Pochettino picks Barcelona as favourites to win Champions League
Lionel Messi produced a vintage second-half performance to help Barcelona to a 4-1 win over local rivals Espanyol on Sunday which saw the champions cut the gap on La Liga leaders Real Madrid to three points.
Goalkeeper Andres Palop emerged as Sevilla's hero by saving three penalties in the shootout to give his side victory over Espanyol.
Real Madrid stretched their lead at the top to four points after beating Racing Santander 3-1 at home while arch-rivals Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw at Espanyol in the Catalan derby. Real skipper Raul steered his side to their seventh win in seven games at the Bernabeu when he took his tally for the season to eight goals with a classy double.
Eibar coach Jose Luis Mendilibar was also dismissed later for angry protests against referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez.
The 55-year-old Ernesto Valverde, who led Barcelona to successive La Liga titles in 2018 and 2019, came under fire this season for the team's dip in performance levels even though they top the league standings at the halfway point of the campaign.
Villarreal continued their impressive revival after a season in the second division when Jeremy Perbet and Jonathan Pereira struck in a 2-1 win at home to Espanyol in La Liga on Thursday.
Real Madirid staged yet another dramatic comeback to grab a 2-2 draw at Real Zaragoza while Barcelona surrendered a lead to draw 2-2 with Espanyol.
Barcelona closed to within a point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid when Lionel Messi scored one goal, created two and conceded a penalty in a 3-1 win at home to champions Atletico Madrid on Sunday that eased pressure on under-fire coach Luis Enrique.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick inside 32 minutes as Juventus bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit by beating Cagliari 3-1 away in Serie A on Sunday.
Marcelino dismissed but Valencia keep pressure on Barcelona
An insatiable Lionel Messi scored for the eighth game in a row in all competitions as La Liga champions Barcelona saw off a gutsy Girona side 2-0 to go five points clear at the top of the standings.
Referee Alfonso Perez Burrull became the first match official in Spain to halt a game because of racist abuse.
Atletico Madrid moved a step closer to an unlikely Spanish title triumph when they battled back from a goal down to secure a 2-1 win at fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Messi, who signed his last contract in 2017, has become more outspoken against the club's hierarchy in the last year and radio station Cadena Ser said last Thursday he is unhappy with how Barca is being run and wants to leave in 2021.
Cristiano Ronaldo struck midway through the first half as leaders Real Madrid won 1-0 at Malaga in La Liga on Saturday, while Atletico Madrid stayed hot on their heels after Diego Costa netted in a 1-0 victory over Espanyol.
Lionel Messi insisted his fifth-place finish in Monday's Ballon d'Or awards was not a motivating factor behind his sensational performance in Barcelona's 4-0 thrashing of local rivals Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona extended their near-perfect start to the season when Alexis Sanchez tapped in at the far post from Neymar's clever assist to secure a 1-0 win at home to city rivals Espanyol in La Liga on Friday.
Following public comments from La Liga chief Javier Tebas, who said it was "not ideal" for the second El Clasico meeting between Real and Barca last season to be played with the latter having already won the league title, the two sides will face off earlier this campaign.
'We are going through difficult and complicated moments and with respect to what could happen in the future we will take it on with calm and wisdom'
Argentina's two iconic players may be contrasting characters but they shared many traits
Lionel Messi has set the bar so high for himself that when he does not score for a few games it prompts an outburst of speculation and head-scratching about what might be ailing the Argentine World Player of the Year.
A round-up of the soccer matches played accross Europe over the weekend.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid dropped their first points of the season on Saturday, missing the chance to equal the record for the best-ever La Liga start.
Factbox on Barcelona, who were crowned Spanish champions for the 22nd time after second-placed Real Madrid's 1-1 draw at Espanyol on Saturday left them with an unassailable lead.
Chelsea's Marcos Alonso and Real Madrid's Nacho were notable absentees in defence, along with Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke.
Swansea City have signed midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo from Real Betis on a three-year deal, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has reiterated his happiness at Tottenham Hotspur in some of his first public comments after he emerged as a leading candidate to replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.
Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen scored his first goal for the club since last month's move from Tottenham Hotspur to set up a 2-0 win at Ludogorets Razgrad in their Europa League last 32, first leg on Thursday. Getafe pulled off a surprise 2-0 home win over last year's Champions League semi-finalists Ajax Amsterdam, while Manchester United were held 1-1 at Club Brugge in wet and windy conditions. Wolverhampton Wanderers' Diogo Jota scored a second successive hat-trick in the competition to lead his side to a 4-0 victory over Espanyol and Arsenal won 1-0 at Olympiakos Piraeus with a late Alexandre Lacazette goal.
Lionel Messi could miss the remainder of Barcelona's league campaign after suffering a relapse of his left hamstring injury during the team's 2-1 victory at Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo injured his calf in their 2-0 victory at Real Betis in La Liga on Saturday, making him a doubt for the final two games of their title challenge.
A total of 18 people, including three soccer players, are to stand trial for match-fixing, a judge in Pamplona ruled on Thursday.
IMAGES from the soccer matches played in Spain and Italy on Saturday
Lionel Messi scored twice as King's Cup holders Barcelona moved comfortably into the quarter-finals by thrashing Celta Vigo 5-0 at the Nou Camp in their last 16 second leg game on Thursday.
Images from football action around European leagues played on Sunday
Radamel Falcao's penalty ensured 10-man Atletico Madrid preserved their 100 percent home record in La Liga with a 1-0 victory over resurgent Espanyol on Sunday.
PSG coach Unai Emery said he wanted to be optimistic that his 222-million euro ($273 million) signing would be available to face Real as the French league leaders bid to overcome a 3-1 deficit to avoid an early exit from the tournament.
Leaders Barcelona kept up their relentless pace at the top of La Liga with a 4-0 thrashing of city rivals Espanyol and 10-man Real Madrid needed two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo to see off Real Sociedad 4-3 on Sunday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances