Jose Mourinho is sticking to his new year resolution – win every match in 2013. So far so good, yet this is only the first match of the new year. Real Madrid faced Real Sociedad at home beating the club 4-3 in typical Madrid fashion.

Karim Benzema, who was sporting a new hairstyle (I like to call it the Benzhawk), opened the scoring in the second minute with a right-footed shot to the center of the box. Despite Mourinho’s odd choice of not starting captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who was recently voted best keeper in the world for the fifth consecutive time, backfired as Antonio Adan brought down Real player Carlos Vela in the box and was immediately sent off. Madrid were down to 10 men within the first 6 minutes.

With a penalty in the 9′, Xabi Prieto put Real on the board and the match at 1-1. That is until Sami Khedira got his foot on the ball and scored off a corner kick from Carvalho in the 35′. Real equalized the match again, though, before the half with another goal by Prieto five minutes later then topping off with  hattrick after a goal in the 76′.

Real ended the last 10 minutes of the match with 10 men as Dani Estrada brought down Ronaldo, receiving his second yellow and being sent off. Though it was two goals by Cristiano Ronaldo that inevitably sealed the victory for Madrid, only to be scored two minutes apart from one another. The Portuguese international evened up his career stats with Madrid as he scored 171 goals in 171 matches.

Just minutes before the final whistle, Gonzalo Higuain made his comeback from injury, almost scoring a goal.

Even though Madrid were missing Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo and Coentrão, los blancos drove the ball as fiercely as they good, taking every opportunity to counter-attack and rack up those very-needed goals.

Real Madrid end the week with a Copa del Rey match against Celta Vigo on the 9th before facing Osasuna in Liga on the 12th.

Stay tuned to Aerys Soccer for all your La Liga coverage!

Photo courtesy of Real Madrid C.F.

A slumped Iker Casillas, warming the bench.

There’s no doubt that this 2012-13 La Liga campaign has been rough for last season’s Champions, Real Madrid. In fact, it’s been atrocious. Los Blancos are 16 points (and counting) behind rivals, FC Barcelona as well as 13 points behind city rivals, Atletico Madrid at the end of 2012.

The match started of rocky when it was announced that Iker Casillas wouldn’t be tending the goal for Madrid making it the first time in 10 years he has been dropped due to a technical decision. The first half was the same as the second, Malaga wasn’t going to make things easy for Madrid. Deflecting  balls,counter-attacking and a strong defense allowed Malaga to control the match.

The scoreboard didn’t see a goal until the 49th minute from Isco, giving Adan no chance to deflect. Roque Santa Cruz netted two goals for Malaga. Karim Benzema scored a goal with 10 minutes to spare after an OG by Sergio Sanchez in the 66th minute.

Madrid was unable to find an equalizer and fell to their fourth defeat of the season, doubling their losses from last season. With the beginning of this campaign becoming more ad more intolerable, supporters are looking for an excuse. The harsh truth is there is no excuse. With constant injuries, morale in the Madrid club is falling.

But at least we still have Champions League.

Scores from Around the League

Real Betis 1-2 Mallorca

Real Valladolid 1-3 FC Barcelona

Osasuna 1-2 Granada

Athletic Bilbao – Real Zaragoza (Starts at 4pm ET)

Photo courtesy of Real Madrid C.F.

The second week of the group stages are officially over as some pretty big clubs took to the pitch on the world’s biggest stage. Perhaps the biggest headline in today’s match-ups was that of Real Madrid and the-one -and-only Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese international stole all recognition as he knocked in his second hat trick in two matches. Real Madrid played CL rivals Ajax once again in the Group of Death, beating them 4-1. Ajax’s only goal came from Niklas Moisander in the 56′.

The king of hat trick Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 42′, 79′ and the 81′ but it was the Frenchman Karim Benzema who scored the Goal of the Match (and I’ll say the day too,) after a stunning chilean, or bicycle kick, just after the second half kick-off assisted by Kaka.

Los Blancos sit atop their group with 6 points and will face league rivals FC Barcelona Sunday at Camp Nou for the first El Clásico of the season. Hopefully this CL match will light the fire under the boys so they can come on top of Barça once again.

http://youtu.be/CBMy7rWUeQA

Looks like Arsenal are one step closer to securing their spot in the knockout stage after winning 3-1 against Olympiakos. After a defeat by Chelsea in the Premier League last weekend, the Gunners looked refreshed on the pitch.

The goal scorers were Gervinho, Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey while Kostas Mitroglou scored the lone goal for his side. The second half was fast-paced as many opportunities arose for the Gunners.

I have to give a Flop of the Match award to Olivier Giroud who has not yet been the key player for Arsenal as others expected. Only time will tell with him and perhaps on Saturday when Arsenal face West Ham, could we see something more from him.

Dynamo Kiev 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb

FC Porto 1-0 PSG

Schalke 04 2-2 Montpellier

Anderlecht 0-3 Málaga

Manchester City 1-1 Borussia Dortmund

Photo courtesy of Real Madrid C.F.

It was a rematch of the 2006 World Cup Final. France versus Spain; only the outcome of today’s match was a redemption of sorts for the Spaniards.

The two goals of the match came from Spain’s Xabi Alonso, both in the 19′ by a beautiful header and in the 91′ off a penalty kick. The first half seemed promising for the Spanish, however their lack of a designated striker prevented them from being up an extra 2 goals. Fernando Torres came in at the second half, but couldn’t finish.

If I could describe this match up in one phrase it would be: Spain vs Benzema. Karim Benzema had no help from his teammates except Yohan Cabaye, who had a free kick but was quickly denied.

Spain advances to the semifinals of Euro, facing Portugal on Wednesday in an Iberian Derby. Big shocker there. Though there was part of me that hoped that France could somehow conquer and score a few goals. Now if you’re not too familiar with he rivalry of Portugal and Spain, let’s take you back to the 2010 World Cup.

Spain beat Portugal 1-nil, advancing to the semifinals after a ref mistakenly allowed a goal by David Villa, which was obviously offside. Since then the Portuguese have been rallying for another match up, as redemption. As long as Spain start a striker, Wednesday seems to be a very, head-to-head battle between the countries.

Our own Terry Munoz, who covered France in the Euros, gives us her perspective!

Although France lost to Spain today, I thought they played better than they had in their last game, when they faced Sweden and lost 2-0. France’s coach decided to bench Samir Nasri, and reports said that it based on his behavior after France’s lost Tuesday. Benching Nasri was a mistake, in my opinion; he’s been really good for France in this tournmanet.

They had their chances in the first half, but couldn’t score thanks to Spain’s keeper, Iker Casillas. In the first half, France was awarded a free kick and almost scored, but Casillas made a huge save. At HT, it was 1-0 Spain. France seemed to give up a little bit when they second half started, but they started connecting their passes and had a few chances to score, thanks to a few bad passes from Spain’s Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets.

Unfortunately, France gave away a penalty late in the game and Xabi Alons scored his 2nd goal of the match. I think France should be proud of themselves for making it to the QFs, although I had been hoping to see a France-Spain final. Oh well, there’s always the next Euro (which takes place in France). Congrats Spain!

Stay tuned to all your Euro 2012 coverage here on Aerys Sports!

Photo courtesy of UEFA

After a disappointing 1-1 draw with England, France was looking to pick up 3 points against the Euro 2012 co-host, Ukraine. While France disappointed, Ukraine surprised everyone by beating Sweden 2-1. Both national teams had a good chance of winning this game. Of course, I was rooting for France, my Euro 2012 team (after Spain)

It got off to a pretty crazy start. Both teams came out on to the field and started playing. It had been raining a little bit before the game started, but after less than 10 minutes of play, the officials decided the field was no longer safe to play on. There was just too much thunder and lightning above the stadium.

So both teams left the field, while the officials debated on what they’d do. They’d decided to wait it out and see if the rain would clear up. Almost an hour later, the match finally resumed. And immediately, France was in control of the game. It looked like a goal was coming soon from the French, and when it finally did, it was called offside. The game was 0-0 at HT.

The 2nd half started off with both teams attacking. Finally in the 53rd minute, France scored and it counted. Jeremy Menez was the goal scorer, and Karim Benzema assisted the shot. Three minutes later Yohan Cabaye doubled the lead from France, scoring his first goal for his national team. Guess who assisted this goal? Yup, the Real Madrid player, Benzema, with his 2nd of the match.

France continued to have more chances and dominate the game, but the weren’t able to score any more goals. The game ended 2-0 in favor of France.

This shouldn’t be a  surprise to anyone, but the man of the match was Karim Benzema. France’s next and final group game will be against Sweden. Sweden, who were knocked out of the tournament by England later in the day, will have nothing to lose, which will make them a very tough team to play against. France is currently leading Group D on goal difference. If they win their group, they will play either Italy or Czech Republic in the QFs.

Photo courtesy of thefa.com

After the Spain v Italy match Sunday, France v England was one of the most anticipated Euro 2012 matches (of the group stage). On paper, France had the much  better team, but as we all know, being better on paper doesn’t mean a thing in soccer.

After all, look at what happened in Saturday’s group B game — Denmark beat Netherlands, who had the better team. So, while France had a really good chance of winning, England could pull off an upset. I like both teams, but was rooting for France NT, as they have some Manchester City, Lyon and Real Madrid players. Of course, it was a little hard rooting against one of my favorite keepers, Joe Hart.

Before this game, France had been unbeaten in their last 21 games. England hadn’t been doing as well. One thing England had to look forward to was  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first start in a competitive game.

The game started off  pretty slow for both teams. After 10 minutes, Samir Nasri would be the first player with a good chance to score. His attempt, though, was just wide. It would be England who would score first, in 31st minute when  Joleon Lescott scored off Steven Gerrard’s free kick and gave England the lead. This was Lescott’s first international goal.

However, their lead didn’t last long. Lescott’s  City teammate, Nasri, would equalize for the French side less than 10 minutes before half time. When the ref blew the whistle ending the first 45, it was 1-1. The 2nd half started off the same; neither side seemed to be in a hurry to score. However, the French side was soon attacking and kept trying to score the winning goal, but Hart made save after save. While France’s attack was pretty strong, their defense still needed some work. In the last 20 minutes of the game, Nasri and Karim Benzema both had real chances to put France ahead, but yet again, Hart was there to stop them. The game ended 1-1.

France will be disappointed to walk away with only one point. After all, they had been the better team and had more shots on goal. But England had their secret weapon, Hart, who made six saves in this game alone. This point was huge for England. And the next two matches, against Sweden and Ukraine, shouldn’t be as tough for them, especially when they get Rooney back for their third match.

All this week, I’ve been preview the groups and national teams of this year’s Euros. We’re now down to the final group!

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

The stakes are higher than ever for these teams. There are so many unanswered questions and uncertainty swarming them. Will the Ukraine disappoint on their home turf? Can France move on from the absurd episode that took place in South Africa just two years ago? Will England pack their bags early once again? And will Sweden quietly exit the way they entered?

Unlike their co-host, Poland, the Ukraine did not draw the easiest group, but they did draw two countries they played and lost to last year in friendlies, Sweden (1-0) and France (4-0). With those games fresh in Coach Oleh Blokhin’s mind, he will know areas of weaknesses to work on. The health of the team is questionable with a reported 10 players suffering from food poisoning just days before their first game. Ukraine’s key player is Captain Andriy Shevchenko. He is a legend and fantastic leader for the team. Sheva is past his prime and his physical condition is not 100 percent, but he is fearless and will take on any defender. Youngster Andriy Yarmolenko is talented, young and expected to have a good campaign. They are a long-shot to get out of the group and will need A LOT of luck on their side.

Sweden is overall well-organized and well-formed. This team will keep their fingers crossed that England slips with all of the distractions surrounding them. Key players for Sweden are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sebastian Larsson and Kim Kallstrom. Ibrahimovic is a world-class player, but his style of play is much different than his teammates and may ruin the chemistry or enhance it. Sweden could definitely get out of this group; it all depends on which English and French team shows up this year.

Are the images of the 2010 World Cup just distant memories for France? It looks as though the French have moved on past their embarrassing display and relinquished the title to England. Les Bleus have been unbeaten in their last 21 matches and even upset a very good German squad in Germany. France should win the group with the likes of Karim Benzema up top and a dynamic midfield backing him. Yann M’Vila, Franck Ribéry and Samir Nasri are technical and skillful. M’Vila is nursing an ankle injury and may miss the England game, but other than that, France is at the top of their game and should go far.

Two words, train wreck. All eyes are on England this year with the array of problems they are bringing in: suspensions, snubs, law suits, injuries, egos and questionable call-ups to name a few. Brand new coach Roy Hodgson came in to reign merely weeks before the tournament, so the question of how prepared this team is, is uncertain. The Three Lions will be without Cahill, Lampard and Barry. Waza (Rooney) will miss the first two matches to suspensions. With all the bad press, the English still have a talented roster. Goalkeeper Joe Hart was fantastic for Manchester City this past season and is one of the best keepers in the world. Familiar faces, Terry, Gerrard and Cole will provide leadership and newer faces Wellbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlin will be wild cards and perhaps provide a fresh spark. England will either arise to the occasion or be the laughing stock of the tournament.

Predictions: 1. France 2. England 3. Sweden 4. Ukraine

Good morning footy fans! It’s a lovely Tuesday filled with tons of Premier League & La Liga news as controversy hits and transfer rumors begin! We have more Joey Barton & Carlos Tevez drama, an EPL player gets arrested, a legend is retiring and is Falcao heading to Chelsea? All in today’s DKA!

English Premier League

QPR’s Joey Barton was charged with two charges today by the FA for violent misconduct following his dismissal against Manchester City on Sunday. After receiving a red card for elbowing Carlos Tevez, Barton also came in contact with Sergio Agüero & Vincent Kompany, being pulled away by Mario Balotelli. Apparently Barton has until 6pm GMT time to appeal any or all the charges against him. Good luck with that.

It’s never a dull moment when it comes to Manchester City, especially when Carlos Tevez is around. But sure enough, Tevez strikes back, creating a whirlwind of controversy around his celebration sign. The sign, which Tevez held up during the celebration parade for Man City’s title win, read ‘RIP Fergie.” Tevez later issued an apology directed towards Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson for his actions saying:

 ”I got carried away in the excitement of the moment and I certainly didn’t mean any disrespect to Sir Alex Ferguson, who I admire as a man and a manager.” 

You’d think that Tevez would have the knowledge to NOT hold that sign up in the air, even if it was from a City supporter. But then again, Tevez doesn’t know the meaning of ‘common sense.’

Both Ryan Giggs & Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United were awarded two awards for their dominance in the Premier League. Fergie was named Best manager in the Premier League while Giggs won Best Player. Sir Alex beat out Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Harry Redknapp and David Moyes for the award. Congratulations!

Stoke midfielder Jermaine Pennant was given an eight-week jail sentence, suspension for a year plus a 3-year driving disqualification after admitting to drunk driving in April.

La Liga

Málaga’s Ruud van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from football yesterday after helping his club reach a Champions League spot in next season’s competition. RVN has played with two of football’s greatest clubs like Manchester United where he scored 150 goals in 219 appearances before heading to Real Madrid, winning two La Liga titles. Currently van Nistelrooy is the Champions League’s all-time second highest scorer with 56 goals to back him up. In a press conference RVN stated:

“Yesterday was my final game as a professional footballer. I wanted to play in the Champions League, but it is the moment to leave. I have arrived at my physical limit and I can’t play at the maximum level. I couldn’t have had a better send-off than this. I feel happy that I am the one taking this decision. I would like to thank Malaga, the technical and medical staff for an unforgettable year. I am proud to have won collective and individual titles, but my greatest satisfaction was to be able to work day after day, year after year.”

Good news for Real Madrid supporters as Karim Benzema has made the bold statement claiming that he would love to end his career playing at the Santiago Bernabéu. The French International had a lot of help from former Real Madrid player & football legend, Zinedine Zidane in getting acclimated to life in Spain. Now if only Gonzalo Higuaín would say the same thing…

Transfer rumors are already hitting La Liga as the newest comes from Atlético Madrid. Reports circulated that Chelsea FC was looking to swap Fernando Torres for Radamel Falcao. Chelsea manager, Roberto Di Mattero has dismissed the allegations saying that he believes Torres will be wearing blue for another season.

Courtesy of RMCF

Emotions. That’s all I’m feeling right now as I’m watching the Real Madrid trophy presentation.

It’s been a long, hard season for Los Blancos who suffered ups and downs, injuries and doubt. Through it all, Jose Mourinho and his men battled their way to victory, beating arch rivals, FC Barcelona in the process. The first time in four years.

Tonight, the last day of the 2011-2012 season, Real Madrid became the first club in European history to reach 100 points in competition, giving them a 9-point lead over Barca.

However the match belonged to the men in white who scored 4 goals to Mallorca’s one goal. Madrid’s goals were delievered by Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema & two goals by Mesut Özil while Mallorca’s lone goal was scored by Gonzalo Castro.

For Real Madrid, the trophy presentation was something spectacular. Glorious, classy and appreciative. Introductions for the first team, the Real Madrid Castilla boys that have played with the first team, plus all the canteranos who will be the future faces of Real Madrid.

This 2011-2012 season brought a brand new La Liga trophy with madrid being the first to lift it. Captain Iker Casillas was in tears as the sold out crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu was cheering so loud, I swear I could here it in Colorado.

For Real Madrid, next season is looking to be better than ever. This club has all the passion and dedication it takes to win titles, but most importantly, they never forget how they got to where they are. The supporters, family and the people behind the scenes, all in some way, have a helping hand in this legendary victory.

Around August of last year, I made a promise to myself and my twitter followers that if Real Madrid win their 32nd league title, I would do something big to commemorate it. Well, last Friday, I did just that. The Madridismo inside of me celebrated this victory in the best way possible. I got a tattoo, for my club and everything it means to me.

Vivimos por ti, vence por nosotros! (Live for you, beat for us)

This is just the beginning for Madridistas and for Real Madrid. The future is bright and yes, anything can happen. But for the next 3 months, this victory is ours. It belongs to the best football club in the world. Hala Madrid!

Now even with Real Madrid winning the title, a lot happened with other clubs around Liga. Both Sporting Gijon and Villarreal were relegated today to the Segunda division after their losses against Málaga and Atlético Madrid.

Lionel Messi won the Pichichi Award for most goals scored in a single season while his teammate, Barca keeper Victor Valdes won the Zamora Award  which goes to the keeper with the lowest ‘goals-to-games’ ratio.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Málaga qualify for Champions League while Atlético Madrid and Levante qualify for Europa next season.

Villarreal, Sporting Gijon and Racing Santander will have to redeem themselves next season in the Segunda Division if they plan on returning to the Primera.

It’s been a fantastic La Liga campaign and entertaining nonetheless, but now we can focus on pre-season and the upcoming 2012 Euro competition which begins June 8th.

Until then, watch out for our updates of trades, rumors and other important news happening in the Summer! So don’t forget to follow Aerys Soccer on Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest!

It’s that time again folks! Late Night Liga is upon you! Okay, so it’s not really ‘late’ but I couldn’t help myself, so many things to discuss!

First off, not much of a change in league standings since our last post late Friday, however, Real Madrid and Barcelona are still racing for the title. Who would’ve thunk it? Both clubs played their most important matches Saturday with positive outcomes.

Sporting Gijon visited Real Madrid at the Bernabéu and left disappointed. I can honestly say, as a Madrid supporter, I was insanely nervous to see how we performed. Real’s defense was shaky with no help from Álvaro Arbeloa, who spent most of the match with a confused look on his face. Luckily, Sergio Ramos assisted in Real’s first goal as Gonzalo Higuaín knocked the ball past Gijon’s keeper in the 37th minute. For Gijon, Cuevas scored off a penalty in the 30th giving them their only goal.

The holy trinity of Real Madrid scored one goal each. Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo in the 74th and the Frenchie Karim Benzema in the 84th minute. Both Ronaldo and Benzema were voted as Men of the Match for their fantastic (and title saving) performance on the pitch. We’re leaders for another week!

Now for Barcelona; they faced a tough Levante club at the Cuidad de Valencia. Scoring opened when Levante’s Jose Barkero scored off a penalty in the 23rd. After that, it was a long road to recovery for the Catalans, who could feel their four-point gap from Real Madrid widen. But in true Barcelona fashion, King Messi saved his club with a comeback goal in 64th minute and scoring his fifth penalty in 5 matches in the 72nd, giving Barcelona a 2-1 victory.

While on the topic of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, they enter the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals this week. Real Madrid face Bayern Munich Tuesday, April 17th. Bayern, who have been one of the top clubs in the Champions League, are looking to break down Real Madrid. This match-up is definitely one to watch next week.

Barcelona faces Chelsea FC Wednesday, April 18th. Most people would likely pull Barcelona as the victors in this match-up but if you caught today’s FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea-Tottenham, you might have to re-think your assumption. When put on the spot, Chelsea can perform.

Moving on, today’s La Liga matches were pretty bland.

Espanyol beat Valencia 4-nil and recorded their first win in 6 matches. Cristian Gómez broke open the scoring from a cut-back from Sergio Garcia in the 26th. Four minutes later, Verdú added a second goal with a shot right outside the box. Beautiful.

Álvaro Vásquez was subbed into the match just after the half to score a goal in the 58th. Espanyol’s fourth and final goal came from Kalu Uche in the 80th which gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side a total of 45 points, just behind Osasuna. Valencia failed in their two-point advantage over Málaga in the battle for Champions League football next season.

Málaga 1-1 Real Sociedad

Real Betis 1-0 Osasuna

Real Zaragoza 1-0 Granada

Villarreal 1-1 Racing Santander

Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Mallorca

Rayo Vallecano 0-1 Atlético Madrid

On Monday, Getafe will host Sevilla FC.

This week is what I like to call as:

Stay tuned later in the week, either Thursday or Friday, for a very special edition of Road to El Clasico. All Clasicos are important, but this week’s Clasico April 21st is very pivotal for both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, as it could be the deciding factor on which club will raise the cup May 13th.

FUN FACT: Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi set a record-breaking tally with 41 goals each this season. I think it’s safe to say, these two are the best in the world? Probably.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest!