Tuesday, 17 May 2016

Five games that won Barca La Liga

Barcelona claimed their 24th La Liga title on Sunday with a 3-0 win at Granada thank to a Luis Suarez hat-trick.
Here, AFP sports looks at five key games on the Catalans’ run to retaining their title.

Atletico Madrid 1 Barcelona 2, September 12, 2015
Barca faced a huge test just three games into the defence of their title with a visit to Champions League finalists Atletico.
Lionel Messi started only on the bench the day after the birth of his second son, but the World Player of the Year came on to score the winner after a stunning Neymar free-kick had cancelled out Fernando Torres’s opener.

Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 4, November 21, 2015
Messi watched on from the bench once more for the first hour on his return from knee ligament damage, but Barca still landed an early blow in the title race from which Madrid and, in particular, beleaguered coach Rafael Benitez never recovered.
Suarez and Neymar starred with the Uruguayan opening and rounding off the scoring, whilst the Brazilian slotted home the second just before half-time and teed up Andres Iniesta’s stunning strike for the third with a cheeky backheel.

Barcelona 6 Celta Vigo 1, February 14, 2016
Barca blew open a tight game with a magnificent 20-minute spell to score four goals of stunning quality to see of a valiant Celta Vigo.
The easiest finish was the most talked about as Suarez slotted home Messi’s pass from the penalty spot in homage to the late Johan Cruyff’s famous effort for Ajax 34 years previously.

That was part of a second-half hat-trick for Suarez, whilst Neymar and Ivan Rakitic chipped home classy finishes late on to add to Messi’s inch-perfect first-half free-kick.

Deportivo la Coruna 0 Barcelona 8, April 20, 2016
Having suffered three consecutive league defeats for the first time in 13 years, Barca bounced back in stunning fashion with a demolition of Deportivo inspired by four goals and three assists from Suarez.

Messi, Neymar, Rakitic and Marc Bartra also netted as the confidence flowed back to start a run of five wins to end the season by a combined score of 24-0.

Granada 0 Barcelona 3 May 14, 2016
Suarez was the hero once more as he struck a hat-trick to take his tally for the season to 59 and become the first player other than Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Pichichi trophy as La Liga’s top scorer in seven years.

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Ibrahimovic breaks PSG record

Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed home a minute from time to break Paris Saint-Germain’s single season Ligue 1 scoring record in a 4-0 rout of Nantes on Saturday.
With the title long wrapped up and a French Cup final against bitter rivals Marseille to come a week later, the night was all about Ibrahimovic and his quest to break the 37-goal single season PSG record at the Parc des Princes.
Starting the game with 36 goals, the Swedish striker equalled the 1997-98 club record of Argentine Carlos Bianchi in the 18th minute with his 37th of the season.
Ibrahimovic then netted his record 38th a minute from time from Javier Pastore’s cross to end a match-long quest that had looked set to frustrate him.
“I’m feeling very emotional. Today is a very special day after four years together winning lots of trophies,” said Ibrahimovic.
“Thank you ‘Ibracadabra’, these four years will remain in my heart.”

Ibrahimovic said he hoped PSG would keep on winning, adding: “Without Ibra it’s difficult, but it’s possible!”

It was the perfect end to his last match at the Parc in a PSG shirt before leaving for pastures new and he was immediately substituted, but not before his children ran onto the pitch wearing PSG replica shirts bearing the names King and Legend on their backs-a reference to Ibrahimovic’s Friday tweet in announcing his departure: “I came like a king, left like a legend.”

If anyone had been in any doubt who the night was about, that was surely dispelled in the 10th minute when the ground as one rose to applaud their talismanic import.
Wearing the number 10 jersey, Ibrahimovic acknowledged the crowd as Nantes obligingly waited patiently for almost a minute before taking a free-kick.
The visiting defence seemed to oblige in more ways than one against a team clearly intent solely on setting up their centre-forward to score.

Ibrahimovic notched his first goal as he played the ball out wide on the right to Angel Di Maria, before sprinting to the back stick where he was able to chest home the Argentine’s cross on his knees from six yards out without a yellow-shirted defender in sight.

If there was one player determined to ruin the party it was Nantes goalkeeper Maxime Dupe, who made a reaction one-handed save to deny a close-range Ibrahimovic flick before then thwarting the big Swede when one-on-one as even the linesman seemed unwilling to spoil the festivities.
Comic proportions

PSG’s desire to tee up their stand-in captain for the night took on comic proportions 10 minutes from half-time. When faced with a clear shooting opportunity inside the box, Di Maria wiggled and twisted in trying to find Ibrahimovic rather than strike at goal.

PSG finally switched back into the rich vein that had seen them romp to the title with two months to spare as Ibrahimovic and Di Maria combined to set up Lucas Moura for a simple second two minutes before the break-PSG’s 100th league goal of the season.

PSG notched their third on 52 minutes as Dupe parried a fierce Ibrahimovic free-kick, only for Marquinhos to win a sprint between three home players to tap in the rebound with not a yellow shirt reacting.

Ibrahimovic had a shot deflected behind for a corner as he took on three defenders and Dupe twice dived to his side to beat away shots before the big Swede lifted another chance over the bar as he became increasingly desperate.

But Pastore picked him out with a minute left to the stadium’s delight as Ibrahimovic fulfilled his quest.
Monaco secured the third and final Champions League qualification spot as first half goals from Ivan Cavaleiro and a Fabinho penalty gave them a 2-0 win over Montpellier.

Nice won 3-2 at Guingamp but had to settle for fourth in Hatem Ben Arfa’s final game for the south coast club.
Toulouse scored two goals in the final 12 minutes through Martin Braithwaite and Yann Bodiger to turn a 2-1 deficit at Angers into a 3-2 victory that kept them a point above Reims, whose 4-1 win over second-placed Lyon wasn’t enough to prevent them descending into Ligue 2 alongside Lorient and Troyes.

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Djokovic sets up Murray Rome final

World number one Novak Djokovic overcame a self-inflicted ankle injury to battle into the Rome Masters final after a thrilling 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)win over Kei Nishikori on Saturday.
It means Djokovic will meet Britain’s Andy Murray, the second seed, in a second successive Masters final on Sunday a week after beating the Scot in Madrid.
Djokovic, the top seed and defending champion, had laid the foundations for a fifth title in Rome with a hard-fought and classy win over seven-time champion Rafael Nadal on Friday.

But the Serbian almost scuppered his hopes when he inadvertantly bruised his left ankle with his raquet as he hit it against his shoe to shake off the red dirt.
Later, he said: “A message to all the kids out there: don’t hit your own ankle when you’re cleaning your shoes.”

If left Djokovic requiring medical treatment, and appeared to rob him of the early momentum against the Japanese sixth seed.
“It was an awkward situation in the first game, I hit myself pretty hard on the ankle and bruised the bone,” he explained.
“It hurt for a while, and though the pain faded it returned towards the end of the match.”

Nishikori-who suffered a semi-final defeat to the Serbian in Madrid-was a tough customer for tennis’s man of the moment.
Nishikori’s agility and movement were crucial in a 43-minute first set that he peppered with a healthy dose of drop shots.

Djokovic upped the momentum at a key moment in the second set, forcing a decider with a break on his first set point in the 10th game.
Djokovic maintained the momentum in the third set, but again Nishikori came out swinging.
The Serbian got the break in the second game, only for Nishikori to level at 4-4.

He saved match point at 5-4 before going on to force the tiebreak. Although he saved a further two match points, Nishikori was unable to save a fourth as Djokovic sealed the win in just over three hours.
‘Flawless’ -
In the end, the Serbian won 112 points to 111 for Nishikori.

“The first set was flawless from his side, and in the third set he had a couple of break points,” said Djokovic.
“Maybe a couple of opportunities I could have done better. But big credit to Kei. I saw the stats, I only had one more point than him and that says everything.”

Nishikori said: “I’m really disappointed, it was only a matter of a few points in the tie break.
“I played really good and aggressive in the first set, and in the second I stopped doing that and his game got better.
“I think in the tie break I made too many unforced errors. That was the biggest mistake I made today.”

Djokovic will now meet Murray on Sunday, the second time in a week the pair have featured in a Masters final.
Murray had an easier path to the final, winning his semi-final over French lucky loser Lucas Pouille in just over an hour.

“I’m excited to go out again and battle. I don’t have too much time to recover, but I’ve had this situation before in my career,” added Djokovic, aiming for a fifth Rome title.
Meanwhile, three-time champion Serena Williams said she can’t wait after setting up the first all-American women’s claycourt final in 14 years.
She will meet Madison Keys on Sunday.

The last time two Americans faced off in the final of a WTA claycourt event was in 2002, when Williams beat her older sister Venus to win her maiden French Open at Roland Garros.

Williams, who will aim for her fourth and second successive title in Paris in a fortnight, said: “You know, we’re an all-American final on the clay. That’s just-it’s great. It’s really exciting.”

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Argentine footballer gunned down

A second-division Argentine soccer player has been killed by a gunshot to the chest by unknown assailants who apparently entered his home in a robbery attempt.
His club Nueva Chicago on Friday named the victim as 26-year-old defender Rodrigo Espindola. Police said a security camera caught images of Espindola arriving on Thursday night with his family in a car at his home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Club vice president Daniel Ferreiro called it a “sad day,” and the Argentine Football Association expressed “its sadness” over the death.
Espinolda played in the Argentine first division for Racing Club and has played three seasons with Nueva Chicago, which is in a Buenos Aires neighborhood called “Mataderos,” Slaughterhouses in English.

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Barca can handle title pressure: Luis Enrique

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is adamant that his side won’t crumble under the pressure of being favourites to retain their La Liga title at Granada on Saturday.
The world champions need to win in Andalusia to be assured of a 24th Spanish title and hold off a late-season charge by Real Madrid.
Barca led Real by as much as 12 points in March before a run of just one point from four games breathed new life into the title race.
However, Enrique’s men have responded by winning their last four games by a combined score of 21-0 and he believes his players experience of consistently winning at the highest level will see them complete the job in Granada.
“We are an unusual team in that regard, these players have won many things with the club and their national teams and are used to all kinds of ups and downs,” Enrique said on Friday.
“We have a very attractive and interesting challenge and we know at some point we will have to suffer because that is normal, especially when you are playing away from home.”
The build up to the final weekend of league matches in Spain has been dominated by accusations of match-fixing and debate over whether teams going for the title or battling relegation should be allowed to pay bonuses to their rivals’ opponents to win.
Players of La Liga strugglers Rayo Vallecano vehemently denied any wrongdoing on Friday amid an investigation from the Spanish league into suspicious betting patterns before their 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad last weekend.
Meanwhile, it has been rumoured that Granada and Madrid’s opponents Deportivo la Coruna—both of whom have nothing to play for—could be offered bonuses for taking points off Barca or Real.
“I put my full trust in all professionals in football,” added Enrique.
“In football you have to concentrate on being as professional as possible and that is what I try to do every day.”

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Ibrahimovic prepares for Euro swansong

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has one of the hottest shots in football and he is not at all modest about it.
“One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch,” said the Swedish superstar after his country failed to qualify for Brazil 2014. So it is just as well he has made it to Euro 2016.
Ibrahimovic scored three goals in the two-leg playoff against Denmark that Sweden won 4-3 on aggregate to reach France.
The 34-year-old Paris Saint-Germain players makes the difference for an otherwise mediocre Sweden team. “It’s a challenge—a world class player and good players, but not as good as him—to get a good team,” said Sweden’s coach Erik Hamren.
Ibrahimovic is not just Sweden’s captain and best player now, he is possibly the country’s greatest ever, their all-time record goal-scorer with 62 and a record 10-time winner of the national Guldbollen award for player of the year.
Born in a difficult neighbourhood of Malmo to a Bosnian father and Croatian mother, Ibrahimovic has enjoyed a glittering career.
He has just won his 11th league title, a fourth straight French championship with PSG following two titles at Ajax, three at Inter Milan, one at Barcelona and one at AC Milan.
There were also two with Juventus that were revoked because of the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. The biggest gap in his CV is his lack of success in the Champions League.
At international level he does not represent one of the major powers, and with his 35th birthday approaching, this may be his last chance at a major tournament.
A player who stands 6ft 4ins tall (1.95m) and has a black belt in taekwondo has scored some of the most eye-catching international goals, from his back-heel against Italy at Euro 2004 to his breathtaking overhead kick from 35 yards against England in 2012.
But international honours have not followed. ‘Ibra’ featured at just one World Cup, in 2006, and has not gone beyond the quarter-finals of the European Championship, a competition in which he has scored six times spread over the 2004, 2008 and 2012 finals.
However, after once briefly quitting the international scene, he has flourished under Hamren.
The coach’s ability to get along with Ibrahimovic contrasts with Pep Guardiola, with whom the striker famously endured a difficult relationship at Barcelona.
Ibrahimovic has said that he once told Guardiola to “go to hell” and blamed him for a disappointing stint at the Camp Nou.
“When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari,” he said. “If you drive a Ferrari you put premium fuel in the tank, you drive onto the motorway and you floor the accelerator.
“Guardiola filled up with diesel and went for a spin in the countryside. If that’s what he wanted, he should have bought himself a Fiat from the start.”
  • Adopted home -
The Euros will be particularly special for Ibrahimovic as they take place in the country that has become his adopted home in four years with PSG.
He is a superstar in France, and has his own puppet on the cult satirical programme Les Guignols, but he has never mastered the language and has an uneasy relationship with the French media.
Some who have spent time in his company talk of an intelligent person who despises losing, and whose demanding nature has been the biggest factor in transforming PSG. He has suggested the club did not even exist before his arrival in 2012.
Ibrahimovic once refused a trial at Arsenal as a teenager, later explaining himself by saying “Zlatan doesn’t do auditions”.
He has never made it to the English game, but that could still change. His PSG deal—worth a reported 20 million euros ($22.7m) a year—expires at the end of the season and media reports say Manchester United are interested.
He has enjoyed a superb season with PSG, breaking the 40-goal barrier, and recently joked that he would stay if the Eiffel Tower were replaced with a statue of him.
For now, though, his French swansong looks like it will come in the colours of Sweden.

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Barca on brink of Spanish title

Barcelona have the upper hand in a final day showdown with Real Madrid for the Spanish title on Saturday as they know a victory at Granada will ensure them a 24th La Liga crown.
Madrid are a point behind and have to stretch their winning La Liga run to 12 games at Deportivo la Coruna and hope for a Barca slip up to land the title.
The battle between the two richest clubs in the world has come down to the final day thanks to Barca’s incredible slump of three consecutive league defeats in April, the first time in 13 years they had gone on such a run.
However, the world champions have bounced back in style with four straight victories by a combined 21-0 scoreline to take them to the brink of a sixth Spanish title in eight seasons.
“It is essential for us to keep a clean sheet because we know from middle to front we can make the difference,” Barca striker Luis Suarez said on Thursday.
“Mentally we have to be very strong and be aware of the fact that it is in our own hands.
“We have 93 or 94 minutes to win one match and we have already won a lot this season.”
Suarez has come up big when Barca most needed him with 11 goals in his last four games to get the Catalan giants back on track.
Moreover, the Uruguayan is now well set to become the first player other than teammate Lionel Messi and Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Pichichi award for La Liga’s top scorer in seven seasons.
Suarez’s 37 La Liga goals as part of a tally of 56 in all competitions this season is four more than Ronaldo.
However, the former Liverpool striker claimed that individual glory will mean nothing if it is not accompanied by his second La Liga title.
“I am happy to help the team, but I don’t care about the Pichichi or the golden boot if we are not champions and not able to achieve our objectives as a group.”
Crucially, Barca are facing a Granada side with nothing left to play for after they sealed their survival with a 4-1 win at Sevilla last weekend.
“If I were a Barcelona player I would say the opponent doesn’t matter. They have the team to be able to beat anyone, but we won’t roll over,” insisted Granada goalkeeper Andres Fernandez.
  • Bale back? -
However, build-up to the final games has as ever in the final weeks of La Liga been dominated by whether teams going for the title or battling relegation should be allowed to pay bonuses to their rivals’ opponents to win.
“I am a player that always goes out on the pitch motivated and to enjoy myself,” added Fernandez.
“For me the subject of bonuses is difficult. The league ought to take action.”
Despite a looming Champions League final against Atletico Madrid, Real are set to recall Gareth Bale and goalkeeper Keylor Navas from injury in A Coruna against a Deportivo side also with nothing to play for.
“I don’t think they will go out on the pitch relaxed,” said Madrid defender Marcelo.
“Teams always play their best against Madrid and I am sure Deportivo will want to win.”
The situation at the bottom is just as tight with Getafe, Sporting Gijon and Rayo Vallecano battling to avoid joining Levante in being relegated.
Getafe have matters in their own hands as victory at Real Betis on Sunday will secure their place in the top flight for a 13th consecutive season.
Sporting are level on points with Getafe but are in the relegation zone due to their inferior head-to-head record and need to better the Madrid side’s result when they host Villarreal.
Rayo can only be saved by bettering both Getafe and Sporting’s results at home to Levante.

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