Barcelona marked their crowning as La Liga champions with a come from behind 2-1 win at third-placed Atletico Madrid on Sunday despite finishing the game with ten men.
Real Madrid‘s 1-1 draw with Espanyol on Saturday meant that the Catalans, who now have four titles in five years and 22 in all, could no longer be caught. But in keeping with a number of their recent performances Barça started lethargically and were behind just after half-time when Radamel Falcao took advantage of slips by Gerard Pique and Alex Song to slot home his 28th league goal of the season.
Brilliant Bayern Munich completed a stunning UEFA Champions League semi-final mauling of Barcelona, with a 3-0 win in Spain and 7-0 on aggregate, to set up a mouthwatering Wembley final against Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Leading 4-0 from the first leg, Bayern were similarly clinical at the Nou Camp tonight with second-half goals from Arjen Robben, Gerard Pique – who put through his own net – and Thomas Muller sealing a one-sided win over a sorry Barça side for whom Lionel Messi was an unused substitute.
by David on April 3, 2013
Blaise Matuidi’s equaliser with virtually the last kick of the game clinched a draw for Paris Saint-Germain in a pulsating Champions League quarter-final first leg against Barcelona.
PSG will head to the Camp Nou with optimism next week partly because of the injuries that have hit Barcelona. Defenders Puyol, Adriano and Mascherano will all miss the second leg, as will Lionel Messi who left at halftime with a hamstring injury.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were not overwhelmed by the visit of the best team in Europe and nearly went ahead inside five minutes when Ezequiel Lavezzi was first to Javier Pastore’s chest-down and jinked past Gerard Piqué, only to see his shot come back off the post.
by David on March 2, 2013
For the second time this week, Real Madrid beat Barcelona as both sides seem to be heading in opposite directions.
Madrid under Jose Mourinho see to be peaking at the right time, and if they beat Manchester United on Tuesday, will have to be one of the favorites to win the Champions League.
Barcelona on the other hand are in the midst of their worst run of form in years. Already out of the Copa del Rey and with a mountain to climb to stay in the Champions League, even a La Liga title will not be enough to rescue a disappointing season.
by David on February 27, 2013
In a brilliant display of counter-attacking football, Real Madrid dismantled Barcelona 3-1 at the Nou Camp to reach the Copa del Rey final, sealing a 4-2 victory over the two legs. Real Madrid go into their 38th Copa del Rey final, where they will face either Atletico Madrid or Sevilla, depending on the result of their second leg tie on Wednesday.
It was the kind of performance, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, that had to unnerve Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson who watched this game from the stands.
When Real Madrid defend this well, and then attack with the pass that they do, it is hard for anyone to beat them. And that will be United’s challenge next week.
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Real Madrid Stun Barca In Camp Nou To Reach Copa del Rey Final
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by David on February 24, 2013
Lionel Messi continued his goal-scoring exploits as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 at the Camp Nou, going 15 points clear in La Liga.
A sluggish first-half performance saw the runaway Liga leaders trail to Alberto Botia’s header, but Los Cules came out fighting in the second period as goals from Villa and Messi brought them victory.
The result sees Barca extend their lead over Atletico Madrid, who play Espanyol on Sunday, and crucially it is a confidence booster following the Champions League last 16 first leg loss to AC Milan, with a double Clasico in Copa and Liga coming up next week.
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Messi scores again as Barca fight back to beat Sevilla
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by David on February 21, 2013
by David on February 21, 2013
by David on February 21, 2013
A shocking result tonight from the San Siro, where AC Milan beat Barcelona 2-0 to put the Champions League favorites on the verge of elimination from the competition.
This was AC Milan’s first victory over Barcelona since 2004, and it was a familar playbook that sunk a poor Barcelona side. Massimiliano Allegri’s side followed the blueprint developed by Chelsea and Celtic, the only sides to have beaten Barca in 25 matches in Europe, which is soaking up wave after wave of Barca attack before hitting them on the break. And once again it worked to perfection.
by David on February 18, 2013
