The thrilling race at the top of La Liga came to a head last weekend, when Barcelona dropped two points at surging Almería, and Real Madrid fought back from a 0-2 deficit to win against Sevilla in the second minute of stoppage time 3-2.  Now the two exemplars of Spanish football are tied for the [...]

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The Almería – Barcelona match had not concluded when Real Madrid took to the pitch, but a few minutes into their match with Sevilla, they knew that Barça slipped at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos and dropped two points with a 2-2 draw against Almería.  Expectations were that Real Madrid [...]

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The marquee matchup of the weekend is the late Saturday kickoff between top four teams Real Madrid and Sevilla.  The reverse fixture in early October was one of the matches of the season, and while Sevilla’s title chances faded away during the dregs of mid-season, they still lie fourth in the league, they have the [...]

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After a less than impressive performance by the Spanish Armada in European competition, these teams return to their domestic responsibilities in order to regain their confidence.  Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao traveled to Wolfsburg and Anderlecht, respectively, and became punching bags for those teams as both Wolfsburg and Anderlecht scored four goals on their visitors.  They [...]

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A half-empty stadium.  A running track surrounding the pitch that places the fans further away from the action.  Supporters that create less noise and din than those at the Vancouver Olympic Centre, where the Olympic Curling competition is contested.  The ONO Estadi hardly constitutes as an intimidating atmosphere, but RCD Mallorca has managed to maintain [...]

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The obvious surprising result of the previous round was Atlético Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona to hand the Catalunyan champions their first loss in La Liga this season.  If analyzed deeper, however, Barça’s defeat at the hands of Los Colchoneros becomes less of a shocker.
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This weekend, the focus will be on those teams who will play in European competition in the following midweek.  The question of domestic vs. European responsibilities remains an individual club decision, but for some teams, choices become more plentiful than others.
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Barcelona were able to avenge their midweek Copa del Rey elimination by trouncing a hapless Sevilla side 4-0 at the Nou Camp. The Blaugrana were able to dominate with 72% possession and not allowing the visitors one shot on goal the entire match. Although Barca were not able to score in the second half, the domination from midweek continued against an even weaker Sevilla defense; yet their weakness was compensated by their bravery as they hunkered down against the culé attack.

The first goal of the match came in the 49th minute when Rafa Márquez crosses ball into the middle and Gerard Piqué’s volley was deflected into the net by Julien Escudé. Supersub Pedro came in and connected with Xavi with a brilliant run and pass. Then Messi was simply Messi in his two scores.

Historic Messi

The legend of Lio Messi continues to grow as he became Pichichi of the league after he scored a brace against the Nervionenes. Messi scored goals 100 and 101 of his Blaugrana career on Saturday, thus becoming the youngest Barcelona player to ever score that amount of goals (22 years, 6 months). Messi also becomes the 16th player in Barcelona history to score 100 goals, joining and elite list of scorers that include players like Rivaldo, Romário, Patrick Kliuvert, Carles Rexach, Samuel Eto’o, as well as icons like Ladislao Kubala and César Rodríguez.

Top scorers in Barca history

1. César 235

2. Ladislao Kubala 196

3 Samuel Eto’o 130

4 Rivaldo 130

5 Mariano Martín 124

6 Patrick Kluivert 122

7 Carles Rexach 122

8 Josep Escola 118

9 Hristo Stoichkov 117

10. Estanislao Basor 112

16. Lionel Messi 101

The league leaders were able to go five clear of their eternal rivals as Los Merengues lost unexpectedly 1-0 at San Mamés to Athletic Bilbao. The Basques scored in the third minute of the match when a corner was not deflected properly and Fernando Llorente headed the ball past Iker Casillas. Los Leones came out of the gate with an impressive flurry of threats that were denied by the woodwork on two separate occasions.

The absence of Gonzalo Higuaín was felt greatly as Madrid were not able to concrete any type of consistent attack. When they did, Spanish international goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz came to the rescue and gave the Basques two valuable points at home in their aspirations to earn a European cup spot.

With the gap widening between Barcelona and Real Madrid and the rest of the league, Valencia, Deportivo La Coruña, and the other potential contenders need to keep winning and hope that the top two slip on some wet spots along the way.  Real Madrid will visit the cathedral, San Mamés, against Athletic Bilbao, and Barcelona [...]

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As 2010 arrives through the doorstep, La Liga returns with a vengeance from the winter break that seemingly flew by so quickly.  As soon as these players finish their grapes and cava to ring in the new year, the focus needs to return to their football responsibilities.
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