As most of you know, Mourinho will be leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season. It’s official. To be honest, I’m not surprised. The last season according to Mou, was a failure and the worst of his career. Don’t worry Papa Mou, it was harder for us to watch, believe me.

Today, president Florentino Perez issued this statement:

“After three years we both agreed this was the correct moment to finish. With Mourinho, we made a big leap competitively and sporting-wise. Today Madrid is where it ought to be. We had not reached that level prior to his arrival, so the balance of his stay here was positive.”

I can remember when he first  came to Madrid, I was thrilled beyond belief. Finally we’ll win some titles! I thought. When it was good it was brilliant and when it was bad it was heartbreaking. That’s the story of the last three years, full of joy and sorrow.

But instead of focusing on the fiery dynamic between Mourinho and players this past season or the antics he’s shown against opponents on/off the pitch or during press conferences; how about we focus on all the good things he as a manager has brought the club?

With Mou as our manager, we’ve been dealt many cards. We’ve celebrated on the streets in Madrid, we’ve shed tears and we’ve embraced each other in times of defeat.

These past three years were memorable times for Madrid. Between the years of 2003-2010, Madrid only managed to win three trophies yet in a three-year span with Mourinho, they’ve managed the same results.

We watched Real Madrid beat Barcelona numerous times which brought this club and the supporters closer together.

As Madridistas, we are born to accept everyone that has both entered and exited this club, whether it be a player or a manager. Today is no different. The show must go on!

Jose Mourinho, the special one, you will be missed. Thank you for all that you’ve done for our club in your short time with us in Madrid. Without you, your passion and determination for the game, we’ve surpassed all expectations.

I personally, wish you the best in the future and even though you’re likely heading to Chelsea, I still dream that one day you’ll grace Emirates and lead Arsenal to some silverware (it never hurts to dream, guys!)

Obrigado.

Oh and before I forget! Happy 32nd Birthday to Madrid captain, Iker Casillas. Feliz cumplé San Iker!

The irony in today’s events are making me laugh.

Congratulations to Atlético Madrid for winning the 2013 Copa del Rey!! They beat Real Madrid 2-1 after a chaotic game and 30 minutes of extra time. This marks the first time Atleti have beaten Real Madrid since 1999. Atlético also ended Real Madrid’s 2 year home unbeaten streak (about 40+ games). At the end of this season Atleti will have claimed 3rd place in La Liga, qualified for next year’s Champions League, and won the Copa del Rey. Congratulations!

Atlético Madrid win 2013 Copa del Rey

On the flip side, this was a terrible ending to a terrible season for Real Madrid. They’ll finish 2nd in La Liga, 10 points behind champions Barcelona. They failed to come back against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semifinals and were subsequently eliminated. I don’t even want to talk about all the drama surrounding the club this season. And they just lost what looked to be their best shot at winning some silverware this season.

For the past two hours (and most of this season, really) my reaction to Real Madrid’s game looked something like this: 

It’s hard to blame any one party for the way this season has gone and, if we’re being honest, finger-pointing usually goes badly. However, I’m going to ask you to give me a little bit of leeway because I’m hurting pretty badly after this loss.

The main target of my anger is the ref, Clos Gomez. He did make some good decisions every now and then, but he was inconsistent and clearly lost control of the game. By the final whistle, he had handed out 7 yellow cards to Real Madrid, six yellow cards to Atlético Madrid, and a red card each. I’m not even entirely sure why Gabi was sent off for Atleti. Half the time Gomez carded a player on their first offense; the other half of the time he waited until the 5th or 6th foul to show them a card.

He’s as appalled as I was.

The one sending off that really rubbed me wrong was José Mourinho. As far as I could see, it was the first time Mou had gotten up from his seat to yell at the pitch whereas Diego Simeone had spent the entire game standing! I guess Mou had to have said something terrible to warrant the sending off, but there’s no way Gomez would’ve heard it from where he was standing.

I kinda loathe myself for saying this but…Cristiano Ronaldo deserved his red card. The idiot kicked his opponent in the nose.

Above all else, pure luck was against Real Madrid. Los blancos should have easily won this game with as many shots as they had hit the post. That plus Thibaut Courtois’s phenomenal goalkeeping display stopped about 4 or 5 of Real Madrid’s closest chances. There was one period of a couple minutes where Real kept pinging the ball towards the net and it looked like a force field was over the line flinging the ball straight back. Unbelievable.

Now all we can do is wait. Wait to see if Mourinho goes or stays (my bet is he returns to England). Wait to see which players leave Real Madrid (unfortunately I think quite a few are on the way out). Wait to see if Atlético can hold onto Radamel Falcao (probably not). And wait for the start of next season which will hopefully wash away the remnants of a shoddy season for Real Madrid.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to bury myself in comfort food.

Photos courtesy of www.ligabbva.com, www.guardian.co.uk, and tumblr.com. Check in with @AerysSoccer every day for the latest news on La Liga, the EPL, and MLS.

All hail the champions!! Barcelona have now won their 4th league title in five years. It’s absolutely incredible! This season may have been a bit weird for them, what with Tito Vilanova spending most of the season in New York for cancer treatment and the team suffering countless injuries. Nevertheless, Barça started the season strong and out paced the rest of the league by miles. Real Madrid, the defending title holders, barely put up a fight. On Saturday, Madrid’s feeble 1-1 draw with Espanyol sealed the deal for Barcelona and left a 10 point gap between 1st and 2nd place.

Tito Vilanova celebrates Barcelona’s 22nd League title in the city parade

It was pretty evident in the first half of the season that they would win the league when Barça reached the point where they were 16 points ahead of 2nd place (Atlético Madrid at the time). However, the Catalans had to wait until this weekend to celebrate. They deserved to win. There is no doubt about that. But something feels off. 

Yes, they made it to the semifinals of the Champions League for a record 6th year in a row. Yes, Lionel Messi produced more magic to score against every team in consecutive games. Yes, Barcelona will equal the 100 point record mark set by Real Madrid last season.

But the champions have a lot of questions to answer in the offseason. They were absolutely steamrolled by Bayern Munich in the Champions League semis on an aggregate 7-0. Throughout the whole season their defense never seemed as solid as it should’ve been. Last season the question was “can Real Madrid feel satisfied in their League title if they never beat Barcelona?” (They eventually did.) This season Barça managed to draw 2-2 and lose 3-1 to Madrid in the Camp Nou in the League and the Copa del Rey, respectively. At the Santiago Bernabéu, Barça drew 1-1 in the Copa del Rey and lost 2-1 in the League.

Anyways, a huge congratulations to Barcelona on their 22nd League title!

In other news around the league, Real Sociedad and Valencia are tied for the last Champions League place, both with 59 points. Right now la Real just edges Valencia out of the spot on goal differential. With three games left, both teams are going to have to fight tooth and nail for that last golden spot. At the far end of the table, Mallorca, Celta Vigo, and Deportivo La Coruña are still stuck in the relegation zone (and Celta has already played an extra game). Real Zaragoza sits barely in safety just two points clear of danger. Here are the full results from the weekend:

Barça’s prize

Wednesday:
Celta Vigo 1-3 Atlético Madrid
Real Madrid 6-2 Málaga

Friday:
Levante 0-0 Real Zaragoza

Saturday:
Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Mallorca
Valladolid 1-0 Deportivo La Coruña
Osasuna 1-0 Getafe
Espanyol 1-1 Real Madrid

Sunday:
Rayo Vallecano 0-4 Valencia
Real Betis 1-0 Celta Vigo
Atlético Madrid 1-2 Barcelona
Málaga 0-0 Sevilla

Monday:
Real Sociedad 2-2 Granada

The Copa del Rey final is scheduled for this weekend at the Santiago Bernabéu between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. The Madrid teams played Málaga and Celta Vigo, respectively, on Wednesday to clear their schedules this weekend for the Madrid derby with silverware on the line. This is the only chance for either team to win a trophy this season, so the match promises to be very enticing! Be sure to catch it on Friday at 3:30 pm ET!

Photos courtesy of www.fcbarcelona.com. Check in with @AerysSoccer everyday for news on the world of soccer!

Real Sociedad solidify their Champions League spot with a comprehensive win over Málaga

Round 30 of La Liga this weekend was a whirlwind of activity after last week’s snooze-fest. Deportivo La Coruña have just about climbed out of the relegation hole that Zaragoza is now in danger of falling into. Real Sociedad put Málaga to shame with an incredible scoreline. Barcelona and Real Madrid romped past their opponents, both netting 5 goals against Mallorca and Levante, respectively. And I’m still trying to figure out what Granada were doing in the first half of their game as Real Betis ran wild.

I regret not watching the clash between Real Sociedad and Málaga. I figured it be a relatively quiet game as Málaga prepared for their trip to Germany in the midweek. Was I wrong or what?! Well, not entirely. Málaga may have played on Saturday with their minds on Tuesday, because they seemed incapable of stopping a rampant la Real from scoring 3 times in 9 minutes in the first half.

After that rude awakening, Málaga managed to pull one back before the break. However Sociedad were loathe to see their lead slip even the slightest and they effectively finished the game in the 51st minute. This is about the time I checked into the game and was rather bewildered by the 4-1 scoreline to the home side. Santa Cruz softened the blow for Málaga in the 70th minute. Sociedad earned their result and they’re starting to look even more certain of returning to the Champions League next year for the first time in 10 years.

Depor edge out Zaragoza to draw closer to safety

In the relegation zone, Deportivo La Coruña have now won 3 matches in a row. To put the significance into context, they won a total of 3 matches in the first half of the season. Last week, they narrowly beat Mallorca 3-2. This week same result: Depor edged out Real Zaragoza in a 3-2 thriller at home in Riazor. The crazy game went back and forth as Depor conceded a penalty early in the first half only to be rewarded by a Zaragoza own goal in the second half. This win brings Depor 1 point from being clear of the relegation zone. The club they’d send into trouble if they managed to clear danger: Real Zaragoza. Poor Zaragoza have yet to win a game in 2013. With 8 weeks left in the season, the battle to clear the relegation zone is going to get nasty.

Friday night, Real Betis visited Granada and thrashed them 5-1. Now Betis are level with Málaga on points thanks to the flurry of goals in the first half that Granada seemed to missing out on. Falcao also seems to have gone missing. Atlético drew 0-0 with Getafe and it’s been a while since the Colombian put on a performance quite like the ones from the first half of the season. Before I close out, make sure you watch the absolutely astounding golazo by Gonzalo Higuaín to open the scoring for Real Madrid against Levante. Here are the full results from the weekend.

Higuaín’s scissor was too pretty to not share

Friday:
Granada 1-5 Real Betis

Saturday:
Real Sociedad 4-2 Málaga
Real Madrid 5-1 Levante
Barcelona 5-0 Mallorca
Deportivo La Coruña 3-2 Real Zaragoza

Sunday:
Celta Vigo 0-2 Rayo Vallecano
Osasuna 0-2 Espanyol
Getafe 0-0 Atlético Madrid
Valencia 2-1 Valladolid

Monday:
Sevilla 2-1 Athletic Bilbao

The second leg of the Champions League is this week! Real Madrid shouldn’t have that much work to do in Turkey whereas Málaga will have to fight tooth and nail to get a positive results in Germany. Barcelona welcome PSG to the Camp Nou for what promises to be an fascinating game.

Photos courtesy of LigaBBVA.com, realsociedad.com, and realmadrid.com. Check back with @AerysSoccer on Thursday for a round up the Champions League quarterfinals.

This was probably one of the most boring weekends in La Liga I’ve ever attempted to watch. Not much happened worth talking about but that’s hardly the league’s fault for a series of reason:

1. It was Easter weekend. Just an awkward time to have 4 matches scheduled for a Sunday usually reserved for church and family.
2. A round of World Cup 2014 qualifications happened last week. One of the highlight? The clash between France and Spain.
3. This week is Champions League!!! Enough said.

I mean, really, how can the usual round of league matches possibly live up to those standards of excitement when everyone’s minds were on last week and this week!

Rodri’s goal celebration against Real Madrid was the most exciting part of the weekend

The top 4 teams all drew in their respective matches. So no movement up top. The bottom 4 teams didn’t move positions either. Both Celta Vigo and Real Zaragoza drew in their matches. The bottom two, Mallorca and Deportivo La Coruña, played each other, but Depor’s win keeps them at the very bottom but only a point from Mallorca. There was a little shuffling in mid table but nothing drastic enough to be like WOW!

In all honestly, it was actually kind of nice to have the dull weekend to recuperate from the FIFA excitement and to prepare for some epic battles in the Champions League. Here are the results from the weekend:

Saturday:
Rayo Vallecano 1-3 Málaga
Celta Vigo 2-2 Barcelona
Real Zaragoza 1-1 Real Madrid
Levante 1-0 Sevilla

Sunday:
Valladolid 1-3 Osasuna
Mallorca 2-3 Deportivo La Coruña
Espanyol 2-2 Real Sociedad
Atlético Madrid 1-1 Valencia

Monday:
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Granada
Real Betis 0-0 Getafe

On Tuesday, Barcelona travels to Paris to take on the French giants PSG. I’m expecting this round to be fairly routine for Barça to get through, but it’s always fun to have an upset. Both Real Madrid and Málaga play on Wednesday. Real Madrid welcomes Galatasaray to the Bernabeú in hopes of getting everything done right from the start. Málaga has the monumental challenge of trying to overturn Borussia Dortmund. I’m super excited to see how this one turns out. It’ll be extremely difficult, but I think Málaga just might be able to pull it off!

Photo courtesy of LigaBBVA.com. Tune in to @AerysSoccer for all your updates on the world of soccer!

This was probably one of the most boring weekends in La Liga I’ve ever attempted to watch. Not much happened worth talking about but that’s hardly the league’s fault for a series of reason:

1. It was Easter weekend. Just an awkward time to have 4 matches scheduled for a Sunday usually reserved for church and family.
2. A round of World Cup 2014 qualifications happened last week. One of the highlight? The clash between France and Spain.
3. This week is Champions League!!! Enough said.

I mean, really, how can the usual round of league matches possibly live up to those standards of excitement when everyone’s minds were on last week and this week!

Rodri’s goal celebration against Real Madrid was the most exciting part of the weekend

The top 4 teams all drew in their respective matches. So no movement up top. The bottom 4 teams didn’t move positions either. Both Celta Vigo and Real Zaragoza drew in their matches. The bottom two, Mallorca and Deportivo La Coruña, played each other, but Depor’s win keeps them at the very bottom but only a point from Mallorca. There was a little shuffling in mid table but nothing drastic enough to be like WOW!

In all honestly, it was actually kind of nice to have the dull weekend to recuperate from the FIFA excitement and to prepare for some epic battles in the Champions League. Here are the results from the weekend:

Saturday:
Rayo Vallecano 1-3 Málaga
Celta Vigo 2-2 Barcelona
Real Zaragoza 1-1 Real Madrid
Levante 1-0 Sevilla

Sunday:
Valladolid 1-3 Osasuna
Mallorca 2-3 Deportivo La Coruña
Espanyol 2-2 Real Sociedad
Atlético Madrid 1-1 Valencia

Monday:
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Granada
Real Betis 0-0 Getafe

On Tuesday, Barcelona travels to Paris to take on the French giants PSG. I’m expecting this round to be fairly routine for Barça to get through, but it’s always fun to have an upset. Both Real Madrid and Málaga play on Wednesday. Real Madrid welcomes Galatasaray to the Bernabeú in hopes of getting everything done right from the start. Málaga has the monumental challenge of trying to overturn Borussia Dortmund. I’m super excited to see how this one turns out. It’ll be extremely difficult, but I think Málaga just might be able to pull it off!

Photo courtesy of LigaBBVA.com. Tune in to @AerysSoccer for all your updates on the world of soccer!

Waaay too much happened this weekend in La Liga for me to possibly given too much detail. So fasten your seat belts, because you’re in for one helluva ride!

Two Clásico wins in a row for Real Madrid

Starting off in chronological order, el Clásico stole the headlines again as Real Madrid beat Barcelona for the second time in five days. As usual, the match ended in huge controversy as Barça had a relatively clear penalty kick denied by the ref. While players swarmed the ref in anger, little significance could really be placed on the final minutes of the match as Barcelona only managed two shots on goal. Two. One of the most prolific scoring teams in the world only managed two shots on goal.

For Real Madrid, their second win against their rivals provided an extra mental/emotional boost as the team heads to England for the knockout game against Manchester United in the Champions League. With most of their starters rested, los blancos look primed and ready for the heavyweight match that the world will be watching.

Saturday ended with an exciting draw between Valencia and Levante. Valencia, now only one point off a Champions League spot, held the lead until the last minute when Barkero capitalized on a chance for Levante in the dying moments of the game. Several minutes of injury time were added on to the first half due to the ref needing several moments to recover after suffering an accidental challenge from Perreira. It was in these added minutes that Soldado produce an incredible physical feat for his goal:

But really…is a body supposed to move like that?!

Sunday’s matches saw Mallorca wins for the first time in ages. The most surprising part was the man in charge: Gregorio Manzano, the manager they fired last season! What?! Well congratulation to Mallorca who desperately needed this win to start their climb out of the relegation zone.

Crazy wild draw between teams fighting for European spot

Another thrilling draw ended in a 3-3 tie between 6th placed Real Sociedad and 7th placed Real Betis. These two teams attempted to duke it out for that last European spot, but la Real just managed to hold on. Betis were leading their rivals 2-0 after five minutes into the second half, but within 10 minutes Sociedad scored 3 goals in quick succession to grab the lead. However they couldn’t hold on to the advantage as one of Betis’s substitutes proved to be a difference maker. This match saw 5 goals in 20 minutes! Talk about a wild, wild match. Too bad they both couldn’t have walked away with 3 points.

Not everything was so entertaining in Spain this weekend. A series of incredibly boring draws balanced out all the excitement nicely. It was a bit puzzling to see a potentially electric clash between Málaga and Atlético Madrid fizzle out into a 0-0 draw. Sevilla made up for it a bit as they crushed Celta Vigo 4-1 on Monday night.

In case you lost track of all the goals, here are the full results from the weekend:

Friday:
Getafe 2-0 Real Zaragoza

Saturday:
Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruña 0-0 Rayo Vallecano
Osasuna 0-1 Athletic Bilbao
Valencia 2-2 Levante

Sunday:
Granada 1-2 Mallorca
Espanyol 0-0 Valladolid
Málaga 0-0 Atlético Madrid
Real Sociedad 3-3 Real Betis

Monday:
Sevilla 4-1 Celta Vigo

Photos courtesy of LigaBBVA.com. Follow @AerysSoccer for updates on La Liga, MLS, EPL and the wonderful world of soccer!

Two epic showdowns, two remaining teams. After the two brilliant midweek matches, the final for the Copa del Rey is set: Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid. Now…where to begin?

Celebrations all around as los blancos win in the Camp Nou

Let’s start with el Clásico. If you’re a culé (Barça fan), then this game was pretty darn painful to watch. If you’re a madridista (like me), this game left you charged and ready to take on the world! The first leg of the semifinals ended in a 1-1 draw with goals from Cesc Fabregas and Rafael Varane. The last Clásico in the Camp Nou resulted in a 2-2 draw. Given the fact that their last two meetings ended in draws, it required a pretty special performance to win and progress to the final.

In the 13th minute, Real Madrid broke on yet another one of their lethal counterattacks only for Ronaldo to be tackled in the box by Pique. If the defender hadn’t taken down CR7, chances are the Portuguese striker would’ve still scored. Nevertheless, the ref awarded los blancos the penalty, Ronaldo sent Pinto flying the wrong direction, and Madrid were 1-0 up. Barça controlled play for a majority of the game, but had nothing to show for it. The best instance to describe how the game went for them was when the ref managed to get in the way and body block Messi from his run in the box. (For a more technical look at the game tactics, I highly suggest you check out Zonal Marking’s break down here.)

Real Madrid continued to compound their superiority as Khedira pinged a pass across the length of the field to Di Maria whose attempt on goal gifted Ronaldo the chance for his second goal. Then the newfound nightmare for Barça appeared for a soaring header to bring the score to 3-0. I’m referring to 19-year old Varane. The best part of the night happened a few minutes after his goal as he touched the part of his head the ball hit and slowly let a wide grin cover his face. Precious. Barça now have some serious questions to answer about their current run of form. After losing huge games to AC Milan and Madrid, critics are scrutinizing the inconsistency in coaching, February exhaustion, and poor tactical choices.

Man of the Match Diego Costa carries Atleti to the final

The other semifinal clash ended in a 2-2 draw between Sevilla and Atlético Madrid. The first leg ended in a 2-1 win for the home team Atleti. Yesterday in Andalusia, the loss came down mostly to Sevilla’s mistakes. Brilliant work from Diego Costa and Falcao put Atleti 2-0 up inside 30 minutes. By halftime, Jesús Navas had given the home side a ray of hope by bringing the score to 2-1. Unfortunately for Sevilla, everything collapsed for them in the second half.

I have never ever seen a ref take back a card once given, so if the ref shows you a yellow, it’s usually the smarter choice to say thank you and walk away while thinking mean thoughts in your head where no one else can hear you. Voicing your displeasure leads to situations like the one Medel found himself in as he collected his second yellow and consequent red card for arguing the first yellow. Then quite unbelievably Sevilla scored again in the first minute of injury time bringing the aggregate score to 4-3 in favor of Atleti. Not bad for a team playing a man down. If Sevilla could somehow manage to get the luckiest goal ever, the game would proceed to extra time. But no. Kondogbia decided to be a genius and stomped on Diego Costa and was rightly shown a straight red and effectively ending the match.

So congratulations to Atlético to holding on to their lead over the two legs and proceeding to the final. Congratulations to Real Madrid for their magnificent performance in Barcelona.

Now all we have to do it wait to find out where the final will actually be held.

Photos courtesy of realmadrid.com and LigaBBVA.com. Keep checkin’ in on @AerysSoccer for frequent updates on the always exciting, ever changing world of soccer.

Friday night marked the emotional end of an era. Athletic Bilbao hosted Basque rival Real Sociedad for the final derby in the San Mamés, aka la Catedral.

Emotional atmosphere at the final Basque derby in La Catedral.

In a highly charged clash, scoring opened on a brilliant goal by Athletic players Aurtenetxe and Gomez, but was level by the halftime break. Then everything went down hill for the home fans. The rivals Real Sociedad, or la Real, had not won in the storied stadium since 2001. If there was ever a game where everything for both teams was on the line, this was it. Athletic keep teetering ever closer to the relegation zone. Only one player on the Real Sociedad 25-man squad had ever won in the San Mamés. For Athletic Bilbao, a win in the last Basque derby would’ve given them a moral boost and a show of pride on their grounds. For la Real, this was their last chance to defeat their rivals and continue their rise up the table, which they were able to pull off.

Now Athletic are in 16th, only 3 points of the drop zone. Real Sociedad have reached a European spot. La Catedral is full of history but will leave the Athletic fans with a bad taste in their mouths following their defeat in the derby. The San Mamés is more than just a football stadium. The new stadium is located in a rather surprising area: right next door. Hopefully for Athletic the dawn of their new stadium will also mark a turn around for one of the three teams to never be relegated from the Primera Division (the other two being Barcelona and Real Madrid).

Valencia draws with Zaragoza after being 2-0 down.

Another team floating near the relegation zone let a chance to distance themselves from the bottom few slip away in the dying minutes of their match from the weekend. Real Zaragoza managed to grab a 2-0 lead over Valencia in almost 30 minutes. By the time the game was drawing to an end, Valencia had tied it up. Then in the last couple seconds, chaos happened. Zaragoza somehow scrambled the ball over the line and into the back of the net, but alas(!) a fouled was called on Diego Alves, the Valencia goalkeeper, and the winning goal recalled. Such a disappointing end for Zaragoza who should have held on to the glorious lead they started with. What a crazy, crazy game.

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona scrapped 2-1 wins over the weekend in preparation for their mighty clash in the Copa del Rey. And just in case you didn’t know, Real Madrid decided it was a great idea to collect yet another red card, courtesy of Di María. (Oh, and he managed to get two yellows in around 20 seconds. Try and beat that Sergio Ramos!) Congrats to Real Betis who steamrolled Málaga 3-0. Not entirely sure what happened to the team that beat Real Madrid and fought beautifully against Barcelona in several thrillers, but maybe Málaga’s grueling schedule is starting to catch up with them. Here are the full results from the weekend:

Friday:
Athletic Bilbao 1-3 Real Sociedad

Saturday:
Mallorca 1-3 Getafe
Real Zaragoza 2-2 Valencia
Deportivo La Coruña 1-2 Real Madrid
Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla

Sunday:
Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Valladolid
Celta Vigo 2-1 Granada
Atlético Madrid 1-0 Espanyol
Real Betis 3-0 Málaga

Monday:
Levante 0-2 Osasuna

Coming up soon: a close look at what’s happened over the past couple day in the Copa del Rey!

Photos courtesy of LigaBBVA.com. Check in with @AerysSoccer for daily updates on the wonderful world of soccer.

It feel good to win in someone else’s house.

It only took about 10 minutes for Atlético Madrid to jumpstart their domination of Valladolid in the Nuevo Jose Zorilla Stadium. After suffering a shameful defeat at home in the midweek Europa League fixture, Atleti looked to turn their current trend around with a sound 3-0 win.

Valladolid managed absolutely zero shots on goal. Zilch! Atleti, strengthened by the return of Diego Costa from his two game suspension, put on an impressive display netting 3 goals by Falcao, Costa and Cristian Rodriguez. This win will certainly provide a spark to boost Atleti in their upcoming matches as they had not won an away game since November and had only managed to win 2 of their last 6 games. If they want to hang on to their placed behind the league leaders Barça, they’ll need to carry this strong form on to their next games.

The other game that caught my eye this weekend was the Real Madrid – Rayo Vallecano match in the Santiago Bernabeu and what a strange game it was! Youth team product Álvaro Morata opened the scoring for Real Madrid within two and a half minutes. This was also his first start for the first team. The second goal for los blancos came from Sergio Ramos, who managed to head the ball into the back of the net even though a he had a defender clinging to his back as if asking for a piggy back ride.

Ramos: is he worth the trouble?

Then the game got really strange. I don’t remember the last time I watched a game with such a card-happy referee. It all started with Ramos who managed to receive two yellows within one (maybe two) minutes. There were 8 cards handed out by the hour mark. It was a bit surprising by the end of the game that only one player was sent off the field.

The other hilarious aspect of the game was Rayo’s coach. Paco Jémez was suspended (for some reason unbeknownst to me) and therefore had to sit in the box behind a wall of glass. By the end of the game, I’m not sure he could see out of it anymore since he had covered it with hand prints from consistent hits. Then it appeared Paco was on the phone with his assistant coach (who was down on the field) and yelling at the poor man for his decisions. Thankfully for the glass, Paco didn’t manage to break free of his containment, haha!

Other stories from the weekend include Granada holding their own against Barcelona. The league leaders barely managed to get away with a 2-1 win. Real Sociedad also has had a good run of form, and now they’re sitting happily in a European spot once held by Rayo. Mallorca on the other hand are still falling hard including their most recent defeat at the hands of Valencia. Here are the full results from the weekend:

Friday:
Sevilla 3-1 Deportivo La Coruña

Saturday:
Getafe 3-1 Celta Vigo
Málaga 1-0 Athletic Bilbao
Granada 1-2 Barcelona
Osasuna 1-0 Real Zaragoza

Sunday:
Real Sociedad 1-1 Levante
Valencia 2-0 Mallorca
Valladolid 0-3 Atlético Madrid
Real Madrid 2-0 Rayo Vallecano
Espanyol 1-0 Real Betis

Photos courtesy of LigaBBVA.com. Tune into @AerysSoccer for updates on the wonderful world of soccer.