defensively they're off the charts. They can really apply pressure and force turnovers and take other teams out of their offensive sets."

Neither former Dream Teamer thought a lack of size, brought about by injuries that ruled out Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, would derail the Americans.

"They can play Carmelo [Anthony] at the 4 [power forward], LeBron at 4," said Mullin. "They can do it a little bit differently than a traditional lineup."

Spain, losers to the U.S. team in the 2008 Beijing final, will have a size advantage inside, while the U.S. team has greater depth, quickness and athleticism.

They figure to give the United States a good challenge, unlike the series of routs registered by the '92 Dream Team, who went 8-0 with an average victory margin of 43 points.

"We weren't exactly tested, whereas these guys will be tested probably a few times in this Olympics," Robinson said. "But that's great. It's great to see basketball on the world stage get better and better."  - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com