<p>Sevilla are the surprise leaders in La Liga after Lionel Messi could only rescue a draw for Barcelona away to Valencia on Sunday.</p>

<p>Barca started the day at the top of the pile and then Atletico Madrid enjoyed a couple of hours at the summit after edging past Real Betis at the Wanda Metropolitano.</p>

<p>Sevilla, however, usurped them both by beating 10-man Celta Vigo and Barca were unable to reclaim the lead in the late kick-off, held by Valencia to a 1-1 draw at the Mestalla.</p>

<p>It means Ernesto Valverde's side are a point behind Sevilla and without a league victory now in four matches, a dip that comes in stark contrast to their enthralling triumph over Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Messi, mesmeric at Wembley, was on target again, his driven shot into the corner cancelling out a bizarre opener for Valencia, scored after just 78 seconds.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ezequiel Garay claimed the final touch but Daniel Parejo's corner had been flicked on by Geoffrey Kondogbia, missed by Thomas Vermaelen and skimmed through off Gerard Pique's back.</p>

<p>Philippe Coutinho should have won it for Barcelona in the second half but took too long to pull the trigger and Jose Gaya was able to make the block.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"When we don't win we always think of it as two points lost," Valverde said.</p>

<p>"After Leo's goal, we tried everything but they defended well and we couldn't get the goal we wanted."</p>

<p>For Valencia, now unbeaten in six, this was another step in the right direction, even if they are finding it difficult to turn draws into wins. They move up to 14th.</p>

<p>"Leaving Barca for 90 minutes practically without a chance means that we have worked very well," Valencia coach Marcelino said.</p>

<p>Atletico and Sevilla's success also pushed struggling Real Madrid down to fourth. Julen Lopetegui's side endured a shock defeat away by Alaves on Saturday.</p>

<p>For all the talk of crisis at the top two clubs, however, this was Sevilla's day.</p>

<p>Pablo Sarabia headed in to open the scoring at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan before Celta defender Nestor Araujo was sent off for picking up two yellow cards in as many minutes.</p>

<p><strong>'Lot of confidence'</strong></p>

<p>Wissam Ben Yedder doubled the lead and while substitute Sofiane Boufal pulled one back for Celta, it proved too little to late. The victory is Sevilla's fourth on the bounce in the league.</p>

<p>"At the the moment we are playing with a lot of confidence," Ben Yedder said. "We are showing we can be consistent."</p>

<p>Atletico had earlier continued their own strong run after Angel Correa's goal proved decisive in an untidy 1-0 win over Real Betis.</p>

<p>Atletico sat seven points behind Real and Barca after winning only one of their opening four league games but as their rivals have stumbled, Diego Simeone's side have sprung into form.</p>

<p>"We look at everything quietly and continue to improve," Simeone said. "We have grown."</p>

<p>Simeone can take some of the credit too for the latest victory, after throwing on both Correa and Thomas Partey as substitutes in the second half. Thomas provided the assist.</p>

<p>"When the players respond, the coaches look better," Simeone said. "The teams that challenge up the top of the table are there because of the players they can bring off the bench."</p>

<p>The contest was billed as a classic clash of styles, with Atletico's stubborn defence up against the free-flowing Real Betis, who lit up the league last season with their flurry of goals.</p>

<p>"A great coach once said, the best Plan B is always to do Plan A better," said Betis coach Quique Setien.</p>

<p>They could also have gone top with a win, such is the scrunched nature of the top half, but instead, Betis slip to eighth.</p>

<p>"We have less points than our performances deserve," Setien added.</p>


Sevilla are the surprise leaders in La Liga after Lionel Messi could only rescue a draw for Barcelona away to Valencia on Sunday. Barca started the day at the top of the pile and then Atletico Madrid enjoyed a couple of hours at the summit after edging past Real Betis at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Sevilla are the surprise leaders in La Liga after Lionel Messi could only rescue a draw for Barcelona away to Valencia on Sunday. Barca started the day at the top of the pile and then Atletico Madrid enjoyed a couple of hours at the summit after edging past Real Betis at the Wanda Metropolitano. Sevilla, however, usurped them both by beating 10-man Celta Vigo and Barca were unable to reclaim the lead in the late kick-off, held by Valencia to a 1-1 draw at the Mestalla. It means Ernesto Valverde's side are a point behind Sevilla and without a league victory now in four matches, a dip that comes in stark contrast to their enthralling triumph over Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday. Messi, mesmeric at Wembley, was on target again, his driven shot into the corner cancelling out a bizarre opener for Valencia, scored after just 78 seconds. Ezequiel Garay claimed the final touch but Daniel Parejo's corner had been flicked on by Geoffrey Kondogbia, missed by Thomas Vermaelen and skimmed through off Gerard Pique's back. Philippe Coutinho should have won it for Barcelona in the second half but took too long to pull the trigger and Jose Gaya was able to make the block. "When we don't win we always think of it as two points lost," Valverde said. "After Leo's goal, we tried everything but they defended well and we couldn't get the goal we wanted." For Valencia, now unbeaten in six, this was another step in the right direction, even if they are finding it difficult to turn draws into wins. They move up to 14th. "Leaving Barca for 90 minutes practically without a chance means that we have worked very well," Valencia coach Marcelino said. Atletico and Sevilla's success also pushed struggling Real Madrid down to fourth. Julen Lopetegui's side endured a shock defeat away by Alaves on Saturday. For all the talk of crisis at the top two clubs, however, this was Sevilla's day. Pablo Sarabia headed in to open the scoring at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan before Celta defender Nestor Araujo was sent off for picking up two yellow cards in as many minutes. 'Lot of confidence' Wissam Ben Yedder doubled the lead and while substitute Sofiane Boufal pulled one back for Celta, it proved too little to late. The victory is Sevilla's fourth on the bounce in the league. "At the the moment we are playing with a lot of confidence," Ben Yedder said. "We are showing we can be consistent." Atletico had earlier continued their own strong run after Angel Correa's goal proved decisive in an untidy 1-0 win over Real Betis. Atletico sat seven points behind Real and Barca after winning only one of their opening four league games but as their rivals have stumbled, Diego Simeone's side have sprung into form. "We look at everything quietly and continue to improve," Simeone said. "We have grown." Simeone can take some of the credit too for the latest victory, after throwing on both Correa and Thomas Partey as substitutes in the second half. Thomas provided the assist. "When the players respond, the coaches look better," Simeone said. "The teams that challenge up the top of the table are there because of the players they can bring off the bench." The contest was billed as a classic clash of styles, with Atletico's stubborn defence up against the free-flowing Real Betis, who lit up the league last season with their flurry of goals. "A great coach once said, the best Plan B is always to do Plan A better," said Betis coach Quique Setien. They could also have gone top with a win, such is the scrunched nature of the top half, but instead, Betis slip to eighth. "We have less points than our performances deserve," Setien added.

Barcelona held at Valencia as Sevilla go top in Spain

<p>Real Madrid's miserable run of results sank to a new low as they slid to a shock 1-0 La Liga defeat at Alaves by conceding a goal deep in stoppage time on Saturday, marking their longest run without scoring in over 33 years.</p>

<p>Veteran midfielder Manu Garcia headed home after the ball hit the crossbar following a corner in the fifth minute of added time to send the raucous home crowd into ecstasy as Alaves climbed to third in the standings.</p>

<p>The triple European champions had been shackled by Alaves for most of the match and they were fortunate not to concede late in the second half before Garcia struck when Alaves's Jony fired narrowly wide on the break.</p>

<p>Alaves were the fourth team in a row to stop Real scoring and coach Julen Lopetegui will face further scrutiny with this defeat, which followed a 1-0 loss at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, a 3-0 thrashing at Sevilla and a goalless draw with Atletico Madrid.</p>

<p>"This is a very tough moment and it's clear that the coach is the first person responsible," Lopetegui told a news conference.</p>

<p>"Sometimes things go your way and other times they don't, the important thing is that the players stick together and we will start scoring again."</p>

<p>Real are still joint top of the standings with 14 points after eight games but they could drop down to fourth if leaders Barcelona, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid all win on Sunday.</p>

<p>Alaves, whose fortunes have been transformed since coach Abelardo Fernandez took over last December when they were fighting against relegation, rose to third, level on points with Real and Barca.</p>

<p>Since Abelardo became coach, only Real, Barcelona and Atletico have taken more points than them in La Liga.</p>

<p>Embattled Real boss Lopetegui made five changes to the team that limped to defeat in Moscow, recalling Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale while leaving out Marco Asensio.</p>

<p>Lopetegui was forced to take early action in the second half due to an injury to Karim Benzema, bringing on centre forward Mariano Diaz which briefly led to Real playing a more direct game.</p>

<p>The former Spain coach also had to take off Bale later in the game, replacing him with Brazilian teenager Vinicius Jr, and earlier he had withdrawn defensive midfielder Casemiro for Spain forward Asensio in a desperate bid to find a goal.</p>

<p>Alaves continued to snaffle out any danger, though, and when the deadlock was finally broken it was down the other end off the head of Garcia, who turned the visitors' frustrations into despair.</p>

<p>"We had to make changes because we had injuries, to Karim and Gareth. All negative factors are piling up on us," added Lopetegui.</p>

<p>"We have to pick ourselves up and the international break will serve us well because we have a lot of important players who are not fit."</p>

<p>Alaves coach Abelardo, was delighted with his side's first home win over Real since 1931.</p>

<p>"It's the dream victory because we scored so late and they couldn't even take kick off," he said.</p>

<p>"This victory takes us to 14 points and that's something tremendous, and it's magnified by the size of the team we have beaten."</p>


Real Madrid's miserable run of results sank to a new low as they slid to a shock 1-0 La Liga defeat at Alaves by conceding a goal deep in stoppage time on Saturday, marking their longest run without scoring in over 33 years.

Real Madrid's miserable run of results sank to a new low as they slid to a shock 1-0 La Liga defeat at Alaves by conceding a goal deep in stoppage time on Saturday, marking their longest run without scoring in over 33 years. Veteran midfielder Manu Garcia headed home after the ball hit the crossbar following a corner in the fifth minute of added time to send the raucous home crowd into ecstasy as Alaves climbed to third in the standings. The triple European champions had been shackled by Alaves for most of the match and they were fortunate not to concede late in the second half before Garcia struck when Alaves's Jony fired narrowly wide on the break. Alaves were the fourth team in a row to stop Real scoring and coach Julen Lopetegui will face further scrutiny with this defeat, which followed a 1-0 loss at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, a 3-0 thrashing at Sevilla and a goalless draw with Atletico Madrid. "This is a very tough moment and it's clear that the coach is the first person responsible," Lopetegui told a news conference. "Sometimes things go your way and other times they don't, the important thing is that the players stick together and we will start scoring again." Real are still joint top of the standings with 14 points after eight games but they could drop down to fourth if leaders Barcelona, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid all win on Sunday. Alaves, whose fortunes have been transformed since coach Abelardo Fernandez took over last December when they were fighting against relegation, rose to third, level on points with Real and Barca. Since Abelardo became coach, only Real, Barcelona and Atletico have taken more points than them in La Liga. Embattled Real boss Lopetegui made five changes to the team that limped to defeat in Moscow, recalling Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale while leaving out Marco Asensio. Lopetegui was forced to take early action in the second half due to an injury to Karim Benzema, bringing on centre forward Mariano Diaz which briefly led to Real playing a more direct game. The former Spain coach also had to take off Bale later in the game, replacing him with Brazilian teenager Vinicius Jr, and earlier he had withdrawn defensive midfielder Casemiro for Spain forward Asensio in a desperate bid to find a goal. Alaves continued to snaffle out any danger, though, and when the deadlock was finally broken it was down the other end off the head of Garcia, who turned the visitors' frustrations into despair. "We had to make changes because we had injuries, to Karim and Gareth. All negative factors are piling up on us," added Lopetegui. "We have to pick ourselves up and the international break will serve us well because we have a lot of important players who are not fit." Alaves coach Abelardo, was delighted with his side's first home win over Real since 1931. "It's the dream victory because we scored so late and they couldn't even take kick off," he said. "This victory takes us to 14 points and that's something tremendous, and it's magnified by the size of the team we have beaten."

Real Madrid's troubles deepen with loss at Alaves

<p>Title holders Real Madrid have started training for the upcoming UEFA Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow in the absence of Welsh forward Gareth Bale, who was out due to injury.</p>

<p>While Spanish media reported that Bale has not suffered a thigh injury and will return to La Liga action for Real Madrid at the weekend.</p>

<p>During the match against cross-town rival Atletico, was taken off at half-time after suffering discomfort in his thigh.</p>

<p>Coach Julen Lopetegui left him out of the Champions League squad to face CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Madrid sports newspapers AS and Marca said tests on Monday showed Bale had no serious injury, adding he was expected to return to training on Thursday ahead of Saturday's game at Alaves.</p>

<p>Lopetegui led Sunday's training, in which the starters against Atletico performed a recovery session.</p>

<p>Isco, who recently underwent surgery for appendicitis, and Marcelo, who suffers a muscular problem, did not exercise on Sunday, while Alvaro Odriozola worked out normally.</p>

<p>Vinicius Jr, who made his La Liga debut against Atletico, also joined the training and is looking to make his Champions League debut in Moscow.</p>


Title holders Real Madrid have started training for the upcoming UEFA Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow in the absence of Welsh forward Gareth Bale, who was out due to injury.

Title holders Real Madrid have started training for the upcoming UEFA Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow in the absence of Welsh forward Gareth Bale, who was out due to injury. While Spanish media reported that Bale has not suffered a thigh injury and will return to La Liga action for Real Madrid at the weekend. During the match against cross-town rival Atletico, was taken off at half-time after suffering discomfort in his thigh. Coach Julen Lopetegui left him out of the Champions League squad to face CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. Madrid sports newspapers AS and Marca said tests on Monday showed Bale had no serious injury, adding he was expected to return to training on Thursday ahead of Saturday's game at Alaves. Lopetegui led Sunday's training, in which the starters against Atletico performed a recovery session. Isco, who recently underwent surgery for appendicitis, and Marcelo, who suffers a muscular problem, did not exercise on Sunday, while Alvaro Odriozola worked out normally. Vinicius Jr, who made his La Liga debut against Atletico, also joined the training and is looking to make his Champions League debut in Moscow.

Media reports say Gareth Bale fit and set for weekend return

<p>Barcelona slipped up for the third time in a week but stay top of La Liga after Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid cancelled each other out at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.</p>

<p>Real and Atletico began a pulsating derby less than three hours after Barca had scrambled to a 1-1 draw at home to Athletic Bilbao, but goalkeepers reigned supreme in the capital to ensure the grudge match finished goalless.</p>

<p>It means Real second, level on points with Barcelona, while Atletico are just two behind in fourth. Sevilla are third.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gareth Bale had to be substituted at half-time with what the club confirmed was a thigh strain and is a doubt for the European champions ahead of their visit to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. Bale will be assessed on Sunday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was a scenario Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde tried to avoid before his side's visit to Tottenham on Wednesday by resting Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou.</p>

<p>But the Argentine was needed in the second half after Oscar de Marcos gave Bilbao a deserved lead. Munir El Haddadi snatched Barca a point, diverting in Messi's shot with six minutes left.</p>

<p>After drawing at home to Girona and being beaten by Leganes, Barcelona head to Wembley to face Spurs short of rhythm and lacking confidence.</p>

<p>Barcelona will be without Sergi Roberto for the Champions League Group B clash after it was confirmed he had picked up a thigh strain.</p>

<p>The last time Bilbao took a point at the Camp Nou in 2004, Valverde was sitting in the away team's dugout during his first spell as Bilbao coach.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He faced questions after his bold decision to rest Messi with Tottenham in mind, along with Sergio Busquets.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Leaving Messi on the bench is absolutely my responsibility," Valverde said. "He has four games in 10 days and I think it's good for Leo to rest, like Busquets, thinking of the Champions League.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I know it was the right decision. It was a risk and on this occasion, it didn't come off."</p>

<p><strong>'Intense' match</strong></p>

<p>Lack of rotation was chief among the criticisms levelled at Valverde after Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League quarter-finals last season, with Luis Suarez admitting he regretted playing 90 minutes three days before the collapse against Roma.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Valverde has certainly acted. Of the preferred 11 that started a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven two weeks ago, eight started at least one of the three games since on the bench. Seven of those were required to come on as substitutes.</p>

<p>"We can't expect Messi just to come on and fix things," Suarez said. "We should have won the game before he came on, that's why we are Barca."</p>

<p>Real and Atletico face midweek Champions League matches away to CSKA Moscow and home to Club Brugge respectively, but there was no letting up on their part.</p>

<p>Thibaut Courtois came back to haunt his former club and Jan Oblak showed why he is considered arguably the finest goalkeeper in the world.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Courtois spent three seasons at Atletico on loan from Chelsea but this was his first Madrid derby for Real. He made the most of it, saving when both Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa had only the Belgian to beat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bale could have won it for Real too but he sidefooted wide from close range towards the end of the first half and then had to be replaced.</p>

<p>Barca might feel spared but Real and Atletico seemed satisfied at the final whistle. Atleti maintained their resurgence after a miserable start to the season while Real steadied the ship following their hammering at Sevilla on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We have not won because we didn't score but overall we have been very superior," Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The match was intense," added Atletico manager Diego Simeone. "We had chances through Griezmann and Costa but they were saved by Courtois. It's a pity because we wanted to win but we leave with a good result."</p>


Barcelona slipped up for the third time in a week but stay top of La Liga after Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid cancelled each other out at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Barcelona slipped up for the third time in a week but stay top of La Liga after Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid cancelled each other out at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. Real and Atletico began a pulsating derby less than three hours after Barca had scrambled to a 1-1 draw at home to Athletic Bilbao, but goalkeepers reigned supreme in the capital to ensure the grudge match finished goalless. It means Real second, level on points with Barcelona, while Atletico are just two behind in fourth. Sevilla are third. Gareth Bale had to be substituted at half-time with what the club confirmed was a thigh strain and is a doubt for the European champions ahead of their visit to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. Bale will be assessed on Sunday. It was a scenario Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde tried to avoid before his side's visit to Tottenham on Wednesday by resting Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou. But the Argentine was needed in the second half after Oscar de Marcos gave Bilbao a deserved lead. Munir El Haddadi snatched Barca a point, diverting in Messi's shot with six minutes left. After drawing at home to Girona and being beaten by Leganes, Barcelona head to Wembley to face Spurs short of rhythm and lacking confidence. Barcelona will be without Sergi Roberto for the Champions League Group B clash after it was confirmed he had picked up a thigh strain. The last time Bilbao took a point at the Camp Nou in 2004, Valverde was sitting in the away team's dugout during his first spell as Bilbao coach. He faced questions after his bold decision to rest Messi with Tottenham in mind, along with Sergio Busquets. "Leaving Messi on the bench is absolutely my responsibility," Valverde said. "He has four games in 10 days and I think it's good for Leo to rest, like Busquets, thinking of the Champions League. "I know it was the right decision. It was a risk and on this occasion, it didn't come off." 'Intense' match Lack of rotation was chief among the criticisms levelled at Valverde after Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League quarter-finals last season, with Luis Suarez admitting he regretted playing 90 minutes three days before the collapse against Roma. Valverde has certainly acted. Of the preferred 11 that started a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven two weeks ago, eight started at least one of the three games since on the bench. Seven of those were required to come on as substitutes. "We can't expect Messi just to come on and fix things," Suarez said. "We should have won the game before he came on, that's why we are Barca." Real and Atletico face midweek Champions League matches away to CSKA Moscow and home to Club Brugge respectively, but there was no letting up on their part. Thibaut Courtois came back to haunt his former club and Jan Oblak showed why he is considered arguably the finest goalkeeper in the world. Courtois spent three seasons at Atletico on loan from Chelsea but this was his first Madrid derby for Real. He made the most of it, saving when both Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa had only the Belgian to beat. Bale could have won it for Real too but he sidefooted wide from close range towards the end of the first half and then had to be replaced. Barca might feel spared but Real and Atletico seemed satisfied at the final whistle. Atleti maintained their resurgence after a miserable start to the season while Real steadied the ship following their hammering at Sevilla on Wednesday. "We have not won because we didn't score but overall we have been very superior," Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui said. "The match was intense," added Atletico manager Diego Simeone. "We had chances through Griezmann and Costa but they were saved by Courtois. It's a pity because we wanted to win but we leave with a good result."

LaLiga wrap: Barca stay top after Real and Atletico share derby spoils

<p>Marco Asensio's strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol to send them top of La Liga and Thomas Lemar scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid in a 2-0 victory at Getafe on Saturday.</p>

<p>Julen Lopetegui's Real were tested by Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Borja Iglesias hitting the crossbar, but held on for the victory.</p>

<p>After an emphatic Champions League win over AS Roma on Wednesday, Lopetegui shuffled his pack for the visit of Espanyol, sixth in the table after a good start to the season.</p>

<p>The coach rested Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Toni Kroos, handing a debut to defender Alvaro Odriozola in place of the injured Dani Carvajal.</p>

<p>Real dominated possession but Espanyol were a persistent threat on the break.</p>

<p>"(The clean sheet) was really important for us, we don't want to let in goals," Real defender Raphael Varane said. "Espanyol played very well but we played as a team and did not concede."</p>

<p>The hosts took the lead four minutes before the break, when Luka Modric's pass took a triple deflection but found its way to Asensio, who steered home his first goal in La Liga this season.</p>

<p>The forward had to wait for VAR to prove he was onside before he could celebrate.</p>

<p>Espanyol forward Iglesias robbed Real captain Sergio Ramos after the break and chipped Courtois, but his effort bounced back off the crossbar.</p>

<p>"We're furious (about losing), we had chances to score," Iglesias said. "I saw (Courtois) off his line and shot but it hit the crossbar. Maybe next time it will go in."</p>

<p>Real held on despite late Espanyol pressure to take top spot before second-placed Barcelona host Girona on Sunday in a Catalan derby.</p>

<p>Atletico's comfortable victory at Getafe eased nerves after a stuttering start to the season during which they gathered five points from their first four games.</p>

<p>French winger Lemar struck the crossbar with a powerful long-range effort and the ball bounced back, hitting Soria and crossing the line, to send Atletico ahead after 14 minutes.</p>

<p>The visitors struggled to create openings at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez but Lemar put the finishing touch to a quick counter-attack after an hour to net his first goal since his close-season move from Monaco.</p>

<p>Getafe winger Ivan Alejo was sent off for an apparent stamp just four minutes after coming on as a substitute, leaving Atletico to cruise to victory and climb to fifth in the table.</p>

<p>"I wasn't nervous at all when they started to criticise us two weeks ago, as if everything was lost and we were dead, and now we are the best in the world," said Atletico defender Juanfran.</p>

<p>"Our people, our fans have to know that this Atletico Madrid team will always show up, whether or not results go our way, and they are, bit by bit."</p>

<p>Rayo Vallecano were thrashed 5-1 by third-placed Alaves at Vallecas after Abdoulaye Ba was sent off in the first half.</p>

<p>Ba became the first player in Spanish football to be dismissed after VAR flagged an off-the-ball incident, with the officials deciding he elbowed Jonathan Calleri.</p>

<p>Villarreal earned a 3-3 draw at Real Sociedad thanks to Leo Suarez's equaliser in the final minute of stoppage time while Eibar edged Leganes 1-0.</p>


Marco Asensio's strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol to send them top of La Liga and Thomas Lemar scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid in a 2-0 victory at Getafe on Saturday.

Marco Asensio's strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol to send them top of La Liga and Thomas Lemar scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid in a 2-0 victory at Getafe on Saturday. Julen Lopetegui's Real were tested by Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Borja Iglesias hitting the crossbar, but held on for the victory. After an emphatic Champions League win over AS Roma on Wednesday, Lopetegui shuffled his pack for the visit of Espanyol, sixth in the table after a good start to the season. The coach rested Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Toni Kroos, handing a debut to defender Alvaro Odriozola in place of the injured Dani Carvajal. Real dominated possession but Espanyol were a persistent threat on the break. "(The clean sheet) was really important for us, we don't want to let in goals," Real defender Raphael Varane said. "Espanyol played very well but we played as a team and did not concede." The hosts took the lead four minutes before the break, when Luka Modric's pass took a triple deflection but found its way to Asensio, who steered home his first goal in La Liga this season. The forward had to wait for VAR to prove he was onside before he could celebrate. Espanyol forward Iglesias robbed Real captain Sergio Ramos after the break and chipped Courtois, but his effort bounced back off the crossbar. "We're furious (about losing), we had chances to score," Iglesias said. "I saw (Courtois) off his line and shot but it hit the crossbar. Maybe next time it will go in." Real held on despite late Espanyol pressure to take top spot before second-placed Barcelona host Girona on Sunday in a Catalan derby. Atletico's comfortable victory at Getafe eased nerves after a stuttering start to the season during which they gathered five points from their first four games. French winger Lemar struck the crossbar with a powerful long-range effort and the ball bounced back, hitting Soria and crossing the line, to send Atletico ahead after 14 minutes. The visitors struggled to create openings at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez but Lemar put the finishing touch to a quick counter-attack after an hour to net his first goal since his close-season move from Monaco. Getafe winger Ivan Alejo was sent off for an apparent stamp just four minutes after coming on as a substitute, leaving Atletico to cruise to victory and climb to fifth in the table. "I wasn't nervous at all when they started to criticise us two weeks ago, as if everything was lost and we were dead, and now we are the best in the world," said Atletico defender Juanfran. "Our people, our fans have to know that this Atletico Madrid team will always show up, whether or not results go our way, and they are, bit by bit." Rayo Vallecano were thrashed 5-1 by third-placed Alaves at Vallecas after Abdoulaye Ba was sent off in the first half. Ba became the first player in Spanish football to be dismissed after VAR flagged an off-the-ball incident, with the officials deciding he elbowed Jonathan Calleri. Villarreal earned a 3-3 draw at Real Sociedad thanks to Leo Suarez's equaliser in the final minute of stoppage time while Eibar edged Leganes 1-0.

LaLiga wrap: Real see off gritty Espanyol, Atletico sink Getafe

<p>Real Madrid's final Champions League rehearsal was running perfectly on Saturday until Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted and Villarreal scored twice to snatch a 2-2 draw.</p>

<p>Gareth Bale and Ronaldo put Real in cruise control at the Estadio de la Ceramica but the Portugese, along with Luka Modric, was taken off shortly after the hour and Villarreal came surging back.</p>

<p>It was two substitutes that did it, Roger Martinez unleashing a stunning strike into the top corner before Samu Castillejo struck the equaliser five minutes from time.&nbsp</p>

<p>Castillejo took advantage of some hesitation from Luca Zidane, Zinedine Zidane's 20-year-old son, who was making his debut for Real in goal.</p>

<p>"I am happy for his debut, it is an important day for him and his coach," Zidane senior said afterwards.&nbsp</p>

<p>"For his father, we will see what he says at home."</p>

<p>The draw means any hopes Real had of snatching La Liga's runner-up spot off city rivals Atletico are ended but their attention will quickly turn to Liverpool and next weekend's showdown in Kiev. Villarreal jump above Real Betis into fifth.</p>

<p>If Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had been spying for signs of weakness he would have found few in the opening hour, when Real looked slick, clinical and set for a comfortable victory.&nbsp</p>

<p>But, defensive frailties were exposed again and perhaps this result underlines that if Ronaldo can be neutralised, this is still a team that is far from unbeatable.</p>

<p>"We are ready," Zidane said. "We have not had any injuries today and we are ready to play our last match and our final."</p>

<p>Ronaldo was withdrawn after 61 minutes, the 33-year-old showing no sign of discomfort in what was his first outing since spraining his ankle against Barcelona a fortnight ago.&nbsp</p>

<p>Bale too will hope his smart turn and finish could yet earn him a starting spot against Liverpool, even if Zidane has shown propensity for ignoring the Welshman's league form in the past.&nbsp</p>

<p>After scoring twice against Celta Vigo last weekend, Bale was excellent again here and he at least heads to Ukraine knowing he could not have done much more. He has now scored 17 goals in 19 matches this year when playing more than 60 minutes.</p>

<p>"Gareth has never lowered his level," Zidane said. "I am happy with his role, for what he does, he has not changed anything."</p>

<p><strong>- Zidane names strong side -</strong></p>

<p>Liverpool will have played only one match in 20 days by next weekend and Zidane opted for rhythm over rest, picking a strong team that could be close to his line-up in seven days' time.&nbsp</p>

<p>The Frenchman, however, has tended towards caution in Europe and it would be a surprise if Bale and Isco both started ahead of Lucas Vazquez, and even Marco Asensio, next weekend.</p>

<p>There was a debut in goal for Zidane's son Luca, who joined Real's academy when Zidane was playing for the club in 2004 and has been a regular presence in the squad this season.&nbsp</p>

<p>Luca was born in May 1998, a month before his father inspired France to win the World Cup.&nbsp</p>

<p>Bale opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a goal largely of his own making as he fooled Daniele Bonera by running over Modric's pass, before driving into the bottom corner.&nbsp</p>

<p>Ronaldo doubled the advantage before half-time, nodding home a nonchalant Marcelo cross from the outside of the Brazilian's foot as Real strolled into the interval.</p>

<p>But Ronaldo and Modric trundled off and the game turned on a brilliant shot from Martinez, who jinked inside from the left and found the far top corner.</p>

<p>If Luca Zidane could have done little to stop that one, he might have done better with the equaliser as he rushed out to intercept a clipped ball over the top but failed to claim.&nbsp</p>

<p>Castillejo touched it round his flailing opponent and clipped a sharp finish into the empty net.&nbsp</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, Sevilla maintained their strong end to the season with a 1-0 win over Alaves. They finish seventh, below Real Betis, who slipped to a surprise 3-2 defeat at Leganes.&nbsp</p>


Real Madrid's final Champions League rehearsal was running perfectly on Saturday until Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted and Villarreal scored twice to snatch a 2-2 draw

Real Madrid's final Champions League rehearsal was running perfectly on Saturday until Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted and Villarreal scored twice to snatch a 2-2 draw. Gareth Bale and Ronaldo put Real in cruise control at the Estadio de la Ceramica but the Portugese, along with Luka Modric, was taken off shortly after the hour and Villarreal came surging back. It was two substitutes that did it, Roger Martinez unleashing a stunning strike into the top corner before Samu Castillejo struck the equaliser five minutes from time. Castillejo took advantage of some hesitation from Luca Zidane, Zinedine Zidane's 20-year-old son, who was making his debut for Real in goal. "I am happy for his debut, it is an important day for him and his coach," Zidane senior said afterwards. "For his father, we will see what he says at home." The draw means any hopes Real had of snatching La Liga's runner-up spot off city rivals Atletico are ended but their attention will quickly turn to Liverpool and next weekend's showdown in Kiev. Villarreal jump above Real Betis into fifth. If Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had been spying for signs of weakness he would have found few in the opening hour, when Real looked slick, clinical and set for a comfortable victory. But, defensive frailties were exposed again and perhaps this result underlines that if Ronaldo can be neutralised, this is still a team that is far from unbeatable. "We are ready," Zidane said. "We have not had any injuries today and we are ready to play our last match and our final." Ronaldo was withdrawn after 61 minutes, the 33-year-old showing no sign of discomfort in what was his first outing since spraining his ankle against Barcelona a fortnight ago. Bale too will hope his smart turn and finish could yet earn him a starting spot against Liverpool, even if Zidane has shown propensity for ignoring the Welshman's league form in the past. After scoring twice against Celta Vigo last weekend, Bale was excellent again here and he at least heads to Ukraine knowing he could not have done much more. He has now scored 17 goals in 19 matches this year when playing more than 60 minutes. "Gareth has never lowered his level," Zidane said. "I am happy with his role, for what he does, he has not changed anything." - Zidane names strong side - Liverpool will have played only one match in 20 days by next weekend and Zidane opted for rhythm over rest, picking a strong team that could be close to his line-up in seven days' time. The Frenchman, however, has tended towards caution in Europe and it would be a surprise if Bale and Isco both started ahead of Lucas Vazquez, and even Marco Asensio, next weekend. There was a debut in goal for Zidane's son Luca, who joined Real's academy when Zidane was playing for the club in 2004 and has been a regular presence in the squad this season. Luca was born in May 1998, a month before his father inspired France to win the World Cup. Bale opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a goal largely of his own making as he fooled Daniele Bonera by running over Modric's pass, before driving into the bottom corner. Ronaldo doubled the advantage before half-time, nodding home a nonchalant Marcelo cross from the outside of the Brazilian's foot as Real strolled into the interval. But Ronaldo and Modric trundled off and the game turned on a brilliant shot from Martinez, who jinked inside from the left and found the far top corner. If Luca Zidane could have done little to stop that one, he might have done better with the equaliser as he rushed out to intercept a clipped ball over the top but failed to claim. Castillejo touched it round his flailing opponent and clipped a sharp finish into the empty net. Earlier in the day, Sevilla maintained their strong end to the season with a 1-0 win over Alaves. They finish seventh, below Real Betis, who slipped to a surprise 3-2 defeat at Leganes.

Ronaldo and Bale score in Real Madrid draw against Villarreal

<p>Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called on UEFA to change the away-goals rule, suggesting sides playing the second leg away have an unfair advantage under current regulations.</p>

<p>The Argentine, who was sent off in the first leg of Atletico’s 2-1 aggregate Europa League semi-final victory over Arsenal, received a four-game suspension from European&nbspsoccer’s governing body for the incident which led to him being sent to the stands.</p>

<p>Simeone, 48, has served the first match of the ban and local media reported that he will contest the punishment, which if upheld would mean he cannot sit in the dugout during the final against Olympique de Marseille on May 16 in Lyon.</p>

<p>“UEFA needs to have a look at how difficult it is to play the second leg at home, with your opponent having 30 extra minutes in which one of their goals counts double when as the home side you don’t have this advantage," Simeone told a news conference on Saturday.</p>

<p>“I invite those within sporting justice to have a look at this. There’s no reason that the side playing the second leg away from home should have 30 extra minutes and the chance to score a more valuable goal.</p>

<p>“I’m sure they’re very capable of seeing it and it’d help it be more even for everyone because if not, injustices start to appear.”</p>


Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called on UEFA to change the away-goals rule, suggesting sides playing the second leg away have an unfair advantage under current regulations

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called on UEFA to change the away-goals rule, suggesting sides playing the second leg away have an unfair advantage under current regulations. The Argentine, who was sent off in the first leg of Atletico’s 2-1 aggregate Europa League semi-final victory over Arsenal, received a four-game suspension from European&nbspsoccer’s governing body for the incident which led to him being sent to the stands. Simeone, 48, has served the first match of the ban and local media reported that he will contest the punishment, which if upheld would mean he cannot sit in the dugout during the final against Olympique de Marseille on May 16 in Lyon. “UEFA needs to have a look at how difficult it is to play the second leg at home, with your opponent having 30 extra minutes in which one of their goals counts double when as the home side you don’t have this advantage," Simeone told a news conference on Saturday. “I invite those within sporting justice to have a look at this. There’s no reason that the side playing the second leg away from home should have 30 extra minutes and the chance to score a more valuable goal. “I’m sure they’re very capable of seeing it and it’d help it be more even for everyone because if not, injustices start to appear.”

Diego Simeone calls on UEFA to change away-goals rule

<p>Barcelona responded to their shock Champions League elimination to AS Roma by beating Valencia 2-1 on Saturday in a subdued atmosphere at the Nou Camp, setting a Liga record run of 39 games unbeaten and taking them ever closer to another title.</p>

<p>Luis Suarez gave Barca the lead after a quarter of an hour by meeting a delicious outside-of-the-foot pass from former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho, scoring with one touch from close range.</p>

<p>Club-record signing Coutinho then delivered an outswinging corner from which Samuel Umtiti headed in Barca's second in the 51st minute, shortly after Gerard Pique had saved Umtiti's blushes by clearing a shot from Valencia forward Santi Mina off the line following a slip by the France defender.</p>

<p>Captain Dani Parejo pulled a goal back for third-placed Valencia by squeezing an 87th-minute penalty under Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, but the Catalans withstood an exciting final spell to move to within seven points of their 25th league title.</p>

<p>Ernesto Valverde's side lead nearest challengers Atletico Madrid by 14 points in the standings, with Atletico hosting Levante and fourth-placed Real visiting basement club Malaga on Sunday.</p>

<p>The Barca coach praised his players for putting the Roma defeat behind them but said their European exit had punctured their enthusiasm for the unbeaten record.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">? The boss and his players on Saturday's vital win in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bar%C3%A7aValencia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BarçaValencia</a> <a href="https://t.co/macpxhIXaX">pic.twitter.com/macpxhIXaX</a></p>
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/985341313636683776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>"This wasn’t a week to think about records, we don’t give it too much importance. It was more important that we picked ourselves up after a difficult week," Valverde told a news conference.</p>

<p>"It's normal that these players keep on breaking records. But it was a fundamental win in many ways. First of all, I am happy with the three points. We needed 10 points to win the league, now it’s seven."</p>

<p>With heavy rain falling in the city throughout the day, 30,000 seats at the 99,000-capacity Nou Camp were unoccupied and even when Suarez provided a slick finishing touch to Coutinho's wonderful pass, celebrations were muted.</p>

<p>Valencia had made a good start and winger Goncalo Guedes hammered an early shot at Ter Stegen, who made another impressive save to thwart the Portuguese later in the half after Gerard Pique had surrendered the ball.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">? <a href="https://twitter.com/LaLiga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaLiga</a><br />
? Still unbeaten! <a href="https://t.co/aOdufHxMBr">pic.twitter.com/aOdufHxMBr</a></p>
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/985202309075558401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The German goalkeeper also ran himself into trouble as he sent a pass straight at the feet of Valencia forward Rodrigo but redeemed himself by tipping the shot on to the crossbar and behind.</p>

<p>Lionel Messi was inactive for much of the first half but grew into the game in the second, narrowly volleying over the bar and fizzing a shot just wide after tearing through the Valencia defence.</p>

<p>"The atmosphere around the club this week has been a bit gloomy and we needed to put the brakes on that so I have to congratulate the players because it’s not been easy," added Valverde.</p>

<p>"The sensation is that we have failed, that we have disappointed the supporters, but we have to look forward and not lose sight of what we can still achieve this season."</p>


FC Barcelona has set a new LaLiga record of 39 games unbeaten and moved closer to clinch the title after defeating Valencia 2-1

Barcelona responded to their shock Champions League elimination to AS Roma by beating Valencia 2-1 on Saturday in a subdued atmosphere at the Nou Camp, setting a Liga record run of 39 games unbeaten and taking them ever closer to another title. Luis Suarez gave Barca the lead after a quarter of an hour by meeting a delicious outside-of-the-foot pass from former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho, scoring with one touch from close range. Club-record signing Coutinho then delivered an outswinging corner from which Samuel Umtiti headed in Barca's second in the 51st minute, shortly after Gerard Pique had saved Umtiti's blushes by clearing a shot from Valencia forward Santi Mina off the line following a slip by the France defender. Captain Dani Parejo pulled a goal back for third-placed Valencia by squeezing an 87th-minute penalty under Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, but the Catalans withstood an exciting final spell to move to within seven points of their 25th league title. Ernesto Valverde's side lead nearest challengers Atletico Madrid by 14 points in the standings, with Atletico hosting Levante and fourth-placed Real visiting basement club Malaga on Sunday. The Barca coach praised his players for putting the Roma defeat behind them but said their European exit had punctured their enthusiasm for the unbeaten record. ? The boss and his players on Saturday's vital win in #BarçaValencia pic.twitter.com/macpxhIXaX — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 15, 2018 × "This wasn’t a week to think about records, we don’t give it too much importance. It was more important that we picked ourselves up after a difficult week," Valverde told a news conference. "It's normal that these players keep on breaking records. But it was a fundamental win in many ways. First of all, I am happy with the three points. We needed 10 points to win the league, now it’s seven." With heavy rain falling in the city throughout the day, 30,000 seats at the 99,000-capacity Nou Camp were unoccupied and even when Suarez provided a slick finishing touch to Coutinho's wonderful pass, celebrations were muted. Valencia had made a good start and winger Goncalo Guedes hammered an early shot at Ter Stegen, who made another impressive save to thwart the Portuguese later in the half after Gerard Pique had surrendered the ball. ? @LaLiga ? Still unbeaten! pic.twitter.com/aOdufHxMBr — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 14, 2018 × The German goalkeeper also ran himself into trouble as he sent a pass straight at the feet of Valencia forward Rodrigo but redeemed himself by tipping the shot on to the crossbar and behind. Lionel Messi was inactive for much of the first half but grew into the game in the second, narrowly volleying over the bar and fizzing a shot just wide after tearing through the Valencia defence. "The atmosphere around the club this week has been a bit gloomy and we needed to put the brakes on that so I have to congratulate the players because it’s not been easy," added Valverde. "The sensation is that we have failed, that we have disappointed the supporters, but we have to look forward and not lose sight of what we can still achieve this season."

Barcelona beat Valencia, set new LaLiga record of 39 games unbeaten

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo's 24th goal in 15 games for Real Madrid this year was not enough to earn his side a derby victory on Sunday as an Antoine Griezmann equaliser secured Atletico a 1-1 draw.&nbsp</p>

<p>Ronaldo followed up last week's brilliant bicycle kick against Juventus with a poacher's finish at the Santiago Bernabeu but Griezmann's strike keeps Atletico in pole position to finish second in La Liga.&nbsp</p>

<p>They retain their four-point cushion over Real while this was perhaps the perfect result for leaders Barcelona, who are now 11 points clear at the top.&nbsp</p>

<p>It not only tightens Barca's grip on the title but will likely bring forward the point when the Catalans are mathematically certain to be champions, with the 'clasico' still a possible coronation day on May 6.&nbsp</p>

<p>"We deserved more today clearly, it's a shame," Real coach Zinedine Zidane said afterwards. "We had many chances, but in the end we could have lost the game as well."</p>

<p>Griezmann's goal came on his 200th appearance for Atleti while Ronaldo's was the 500th in the 161 league matches played between these two city rivals.&nbsp</p>

<p>On Griezmann, Atletico coach Diego Simeone said: "He is a great player, he did not have a good start to the season and he knows it and it is not easy to reinvent himself in the way he did in November, December.&nbsp</p>

<p>"I think the presence of (Diego) Costa has helped him a lot, having strength around him which allows him to be free."</p>

<p>In comparison to recent versions of this fixture, which have included Champions League finals, Cope del Rey finals and league games with both sides vying for the championship, this at times had a rather low-key feel.&nbsp</p>

<p>Zidane, with one eye on the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Juventus on Wednesday, started with Luka Modric and Karim Benzema on the bench, the latter coming on to spare Ronaldo the final half an hour.&nbsp</p>

<p>Los Blancos own a 3-0 advantage over Juve but Zidane insists they cannot afford to be complacent.</p>

<p>"Everyone sees us going through to the semi-finals and that's exactly what we should not put in our head," Zidane said. "We know very well that we will have to suffer again on Wednesday."</p>

<p><strong>Bale quiet</strong></p>

<p>Gareth Bale was given 90 minutes, perhaps not the most positive indicator for his chances of a start in midweek. The Welshman supplied the cross for Ronaldo's equaliser but, in truth, he was quiet for long periods here, a pale shadow of his confident, marauding best.&nbsp</p>

<p>A game that looked in danger of drifting towards a stalemate sparked into life after half-time with two goals in four minutes.&nbsp</p>

<p>Ronaldo scored the first as Bale's hanging cross was misjudged by Lucas Hernandez at the back post, allowing the striker to volley in his 23rd league goal of the season.&nbsp</p>

<p>But Atleti were soon level. Griezmann slipped in Lucas and then continued his run so he was perfectly placed to slide home the rebound after Keylor Navas had parried.&nbsp</p>

<p>Real were more aggressive in the search for a late winner but Atleti dug in. Bale almost had it but put a difficult header wide, while Sergio Ramos nodded past from a corner and saw his curling free-kick tipped over by Jan Oblak. If only Ronaldo had still been on the field to take it.</p>

<p>&nbsp</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo's 24th goal in 15 games for Real Madrid this year was not enough to earn his side a derby victory on Sunday as an Antoine Griezmann equaliser secured Atletico a 1-1 draw

Cristiano Ronaldo's 24th goal in 15 games for Real Madrid this year was not enough to earn his side a derby victory on Sunday as an Antoine Griezmann equaliser secured Atletico a 1-1 draw. Ronaldo followed up last week's brilliant bicycle kick against Juventus with a poacher's finish at the Santiago Bernabeu but Griezmann's strike keeps Atletico in pole position to finish second in La Liga. They retain their four-point cushion over Real while this was perhaps the perfect result for leaders Barcelona, who are now 11 points clear at the top. It not only tightens Barca's grip on the title but will likely bring forward the point when the Catalans are mathematically certain to be champions, with the 'clasico' still a possible coronation day on May 6. "We deserved more today clearly, it's a shame," Real coach Zinedine Zidane said afterwards. "We had many chances, but in the end we could have lost the game as well." Griezmann's goal came on his 200th appearance for Atleti while Ronaldo's was the 500th in the 161 league matches played between these two city rivals. On Griezmann, Atletico coach Diego Simeone said: "He is a great player, he did not have a good start to the season and he knows it and it is not easy to reinvent himself in the way he did in November, December. "I think the presence of (Diego) Costa has helped him a lot, having strength around him which allows him to be free." In comparison to recent versions of this fixture, which have included Champions League finals, Cope del Rey finals and league games with both sides vying for the championship, this at times had a rather low-key feel. Zidane, with one eye on the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Juventus on Wednesday, started with Luka Modric and Karim Benzema on the bench, the latter coming on to spare Ronaldo the final half an hour. Los Blancos own a 3-0 advantage over Juve but Zidane insists they cannot afford to be complacent. "Everyone sees us going through to the semi-finals and that's exactly what we should not put in our head," Zidane said. "We know very well that we will have to suffer again on Wednesday." Bale quiet Gareth Bale was given 90 minutes, perhaps not the most positive indicator for his chances of a start in midweek. The Welshman supplied the cross for Ronaldo's equaliser but, in truth, he was quiet for long periods here, a pale shadow of his confident, marauding best. A game that looked in danger of drifting towards a stalemate sparked into life after half-time with two goals in four minutes. Ronaldo scored the first as Bale's hanging cross was misjudged by Lucas Hernandez at the back post, allowing the striker to volley in his 23rd league goal of the season. But Atleti were soon level. Griezmann slipped in Lucas and then continued his run so he was perfectly placed to slide home the rebound after Keylor Navas had parried. Real were more aggressive in the search for a late winner but Atleti dug in. Bale almost had it but put a difficult header wide, while Sergio Ramos nodded past from a corner and saw his curling free-kick tipped over by Jan Oblak. If only Ronaldo had still been on the field to take it.

LaLiga: Cristiano Ronaldo continues goal spree but Real held by stubborn Atletico

<p>Real Madrid is up against Juventus in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and already leading 3-0 by registering an easy victory in the 1st leg.</p>

<p>In the first leg&nbsp;match, Real's star player Cristiano Ronaldo stunned the opponents and scored a sensational overhead bicycle kick. He architected the Real Madrid's win over Serie A leaders Juventus. For his stunning goal, he earned a standing ovation from the Juventus fans as he left the pitch. Also, the goal became one of the most shared UEFA Champions League moments on Twitter.</p>

<p>Now, again he was seen practising the same shot during the training session ahead of Atletico Madrid clash. It seems he got some massive plans for&nbsp;Atletico.</p>

<p><em>Watch here:</em></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BhRSUjyBORZ/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF border:0 border-radius:3px box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15) margin: 1px max-width:658px padding:0 width:99.375% width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px) width:calc(100% - 2px)">
<div style="padding:8px">
<div style=" background:#F8F8F8 line-height:0 margin-top:40px padding:50.0% 0 text-align:center width:100%">
<div style=" background:url(data:image/pngbase64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) display:block height:44px margin:0 auto -44px position:relative top:-22px width:44px">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0 padding:0 4px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BhRSUjyBORZ/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">AGAIN ? OTRA VEZ ? @Cristiano</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/realmadrid/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Real Madrid C.F. ?</a> (@realmadrid) on <time datetime="2018-04-07T13:01:02+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">Apr 7, 2018 at 6:01am PDT</time></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async defer src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">AGAIN ? <a href="https://twitter.com/Cristiano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cristiano</a> <a href="https://t.co/u40317IWpf">pic.twitter.com/u40317IWpf</a></p>
— Real Madrid C.F.???? (@realmadriden) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadriden/status/982602031662813185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Gianluigi Buffon was astounded by the visitors as Juve does not have the tendency to let in many goals but suffered a tragic defeat it the first leg. Now, the chances of reaching across the deficit are very less.</p>

<p>For Ronaldo's breathtaking goal, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane appreciated him and said, "You can say he's one of the most beautiful players in the history of football."</p>

<p><em>Watch the incredible goal here:</em></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cristiano Ronaldo is a man among boys <a href="https://t.co/d0BAkwOxzM">pic.twitter.com/d0BAkwOxzM</a></p>
— Athlete Tweets™ (@AthleteTweetsO) <a href="https://twitter.com/AthleteTweetsO/status/981304696030642176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid on Sunday evening and after that, the team will meet Juventus on April 12 in the second leg of UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.</p>


Real will take on Athletico Madrid Sunday evening at 7:45 pm IST

Real Madrid is up against Juventus in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and already leading 3-0 by registering an easy victory in the 1st leg. In the first leg match, Real's star player Cristiano Ronaldo stunned the opponents and scored a sensational overhead bicycle kick. He architected the Real Madrid's win over Serie A leaders Juventus. For his stunning goal, he earned a standing ovation from the Juventus fans as he left the pitch. Also, the goal became one of the most shared UEFA Champions League moments on Twitter. Now, again he was seen practising the same shot during the training session ahead of Atletico Madrid clash. It seems he got some massive plans for Atletico. Watch here: AGAIN ? OTRA VEZ ? @Cristiano A post shared by Real Madrid C.F. ? (@realmadrid) on Apr 7, 2018 at 6:01am PDT × AGAIN ? @Cristiano pic.twitter.com/u40317IWpf — Real Madrid C.F.???? (@realmadriden) April 7, 2018 × Gianluigi Buffon was astounded by the visitors as Juve does not have the tendency to let in many goals but suffered a tragic defeat it the first leg. Now, the chances of reaching across the deficit are very less. For Ronaldo's breathtaking goal, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane appreciated him and said, "You can say he's one of the most beautiful players in the history of football." Watch the incredible goal here: Cristiano Ronaldo is a man among boys pic.twitter.com/d0BAkwOxzM — Athlete Tweets™ (@AthleteTweetsO) April 3, 2018 × Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid on Sunday evening and after that, the team will meet Juventus on April 12 in the second leg of UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Watch: After scoring with it, Cristiano Ronaldo practises bicycle kick

<p>Real Madrid will not give Barcelona a guard of honour if the Catalans have clinched the Spanish title before next month's Clasico, Zinedine Zidane said on Saturday.</p>

<p>Barcelona lead La Liga by nine points with eight matches left and entertain Real in the penultimate round of the season. In Spain it has become traditional for opponents to form a guard of honour for the champions.&nbsp</p>

<p>"We're not going to do the guard" Zidane said at a press conference ahead of the Madrid derby against Atletico, who are also Barcelona's closest pursuers.</p>

<p>"It's my decision and that's it," said Zidane. "I don't understand the point of the guard, so we aren't going to do it. Anyway, we are a long way from the end of the season."</p>

<p>Zidane insisted the decision had nothing to do with Barcelona's refusal to form a guard of honour at the Clasico in Madrid in December just after Real had won the Club World Cup.</p>

<p>Even so, he acknowledged that Barca had "broken tradition".</p>

<p>Zidane also insisted Gareth Bale was still "an important player", even though the Welsh winger is playing less and remained on the bench in the Champions League victory at Juventus on Tuesday.</p>

<p>"These are decisions," Zidane told the media. "You say he's playing less or in less important games, but for me that's not the case."&nbsp</p>

<p>Rumours have linked Bale to a host of other clubs, notably Manchester United.</p>

<p>"However we finish the season, my feeling is Gareth is going to stay," said Zidane.</p>


Real Madrid will not give Barcelona a guard of honour if the Catalans have clinched the Spanish title before next month's Clasico: Zinedine Zidane

Real Madrid will not give Barcelona a guard of honour if the Catalans have clinched the Spanish title before next month's Clasico, Zinedine Zidane said on Saturday. Barcelona lead La Liga by nine points with eight matches left and entertain Real in the penultimate round of the season. In Spain it has become traditional for opponents to form a guard of honour for the champions. "We're not going to do the guard" Zidane said at a press conference ahead of the Madrid derby against Atletico, who are also Barcelona's closest pursuers. "It's my decision and that's it," said Zidane. "I don't understand the point of the guard, so we aren't going to do it. Anyway, we are a long way from the end of the season." Zidane insisted the decision had nothing to do with Barcelona's refusal to form a guard of honour at the Clasico in Madrid in December just after Real had won the Club World Cup. Even so, he acknowledged that Barca had "broken tradition". Zidane also insisted Gareth Bale was still "an important player", even though the Welsh winger is playing less and remained on the bench in the Champions League victory at Juventus on Tuesday. "These are decisions," Zidane told the media. "You say he's playing less or in less important games, but for me that's not the case." Rumours have linked Bale to a host of other clubs, notably Manchester United. "However we finish the season, my feeling is Gareth is going to stay," said Zidane.

Zidane says Real would not honour Barcelona title win

<p>Barcelona continues its unbeaten run as their star striker Lionel Messi came off the bench to score an 89th-minute 2-2 equaliser against Sevilla on Saturday.</p>

<p>Barca has not lost a single match in the season and with 8 matches left they are on the brink of creating history.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Still unbeaten!<br />
Still ?!<br />
?? <a href="https://t.co/YdWyjGTAzX">pic.twitter.com/YdWyjGTAzX</a></p>
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/980182998531366916?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Lionel Messi, who is struggling with a muscle injury was not in the line-up but he came up trumps again and&nbsp;celebrated his goal.</p>

<p>With one more win, Barcelona will equalise Real Sociedad’s league record of 38 games unbeaten set over two seasons in 1978/79 and 79/80 as Barcelona have now gone 37 consecutive league games since losing to Malaga in April last year.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">...cometh the man! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Messi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Messi</a> ?❤️ <a href="https://t.co/dusdeiSBwh">pic.twitter.com/dusdeiSBwh</a></p>
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/980191787099787264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>"If you have Messi and he does not play, it is clear that it has a lot of importance," coach Ernesto Valverde said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"He is a player that is decisive every time he touches the ball."</p>

<p>Franco Vazquez and Luis Muriel put Sevilla 2-0 ahead at the Sanchez Pizjuan, but Luis Suarez struck with two minutes to play before Messi fired in from the edge.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">? The best pics from a pulsating game!<br />
? <a href="https://t.co/KFkxcWui0a">https://t.co/KFkxcWui0a</a><br />
?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SevillaBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SevillaBarça</a> <a href="https://t.co/r9fwnyanrB">pic.twitter.com/r9fwnyanrB</a></p>
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/980248481251160064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Messi came off the bench to score an 89th-minute 2-2 equaliser against Sevilla

Barcelona continues its unbeaten run as their star striker Lionel Messi came off the bench to score an 89th-minute 2-2 equaliser against Sevilla on Saturday. Barca has not lost a single match in the season and with 8 matches left they are on the brink of creating history. Still unbeaten! Still ?! ?? pic.twitter.com/YdWyjGTAzX — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 31, 2018 × Lionel Messi, who is struggling with a muscle injury was not in the line-up but he came up trumps again and celebrated his goal. With one more win, Barcelona will equalise Real Sociedad’s league record of 38 games unbeaten set over two seasons in 1978/79 and 79/80 as Barcelona have now gone 37 consecutive league games since losing to Malaga in April last year. ...cometh the man! #Messi ?❤️ pic.twitter.com/dusdeiSBwh — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 31, 2018 × "If you have Messi and he does not play, it is clear that it has a lot of importance," coach Ernesto Valverde said. "He is a player that is decisive every time he touches the ball." Franco Vazquez and Luis Muriel put Sevilla 2-0 ahead at the Sanchez Pizjuan, but Luis Suarez struck with two minutes to play before Messi fired in from the edge. ? The best pics from a pulsating game! ? https://t.co/KFkxcWui0a ?? #SevillaBarça pic.twitter.com/r9fwnyanrB — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 1, 2018 ×

Messi's 89th-minute equaliser against Sevilla rescues Barcelona, they remain unbeaten

<p><strong><big>WION&#39;S PICK OF THE WEEK</big></strong></p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/never-let-people-limit-your-achievement-because-you-are-a-woman-mary-kom-to-wion-35237"><strong>Never let people limit your achievement because you are a woman: Mary Kom to WION</strong></a></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-bill-gates-teams-up-with-roger-federer-for-tennis-match-34871">Watch: Bill Gates teams up with Roger Federer for tennis match</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/roger%20federer%20and%20bill%20gates-20180306084503.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Roger Federer and Bill Gates during the practice session. (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-3-reasons-why-sachin-tendulkar-cannot-be-compared-to-virat-kohli-34840">Opinion: 3 reasons why Sachin Tendulkar cannot be compared to Virat Kohli</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-jacob-moore-accuses-larry-nassar-of-sexual-abuse-34879">Watch: Jacob Moore accuses Larry Nassar of sexual abuse</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rOMP-GOLM3E"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
<p>A Michigan gymnast became the first man to accuse Larry Nassar of sexual abuse on Monday (5 March). (AP)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/top-5-unusual-celebrations-by-cricketers-of-the-indian-subcontinent-35391">Unusual celebrations by cricketers from the Indian subcontinent&nbsp;</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/vijay-hazare-the-breadman-and-bradman-of-indian-cricket-35380">Remembering Vijay Hazare: The &#39;Bread-man and Bradman&#39; of Indian cricket</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/untitled%20design%20(1)-20180311072938.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>A file photo of Vijay Hazare. (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/throwback-to-first-and-most-remembered-century-in-ipl-history-35339">Throwback</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/throwback-to-first-and-most-remembered-century-in-ipl-history-35339">&nbsp;to </a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/throwback-to-first-and-most-remembered-century-in-ipl-history-35339">first</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/throwback-to-first-and-most-remembered-century-in-ipl-history-35339"> and most remembered century in IPL history</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Watch: Brendon McCullum scored 158 off 73 balls in the inaugural match and registered the first century in IPL history<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ipl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ipl</a> <a href="https://t.co/4WYp3yTw50">https://t.co/4WYp3yTw50</a></p>
&mdash; WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/972701411929722880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DVUnJLag2cg"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
<p>From Dhoni to Kohli, here&#39;s a list of all the leading run-scorers in IPL. Number 1 rank might surprise you (Zee News Network)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><big>Football</big></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/griezmann-angel-vitolo-shine-as-atletico-madrid-stroll-past-celta-35445">Griezmann, Angel, Vitolo shine as Atletico Madrid stroll past Celta</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/tottenham-hotspur-beat-bournemouth-to-climb-third-place-35443">Tottenham Hotspur beat Bournemouth to climb </a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/tottenham-hotspur-beat-bournemouth-to-climb-third-place-35443">third</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/tottenham-hotspur-beat-bournemouth-to-climb-third-place-35443"> place</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/sergio-aguero-suffers-injury-out-for-2-weeks-35439">Sergio Aguero suffers injury, out for 2 weeks</a></strong></p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/rashford-shines-as-man-united-sinks-liverpool-35341"><strong>Rashford shines as Man United sink Liverpool</strong></a></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/suarez-coutinho-inspire-barca-to-win-against-malaga-35360">Suarez, Coutinho inspire Barca to win against Malaga</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/chelsea-registers-vital-victory-ahead-of-barca-clash-35352">Chelsea register vital victory ahead of Barca clash</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/conte-lauds-willian-as-chelsea-set-sights-on-barcelona-35346">Conte lauds Willian as Chelsea set sights on Barcelona</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/messi-out-of-barca-squad-to-welcome-baby-ciro-35329">Messi out of Barca squad to welcome baby &#39;Ciro&#39;</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">FC Barcelona striker shared a beautiful photo on social networking sites quoting, &quot;Welcome Ciro!!&#39;&#39;<a href="https://t.co/Ob8RMH6xm2">https://t.co/Ob8RMH6xm2</a></p>
&mdash; WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/972585388173811713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ronaldo-strikes-twice-to-defeat-eibar-35340">Ronaldo strikes twice to defeat Eibar</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/barcelona-set-to-buy-brazilian-midfielder-arthur-35431">Barcelona set to buy Brazilian midfielder Arthur</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/football-real-on-song-as-psg-falter-again-in-champions-league-34934">Real Madrid on </a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/football-real-on-song-as-psg-falter-again-in-champions-league-34934">song</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/football-real-on-song-as-psg-falter-again-in-champions-league-34934"> as PSG falter again in Champions League</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/messi-just-one-in-the-world-fcb-coach-ernesto-valverde-34711">Messi just one in the world: FCB coach Ernesto Valverde</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/sanchez-transferred-to-manchester-united-at-the-wrong-time-jose-mourinho-35284">Sanchez transferred to Manchester United at &#39;wrong&#39; time: Jose Mourinho</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/arsenal-beat-ac-milan-to-register-much-awaited-victory-35183">Arsenal beat AC Milan to register </a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/arsenal-beat-ac-milan-to-register-much-awaited-victory-35183">much-awaited</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/arsenal-beat-ac-milan-to-register-much-awaited-victory-35183"> victory</a></strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><big>Cricket</big></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-england-registers-easy-win-against-new-zealand-to-clinch-series-35292">England registers easy win against New </a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-england-registers-easy-win-against-new-zealand-to-clinch-series-35292">Zealand,</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-england-registers-easy-win-against-new-zealand-to-clinch-series-35292"> clinches series</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-mushfiqur-rahim-performs-naagin-dance-on-ground-to-celebrate-victory-over-sri-lanka-35374">Watch: Mushfiqur Rahim performs &#39;Naagin dance&#39; to celebrate victory over Sri Lanka</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/warner-de-kock-fined-for-bringing-the-game-into-disrepute-35164">Warner, De Kock fined for &#39;bringing the game into disrepute&#39;</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/david%20warner-20180306031532.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>A leaked CCTV footage of the incident happened between Australian batsman David Warner and South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-bangladesh-t20i-nidahas-trophy-in-colombo-india-beat-bangladesh-by-six-wickets-35143">Nidahas T20I Trophy: India beat Bangladesh by six wickets</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/selecting-kohli-in-2008-ended-my-career-as-selector-claims-former-captain-vengsarkar-35159">&#39;Selecting Kohli in 2008 ended my career as selector&#39;, claims former captain Vengsarkar</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/mohammed-shami-loses-bccis-player-contract-after-wife-alleges-domestic-abuse-35019">Mohammed Shami loses BCCI&#39;s player contract after wife alleges domestic abuse</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/hasin%20jahan-20180307110243.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Mohammed Shami and his wife Hasin Jahan. (Photo courtesy: Instagram) (Zee News Network)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/bcci-announces-new-pay-contract-ms-dhoni-not-in-the-top-group-mohammed-shami-completely-excluded-35005">BCCI announces new pay contracts; MS Dhoni not in </a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/bcci-announces-new-pay-contract-ms-dhoni-not-in-the-top-group-mohammed-shami-completely-excluded-35005">top</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/bcci-announces-new-pay-contract-ms-dhoni-not-in-the-top-group-mohammed-shami-completely-excluded-35005"> group, Mohammed Shami gets nothing</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-gautam-gambhir-appointed-delhi-daredevils-captain-34969">IPL: Gautam Gambhir appointed Delhi Daredevils captain</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/nidahas-trophy-kusal-thisara-power-sri-lanka-to-5-wicket-victory-in-1st-t20-against-india-34927">Nidahas Trophy: Kusal, Thisara power Sri Lanka to 5-wicket victory in 1st T20 against India</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-australia-calls-bull-on-warner-tantrum-34829">Cricket: Australia calls &#39;&#39;Bull&#39;&#39; on Warner tantrum</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bowler-nathan-lyon-fined-for-disrespecting-ab-de-villiers-34801">Australian bowler Nathan Lyon fined for &#39;disrespecting&#39; AB de Villiers</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/kagiso-rabada-faces-suspension-for-disrespecting-steve-smith-35308">Kagiso Rabada faces suspension for disrespecting Steve Smith</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/kagiso%20rabada%20and%20steve%20smith-20180310095018.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Kagiso Rabada walking towards Steve Smith. (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><big>Golf</big></strong></p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/golf-englands-matt-wallace-claims-indian-open-title-35432"><strong>Golf: England&#39;s Matt Wallace claims Indian Open title</strong></a></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/wgc-mexico-championship-mickelson-wins-indias-shubnakar-sharma-ties-at-9-34700">After leading WGC Mexico Championship, India&#39;s Shubnakar Sharma ties at 9th</a></strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><big>Tennis</big></strong></p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/taro-daniel-outplays-novak-djokovic-in-indian-wells-35446"><strong>Taro Daniel outplays Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells</strong></a></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/welcome-back-lady-serena-marks-winning-return-at-wta-indian-wells-35199">Serena Williams marks winning comeback at WTA Indian Wells</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/serena%20williams-20180309064518.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Serena Williams celebrates after winning. (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/tennis-serenas-comeback-her-greatest-challenge-says-coach-mouratoglou-34764">Serena&#39;s comeback her greatest challenge, says coach Mouratoglou</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/tennis-halep-pliskova-advance-muguruza-suffers-shock-defeat-35311">Halep, Pliskova advance, Muguruza suffers shock defeat</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/simona%20halep-20180310102344.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Simona Halep of Romania celebrates her win over Kristyna Pliskova of Czech Republic during the BNP Paribas Open. (AFP)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><big>Shooting</big></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/issf-world-cup-shooter-anjum-moudgil-wins-silver-35278">ISSF World Cup: Shooter Anjum Moudgil wins silver</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cbse-reschedules-10th-exams-dates-for-shooter-anish-bhanwala-35288">CBSE reschedules board exams dates for shooter Anish Bhanwala</a></strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><big>Winter Paralympics</big></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/winter-paralympics-two-koreas-wont-march-together-at-opening-ceremony-35191">Winter Paralympics: Two Koreas won&#39;t march together at </a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/winter-paralympics-two-koreas-wont-march-together-at-opening-ceremony-35191">opening</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/winter-paralympics-two-koreas-wont-march-together-at-opening-ceremony-35191"> ceremony</a></strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><big>Others</big></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/new-badminton-serve-rule-a-tall-order-champs-say-35405">New badminton serve rule a tall order, say champs</a></strong></p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/nba-legend-kobe-bryant-wins-oscar-for-best-animated-short-34818">NBA legend Kobe Bryant wins Oscar for best animated short</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/kobe%20bryant-20180306041833.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Kobe Bryant posing with the Oscar trophy. (AFP)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Weekly compilation of sports and other related news (March 5 to March 11)

WION'S PICK OF THE WEEK Never let people limit your achievement because you are a woman: Mary Kom to WION Watch: Bill Gates teams up with Roger Federer for tennis match Roger Federer and Bill Gates during the practice session. (Twitter) × Opinion: 3 reasons why Sachin Tendulkar cannot be compared to Virat Kohli Watch: Jacob Moore accuses Larry Nassar of sexual abuse A Michigan gymnast became the first man to accuse Larry Nassar of sexual abuse on Monday (5 March). (AP) × Unusual celebrations by cricketers from the Indian subcontinent Remembering Vijay Hazare: The 'Bread-man and Bradman' of Indian cricket A file photo of Vijay Hazare. (Twitter) × Throwback to first and most remembered century in IPL history Watch: Brendon McCullum scored 158 off 73 balls in the inaugural match and registered the first century in IPL history#ipl https://t.co/4WYp3yTw50 — WION (@WIONews) March 11, 2018 × From Dhoni to Kohli, here's a list of all the leading run-scorers in IPL. Number 1 rank might surprise you (Zee News Network) × Football Griezmann, Angel, Vitolo shine as Atletico Madrid stroll past Celta Tottenham Hotspur beat Bournemouth to climb third place Sergio Aguero suffers injury, out for 2 weeks Rashford shines as Man United sink Liverpool Suarez, Coutinho inspire Barca to win against Malaga Chelsea register vital victory ahead of Barca clash Conte lauds Willian as Chelsea set sights on Barcelona Messi out of Barca squad to welcome baby 'Ciro' FC Barcelona striker shared a beautiful photo on social networking sites quoting, "Welcome Ciro!!''https://t.co/Ob8RMH6xm2 — WION (@WIONews) March 10, 2018 × Ronaldo strikes twice to defeat Eibar Barcelona set to buy Brazilian midfielder Arthur Real Madrid on song as PSG falter again in Champions League Messi just one in the world: FCB coach Ernesto Valverde Sanchez transferred to Manchester United at 'wrong' time: Jose Mourinho Arsenal beat AC Milan to register much-awaited victory Cricket England registers easy win against New Zealand, clinches series Watch: Mushfiqur Rahim performs 'Naagin dance' to celebrate victory over Sri Lanka Warner, De Kock fined for 'bringing the game into disrepute' A leaked CCTV footage of the incident happened between Australian batsman David Warner and South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. (Twitter) × Nidahas T20I Trophy: India beat Bangladesh by six wickets 'Selecting Kohli in 2008 ended my career as selector', claims former captain Vengsarkar Mohammed Shami loses BCCI's player contract after wife alleges domestic abuse Mohammed Shami and his wife Hasin Jahan. (Photo courtesy: Instagram) (Zee News Network) × BCCI announces new pay contracts; MS Dhoni not in top group, Mohammed Shami gets nothing IPL: Gautam Gambhir appointed Delhi Daredevils captain Nidahas Trophy: Kusal, Thisara power Sri Lanka to 5-wicket victory in 1st T20 against India Cricket: Australia calls ''Bull'' on Warner tantrum Australian bowler Nathan Lyon fined for 'disrespecting' AB de Villiers Kagiso Rabada faces suspension for disrespecting Steve Smith Kagiso Rabada walking towards Steve Smith. (Twitter) × Golf Golf: England's Matt Wallace claims Indian Open title After leading WGC Mexico Championship, India's Shubnakar Sharma ties at 9th Tennis Taro Daniel outplays Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells Serena Williams marks winning comeback at WTA Indian Wells Serena Williams celebrates after winning. (Twitter) × Serena's comeback her greatest challenge, says coach Mouratoglou Halep, Pliskova advance, Muguruza suffers shock defeat Simona Halep of Romania celebrates her win over Kristyna Pliskova of Czech Republic during the BNP Paribas Open. (AFP) × Shooting ISSF World Cup: Shooter Anjum Moudgil wins silver CBSE reschedules board exams dates for shooter Anish Bhanwala Winter Paralympics Winter Paralympics: Two Koreas won't march together at opening ceremony Others New badminton serve rule a tall order, say champs NBA legend Kobe Bryant wins Oscar for best animated short Kobe Bryant posing with the Oscar trophy. (AFP) ×

WION Sports News: Top sports results this week

<p>In-form Antoine Griezmann scored one goal and made another as Atletico Madrid cruised to a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday, consolidating their grip on second place.</p>

<p>Griezmann opened the scoring just before the break at the Wanda Metropolitano with his 16th goal of the season in La Liga, his 11th in the last nine games.</p>

<p>The France star, who continues to be linked with a summer move to Barcelona, then set up Vitolo to make it 2-0 before Angel Correa, on as a substitute, wrapped up the points for Diego Simeone&#39;s side.</p>

<p>It was a seventh win in eight La Liga outings for Atletico, the exception being last weekend&#39;s 1-0 loss at Barcelona.</p>

<p>As a result, the 2014 champions remain eight points behind league leaders Barca, but they are seven clear of Real Madrid in third.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="es">⏱ 93&#39; | 3-0 | ➕3⃣ &iexcl;FINAAAAL! &iexcl;Los tres puntos se quedan en el Wanda <a href="https://twitter.com/Metropolitano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Metropolitano</a>! ????⚪????<br />
44&#39; ⚽ <a href="https://twitter.com/AntoGriezmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AntoGriezmann</a><br />
56&#39; ⚽ <a href="https://twitter.com/VitoloMachin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VitoloMachin</a><br />
63&#39; ⚽ <a href="https://twitter.com/AngelCorrea32?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AngelCorrea32</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtletiCelta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtletiCelta</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/A%C3%BApaAtleti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#A&uacute;paAtleti</a> <a href="https://t.co/DAlU8rSTDy">pic.twitter.com/DAlU8rSTDy</a></p>
&mdash; Atl&eacute;tico de Madrid (@Atleti) <a href="https://twitter.com/Atleti/status/972880905936220160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&quot;There is still a long way to go. We take things one game at a time and we will try to continue that way,&quot; said Simeone of his side&#39;s title chances.</p>

<p>&quot;My desire is to be in with a chance with five games left. Then we will be able to speak about something more.&quot;</p>

<p>Griezmann&#39;s goal on Sunday came a minute before the break as he controlled the ball at the back post following a corner and showed some brilliant footwork to take a Celta defender out of the game before firing into the far corner.</p>

<p>He turned provider in the 56th minute with a pass for Vitolo, who beat Ruben Blanco in the Celta goal with a clipped finish.</p>

<p>Vitolo&#39;s last three goals in La Liga have now been for three different teams -- he previously netted for Sevilla and then scored for Las Palmas against Celta earlier this season.</p>

<p>Correa came in for Vitolo just before the hour and got on the scoresheet four minutes later, finishing low into the net after his initial effort had been blocked.</p>

<p>It was Atletico&#39;s second 3-0 win at home in four days after they beat Lokomotiv Moscow by the same scoreline in their Europa League last 16, first leg on Thursday.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Atletico Madrid remains eight points behind league leaders Barca, but they are seven clear of Real Madrid in third

In-form Antoine Griezmann scored one goal and made another as Atletico Madrid cruised to a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday, consolidating their grip on second place. Griezmann opened the scoring just before the break at the Wanda Metropolitano with his 16th goal of the season in La Liga, his 11th in the last nine games. The France star, who continues to be linked with a summer move to Barcelona, then set up Vitolo to make it 2-0 before Angel Correa, on as a substitute, wrapped up the points for Diego Simeone's side. It was a seventh win in eight La Liga outings for Atletico, the exception being last weekend's 1-0 loss at Barcelona. As a result, the 2014 champions remain eight points behind league leaders Barca, but they are seven clear of Real Madrid in third. ⏱ 93' | 3-0 | ➕3⃣ ¡FINAAAAL! ¡Los tres puntos se quedan en el Wanda @Metropolitano! ????⚪???? 44' ⚽ @AntoGriezmann 56' ⚽ @VitoloMachin 63' ⚽ @AngelCorrea32 #AtletiCelta #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/DAlU8rSTDy — Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) March 11, 2018 × "There is still a long way to go. We take things one game at a time and we will try to continue that way," said Simeone of his side's title chances. "My desire is to be in with a chance with five games left. Then we will be able to speak about something more." Griezmann's goal on Sunday came a minute before the break as he controlled the ball at the back post following a corner and showed some brilliant footwork to take a Celta defender out of the game before firing into the far corner. He turned provider in the 56th minute with a pass for Vitolo, who beat Ruben Blanco in the Celta goal with a clipped finish. Vitolo's last three goals in La Liga have now been for three different teams -- he previously netted for Sevilla and then scored for Las Palmas against Celta earlier this season. Correa came in for Vitolo just before the hour and got on the scoresheet four minutes later, finishing low into the net after his initial effort had been blocked. It was Atletico's second 3-0 win at home in four days after they beat Lokomotiv Moscow by the same scoreline in their Europa League last 16, first leg on Thursday.

Griezmann, Angel, Vitolo shine as Atletico Madrid stroll past Celta

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo struck late with a bullet header to give Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Eibar in La Liga on Saturday, taking his side to within four points of second-placed Atletico Madrid.</p>

<p>Ronaldo scored for the seventh successive game in all competitions by blasting into the net in the 34th minute after chesting down a long ball by Luka Modric, but eighth-placed Eibar pegged the champions back when Ivan Ramis outjumped Sergio Ramos to head home from a corner in the 50th.</p>

<p>Ronaldo was denied by an inspired save by Eibar&#39;s Marko Dmitrovic, who clawed away the Portuguese&#39;s header following a cross from Gareth Bale.</p>

<p>The irrepressible striker had the final say, however, meeting a cross from Dani Carvajal in the area and powering the ball beyond the Serbian goalkeeper in the 84th minute, scoring the 13th goal in his last seven games in all competitions.</p>

<p>Ronaldo has roared back from a feeble start to the season, when he scored just once in his first eight league games, to reach 18 goals in the campaign.</p>

<p>His double against Eibar allowed him to move into the top three scorers in the league, trailing Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on 24 and 20 respectively.</p>

<p>&quot;He&#39;s from another galaxy,&quot; Real coach Zinedine Zidane said of Ronaldo.</p>

<p>&quot;He knows he&#39;s going to score, he&#39;s unique and special. His stats speak for him. And he&#39;s our player. He&#39;s always positive and if he scores twice, he wants to score a third.&quot;</p>

<p>Real are third in the Liga standings on 57 points, 12 behind runaway leaders Barcelona, who visit basement club Malaga later on Sunday. Atletico host Celta Vigo on Sunday.</p>

<p><strong>Better Start</strong></p>

<p>Tiny Eibar is in contention for a European place next season and made the better start to the game, with Zidane admitting his side struggled in the opening stages.</p>

<p>&quot;This victory makes me feel very good because they were the better side for a while, they played very well,&quot; added the coach.</p>

<p>&quot;This is a very difficult ground to come to and they know how to play here. We knew we were going to suffer and we did, we had trouble getting hold of the ball but we fought together with character and got the win.&quot;</p>

<p>Valencia tightened their grip on fourth place in the standings and took a giant leap towards returning to the Champions League by winning 2-0 at Sevilla, opening up an 11-point gap with the Andalusians in fifth place.</p>

<p>Spain international Rodrigo Moreno scored either side of halftime to inflict a third home defeat in little more than two months on Sevilla, whose best chance of getting back into Europe&#39;s elite competition now likely rests on them winning the tournament.</p>

<p>Vincenzo Montella&#39;s side visits Manchester United on Tuesday in a last-16 second leg, with the tie finely balanced at 0-0.</p>

<p>&quot;The first thing we need to do is forget about this disappointment and focus on Tuesday&#39;s game,&quot; Montella said.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Ronaldo has roared back from a feeble start to the season, when he scored just once in his first eight league games, to reach 18 goals in the campaign

Cristiano Ronaldo struck late with a bullet header to give Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Eibar in La Liga on Saturday, taking his side to within four points of second-placed Atletico Madrid. Ronaldo scored for the seventh successive game in all competitions by blasting into the net in the 34th minute after chesting down a long ball by Luka Modric, but eighth-placed Eibar pegged the champions back when Ivan Ramis outjumped Sergio Ramos to head home from a corner in the 50th. Ronaldo was denied by an inspired save by Eibar's Marko Dmitrovic, who clawed away the Portuguese's header following a cross from Gareth Bale. The irrepressible striker had the final say, however, meeting a cross from Dani Carvajal in the area and powering the ball beyond the Serbian goalkeeper in the 84th minute, scoring the 13th goal in his last seven games in all competitions. Ronaldo has roared back from a feeble start to the season, when he scored just once in his first eight league games, to reach 18 goals in the campaign. His double against Eibar allowed him to move into the top three scorers in the league, trailing Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on 24 and 20 respectively. "He's from another galaxy," Real coach Zinedine Zidane said of Ronaldo. "He knows he's going to score, he's unique and special. His stats speak for him. And he's our player. He's always positive and if he scores twice, he wants to score a third." Real are third in the Liga standings on 57 points, 12 behind runaway leaders Barcelona, who visit basement club Malaga later on Sunday. Atletico host Celta Vigo on Sunday. Better Start Tiny Eibar is in contention for a European place next season and made the better start to the game, with Zidane admitting his side struggled in the opening stages. "This victory makes me feel very good because they were the better side for a while, they played very well," added the coach. "This is a very difficult ground to come to and they know how to play here. We knew we were going to suffer and we did, we had trouble getting hold of the ball but we fought together with character and got the win." Valencia tightened their grip on fourth place in the standings and took a giant leap towards returning to the Champions League by winning 2-0 at Sevilla, opening up an 11-point gap with the Andalusians in fifth place. Spain international Rodrigo Moreno scored either side of halftime to inflict a third home defeat in little more than two months on Sevilla, whose best chance of getting back into Europe's elite competition now likely rests on them winning the tournament. Vincenzo Montella's side visits Manchester United on Tuesday in a last-16 second leg, with the tie finely balanced at 0-0. "The first thing we need to do is forget about this disappointment and focus on Tuesday's game," Montella said.

Ronaldo strikes twice to defeat Eibar

<p>Lionel Messi was away attending the birth of his son but Barcelona still had more than enough to beat 10-man Malaga 2-0 on Saturday and move 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.</p>

<p>Messi was watching the game on a television in the hospital as Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho put his team two up inside half an hour at La Rosaleda Stadium, before Samuel Garcia was sent off in the 30th minute for a dangerous tackle on Jordi Alba.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BgJ67QJn9Hi/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:8px;">
<div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:60.50925925925926% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;">
<div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BgJ67QJn9Hi/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Listos !!!</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/leomessi/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Leo Messi</a> (@leomessi) on <time datetime="2018-03-10T19:48:55+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Mar 10, 2018 at 11:48am PST</time></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async defer src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Down a man and without a win in 12 matches, Malaga might have feared a rout but Barca settled for a straightforward victory, perhaps with one eye on Wednesday&#39;s Champions League last-16 clash against Chelsea.</p>

<p>Messi is expected back at the Camp Nou, where the score is 1-1 from the first leg, but Ernesto Valverde will have been delighted with how his attackers filled the void, as Suarez, Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele all delivered excellent displays.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">???? Final whistle!<br />
⚽ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M%C3%A1lagaBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#M&aacute;lagaBar&ccedil;a</a><br />
???? <a href="https://twitter.com/LuisSuarez9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LuisSuarez9</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Phil_Coutinho?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Phil_Coutinho</a> ????<br />
<br />
???????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/For%C3%A7aBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#For&ccedil;aBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://t.co/UKxbiVmwBM">pic.twitter.com/UKxbiVmwBM</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/972586771933466625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>In particular, Dembele&#39;s brilliant turn and the pass was bettered only by Coutinho&#39;s flicked finish for what was a superb second goal.</p>

<p>The win means Barca extend their advantage over second-placed Atletico Madrid, who can pull the deficit back to eight points with a win over Celta Vigo on Sunday.</p>

<p>Malaga, meanwhile, remains rooted to the bottom of the table.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Without Messi, Barcelona defeated10-man Malaga 2-0 and move 11 points clear at the top of La Liga

Lionel Messi was away attending the birth of his son but Barcelona still had more than enough to beat 10-man Malaga 2-0 on Saturday and move 11 points clear at the top of La Liga. Messi was watching the game on a television in the hospital as Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho put his team two up inside half an hour at La Rosaleda Stadium, before Samuel Garcia was sent off in the 30th minute for a dangerous tackle on Jordi Alba. Listos !!! A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Mar 10, 2018 at 11:48am PST × Down a man and without a win in 12 matches, Malaga might have feared a rout but Barca settled for a straightforward victory, perhaps with one eye on Wednesday's Champions League last-16 clash against Chelsea. Messi is expected back at the Camp Nou, where the score is 1-1 from the first leg, but Ernesto Valverde will have been delighted with how his attackers filled the void, as Suarez, Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele all delivered excellent displays. ???? Final whistle! ⚽ #MálagaBarça ???? @LuisSuarez9, @Phil_Coutinho ???? ???????? #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/UKxbiVmwBM — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 10, 2018 × In particular, Dembele's brilliant turn and the pass was bettered only by Coutinho's flicked finish for what was a superb second goal. The win means Barca extend their advantage over second-placed Atletico Madrid, who can pull the deficit back to eight points with a win over Celta Vigo on Sunday. Malaga, meanwhile, remains rooted to the bottom of the table.

Suarez, Coutinho inspire Barca to win against Malaga

<p>Real Madrid, the defending champions, had a dream-like season last year but this year, the performance is not up to the mark. Currently, they are 15 points behind rivals and table leader FC Barcelona.</p>

<p>But they certainly played well in the Champions League, recently, Real Madrid showed their collective strength in a clinical 2-1 win over Paris St Germain, with this win, they have entered the quarter-finals of the tournament</p>

<p>Now, Real Madrid is looking forward to maintaining the same momentum in their domestic away form when they travel to face Eibar on Saturday.</p>

<p>This season, Real faced a hoodoo of injuries, from Sergio Ramos to Gareth Bale. In a recent press conference, Zinedine Zidane talked about Gareth Bale form and injury.</p>

<p><em>Watch&nbsp;Gareth Bale trains with the teammates:</em></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="es">⚽???? &iexcl;Ha comenzado nuestro &uacute;ltimo entrenamiento antes del partido de este s&aacute;bado contra el <a href="https://twitter.com/SDEibar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SDEibar</a>! Sigue toda la actualidad del equipo en la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RMCity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RMCity</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HalaMadrid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HalaMadrid</a> <a href="https://t.co/3lICTv1tq6">pic.twitter.com/3lICTv1tq6</a></p>
&mdash; Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/972057185546063872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&quot;No, he&#39;s not a problem, we talk, I talk to him and he&#39;s not a problem.&quot;</p>

<p>He also added, &quot;He knows where he is and that the rest of the players are important too, that&#39;s all.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;What I&#39;m trying to say is that there&#39;s no problem. You want to make this a problem but there is no problem,&quot; he responded to a journalist.</p>

<p>&quot;I have to choose a team every three days, and Gareth is important for me but there are other players who are important too, that&#39;s all,&quot; he mentioned that every player is important.</p>

<p><em>Real Madrid arrived in&nbsp;Bilbao to play against Eibar on Saturday:</em></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="es">????????????&iexcl;Ya estamos en Bilbao! &iexcl;Mira la c&aacute;lida bienvenida que nos brindaron en el aeropuerto y el hotel de concentraci&oacute;n nuestros <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RMFans?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RMFans</a>! <a href="https://t.co/Zo99AoVUgu">pic.twitter.com/Zo99AoVUgu</a></p>
&mdash; Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/972202573083152386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="es">???? &iexcl;Todos a bordo del avi&oacute;n con destino Bilbao! ???? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RMLiga?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RMLiga</a> <a href="https://t.co/jm8uwhZBHX">pic.twitter.com/jm8uwhZBHX</a></p>
&mdash; Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/972177702198304769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Real Madrid is looking forward to maintaining the winning momentum in their domestic away form when they travel to face Eibar

Real Madrid, the defending champions, had a dream-like season last year but this year, the performance is not up to the mark. Currently, they are 15 points behind rivals and table leader FC Barcelona. But they certainly played well in the Champions League, recently, Real Madrid showed their collective strength in a clinical 2-1 win over Paris St Germain, with this win, they have entered the quarter-finals of the tournament Now, Real Madrid is looking forward to maintaining the same momentum in their domestic away form when they travel to face Eibar on Saturday. This season, Real faced a hoodoo of injuries, from Sergio Ramos to Gareth Bale. In a recent press conference, Zinedine Zidane talked about Gareth Bale form and injury. Watch Gareth Bale trains with the teammates: ⚽???? ¡Ha comenzado nuestro último entrenamiento antes del partido de este sábado contra el @SDEibar! Sigue toda la actualidad del equipo en la #RMCity.#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/3lICTv1tq6 — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 9, 2018 × "No, he's not a problem, we talk, I talk to him and he's not a problem." He also added, "He knows where he is and that the rest of the players are important too, that's all." "What I'm trying to say is that there's no problem. You want to make this a problem but there is no problem," he responded to a journalist. "I have to choose a team every three days, and Gareth is important for me but there are other players who are important too, that's all," he mentioned that every player is important. Real Madrid arrived in Bilbao to play against Eibar on Saturday: ????????????¡Ya estamos en Bilbao! ¡Mira la cálida bienvenida que nos brindaron en el aeropuerto y el hotel de concentración nuestros #RMFans! pic.twitter.com/Zo99AoVUgu — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 9, 2018 × ???? ¡Todos a bordo del avión con destino Bilbao! ???? #RMLiga pic.twitter.com/jm8uwhZBHX — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 9, 2018 ×

Bale's injury is 'not a problem': Zinedine Zidane

<p>FC Barcelona defeated the visitors Atletico Madrid by 1-0 at their home ground&nbsp;Camp Nou on Sunday. Both the teams are neck-to-neck and are racing to be at number one spot at the Spanish League table. Barca has maintained a modest lead throughout the season but in the previous matches, Atletico displayed a splendid performance to cut the gap between them and the table leaders.</p>

<p>FC Barcelona was five points ahead of second-ranked Atletico Madrid which further extended to eight as marvellous Messi netted in the 26th minute by clearing a free-kick and hitting a swinging banana shot into the top right corner and gave a 1-0 lead. It was Messi&#39;s 600th career goal from 25 yards out.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">???? Another landmark for Leo <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Messi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Messi</a>!<br />
➡️ <a href="https://t.co/2M3jsXs79U">https://t.co/2M3jsXs79U</a> <a href="https://t.co/kqLEVeAVBY">pic.twitter.com/kqLEVeAVBY</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/970392218602233856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Messi&#39;s goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 win against second-place Atletico Madrid and widened the gap over their closest rivals to eight points with 11 games remaining.</p>

<p>Besides Barca fans and followers, the coach Ernesto Valverde is also very happy after the vital win against Atletico. In the post-match presentation, he said, &quot;(Lionel) Messi there is just one in the world.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I don&#39;t know what would have happened (if he would not be playing for Barcelona), but what is the reason to think about that if he is playing with us?&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also focused on further matches and hoped the team would compete well in such important and crucial games and said, &quot;We have made a step forward, but it is not definitive.&quot;</p>

<p>Before the match, Atletico coach Diego Simeone had hailed&nbsp;Griezmann saying, &quot;Antoine is an extraordinary footballer and when he is at his level like this, he is one of the best, and it is clear that in his present position he is in the perfect place.&quot;</p>

<p>But Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann, who came in with seven goals in two games, was largely anonymous.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Messi's goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 win against second-place Atletico Madrid and widened the gap over their closest rivals to eight points with 11 games remaining

FC Barcelona defeated the visitors Atletico Madrid by 1-0 at their home ground Camp Nou on Sunday. Both the teams are neck-to-neck and are racing to be at number one spot at the Spanish League table. Barca has maintained a modest lead throughout the season but in the previous matches, Atletico displayed a splendid performance to cut the gap between them and the table leaders. FC Barcelona was five points ahead of second-ranked Atletico Madrid which further extended to eight as marvellous Messi netted in the 26th minute by clearing a free-kick and hitting a swinging banana shot into the top right corner and gave a 1-0 lead. It was Messi's 600th career goal from 25 yards out. ???? Another landmark for Leo #Messi! ➡️ https://t.co/2M3jsXs79U pic.twitter.com/kqLEVeAVBY — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2018 × Messi's goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 win against second-place Atletico Madrid and widened the gap over their closest rivals to eight points with 11 games remaining. Besides Barca fans and followers, the coach Ernesto Valverde is also very happy after the vital win against Atletico. In the post-match presentation, he said, "(Lionel) Messi there is just one in the world." "I don't know what would have happened (if he would not be playing for Barcelona), but what is the reason to think about that if he is playing with us?" He also focused on further matches and hoped the team would compete well in such important and crucial games and said, "We have made a step forward, but it is not definitive." Before the match, Atletico coach Diego Simeone had hailed Griezmann saying, "Antoine is an extraordinary footballer and when he is at his level like this, he is one of the best, and it is clear that in his present position he is in the perfect place." But Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann, who came in with seven goals in two games, was largely anonymous.

Messi just one in the world: FCB coach Ernesto Valverde

<p>FC Barcelona won against the visitors Atletico Madrid by 1-0&nbsp;at Camp Nou on Sunday. The match was labelled as &quot;the Grand Final&quot; by some Spanish media houses,&nbsp;as&nbsp;both the teams are neck-to-neck and are&nbsp;racing to be at number spot in the League table.</p>

<p>The game started in the second half when Atletico Madrid displayed enough intent and courage to win the Spanish title race. Otherwise, the first half was entirely dominated by FC Barcelona and&nbsp;Atletico seemed as if they have surrendered in the initial 45 minutes.</p>

<p>Barcelona sent the first warning in the 3rd minute itself by earning a corner, they had put Atletico under immense pressure by claiming 5 corners within 12 minutes, though, none of them was converted. Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, who came in with seven goals in two games, was largely anonymous.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Vital win ???? <a href="https://t.co/niHSuzyN5m">pic.twitter.com/niHSuzyN5m</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/970351018536873984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Despite the massive dominance, few of the Barca&#39;s stars were unlucky to some extent, first Luis Suarez as two of his goals were offsides. He thought he had scored a second after half-volleying through Oblak&#39;s legs but was flagged offside before Jose Gimenez applied a crucial block to deflect a Messi shot over.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And Iniesta, who suffered an injury to his right hamstring during and will have more tests tomorrow will provide more insight into his condition. Iniesta now has 10 days to recover before next week&#39;s Champions League second leg against Chelsea.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">[INJURY NEWS] <a href="https://twitter.com/andresiniesta8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@andresiniesta8</a> has a hamstring injury in his right leg. More tests are needed to find out the extent of the problem <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bar%C3%A7aAtleti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bar&ccedil;aAtleti</a> <a href="https://t.co/2rhv79AekT">pic.twitter.com/2rhv79AekT</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/970336976137342981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>FC Barcelona was five points ahead of second-ranked Atletico Madrid which extended to eight as marvellous Messi netted in the 26th minute by clearing a free-kick by hitting a swinging banana shot into the top right corner and gave a 1-0 lead. It was Messi&#39;s 600th career goal from a free-kick from 25 yards out.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">???? With that goal Leo <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Messi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Messi</a> reaches 600 as a professional! ????<br />
???????? 539 ⚽<br />
???????? 61 ⚽<br />
???? Congratulations, Leo! ???? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/For%C3%A7aBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#For&ccedil;aBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://t.co/8o7gBNoSaH">pic.twitter.com/8o7gBNoSaH</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/970324755327963136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>The second half was bit competitive but the 1-0 lead helped the Catalans to maintain the pressure and the efforts of Atletico Madrid went in vain.</p>

<p>Though they were close to equalizing and almost did also but the goal in the second half was offside, a very close one.</p>

<p>FC Barcelona has earned a crucial 3 points and stand at top of LaLiga charts and continues its unbeaten run.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="pt">????<br />
???? <a href="https://twitter.com/LaLiga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaLiga</a><br />
???????? For&ccedil;a Bar&ccedil;a <a href="https://t.co/riabW56GFS">pic.twitter.com/riabW56GFS</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/970349427528433664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Lionel Messi scored from the 25 yards out and whipped the free-kick beyond the scrambling Oblak and into the top corner

FC Barcelona won against the visitors Atletico Madrid by 1-0 at Camp Nou on Sunday. The match was labelled as "the Grand Final" by some Spanish media houses, as both the teams are neck-to-neck and are racing to be at number spot in the League table. The game started in the second half when Atletico Madrid displayed enough intent and courage to win the Spanish title race. Otherwise, the first half was entirely dominated by FC Barcelona and Atletico seemed as if they have surrendered in the initial 45 minutes. Barcelona sent the first warning in the 3rd minute itself by earning a corner, they had put Atletico under immense pressure by claiming 5 corners within 12 minutes, though, none of them was converted. Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, who came in with seven goals in two games, was largely anonymous. Vital win ???? pic.twitter.com/niHSuzyN5m — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2018 × Despite the massive dominance, few of the Barca's stars were unlucky to some extent, first Luis Suarez as two of his goals were offsides. He thought he had scored a second after half-volleying through Oblak's legs but was flagged offside before Jose Gimenez applied a crucial block to deflect a Messi shot over. And Iniesta, who suffered an injury to his right hamstring during and will have more tests tomorrow will provide more insight into his condition. Iniesta now has 10 days to recover before next week's Champions League second leg against Chelsea. [INJURY NEWS] @andresiniesta8 has a hamstring injury in his right leg. More tests are needed to find out the extent of the problem #BarçaAtleti pic.twitter.com/2rhv79AekT — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2018 × FC Barcelona was five points ahead of second-ranked Atletico Madrid which extended to eight as marvellous Messi netted in the 26th minute by clearing a free-kick by hitting a swinging banana shot into the top right corner and gave a 1-0 lead. It was Messi's 600th career goal from a free-kick from 25 yards out. ???? With that goal Leo #Messi reaches 600 as a professional! ???? ???????? 539 ⚽ ???????? 61 ⚽ ???? Congratulations, Leo! ???? #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/8o7gBNoSaH — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2018 × The second half was bit competitive but the 1-0 lead helped the Catalans to maintain the pressure and the efforts of Atletico Madrid went in vain. Though they were close to equalizing and almost did also but the goal in the second half was offside, a very close one. FC Barcelona has earned a crucial 3 points and stand at top of LaLiga charts and continues its unbeaten run. ???? ???? @LaLiga ???????? Força Barça pic.twitter.com/riabW56GFS — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2018 ×

Messi makes difference again to beat Atletico Madrid

<p>La Liga president Javier Tebas said on Friday he remains determined to play Spanish top flight games abroad in a bid to further improve the league&#39;s global popularity.</p>

<p>Premier League plans in 2008 for a &#39;39th game&#39;, a round of fixtures played outside England, met fierce opposition from the fans, but Tebas remains enthusiastic about the idea of playing one or two games per year outside Spain.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s a difficult and complicated issue because there are many things that need to be ironed out but we want to be the first league that plays an official game outside its usual territory,&quot; he said at the Web Sport Congress on Friday.</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;re not talking about playing all 380 games per season abroad, it will be one per season or two at most. We are now trying to get clubs to agree to the decision.&quot;</p>

<p>The league&#39;s two most successful clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona met in a &#39;Clasico&#39; friendly game last July in Miami, Florida, packing out the 65,000-seater Hard Rock Stadium.</p>

<p>Neither team are expected to feature in any official game played outside Spain in the future though and certainly not against each other in a &#39;Clasico&#39;.</p>

<p>La Liga&#39;s head of global communications Joris Evers told Reuters in December: &quot;It is unlikely for it to be a &#39;Clasico&#39;, as one of the key priorities is to expand awareness and present La Liga as much broader than Real Madrid and Barcelona.</p>

<p>&quot;They are the biggest clubs and brands within La Liga and we want to take advantage of the &#39;Clasico&#39; to present the broader league, to talk to people about more stories and more clubs.</p>

<p>&quot;That&#39;s how we want to grow the story of our competition and the spectacle of entertainment we have each weekend.&quot;</p>


To improve the league's global popularity, La Liga's president Javier Tebas remains enthusiastic about the idea of playing few games outside Spain

La Liga president Javier Tebas said on Friday he remains determined to play Spanish top flight games abroad in a bid to further improve the league's global popularity. Premier League plans in 2008 for a '39th game', a round of fixtures played outside England, met fierce opposition from the fans, but Tebas remains enthusiastic about the idea of playing one or two games per year outside Spain. "It's a difficult and complicated issue because there are many things that need to be ironed out but we want to be the first league that plays an official game outside its usual territory," he said at the Web Sport Congress on Friday. "We're not talking about playing all 380 games per season abroad, it will be one per season or two at most. We are now trying to get clubs to agree to the decision." The league's two most successful clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona met in a 'Clasico' friendly game last July in Miami, Florida, packing out the 65,000-seater Hard Rock Stadium. Neither team are expected to feature in any official game played outside Spain in the future though and certainly not against each other in a 'Clasico'. La Liga's head of global communications Joris Evers told Reuters in December: "It is unlikely for it to be a 'Clasico', as one of the key priorities is to expand awareness and present La Liga as much broader than Real Madrid and Barcelona. "They are the biggest clubs and brands within La Liga and we want to take advantage of the 'Clasico' to present the broader league, to talk to people about more stories and more clubs. "That's how we want to grow the story of our competition and the spectacle of entertainment we have each weekend."

Javier Tebas determined to take LaLiga games abroad

<p>French striker Antoine Griezmann hit a hat-trick as Atletico Madrid thrashed Sevilla 5-2 on Sunday to cut the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona back to seven points.</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;m very happy with the team&#39;s work, but a little less happy that we conceded two goals,&quot; said Griezmann.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s good that we have several forwards who score goals, but the most important thing is the three points.&quot;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">HIGHLIGHTS ????<br />
Did you miss our &lsquo;partidazo&rsquo; in Seville? ⚽????&nbsp;Check out the best plays and <a href="https://twitter.com/AntoGriezmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AntoGriezmann</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/diegocosta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@diegocosta</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Koke6?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Koke6</a>&rsquo;s goals ????⚪???????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/A%C3%BApaAtleti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#A&uacute;paAtleti</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SevillaFCAtleti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SevillaFCAtleti</a></p>
&mdash; Atl&eacute;tico de Madrid (@atletienglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/atletienglish/status/967891901864177664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Former Chelsea star Diego Costa grabbed the opener just before the half-hour mark after a farcical mix-up in the Sevilla defence.</p>

<p>Goalkeeper Sergio Rico attempted to play a short ball to Ever Banega standing on the edge of the penalty area.</p>

<p>However, his teammate dallied too long and predator Costa nipped in to steal the ball off the toe of the Argentine before confidently burying the opportunity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sevilla had plenty of chances with Colombian striker Luis Muriel seeing Atletico keeper Jan Oblak deny him with a smart save.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">⏱ 92&#39; | 2-5 | There&#39;s the final whistle! ➕3⃣Great win from the lads! ????⚪????<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SevillaFCAtleti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SevillaFCAtleti</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/A%C3%BApaAtleti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#A&uacute;paAtleti</a> <a href="https://t.co/Jh3dG3SJR5">pic.twitter.com/Jh3dG3SJR5</a></p>
&mdash; Atl&eacute;tico de Madrid (@atletienglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/atletienglish/status/967875579960856576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Three minutes from the break, Griezmann scored his first of the night when he danced between three defenders to score with a fierce right-footed drive past Rico.</p>

<p>Griezmann made it 3-0 five minutes into the second half, converting his team&#39;s first La Liga penalty of the season after Costa was brought down by Rico.</p>

<p>Sevilla imploded with Koke making it 4-0 after more suicidal defending before Griezmann completed his hat-trick on 80 minutes, taking his Liga tally to 11 for the season.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The home side salvaged a degree of pride when Pablo Sarabia and Nolito tucked away goals in the last five minutes.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Former Chelsea star Diego Costa grabbed the opener just before the half-hour mark after a farcical mix-up in the Sevilla defence

French striker Antoine Griezmann hit a hat-trick as Atletico Madrid thrashed Sevilla 5-2 on Sunday to cut the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona back to seven points. "I'm very happy with the team's work, but a little less happy that we conceded two goals," said Griezmann. "It's good that we have several forwards who score goals, but the most important thing is the three points." HIGHLIGHTS ???? Did you miss our ‘partidazo’ in Seville? ⚽???? Check out the best plays and @AntoGriezmann, @diegocosta and @Koke6’s goals ????⚪???????? #AúpaAtleti #SevillaFCAtleti — Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) February 25, 2018 × Former Chelsea star Diego Costa grabbed the opener just before the half-hour mark after a farcical mix-up in the Sevilla defence. Goalkeeper Sergio Rico attempted to play a short ball to Ever Banega standing on the edge of the penalty area. However, his teammate dallied too long and predator Costa nipped in to steal the ball off the toe of the Argentine before confidently burying the opportunity. Sevilla had plenty of chances with Colombian striker Luis Muriel seeing Atletico keeper Jan Oblak deny him with a smart save. ⏱ 92' | 2-5 | There's the final whistle! ➕3⃣Great win from the lads! ????⚪????#SevillaFCAtleti #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/Jh3dG3SJR5 — Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) February 25, 2018 × Three minutes from the break, Griezmann scored his first of the night when he danced between three defenders to score with a fierce right-footed drive past Rico. Griezmann made it 3-0 five minutes into the second half, converting his team's first La Liga penalty of the season after Costa was brought down by Rico. Sevilla imploded with Koke making it 4-0 after more suicidal defending before Griezmann completed his hat-trick on 80 minutes, taking his Liga tally to 11 for the season. The home side salvaged a degree of pride when Pablo Sarabia and Nolito tucked away goals in the last five minutes.

Griezmann's hat-trick helps Atletico to cut gap on Barcelona

<p>Luis Suarez hit a hat-trick and Philippe Coutinho scored a brilliant first league goal for Barcelona as the La Liga leaders thrashed Girona 6-1 on Saturday to open up a 10-point lead at the top of the table.</p>

<p>Lionel Messi continued his return to goalscoring form with a double to reach 30 in all competitions for the season, as Barca extended their advantage over closest title rivals Atletico Madrid, who visit Sevilla on Sunday.</p>

<p>It was the perfect outing for Barcelona after ninth-placed Girona had taken a shock early lead on their first-ever visit to the Camp Nou, as Coutinho, Suarez, Messi and Ousmane Dembele shone on their first start together.</p>

<p>Portu took advantage of hesitation from Barca centre-back Samuel Umtiti to round goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and slot into an empty net to put Girona ahead in La Liga&#39;s newest Catalan derby.</p>

<p>The hosts took less than two minutes to get back on level terms, though, as Messi collected the ball in midfield before sending Suarez through to score.</p>

<p>Messi&#39;s wizardry put Ernesto Valverde&#39;s side in front on the half-hour mark after Suarez touched down a long pass from Andres Iniesta for the Argentinian.</p>

<p>It looked as though the chance had gone when Messi was forced wide, but the league&#39;s top scorer showed trademark footwork to jink past several defenders before slotting into the bottom corner.</p>

<p>The five-time Ballon d&#39;Or winner was running the show, and he doubled the advantage just seven minutes later with a low free-kick under the wall.</p>

<p>&quot;It always seems that he has done everything and then suddenly, he surprises us again, as with his free kick. It sounds easy but it is not,&quot; said Barca coach Ernesto Valverde.</p>

<p>Having gone five games without a goal before his crucial equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the Champions League in midweek, Messi has scored three in two games.</p>

<p>Barcelona&#39;s fourth goal came on the stroke of half-time with Girona&#39;s defenders left begging for the interval after Messi&#39;s perfectly-weighted pass found Coutinho to square for Suarez to tap in.</p>

<p>The Catalan giants eased off slightly in the second half, but Coutinho got off the mark in the league in style as he cut inside and curled a long-range strike into the far corner.</p>

<p>French winger Dembele played his part too late on as he crossed from the left for Suarez to complete a hat-trick.</p>

<p>After a slow start to the campaign, the Uruguayan forward has now scored 17 goals in his last 14 league matches.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Lionel Messi continued his return to goalscoring form with a double to reach 30 in all competitions for the season

Luis Suarez hit a hat-trick and Philippe Coutinho scored a brilliant first league goal for Barcelona as the La Liga leaders thrashed Girona 6-1 on Saturday to open up a 10-point lead at the top of the table. Lionel Messi continued his return to goalscoring form with a double to reach 30 in all competitions for the season, as Barca extended their advantage over closest title rivals Atletico Madrid, who visit Sevilla on Sunday. It was the perfect outing for Barcelona after ninth-placed Girona had taken a shock early lead on their first-ever visit to the Camp Nou, as Coutinho, Suarez, Messi and Ousmane Dembele shone on their first start together. Portu took advantage of hesitation from Barca centre-back Samuel Umtiti to round goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and slot into an empty net to put Girona ahead in La Liga's newest Catalan derby. The hosts took less than two minutes to get back on level terms, though, as Messi collected the ball in midfield before sending Suarez through to score. Messi's wizardry put Ernesto Valverde's side in front on the half-hour mark after Suarez touched down a long pass from Andres Iniesta for the Argentinian. It looked as though the chance had gone when Messi was forced wide, but the league's top scorer showed trademark footwork to jink past several defenders before slotting into the bottom corner. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was running the show, and he doubled the advantage just seven minutes later with a low free-kick under the wall. "It always seems that he has done everything and then suddenly, he surprises us again, as with his free kick. It sounds easy but it is not," said Barca coach Ernesto Valverde. Having gone five games without a goal before his crucial equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the Champions League in midweek, Messi has scored three in two games. Barcelona's fourth goal came on the stroke of half-time with Girona's defenders left begging for the interval after Messi's perfectly-weighted pass found Coutinho to square for Suarez to tap in. The Catalan giants eased off slightly in the second half, but Coutinho got off the mark in the league in style as he cut inside and curled a long-range strike into the far corner. French winger Dembele played his part too late on as he crossed from the left for Suarez to complete a hat-trick. After a slow start to the campaign, the Uruguayan forward has now scored 17 goals in his last 14 league matches.

Suarez hat-trick extends six-goal Barca's La Liga lead

<p>Man of the moment Marco Asensio scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo was also on target as Real Madrid kept up the feel-good factor with a thrilling 5-3 victory at Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday night.</p>

<p>Madrid had been 2-1 down at half-time in a fantastic game at the Benito Villamarin, but they came roaring back in the second half with Sergio Ramos, Asensio -- who had scored the opener - Ronaldo and Karim Benzema all finding the net.</p>

<p>They survived a late Betis onslaught, and after their 3-1 Champions League last 16, first-leg win against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, this victory confirms that Zinedine Zidane&#39;s side is looking better in La Liga now too.</p>

<p>They remain fourth, a huge 17 points behind leaders Barcelona. However, this was their fourth win in five league outings, and they are back to within a point of third-placed Valencia with a game in hand to come at Leganes in midweek.</p>

<p>&quot;It was an end to end game, a bit crazy, but I like that. It shows that we had a proper opponent,&quot; said Zidane.</p>

<p>&quot;Betis were fantastic and controlled the last half-hour of the first half. But I&#39;m happy in the end, and I prefer to focus on the five goals we scored rather than the three we let in.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Asensio had come off the bench to set up the two late goals that allowed Real to beat PSG and he was rewarded with a start on Sunday in Seville, while Gareth Bale also came in as the likes of Benzema and Luka Modric dropped to the bench.</p>

<p>Asensio duly headed Madrid into an 11th-minute lead after Antonio Adan had saved a Ronaldo shot, but Betis had won when the sides last met at the Santiago Bernabeu and they hit back brilliantly.</p>

<p>Loren and Joaquin, the latter from a free-kick, both came close before Aissa Mandi headed in a Joaquin cross to make it 1-1 in the 33rd minute.</p>

<p>It was 2-1 shortly after, as visiting defender Nacho could only help a Junior shot into his own net, and the home fans in the crowd of over 53,000 erupted.</p>

<p>Real also saw Marcelo limp off in the first half, a potentially worrying sign ahead of the PSG second leg, and Zidane confirmed the Brazilian would find out the extent of his injury on Monday.</p>

<p>Madrid recovered superbly after the restart, though.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ramos, whose Sevilla past always ensures a hot reception from the Betis fans, levelled with a bullet header from a Lucas Vazquez corner.</p>

<p>Dani Carvajal then set up Asensio for his second and Real&#39;s third as the hour approached, and Ronaldo smashed in their fourth goal in the 65th minute.</p>

<p>The Portuguese, supposedly in decline, has now scored 10 times in six games between league and Champions League.</p>

<p>Betis may lack the consistency to properly contest a European place, but they do provide entertainment, and Cristian Tello set up fellow substitute Sergio Leon to make it 4-3 late on.</p>

<p>Benzema, on from the bench, completed the scoring at the death with a goal that will boost his confidence.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Marco Asensio scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo was also on target as Real Madrid kept up the feel-good factor with a thrilling 5-3 victory at Real Betis

Man of the moment Marco Asensio scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo was also on target as Real Madrid kept up the feel-good factor with a thrilling 5-3 victory at Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday night. Madrid had been 2-1 down at half-time in a fantastic game at the Benito Villamarin, but they came roaring back in the second half with Sergio Ramos, Asensio -- who had scored the opener - Ronaldo and Karim Benzema all finding the net. They survived a late Betis onslaught, and after their 3-1 Champions League last 16, first-leg win against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, this victory confirms that Zinedine Zidane's side is looking better in La Liga now too. They remain fourth, a huge 17 points behind leaders Barcelona. However, this was their fourth win in five league outings, and they are back to within a point of third-placed Valencia with a game in hand to come at Leganes in midweek. "It was an end to end game, a bit crazy, but I like that. It shows that we had a proper opponent," said Zidane. "Betis were fantastic and controlled the last half-hour of the first half. But I'm happy in the end, and I prefer to focus on the five goals we scored rather than the three we let in." Asensio had come off the bench to set up the two late goals that allowed Real to beat PSG and he was rewarded with a start on Sunday in Seville, while Gareth Bale also came in as the likes of Benzema and Luka Modric dropped to the bench. Asensio duly headed Madrid into an 11th-minute lead after Antonio Adan had saved a Ronaldo shot, but Betis had won when the sides last met at the Santiago Bernabeu and they hit back brilliantly. Loren and Joaquin, the latter from a free-kick, both came close before Aissa Mandi headed in a Joaquin cross to make it 1-1 in the 33rd minute. It was 2-1 shortly after, as visiting defender Nacho could only help a Junior shot into his own net, and the home fans in the crowd of over 53,000 erupted. Real also saw Marcelo limp off in the first half, a potentially worrying sign ahead of the PSG second leg, and Zidane confirmed the Brazilian would find out the extent of his injury on Monday. Madrid recovered superbly after the restart, though. Ramos, whose Sevilla past always ensures a hot reception from the Betis fans, levelled with a bullet header from a Lucas Vazquez corner. Dani Carvajal then set up Asensio for his second and Real's third as the hour approached, and Ronaldo smashed in their fourth goal in the 65th minute. The Portuguese, supposedly in decline, has now scored 10 times in six games between league and Champions League. Betis may lack the consistency to properly contest a European place, but they do provide entertainment, and Cristian Tello set up fellow substitute Sergio Leon to make it 4-3 late on. Benzema, on from the bench, completed the scoring at the death with a goal that will boost his confidence.

Marco Asensio strikes twice to help Real Madrid win eight-goal thriller

<p>Kevin Gameiro came off the bench to score one goal and make another for Diego Costa as Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in La Liga on Sunday.</p>

<p>It was another clinical performance from Diego Simeone&#39;s side, who have now recorded four consecutive league victories, all without their mean defence conceding a goal.</p>

<p>They remain second, seven points behind unbeaten league leaders Barcelona, who won 2-0 at Eibar on Saturday ahead of their Champions League last 16, first leg away to Chelsea.</p>

<p>Former Chelsea striker Costa returned for Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano after injury prevented him from taking part in their 4-1 Europa League win over FC Copenhagen in Denmark on Thursday.</p>

<p>Atletico created little in the first half to get the crowd of just over 60,000 out of their seats. However, they livened up after the restart, and in particular after Gameiro was sent on for Koke just before the hour mark.</p>

<p>It was Atletico&#39;s French connection that led to the opening goal midway through the second half, with Antoine Griezmann setting up Gameiro, who took a touch before firing low past Kepa Arrizabalaga and into the far corner for his fifth league goal of the season.</p>

<p>Gameiro then turned provider with a fine through ball for Costa, who fired home to secure the points with 10 minutes remaining, the goal his second in La Liga since returning to Spain.</p>

<p>&quot;We are not stopping, we are playing well at the moment, and we are enjoying ourselves,&quot; said Gameiro when asked about his team&#39;s pursuit of Barcelona at the top of the table.</p>

<p>Atletico, who have conceded a paltry nine goals in 24 La Liga games this season, will hope to stay within striking distance of Barcelona before going to the Camp Nou in a fortnight.</p>

<p>Simeone&#39;s side are also nine points clear of third-placed Valencia, who came from behind to win 2-1 at bottom club Malaga on Saturday. Real Madrid, in fourth, are at Betis on Sunday evening.</p>

<p>Earlier on Sunday, Real Sociedad beat struggling Levante 3-0 at Anoeta.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Kevin Gameiro and Diego Costa were on target to help the team to earn three points

Kevin Gameiro came off the bench to score one goal and make another for Diego Costa as Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in La Liga on Sunday. It was another clinical performance from Diego Simeone's side, who have now recorded four consecutive league victories, all without their mean defence conceding a goal. They remain second, seven points behind unbeaten league leaders Barcelona, who won 2-0 at Eibar on Saturday ahead of their Champions League last 16, first leg away to Chelsea. Former Chelsea striker Costa returned for Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano after injury prevented him from taking part in their 4-1 Europa League win over FC Copenhagen in Denmark on Thursday. Atletico created little in the first half to get the crowd of just over 60,000 out of their seats. However, they livened up after the restart, and in particular after Gameiro was sent on for Koke just before the hour mark. It was Atletico's French connection that led to the opening goal midway through the second half, with Antoine Griezmann setting up Gameiro, who took a touch before firing low past Kepa Arrizabalaga and into the far corner for his fifth league goal of the season. Gameiro then turned provider with a fine through ball for Costa, who fired home to secure the points with 10 minutes remaining, the goal his second in La Liga since returning to Spain. "We are not stopping, we are playing well at the moment, and we are enjoying ourselves," said Gameiro when asked about his team's pursuit of Barcelona at the top of the table. Atletico, who have conceded a paltry nine goals in 24 La Liga games this season, will hope to stay within striking distance of Barcelona before going to the Camp Nou in a fortnight. Simeone's side are also nine points clear of third-placed Valencia, who came from behind to win 2-1 at bottom club Malaga on Saturday. Real Madrid, in fourth, are at Betis on Sunday evening. Earlier on Sunday, Real Sociedad beat struggling Levante 3-0 at Anoeta.

LaLiga: Gameiro, Costa on target as Atletico beat Bilbao

<p>Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were on target as Barcelona saw off Eibar 2-0 on Saturday to continue their unbeaten record in La Liga and extend their lead at the top of the table.</p>

<p>Lionel Messi had a hand in both goals against an Eibar side who finished the match at tiny Ipurua with 10 men after the second-half sending-off of Fabian Orellana.</p>

<p>It was not a comfortable afternoon for Ernesto Valverde&#39;s men in the rain in the Basque Country, but Barca is still unbeaten 24 games into the league campaign, and have now gone 31 La Liga matches undefeated in total to match their record run under Pep Guardiola in 2010/11.</p>

<p>They are 10 points clear at the top, although Atletico Madrid can trim that lead when they host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.</p>

<p>Barcelona will now turn their thoughts to the Champions League last 16, first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, and Valverde said Eibar were ideal opponents ahead of that match.</p>

<p>&quot;Eibar always put you under a lot of pressure, so it was a good test. We really suffered, because they are in great form,&quot; said Valverde.</p>

<p>&quot;It was a very difficult match just as we expected, and we will try and make sure it helps us, although the Champions League is another competition altogether.&quot;</p>

<p>Valverde sent out a strong team, choosing to start Andres Iniesta and leave Philippe Coutinho on the bench, despite the Brazilian being ineligible for the Champions League. Coutinho replaced Iniesta for the final half-hour.</p>

<p>&quot;Last week Coutinho started, and this week it was Iniesta,&quot; Valverde added. &quot;It is true that we have another match on Tuesday, but for me the important thing was today (Saturday).&quot;</p>

<p>Barca went ahead in the 16th minute, Messi&#39;s superb pass releasing Suarez, who rounded goalkeeper Marco Dmitrovic to score.</p>

<p>The visitors had a couple of let-offs in the first half, with Sergio Busquets lucky not to concede a penalty as he pulled back Kike Garcia in the box. Orellana then hit the bar with a fine strike.</p>

<p>However, the Chilean was sent off midway through the second half and Barca took advantage of the extra man in the 88th minute. Messi, who hit the post in the first half, was denied by Dmitrovic, but the ball fell for Alba to score.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="et">???? FINAL WHISTLE IN IPURUA!<br />
⚽ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EibarBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EibarBar&ccedil;a</a><br />
???? <a href="https://twitter.com/LuisSuarez9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LuisSuarez9</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/JordiAlba?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JordiAlba</a><br />
<br />
???????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/For%C3%A7aBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#For&ccedil;aBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://t.co/PEx37uc1Jv">pic.twitter.com/PEx37uc1Jv</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/964908491818393601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Barcelona is 10 points clear at the top in LaLiga and will face Chelsea in the first leg of Champions League

Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were on target as Barcelona saw off Eibar 2-0 on Saturday to continue their unbeaten record in La Liga and extend their lead at the top of the table. Lionel Messi had a hand in both goals against an Eibar side who finished the match at tiny Ipurua with 10 men after the second-half sending-off of Fabian Orellana. It was not a comfortable afternoon for Ernesto Valverde's men in the rain in the Basque Country, but Barca is still unbeaten 24 games into the league campaign, and have now gone 31 La Liga matches undefeated in total to match their record run under Pep Guardiola in 2010/11. They are 10 points clear at the top, although Atletico Madrid can trim that lead when they host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Barcelona will now turn their thoughts to the Champions League last 16, first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, and Valverde said Eibar were ideal opponents ahead of that match. "Eibar always put you under a lot of pressure, so it was a good test. We really suffered, because they are in great form," said Valverde. "It was a very difficult match just as we expected, and we will try and make sure it helps us, although the Champions League is another competition altogether." Valverde sent out a strong team, choosing to start Andres Iniesta and leave Philippe Coutinho on the bench, despite the Brazilian being ineligible for the Champions League. Coutinho replaced Iniesta for the final half-hour. "Last week Coutinho started, and this week it was Iniesta," Valverde added. "It is true that we have another match on Tuesday, but for me the important thing was today (Saturday)." Barca went ahead in the 16th minute, Messi's superb pass releasing Suarez, who rounded goalkeeper Marco Dmitrovic to score. The visitors had a couple of let-offs in the first half, with Sergio Busquets lucky not to concede a penalty as he pulled back Kike Garcia in the box. Orellana then hit the bar with a fine strike. However, the Chilean was sent off midway through the second half and Barca took advantage of the extra man in the 88th minute. Messi, who hit the post in the first half, was denied by Dmitrovic, but the ball fell for Alba to score. ???? FINAL WHISTLE IN IPURUA! ⚽ #EibarBarça ???? @LuisSuarez9, @JordiAlba ???????? #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/PEx37uc1Jv — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 17, 2018 ×

Suarez and Alba help Barcelona to continue unbeaten run

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice but had to leave the pitch with his face covered in blood as Real Madrid eased their domestic crisis by hammering Liga strugglers Deportivo La Coruna 7-1 at home on Sunday to reclaim fourth place in the standings.</p>

<p>Real had lost two of their last three league games and got off on the wrong foot against relegation-threatened Deportivo when former Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez put the visiting side ahead against the run of play in the 23rd minute.</p>

<p>The stumbling La Liga champions responded in emphatic fashion, however, and went on to record their biggest win of the season in all competitions with two goals apiece from Gareth Bale and Nacho Fernandez as well as Ronaldo and a long-range strike from Luka Modric.</p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/zidane-happy-as-real-thrashed-deportivo-7-1-30272">Zidane happy as Real thrashed Deportivo 7-1</a></strong></p>

<p>Ronaldo was unable to continue playing after he was left with a bloodied face by the boot of Deportivo defender Fabian Schar as he struck his second goal, which took him level with Bale as Real&#39;s top scorer in the league with six strikes.</p>

<p>Real climbed back above Villarreal into fourth place on 35 points but are still far behind runaway leaders Barcelona, who top the standings with 51 points and can move 11 clear of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid if they beat Real Betis later on Sunday.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The club's doctors declared him unable to continue for the remainder of the game

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice but had to leave the pitch with his face covered in blood as Real Madrid eased their domestic crisis by hammering Liga strugglers Deportivo La Coruna 7-1 at home on Sunday to reclaim fourth place in the standings. Real had lost two of their last three league games and got off on the wrong foot against relegation-threatened Deportivo when former Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez put the visiting side ahead against the run of play in the 23rd minute. The stumbling La Liga champions responded in emphatic fashion, however, and went on to record their biggest win of the season in all competitions with two goals apiece from Gareth Bale and Nacho Fernandez as well as Ronaldo and a long-range strike from Luka Modric. Zidane happy as Real thrashed Deportivo 7-1 Ronaldo was unable to continue playing after he was left with a bloodied face by the boot of Deportivo defender Fabian Schar as he struck his second goal, which took him level with Bale as Real's top scorer in the league with six strikes. Real climbed back above Villarreal into fourth place on 35 points but are still far behind runaway leaders Barcelona, who top the standings with 51 points and can move 11 clear of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid if they beat Real Betis later on Sunday.

Ronaldo strikes twice against Deportivo but suffers injury

<p>Barca defeated&nbsp;Real Betis and bounced back from their first defeat for 29 games in the Copa del Rey to secure an excellent 5-0 win in their third away match in a week.</p>

<p>This means the Catalans extended their lead to 11 points -- and 19 ahead of Real Madrid -- as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both hit a brace in a 5-0 romp at&nbsp;Benito Villamarin stadium in Sevilla on January 21.</p>

<p>Messi thumped home the second from outside the box on 64 minutes before he and Rakitic teamed up to present Suarez with a volley on 69 minutes to effectively seal the three points.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">???? <a href="https://twitter.com/LaLigaEN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaLigaEN</a><br />
One more win....one less fixture<br />
???????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/For%C3%A7aBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#For&ccedil;aBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://t.co/ESDY6v6UDS">pic.twitter.com/ESDY6v6UDS</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/955199981358641152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Betis were making mistakes at the back and when Zouhair Feddal clumsily gave the ball away on halfway to Suarez, the Uruguayan sent Messi scampering away.</p>

<p>Faced with two defenders, Messi dummied to shoot, drifted past both and calmly slotted home past goalkeeper Antonio Adan.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">???????????? The best photos from the win over Betis ???? <a href="https://t.co/iNzbYP1lWO">https://t.co/iNzbYP1lWO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BetisBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BetisBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://t.co/ooMiEgWqeM">pic.twitter.com/ooMiEgWqeM</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/955262511762280448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>There was still time for Suarez to complete his brace with a crisp finish after Messi had driven at the heart of an over-matched defence.</p>

<p>The only downside for the league leaders was a hamstring injury to Thomas Vermaelen in the first half that precipitated French centre-back Samuel Umtiti&#39;s own return from a hamstring problem.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


FC Barcelona defeated Real Betis and has extended the lead to 11 points

Barca defeated Real Betis and bounced back from their first defeat for 29 games in the Copa del Rey to secure an excellent 5-0 win in their third away match in a week. This means the Catalans extended their lead to 11 points -- and 19 ahead of Real Madrid -- as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both hit a brace in a 5-0 romp at Benito Villamarin stadium in Sevilla on January 21. Messi thumped home the second from outside the box on 64 minutes before he and Rakitic teamed up to present Suarez with a volley on 69 minutes to effectively seal the three points. ???? @LaLigaEN One more win....one less fixture ???????? #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/ESDY6v6UDS — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 21, 2018 × Betis were making mistakes at the back and when Zouhair Feddal clumsily gave the ball away on halfway to Suarez, the Uruguayan sent Messi scampering away. Faced with two defenders, Messi dummied to shoot, drifted past both and calmly slotted home past goalkeeper Antonio Adan. ???????????? The best photos from the win over Betis ???? https://t.co/iNzbYP1lWO #BetisBarça pic.twitter.com/ooMiEgWqeM — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 22, 2018 × There was still time for Suarez to complete his brace with a crisp finish after Messi had driven at the heart of an over-matched defence. The only downside for the league leaders was a hamstring injury to Thomas Vermaelen in the first half that precipitated French centre-back Samuel Umtiti's own return from a hamstring problem.

Messi and Suarez inspire FC Barcelona to sensational victory

<p>La Liga leaders Barcelona failed to break down Getafe in a dull 0-0 league draw on Sunday (February 11), leaving the Catalans seven points clear at the top of the table.</p>

<p>Philippe Coutinho came close with a long-range effort which was tipped wide by Vicente Guaita, with the Getafe goalkeeper also blocking a Yerry Mina header and a late effort from Luis Suarez.</p>

<p>Barca talisman Lionel Messi was below his best and off-target with various set-pieces, while Ousmane Dembele returned from injury but could not help from the Nou Camp bench.</p>

<p>After second-placed Atletico Madrid won at Malaga on Saturday, Barca&#39;s draw means Diego Simeone&#39;s side have eaten into their lead by two points.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr" lang="fr">???? Le Bar&ccedil;a, leader invaincu de <a href="https://twitter.com/LaLiga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaLiga</a> apr&egrave;s 23 journ&eacute;es, poss&egrave;de d&eacute;sormais 7 points d&#39;avance sur l&#39;Atl&eacute;tico de Madrid, 16 sur Valence et 17 sur le Real Madrid <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/For%C3%A7aBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#For&ccedil;aBar&ccedil;a</a> ???????? <a href="https://t.co/3TjxGc31MI">pic.twitter.com/3TjxGc31MI</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_fra) <a href="https://twitter.com/fcbarcelona_fra/status/962806065317531648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">11 February 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was forced to play fullback Lucas Digne in the center of defense, alongside January signing Mina, making his full debut, due to injuries to Gerard Pique and Thomas Vermaelen, and Samuel Umtiti&#39;s suspension.</p>

<p>However, the makeshift pairing was relatively solid, with Getafe creating few chances, the best of which saw Mina block Angel Rodriguez&#39;s shot after the forward broke through.</p>

<p>Barcelona failed to record a shot on target in the first half, something which has not happened since 2012, as they showed signs of tiredness after Thursday&#39;s King&#39;s Cup semi-final win at Valencia.</p>

<p>Suarez volleyed in just before halftime but was correctly ruled offside, with the Uruguayan ranting furiously at the assistant referee in frustration.</p>

<p>Towering defender Mina came close with two headers, one stopped by Guaita and another which flew inches past the post, as Barcelona failed to break down the visitors.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr" lang="fr">???? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bar%C3%A7aGetafe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bar&ccedil;aGetafe</a>, en images. Plus de photos ???? <a href="https://t.co/BWonYADbxg">https://t.co/BWonYADbxg</a> ???????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/For%C3%A7aBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#For&ccedil;aBar&ccedil;a</a> <a href="https://t.co/LNPwkTkEyq">pic.twitter.com/LNPwkTkEyq</a></p>
&mdash; FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_fra) <a href="https://twitter.com/fcbarcelona_fra/status/962778015737499649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">11 February 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


With this draw, the Catalans are seven points clear at the top of the table

La Liga leaders Barcelona failed to break down Getafe in a dull 0-0 league draw on Sunday (February 11), leaving the Catalans seven points clear at the top of the table. Philippe Coutinho came close with a long-range effort which was tipped wide by Vicente Guaita, with the Getafe goalkeeper also blocking a Yerry Mina header and a late effort from Luis Suarez. Barca talisman Lionel Messi was below his best and off-target with various set-pieces, while Ousmane Dembele returned from injury but could not help from the Nou Camp bench. After second-placed Atletico Madrid won at Malaga on Saturday, Barca's draw means Diego Simeone's side have eaten into their lead by two points. ???? Le Barça, leader invaincu de @LaLiga après 23 journées, possède désormais 7 points d'avance sur l'Atlético de Madrid, 16 sur Valence et 17 sur le Real Madrid #ForçaBarça ???????? pic.twitter.com/3TjxGc31MI — FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_fra) 11 February 2018 × Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was forced to play fullback Lucas Digne in the center of defense, alongside January signing Mina, making his full debut, due to injuries to Gerard Pique and Thomas Vermaelen, and Samuel Umtiti's suspension. However, the makeshift pairing was relatively solid, with Getafe creating few chances, the best of which saw Mina block Angel Rodriguez's shot after the forward broke through. Barcelona failed to record a shot on target in the first half, something which has not happened since 2012, as they showed signs of tiredness after Thursday's King's Cup semi-final win at Valencia. Suarez volleyed in just before halftime but was correctly ruled offside, with the Uruguayan ranting furiously at the assistant referee in frustration. Towering defender Mina came close with two headers, one stopped by Guaita and another which flew inches past the post, as Barcelona failed to break down the visitors. ???? #BarçaGetafe, en images. Plus de photos ???? https://t.co/BWonYADbxg ???????? #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/LNPwkTkEyq — FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_fra) 11 February 2018 ×

Goalless draw with Getafe FC frustrates Catalans

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick as Real Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 5-2 in La Liga on Saturday to warm up for their Champions League clash with Paris St Germain in style.</p>

<p>Atletico Madrid saw off Malaga 1-0 in a tight game to provisionally close the gap on leaders Barcelona to six points.</p>

<p>Real&#39;s big victory over Sociedad took them third above Valencia but they trail Barcelona by 16 points as they turn their attention to the defence of their Champions League title against PSG at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Zinedine Zidane rested Casemiro and Gareth Bale with one eye on that, but the Welsh winger&#39;s replacement Lucas Vazquez took full advantage when he headed home Ronaldo&#39;s cross after 49 seconds.</p>

<p>Karim Benzema struck the post with a low effort as he failed to break his scoring drought, the French striker is now without a league goal since November, as Real pressed to add to their advantage.</p>

<p>They did just that after 27 minutes when a brilliant turn by Asensio unlocked Sociedad&#39;s defence and Marcelo crossed for Ronaldo to slam home from close range.</p>

<p>Toni Kroos curled home the third from outside the area and Ronaldo headed home Luka Modric&#39;s corner in a four-minute spell before the interval.</p>

<p>The Portuguese forward completed his treble after Geronimo Rulli beat away substitute Bale&#39;s long-range effort. Jon Bautista and Asier Illaramendi netted consolation goals for Real Sociedad.</p>

<p>&quot;Today from the first minute the team came out to play football, to keep the ball, to press the opponent and steal it high up, and there was a big difference,&quot; Real captain Sergio Ramos said.</p>

<p>&quot;Then in front of goal we were more accurate (than in recent games). I&#39;d be lying to you if I said that we weren&#39;t thinking about PSG.</p>

<p>&quot;Against them we play for our season, (here) we could have continued to press but we couldn&#39;t keep up that rhythm for 90 minutes. We knew how to rest ourselves.</p>

<p>&quot;The objective was to gain confidence and that is what we did today.&quot;</p>

<p>In Malaga, second-placed Atletico went ahead almost instantly when Antoine Griezmann capitalised on Saul Niguez&#39;s deflected strike falling at his feet close to goal.</p>

<p>Jan Oblak saved a Roberto Rosales free kick in the second half as Atletico kept their opponents at bay to earn a narrow victory in typical fashion.</p>

<p>Malaga, rooted to the bottom of the table, have picked up two points in their last eight games.</p>

<p>&quot;We started very strongly, taking advantage of our opponent being off balance and we could score a goal which put us ahead,&quot; Atletico coach Diego Simeone told reporters.</p>

<p>&quot;It was an intense game, we were always putting the work in. We take with us a very important victory.</p>

<p>&quot;The team is rejuvenated, it still has enormous hope, that&#39;s clear to see. Everyone has played a lot of minutes, that&#39;s why we are where we are, because the team worked well.&quot;</p>

<p>Alaves continued their good form under Abelardo, winning 2-1 at fifth-place Villarreal to climb to 16th and seven points above the relegation zone while Eibar moved sixth thanks to a 1-0 win at Leganes as Ivan Ramis scored deep into stoppage-time.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Atletico Madrid saw off Malaga 1-0 in a tight game to provisionally close the gap on leaders Barcelona to six points

Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick as Real Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 5-2 in La Liga on Saturday to warm up for their Champions League clash with Paris St Germain in style. Atletico Madrid saw off Malaga 1-0 in a tight game to provisionally close the gap on leaders Barcelona to six points. Real's big victory over Sociedad took them third above Valencia but they trail Barcelona by 16 points as they turn their attention to the defence of their Champions League title against PSG at the Bernabeu on Wednesday. Zinedine Zidane rested Casemiro and Gareth Bale with one eye on that, but the Welsh winger's replacement Lucas Vazquez took full advantage when he headed home Ronaldo's cross after 49 seconds. Karim Benzema struck the post with a low effort as he failed to break his scoring drought, the French striker is now without a league goal since November, as Real pressed to add to their advantage. They did just that after 27 minutes when a brilliant turn by Asensio unlocked Sociedad's defence and Marcelo crossed for Ronaldo to slam home from close range. Toni Kroos curled home the third from outside the area and Ronaldo headed home Luka Modric's corner in a four-minute spell before the interval. The Portuguese forward completed his treble after Geronimo Rulli beat away substitute Bale's long-range effort. Jon Bautista and Asier Illaramendi netted consolation goals for Real Sociedad. "Today from the first minute the team came out to play football, to keep the ball, to press the opponent and steal it high up, and there was a big difference," Real captain Sergio Ramos said. "Then in front of goal we were more accurate (than in recent games). I'd be lying to you if I said that we weren't thinking about PSG. "Against them we play for our season, (here) we could have continued to press but we couldn't keep up that rhythm for 90 minutes. We knew how to rest ourselves. "The objective was to gain confidence and that is what we did today." In Malaga, second-placed Atletico went ahead almost instantly when Antoine Griezmann capitalised on Saul Niguez's deflected strike falling at his feet close to goal. Jan Oblak saved a Roberto Rosales free kick in the second half as Atletico kept their opponents at bay to earn a narrow victory in typical fashion. Malaga, rooted to the bottom of the table, have picked up two points in their last eight games. "We started very strongly, taking advantage of our opponent being off balance and we could score a goal which put us ahead," Atletico coach Diego Simeone told reporters. "It was an intense game, we were always putting the work in. We take with us a very important victory. "The team is rejuvenated, it still has enormous hope, that's clear to see. Everyone has played a lot of minutes, that's why we are where we are, because the team worked well." Alaves continued their good form under Abelardo, winning 2-1 at fifth-place Villarreal to climb to 16th and seven points above the relegation zone while Eibar moved sixth thanks to a 1-0 win at Leganes as Ivan Ramis scored deep into stoppage-time.

LaLiga: Ronaldo hits hat-trick as Real and Atletico win

<p>Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin experienced a nasty collision with&nbsp;Valencia goalkeeper Neto on Sunday in a match against Valencia CF.</p>

<p>As the result,&nbsp;Godin lost three of his teeth and also suffered considerable damage to his&nbsp;gums and will be on the sidelines for an unknown period of time.</p>

<p>Valencia goalkeeper Neto went high up for a high ball&nbsp;following an Antoine Griezmann free-kick in the second half and bumped right onto Godin&#39;s face to&nbsp;save the ball.</p>

<p>The collision was so scary that Godin&#39;s face was all covered in blood immediately&nbsp;after the impact.</p>

<p>Angel Correa scored the goal for Atletico, who are second in La Liga, nine points behind leaders Barcelona.</p>

<p>Atletico, who won the game 1-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano said the Uruguayan centre-back would undergo surgery in the coming days after having three of his upper teeth knocked out.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Diego Godin losing a few teeth here courtesy of Neto&rsquo;s elbow.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtletiValencia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtletiValencia</a> <a href="https://t.co/TrjRvD13cW">pic.twitter.com/TrjRvD13cW</a></p>
&mdash; CityzenBlue (@CityzenBlu) <a href="https://twitter.com/CityzenBlu/status/960257127234359296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Loses teeth. Doesn&#39;t act like he&#39;s been shot. Gotta love the warrior Godin. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/laliga?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#laliga</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/atleti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#atleti</a> <a href="https://t.co/kKasj6jqRD">pic.twitter.com/kKasj6jqRD</a></p>
&mdash; ????????⚽️La Liga Gav ⚽️???????? (@LaLigaGav) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaLigaGav/status/960254929175810048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin is set to have dental and facial reconstructive surgery.</p>

<p>After the event, Atletico Madrid Tweeted, &quot;Diego Godin suffered an injury to his face during the match against Valencia.</p>

<p>Our defender has suffered a dentoalveolar fracture to three of his maxilla. He will undergo maxillofacial surgery in the coming days.&quot;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="es">PARTE M&Eacute;DICO ???? <a href="https://twitter.com/diegogodin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@diegogodin</a> fue examinado por el especialista maxilofacial y tendr&aacute; un plan individualizado de entrenamiento esta semana<br />
➡️ <a href="https://t.co/4laRVrTWu8">https://t.co/4laRVrTWu8</a> <a href="https://t.co/6cGaBr4fCX">pic.twitter.com/6cGaBr4fCX</a></p>
&mdash; Atl&eacute;tico de Madrid (@Atleti) <a href="https://twitter.com/Atleti/status/960573174491631616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Diego Godin lost three of his teeth after being caught full in the face by Valencia goalkeeper Neto

Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin experienced a nasty collision with Valencia goalkeeper Neto on Sunday in a match against Valencia CF. As the result, Godin lost three of his teeth and also suffered considerable damage to his gums and will be on the sidelines for an unknown period of time. Valencia goalkeeper Neto went high up for a high ball following an Antoine Griezmann free-kick in the second half and bumped right onto Godin's face to save the ball. The collision was so scary that Godin's face was all covered in blood immediately after the impact. Angel Correa scored the goal for Atletico, who are second in La Liga, nine points behind leaders Barcelona. Atletico, who won the game 1-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano said the Uruguayan centre-back would undergo surgery in the coming days after having three of his upper teeth knocked out. Diego Godin losing a few teeth here courtesy of Neto’s elbow.#AtletiValencia pic.twitter.com/TrjRvD13cW — CityzenBlue (@CityzenBlu) February 4, 2018 × Loses teeth. Doesn't act like he's been shot. Gotta love the warrior Godin. #laliga #atleti pic.twitter.com/kKasj6jqRD — ????????⚽️La Liga Gav ⚽️???????? (@LaLigaGav) February 4, 2018 × Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin is set to have dental and facial reconstructive surgery. After the event, Atletico Madrid Tweeted, "Diego Godin suffered an injury to his face during the match against Valencia. Our defender has suffered a dentoalveolar fracture to three of his maxilla. He will undergo maxillofacial surgery in the coming days." PARTE MÉDICO ???? @diegogodin fue examinado por el especialista maxilofacial y tendrá un plan individualizado de entrenamiento esta semana ➡️ https://t.co/4laRVrTWu8 pic.twitter.com/6cGaBr4fCX — Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) February 5, 2018 ×

Watch: How Atletico defender Godin lost his tooth

<p>Gerard Pique headed home a late equaliser for Barcelona against Catalan rivals Espanyol to earn his side a 1-1 draw in Cornella and maintain their unbeaten La Liga record on Sunday.</p>

<p>The defender whistled throughout after making provocative comments which upset Espanyol fans after Barcelona knocked their rivals out of the King&#39;s Cup in January, buried Lionel Messi&#39;s free kick.</p>

<p>Ernesto Valverde had started the Argentine on the bench as he rotated his side but threw Messi on in the second half as Barcelona struggled to break down a stubborn Espanyol on a waterlogged pitch in driving rain.</p>

<p>Gerard Moreno headed home Sergio Garcia&#39;s inch-perfect cross in the 66th minute to give Espanyol hope of repeating their King&#39;s Cup first-leg win over Barcelona but Pique had the final say to move his side provisionally 12 points clear at the top of the table.</p>

<p>Barcelona has now gone a club record 22 league games unbeaten, surpassing the total of 21 they managed under Pep Guardiola in the 2009-10 season.</p>

<p>&quot;We were not able to take the three points but the conditions weren&#39;t the best,&quot; Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta told beIN Sports.</p>

<p>&quot;It was an entertaining derby. I wouldn&#39;t say the pitch affected us too much, we adapted well.</p>

<p>&quot;There were waterlogged zones but we made a great effort and came back from 1-0 down.&quot;</p>

<p>Espanyol saw off their arch-rivals by one goal in the first leg of the King&#39;s Cup quarter-final but could not repeat the trick here, with the visitors fighting back as they did in the second part of the cup tie.</p>

<p>After eliminating Espanyol Pique mocked them, saying that following their move to a new stadium in 2009 they were now a team from Cornella, on the outskirts of Barcelona, rather than from the city itself. Espanyol later reported his comments to Spanish football&#39;s anti-violence committee.</p>

<p>However, Pique was the winner this time, with his late goal frustrating the hosts in their bid to climb the table and move out of danger.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Gerard Pique salvaged a 1-1 draw for La Liga leaders Barcelona at city rivals Espanyol, keeping their bid for an unbeaten campaign on track

Gerard Pique headed home a late equaliser for Barcelona against Catalan rivals Espanyol to earn his side a 1-1 draw in Cornella and maintain their unbeaten La Liga record on Sunday. The defender whistled throughout after making provocative comments which upset Espanyol fans after Barcelona knocked their rivals out of the King's Cup in January, buried Lionel Messi's free kick. Ernesto Valverde had started the Argentine on the bench as he rotated his side but threw Messi on in the second half as Barcelona struggled to break down a stubborn Espanyol on a waterlogged pitch in driving rain. Gerard Moreno headed home Sergio Garcia's inch-perfect cross in the 66th minute to give Espanyol hope of repeating their King's Cup first-leg win over Barcelona but Pique had the final say to move his side provisionally 12 points clear at the top of the table. Barcelona has now gone a club record 22 league games unbeaten, surpassing the total of 21 they managed under Pep Guardiola in the 2009-10 season. "We were not able to take the three points but the conditions weren't the best," Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta told beIN Sports. "It was an entertaining derby. I wouldn't say the pitch affected us too much, we adapted well. "There were waterlogged zones but we made a great effort and came back from 1-0 down." Espanyol saw off their arch-rivals by one goal in the first leg of the King's Cup quarter-final but could not repeat the trick here, with the visitors fighting back as they did in the second part of the cup tie. After eliminating Espanyol Pique mocked them, saying that following their move to a new stadium in 2009 they were now a team from Cornella, on the outskirts of Barcelona, rather than from the city itself. Espanyol later reported his comments to Spanish football's anti-violence committee. However, Pique was the winner this time, with his late goal frustrating the hosts in their bid to climb the table and move out of danger.

LaLiga: Barcelona continues unbeaten run

laliga

Laliga, News on Laliga, stories on Laliga, articles on Laliga, Laliga stories at Wion, Laliga news, Laliga latest news