Madrid
Real Madrid clinch LaLiga title with tenth win in a row
Real Madrid continued their stunning run on Thursday to beat Villarreal and clinch the LaLiga title. Two goals from Karim Benzema helped Madrid secure a tenth win in a row, securing their 34th LaLiga crown. It is the 11th trophy in total the club have won with Zinedine Zidane in charge. Sergio Ramos and Benzema in particular have been crucial during the run-in, scoring five goals apiece in the nine fixtures since Spanish football returned last month. 🏆 ¡CAMPEONES!🏁 FP: @RealMadrid 2-1 @VillarrealCF⚽ @Benzema 29′, 77′ (p); Iborra 83′#Emirates | #34Ligas pic.twitter.com/uoBXQkQyBS — Real Madrid C.F.⚽ (@realmadrid) July 16, 2020 The title is just the second for Los Merengues in the last eight LaLiga seasons. Attention will now turn to the return...
Zinedine Zidane unconcerned by Real Madrid’s fixture list complaints
Zinedine Zidane has claimed Real Madrid will accept the congested fixture list for what it is, despite the club complaining to La Liga. Los Blancos issued a complaint to top-flight officials on Monday after the schedule for matchdays 33 and 34 of the season left them with less than 72 hours between fixtures against Getafe and Athletic Bilbao. Madrid felt this left them at a disadvantage compared to title rivals Barcelona, who were given five days of rest between games against Atletico Madrid and Villarreal. However, it has since emerged that Madrid will have accumulated more rest – approximately 26 hours in total – than Barca until matchday 35, and asked if he felt the club’s complaints to La Liga were fair, Zidane insisted he is fully focused on preparing his side for the fixture list as ...
Sergio Ramos becomes LaLiga’s all-time top scoring defender
Sergio Ramos’ goal in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad means the Real Madrid captain has become the highest-scoring defender in all of LaLiga history. Ramos’ seventh goal of the current LaLiga Santander season saw him pass Barcelona legend Ronald Koeman and move to 68 career goals in the most demanding league tournament around. The Andalusian has also scored against all 20 current LaLiga teams and his total includes an impressive range of finishes, from towering headers to long-range pile-drivers, and more recently a dead-eye from the penalty spot. Such a talent for goal-getting has been a constant for the center-back, who often featured further up the field while he was developing through his teenage years at boyhood club Sevilla. His first LaLiga goal came in September 2004, in a 2-1 ...
La Liga: Barcelona boss questions use of VAR
Barcelona boss Quique Setien believes that officials in La Liga are not using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system correctly. It follows on directly from Real Madrid’s victory at Real Sociedad being marred by controversial officiating decisions surrounding key incidents in the clash. Los Blancos opened the scoring in Anoeta from a penalty decision before an equaliser for La Real was controversially ruled out by handball and Karim Benzema’s strike – Madrid’s second of the game – appearing to have been controlled initially by a handball. It was a result which took Madrid to the top of La Liga for the first time since the resumption of Spanish football as they leapfrogged Setien’s Blaugrana – who were to a scoreless draw at Sevilla on Friday – on goal difference. “There are things that we...
Emmanuel Dennis reveals highlights of 2019/20 season
Club Brugge forward Emmanuel Dennis says his goals against Real Madrid and Manchester United are the highlights of his 2019/20 campaign. The young striker hugged the headlines in October after bagging a brace against Real Madrid in a Champions League group stage fixture, that ended 2-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu. The 22-year-old also scored a goal in a Europa League round of 32 first leg tie against Manchester United in February following his team’s demotion to the UEFA second tier club competition. Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports News, the Nigeria international said; “Against Manchester United was a highlight,” “Madrid is a big team, the best in the world, but I was disappointed because I wanted us to win and we drew. I wanted those three points.” “I was happy because I was speakin...
Michael Essien: How Jose Mourinho prevented me from joining Arsenal
Former Chelsea star, Michael Essien, has disclosed that Jose Mourinho stopped him from playing for London rival club Arsenal FC. Essien who spoke on Instagram live chat with Carol Tshabalala, stated that he almost joined Arsenal but Mourinho got to know of it and pressed him to play for him at Real Madrid instead. “I was with Chelsea in Monaco for the Super Cup and a strange number called me but I didn’t want to answer it but my cousin who was in the room with me that day told me to pick it up. “The number kept calling so I picked and as soon as I said hello and another hello came from the other end and I realised who was on the phone so I told my cousin it’s Jose Mourinho. “We started talking and he said, ‘I heard you’re on your way to Arsenal’. But I told him it’s not true. I had not hea...
Real Madrid star set to shun a move to Chelsea
Real Madrid star Lucas Vazquez is set to snub a move to Chelsea as he aimed to remain at Santiago Bernabeu despite lack of regular action under the guidance of Zinedine Zidane. The 28-year-old star has struggled for regular action this season having just started just six La Liga matches and contributing to just three goals in all competitions. Chelsea is keen on signing the former Real Madrid academy product and the winger is also keen on a move to Premier League and Real Madrid has made him available for transfer this summer. However, the report in Mundo Deportivo, the attacker could stay in Madrid this summer. The report claims that Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane is an admirer of the club’s academy product, who has made over 200 appearances for his current side in all competitions. Vaz...
La Liga congratulates Bundesliga ahead football league return
The Spanish La Liga has congratulated Germany’s Bundesliga for announcing its imminent return as Spain’s top-flight stepped up its own comeback preparations. The Bundesliga was given the green light to resume later this month when chancellor Angela Merkel made the announcement during a news conference on Wednesday. Strict testing and matchday procedures will be put in place by the German government, with football seemingly set to resume on May 15 having been paused in mid-March. LaLiga outlined its own plan for a staggered return to training on Monday, with teams set to begin individual work this week before gradually moving to group sessions, the ultimate aim being to re-commence the 2019-20 season in June. Spanish clubs began testing players for COVID-19 on Tuesday and LaLiga sees the Bu...
