Here are five talking points from the weekend's La Liga action:
Images from the second leg of the Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Chelsea and Real Madrid moved into the last eight of the Champions League with minimum of fuss on Wednesday. The former drew 0-0 at home with a battling FC Copenhagen to complete a 2-0 aggregate victory, while the Spanish giants ended a six-year Champions League jinx, crushing Olympique Lyon 3-0 to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2004.
Cristiano Ronaldo, fired up by rival Lionel Messi's midweek hat-trick for Barcelona, struck four goals in 26 second-half minutes as Real Madrid crushed Celta Vigo 7-1 at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Inter Milan have halted talks with Real Madrid about selling Maicon and the chances of Liverpool's Javier Mascherano joining the European champions look remote, club president Massimo Moratti said on Monday.
Cristiano Ronaldo broke his four-game scoring drought with a hat-trick as Real Madrid trounced lowly Malaga 7-0 in La Liga on Thursday to trim the gap with leaders Barcelona back to seven points.
"The intention is to sell him, but there's no offers forthcoming," read the front page of Marca, accompanied by a picture of the 29-year-old Bale looking sullen.
Jose Mourinho's nine-year unbeaten home record in league matches was never under threat as his side eased past Levante 2-0 on Saturday to close within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Luis Suarez, whose four-month ban for biting an opponent expires on Friday, will make his official Barcelona debut in Saturday's La Liga clasico at Real Madrid, coach Luis Enrique said.
Cristiano Ronaldo lit up the Bernabeu with a brilliant four-goal performance in Real Madrid's 6-1 drubbing of struggling Racing Santander on Saturday.
Emmanuel Adebayor came off the bench to score on his home debut for Real Madrid and put the icing on a 3-0 aggregate win over holders Sevilla that set up a mouthwatering King's Cup final against Barcelona.
A bizarre last-minute goal from Mesut Ozil wrapped up a 3-1 comeback win for Real Madrid at home to city rivals Atletico Madrid on Thursday, giving them a healthy advantage in their King's Cup quarter-final.
Jose Mourinho has made it clear that he will be the one making decisions about the Real Madrid first team should he leave Inter Milan and take over from Manuel Pellegrini as coach of the Spanish side.
Inter Milan's 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final will be remembered more for Diego Milito's two brilliant goals and the sub-plots and intrigues surrounding the game rather than the football.
Double strikes by Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi powered a rampant Barcelona to a 6-2 thrashing of champions Real Madrid in a spectacular Primera Liga clash.
Barcelona thrashed Sporting Gijon 6-1 to go top of La Liga on a dramatic night in Spain on Wednesday as Luis Enrique announced he was stepping down as the Catalan club's coach at the end of the season.
The injury list in the La Liga keeps growing as the season progresses and this time Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale are the unfortunate victims...
Real Madrid will sign Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen, the Spanish club said in a statement on their website (www.realmadrid.com) on Tuesday.
Alexis Sanchez had equalised for the visitors, scoring on the rebound after Manuel Neuer saved his 30th-minute penalty but the Gunners suffered when captain Laurent Koscielny limped off injured to leave the defence exposed.
Barcelona took a giant stride towards a third straight La Liga title when they drew 1-1 at 10-man Real Madrid on Saturday to preserve their eight-point lead over their arch rivals at the top with six games left.
New US Open tennis champion Rafa Nadal was given a standing ovation by Real Madrid fans when he strolled out on to the Bernabeu pitch before their Champions League match against Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday.
Inter Milan's shy striker Diego Milito finally hit the global headlines on Saturday with two superb goals to clinch the European Cup having previously gone about his business almost unnoticed in the wider world.
Bayern Munich battle Inter Milan in the Champions League final later on Saturday with both clubs bidding to complete astonishing trebles as well as take away club soccer's top prize. Italian league and cup winners Inter will become the first Serie A side to win a season treble if they prevail at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium, where all eyes are on their charismatic coach Jose Mourinho.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has decided to rest Lionel Messi, Neymar and most of his regulars for the King's Cup last 16, second leg match at Elche later on Thursday.
It was "incomprehensible" that Real Madrid paid Tottenham Hotspur 100 million euros to sign forward Gareth Bale as no player is worth that amount of money, former France striker Zinedine Zidane said on Sunday.
Real coach Julen Lopetegui has come in for fierce criticism this season, having presided over a run of five games without a win -- the team going eight hours and one minute without scoring -- before Tuesday's unconvincing 2-1 triumph over Viktoria Plzen that saw the team whistled off the pitch by their own fans.
David Beckham, one of the so-called "Class of 92", went on to win six Premier League titles under Alex Ferguson at United alongside youth-team buddies Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and Gary and Phil Neville. Beckham also won two FA Cups and, memorably, the Champions League in 1999. He topped up his trophy collection with a La Liga winners' medal for Real Madrid and added two MLS Cups during a north American adventure with LA Galaxy.
Images from the 'El Classico'match between Real Madrid and Barcelona FC played at the Bernabeu stadium on Saturday.
'We are on anti-terrorist alert four (with five a very high risk) and there will be extensive security so as to guarantee that the match takes place with complete normality'
Real Madrid's talismanic striker Raul bid an emotional farewell to the La Liga club on Monday after 16 seasons and said he is eying a move to the German Bundesliga or the English Premier League.
AC Milan pulled off a smash-and-grab 3-2 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, spoiling what should have been a dream night for Raul as the Champions League's two most successful teams traded novice mistakes.
The Champions League's two most successful teams resembled a pair of punch-drunk prize-fighters as AC Milan spoiled a big night for Raul by pulling off a surprise 3-2 victory at the Bernabeu Wednesday. While nine-times winners Real and seven-times champions Milan were trading novice mistakes, including the howler that let in Raul to equal Gerd Mueller's European goalscoring record, the other tournament heavyweights were looking coolly efficient.
Real will ease the pain by retaining their Champions League title, their only hope of salvaging a disappointing season.
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has agreed to become Real Madrid's new manager after guiding the Italian side to a historic Treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League wins.
Inter Milan claimed their first European Cup in 45 years when Diego Milito struck in each half to give the Italians a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich.
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo thinks his two-match suspension for Sunday's red card against Malaga is excessive and is confident the La Liga club's appeal will succeed.
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho will either be sitting in the dugout at the San Siro or Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium next season, the Portuguese coach said on Wednesday. 'My only options are Madrid or Inter,' he said in an interview with sports daily Marca, when asked if he would leave the Italian champions at the end of the season.
Spanish football giants Real Madrid have stepped up their chase for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney by drafting in football's most successful agent, Pini Zahavi.
Barcelona stand between Chelsea and a second successive appearance in an all-English Champions League final. Manchester United, who beat Chelsea on penalties in last year's final in Moscow, take a 1-0 advantage to Arsenal on Tuesday in the other semi-final.
Real Madrid made the most of Barcelona's slip-up to close to within one point of the La Liga leaders on Sunday with a 2-0 win over third-placed Valencia at the Bernabeu.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances