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!

With only 7 weeks left in the season, some teams are starting to show signs of desperation. The Sevilla Derby, Espanyol vs Valencia, Deportivo La Coruña, Real Sociedad, and Mallorca all played some ridiculous games this weekend whether their seasons’ ambition lie in Europe or safety from relegation.

Goal-fest in closing 10 minutes of match end a frantic match between Espanyol and Valencia

Two games this weekend crazily ended in 3-3 draws: the Sevilla Derby (Real Betis vs Sevilla) and Espanyol vs Valencia. The Sevilla Derby, while always dramatic, couldn’t hold a candle to the second match in terms of excitement. Espanyol and Valencia was similar to the Champions League fixture between Dortmund and Málaga: the game was almost over, the scoreline 1-1, and, after the last 10 minutes, the game ended 3-3. This was one of those games where, if you blinked, you probably missed something important.

Espanyol drew first blood in injury time of the first half. Thanks to Mubarak Wakaso, the hosts went into the locker room at the break with the lead they deserved. However, right at the beginning of the second half, Sergio Canales managed to equalize for Valencia. And so the game stayed tied at 1-1 until Roberto Soldado missed what should’ve been the go ahead goal for Valencia. Instead he shot the ball straight into the goalkeepers hands! Suddenly the game became a death race and both Espanyol and Valencia fought with everything they had to come out on top.

In the 82nd minute, Verdú scored for Espanyol but within five minutes Jonas cancelled out Espanyol’s lead. As the game creeped into injury time (not sure if 3 or 4 minutes were added on), the pace continued to get more and more frantic. After an Espanyol goal was ruled offside, Soldado came back and scored in the 91st minute, atoning for his earlier miss. Valencia may have thought they’d won the game…but there was still time left! Just enough time for Espanyol to keep their new home unbeaten streak under the new coach intact. Then in the 94th minute Sergio García pulled some magic out of the air and scored at a ridiculous angle with what was the last kick of the game. Talk about chaos! This result keeps Valencia in 6th place but vaults Espanyol into mid-table over Levante.

Speaking of Levante: they lost 4-0 at home to Deportivo La Coruña. Depor. Wow. Just wow. Their new coach has just about pulled off a miracle. This is now their 4th game in a row unbeaten and the 4th game in a row in which they’ve scored at least 3 goals. Impressive! Of course Depor clearing the relegation zone means Granada and Real Zaragoza are now in hot water, but it’s incredible inspiring to see what they’ve managed to accomplish over the last few weeks.

Real Sociedad are determined to reach the Champions League next season and winning 2-0 away to Rayo Vallecano is just the way to go. Reports say that around 4000 supporters traveled to Madrid to cheer on la Real. So far they look unstoppable! Also in Madrid, Atlético Madrid stomped Granada 5-0, and guess who’s starting to glitter again? Falcao scored 2 goals over the weekend. This is the first time since December (when he scored 5 goal in one game) that he’s scored multiple goals in a game. Here are the full results from the weekend:

Banner to Málaga from their supporters: “Everything you do in life has its echo in eternity. Thanks Málaga!”

Friday:
Real Betis 3-3 Sevilla

Saturday:
Valladolid 2-1 Getafe
Levante 0-4 Deportivo La Coruña
Espanyol 3-3 Valencia
Málaga 1-0 Osasuna

Sunday:
Rayo Vallecano 0-2 Real Sociedad
Atlético Madrid 5-0 Granada
Real Zaragoza 0-3 Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao 0-3 Real Madrid

Monday:
Mallorca 1-0 Celta Vigo

Photos courtesy of ligabbva.com. Keep up with @AerysSoccer for latest updates on la Liga, the EPL, MLS, and more!

Valencia’s win vaults them over Betis but still not into Champions League place

I concluded last week’s post by pointing out the fun clash between Valencia and Real Betis for the last Europa League spot. I didn’t expect much else to change in the table. Oh boy was I wrong or what?!

Four teams moved around near the top of the table with some pretty exciting results. Valencia beat Real Betis 3-0 effectively jumping over them in the table and securing a European spot. I expected the game to be close, but a red card to Real Betis in the 15th minute tilted the tie in favor of Valencia who made no mistake in capitalizing on Antonio Amaya’s mistake.

Betis managed to hold on for most of the game, coming incredibly close to an equalizer just before the half. It seemed that these two would be locked in their position until Paulão gave Valencia the leg up with a horrendous own goal. The final blow came from Jonas in injury time. After over 90 minutes of missed opportunities, Valencia’s final goal gave them a bit of pride in their win.

Now, that was the expected excitement. On Saturday, Real Sociedad thrashed Valladolid 4-1 in the Anoeta. Three goals at the end of the first half and their winner right at the start of the second half propelled la Real up the table. Antoine Griezmann (who, I recently reazlied, is only 21) scored a brace for Sociedad. Valladolid fought hard to stay even with their opponents but they just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net until the 87th minute when just about all hope had faded.

Málaga fall from 4th to 6th after home loss to Espanyol

Real Sociedad’s win in conjunction with a rather shocking result from the weekend really shook things up. Málaga lost at home to Espanyol. With a 2-0 scoreline. After beating Porto and progressing to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Málaga produced one of their flattest, most uninspired performances despite dominating possession in la Rosaleda. Espanyol broke their recent string of losses with this win.

After the dust settles, here’s what we’re left with: Málaga have slipped out of 4th (and a Champions League place) all the way down to 6th just above Real Betis who no longer occupy a European spot due to their defeat at the hands of Valencia who now sit in 5th and two points behind Real Sociedad who are quite happy with their newly acquired Champions League spot in 4th place. Whew. Sounds a little bit like She’s the Man (or Twelfth Night, since that did come first).

Other happenings from around the league include Deportivo soundly beating Celta Vigo, who sit just above Depor at the very bottom of the table. Depor’s win brings them a tad closer to Celta, but, with only 20 points so far this season, it’s still not looking too good for Depor. Messi has now scored in 18 consecutive league games. WOW! Also, Luka Modric scored an absolute screamer against Mallorca. While it looked very similar to his goal against Manchester United a couple weeks ago, this one was so superb it cause Higuaín to fall to his knees in praise. Here are the full results from the weekend:

Agirretxe and co. can’t even believe they’re now in a Champions League spot

Friday:
Deportivo La Coruña 3-1 Celta Vigo

Saturday:
Real Sociedad 4-1 Valladolid
Getafe 1-0 Athletic Bilbao
Real Madrid 5-2 Mallorca
Valencia 3-0 Real Betis

Sunday:
Málaga 0-2 Espanyol
Sevilla 4-0 Real Zaragoza
Osasuna 0-2 Atlético Madrid
Barcelona 3-1 Rayo Vallecano
Granada 1-1 Levante

Photos courtesy of valenciacf.com, realsociedad.com, and LigaBBVA.com. Keep tabs on @AerysSoccer for frequent updates on MLS, EPL, La Liga, and the US national teams!

Real Sociedad look more and more impressive with each passing week in La Liga. This week they moved up into fifth place, tied on points with Málaga, after defeating Atlético Madrid in the Vicente Calderón. La Real brought down Atleti’s unbeaten home record with the single goal of the game in the second half. And here’s where it gets interesting.

Atleti out-shot Sociedad 2-1 but both teams had the same amount of shots on goal. Sociedad’s game winner, however, probably shouldn’t have counted. In a quick counterattack after Diego Costa failed to convert his chance, Griezmann lobbed the ball way up the field to a waiting Prieto who was waiting for the pass in an offsides position. The ref didn’t flag it as offsides and the goal was allowed.

Carlos Martínez flying high just like la Real

Atlético moved on and peppered la Real’s with shot after shot. As the game ticked on, even Courtois joined the rest of his team in the box attempting to score an equalizing header. Unfortunately for Atleti, it was all for nought. Now Real Sociedad have made it to 5th place, but goal differential gives Málaga the edge over them. If the positions stay the same, UEFA’s ban on Málaga for next season might come in handy for the Basque team. The loss for Atlético also give Real Madrid a leg up into second place for the first time all season after their win against Celta Vigo.

At the other end of the table, Mallorca won their second match in a row! Looks like their decision to bring back Manzano is paying off. Defeating Sevilla 2-1 brings them a little closer to the surface, but Mallorca are still sitting in the relegation zone and still in danger. Their next three matches throw them against Real Madrid, Deportivo La Coruña, and Barcelona. They’ll really need to work hard to get themselves out of the danger zone as soon as they can.

A brace from Alejandro Alfaro gives Mallorca a much needed boost

Deportivo La Coruña are still on the very bottom after a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona. It’s really starting to look bad for them. Celta Vigo sits above Depor in the tables with a 6 point lead as well. Hopefully things will start to brighten up for them soon if they want to stay in the Primera Division. Next weekend pitches Real Betis against Valencia as they fight for the last European spot. Should be pretty exciting! Here are the full results from the weekend:

Friday:
Real Betis 2-1 Osasuna

Saturday:
Rayo Vallecano 2-0 Espanyol
Valladolid 1-1 Málaga
Barcelona 2-0 Deportivo La Coruña
Mallorca 2-1 Sevilla

Sunday:
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Valencia
Levante 0-0 Getafe
Celta Vigo 1-2 Real Madrid
Atlético Madrid 0-1 Real Sociedad

Monday:
Real Zaragoza 0-0 Granada

Photos courtesy of realsociedad.com and LigaBBVA.com. Keep up with your MLS, EPL, and La Liga teams weekly with @AerysSoccer.

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!

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.

A glorious team effort pulled Barça clear of Málaga in closing minutes of the match

The game looked inevitably headed to extra time with just under 15 minutes left and scoreline tied at 2-2. Both teams were going for the win, neither wanting to be eliminated. The third meeting between Barcelona and Málaga was always going to be epic given the nature of the first two clashes, Barça’s unstoppable attacking force, and Málaga’s immovable defense. But which way was the tie going to go?

It took sheer brilliance from Fabregas and Iniesta to give Barça the winning edge in the 77th minute. Fresh off their loss from the weekend, the blaugranas clearly were looking to turn things around. The first half of the match was a flurry of activity with a goal each within 4 minutes of each other, 5 yellow cards, and fouls raining down. The game looked dead even going into the halftime break.

At the start of the second half, both teams looked exhausted. However it picked up quickly again as Pique headed up the go ahead goal which took Málaga 20 minutes to respond to. In the end, Barcelona’s passing genius overran the solid defense and gave them a win on the 6-4 aggregate. Such a brilliant match and it’s a shame to see Málaga eliminated, but only one could survive.

The other quarterfinals were not quite as epic. Sevilla steamrolled Real Zaragoza after leaving the first leg as a dull 0-0 draw. Real Betis had only one goal over the two legs which came as a 90′ penalty kick. Atleti’s strong performance in the first leg was well enough to carry them past the 1-1 draw from this week onto the semifinals where they will face Sevilla. Valencia and Real Madrid met for their third clash with a bucket of drama to accompany them.

Though the game ended a 1-1 draw, the game saw Iker Casillas subbed off due to injury while los blancos ended the game with only 9 men thanks to red cards for Di María and Coentrão. Valencia, who collected 5 yellow cards themselves, played without captain Roberto Soldado and several members of their defense. All in all, it wasn’t that pretty of a game. Here are the full results from the quarterfinals:

Tuesday:
Valencia 1-1 Real Madrid
Sevilla 4-0 Real Zaragoza

Thursday:
Málaga 2-4 Barcelona
Real Betis 1-1 Atlético Madrid

The semifinals pitch Atlético Madrid against Sevilla and provide a semifinal El Clásico for the second year in a row. This creates a bit of a nervy situation for the Madridistas out there as they see their team juggle 3 games against Barcelona and 2 against Manchester United in the Champions League without Casillas who will be out for 3 months due to a broken thumb. Ouch! Across the city however, excitement thrums for the Atleti fans who hope to see their team in yet another final with the possibility of yet another trophy.

Photos courtesy of LigaBBVA.com. Look for more stories from the world of soccer on @AerysSoccer.

Oh where to start?! So many good stories from the weekend, but my favorite is definitely Real Madrid’s 5-0 thrashing of Valencia (if you’re a Valencia fan, I am so sorry).

Real Madrid are flying high again

The Madrid team that showed up Sunday were unstoppable. They were the lethal counter-attacking team that ran riot in the league last year. The first goal was classic Real Madrid: it started as a Valencia corner headed away to Ozïl who spun away and ran downfield, delivered a stunning pass to Di María who then slotted it over to Gonzalo Higuaín who tapped the ball into the net. One second it was Valencia’s potential to score and, in the blink of an eye, Diego Alves is picking the ball out of his net.

The next four goals were all scored in the last 10 minutes of the first half. The speed with which Madrid moved was dizzying. With a brace of goals from both Ronaldo and Di María, my favorite was the fourth, aka the team goal. Higuaín, Di Ma, Ozïl and Ronaldo (scorer) all had one touch leading up to the goal. It looked more like table tennis *ping* *ping* *ping* all over Valencia’s box.

If Madrid have found their old form, they could win the Champions League, I think. Sid Lowe (La Liga correspondent for the Guardian) said on twitter if Real Madrid win the CL, the turning point in the season would’ve been Mourinho benching Casillas……..but it’s just a theory.

Bad luck for Barça who made it to Week 20 without a loss

The big news from Saturday: Barcelona’s first loss! *gasp* So much for my prediction that they’d go all season unbeaten. And it was Real Sociedad who beat them! For some reason, history shows that Barça always has problems playing at the Anoeta. Gerard Pique was sent off for two yellows (silly cards, but deserved), and left his team down a man to the team that almost managed to beat a 10-man Real Madrid in the Bernabéu. Mascherano also didn’t help the situation with an own goal. After the game, Messi was quoted saying “well it had to happen eventually” (that’s the gist at least).

Two other quick stories from the weekend: Falcao will be out for about three weeks with an injured hamstring. Usually, one would expect this to shake Atléti, but not this year. They will carry on with strength and await his return. At the other end of the table, Espanyol struggled to clear the relegation zone for most of the first half of the season. Then they fired Pochettino (who now manages Southampton in the Premier League) and brought in Javier Aguirre. Since his hiring in early December, they’ve started winning games and are now four points clear of the drop zone! Here are the results:

Friday:
Espanyol 3-2 Mallorca

Saturday:
Granada 2-0 Rayo Vallecano
Getafe 1-1 Sevilla
Real Sociedad 3-2 Barcelona
Málaga 1-1 Celta Vigo

Sunday:
Osasuna 2-1 Deportivo La Coruña
Valladolid 2-0 Real Zaragoza
Valencia 0-5 Real Madrid
Atlético Madrid 2-0 Levante

Monday:
Real Betis 1-1 Athletic Bilbao

The Copa del Rey is back in the midweek with the third of three clashes between Real Madrid-Valencia and Barça-Málaga. Who will win the deadlock between Sevilla and Real Zaragoza? Will Real Betis be able to overcome their deficit and beat Atlético Madrid?

Photos courtesy of LigaBBVA.com and Real Madrid. Tune in to @AerysSoccer for continuous updates on the world of soccer!

Real Madrid’s Pepe and Iker Casillas lie on the pitch after colliding with each other mid-air.

Amongst the start of the 2012-13 EPL campaign, this weekend also boasts a new season for Spain’s La Liga. The new season is also hosting some new clubs that were brought up to the first division after succeeding in the Adelante; Deportivo La Coruña, Valladolid and Celta Vigo.

But today Real Madrid faced Valencia at home with the reigning champions expecting to pull a W over their opponent. Unfortunately, the match ended in a 1-1 draw with Gonzalo Higuain scoring one goal and Valencia’s Jonas equalizing.

For the Madridistas, the draw came with some head-to-head contact. After Higuain’s goal in the 10′ Sergio Ramos’ face pummeled into the boot of Valencia’s keeper. The Sevillian defender received 3 stitches to the forehead during the halftime and continued playing with a bloody bandage.

Iker Casillas kept Madrid tied with Valencia after making two HUGE saves that kept the men in white from checking the ‘loss’ tally on their record sheet. Di Maria and Coentrão looked fierce on the pitch, helping their club get those necessary shots on goal, however all shots were blocked by Diego Alves.

Valencia brought the tally up to an even score when Jonas headed the ball into the center of the box after a beautiful cross from Tino Costa following a promising set piece.

Right before half-time, both Madrid’s Iker Casillas, defender Pepe and midfielder Xabi Alonso, collided in the air with all of them sustaining head injuries. A dazed and confused Casillas looked on while Pepe was bandaged up and subbed off just before the half. Post-match it was reported that Pepe was driven to a nearby hospital to undergo tests for a possible concussion. No word on Xabi’s injury.

For Valencia, the two big players were Roberto Soldado and Tino Costa who provided many opportunities for the club, proving why their a top contender in this year’s race for the title. Gonzalo Higuain is hoping for another year of greatness, being the first Argentine to score the first league goal for Real Madrid since 1986 and totaling his official goals for Madrid at 104, equalizing Brazil’s Ronaldo’s record.

Valencia will move on to face Deportivo La Coruña next Sunday while Real Madrid face Barcelona at Camp Nou in leg 1 of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday.

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Weekend Results

Athletic Bilbao 3-5 Real Betis

Barcelona 4-1 Real Sociedad (at half currently)

Levante ?-? Atletico Madrid (Not yet kicked off)

Celta Vigo 0-1 Malaga

Sevilla 2-1 Getafe

Mallorca 2-1 Espanyol

Photo courtesy of Real Madrid CF

Whew, what a crazy couple of days! Eden Hazard has officially made a choice on an EPL team, there’s been a few other signings, England has an official Euro roster and hell, Liverpool might even have a manager! We’ve got the headlines in today’s Daily Kick Around.

English Premier League

Welp, Eden Hazard’s had everyone hanging around wondering what he was going to. Many have expected him to head toward Manchester United or City. But he’s snubbed them both and declared today via Twitter that he’ll head to Chelsea. Hmmm.

Man United aren’t sitting back on their heels though. Some reports from Germany are claiming the Red Devils are closing to signing Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa.

Many have questioned the future of Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie. Rumors have swirled that he would follow in the footsteps of others like Cesc Fabregas and Nasri, and head out of Arsenal. But fans have a huge fighter in their corner. RVP’s wife Bouchra has urged her husband to repay the loyalty and faith of the club and fans and stay in London. 

So, Sky Sports reported May 12 that Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers turned down an approach from Liverpool about filling the  position left after the Reds sacked Kenny Dalglish. However, on their twitter account this morning, Sky Sports said to watch out for more details about Rodgers being the “odds-on favorite” for the job.

La Liga

La Liga are doing their own signings too. Atletico Madrid announced on their club Web site that Porto’s  Cristian Rodriguez, who’s contract with the Portuguese side expires next month.

Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado also has a new contract in Spain. Top club Valencia announced yesterday they would sign Guardado to a four-year deal. This is a great opportunity for the young player!

Serie A

Oh dear, the match-fixing scandals in Italy are out of control it seems. Yesterday, news broke that Lazio captain Stefano Mauri was implicated in the investigation and would miss the Euros. Juventus coach Antonio Conte is also being questioned in the proceedings. Yikes!

England National Team

New Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson announced his final 23-man squad for the Euros today. Some are surprised as Liverpool’s Andy Carroll was handed the coveted No. 9 shirt.

U.S. Men’s National Team

So, Clint Dempsey didn’t get a start against Scotland as he was nursing a groin injury. However, sources  - including myself, as I was at the USMNT open practice held at the University of Maryland yesterday – confirm that Dempsey has been training with the team. But it’s pretty clear he’s not quite to full strength. And even Clint says that he’s not ready to face off with Brazil.  Kind of disappointing news for the fans here in DC. But I personally would rather have him full strength for the World Cup qualifying matches coming up.

Major League Soccer

Okay, I got to brag a little bit. The Columbus Crew’s Emilio Renteria was huge this week in team’s wins against Seattle and Chicago. This earned him a top spot in MLS’ top three performers of Week 12. Check it out here!