After a brief distraction caused by the mid-week’s UCL matches, La Liga resumed duty this weekend. There were some interesting matches on the cards. After a long time, Real Madrid played their match on Saturday before Barcelona’s match. This gave them a chance to close their gap to within two points and put extra pressure on Barcelona. The table has not changed much after this week’s fixtures, which saw Barca and Real Madrid racing away with the league. Valencia, Villarreal, Bilbao and Espanyol are all still locked in the race for Europe.
Results of Matchday 24
Valencia 0-0 Sporting Gijon
Real Madrid 2-0 Levante
Zaragoza 0-1 Atletico Madrid
Barcelona 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
Almeria 1-1 Deportivo La Coruna
Getafe 0-1 Racing Santander
Osasuna 4-0 Espanyol
Villarreal 1-1 Malaga
Sevilla 1-0 Hercules
Week 24
Real Madrid hosted Levante this weekend, and had a comfortable night at the Bernabeu. Amidst the pouring rain, Benzema and Ricardo Carvalho scored to give them a comfortable win. With an eye on the mid-week UCL game against Lyon, Alonso and Ozil were rested, and with Casillas suspended, Ramos took the captain’s armband. Valencia were held to a goal-less draw at home against Sporting Gijon, who repeated their strategy of stifling Valencia and not allowing them to play. Athletico Madrid managed to stop their downward spiral after an away win at Zaragoza; the visitors were again wasteful in their chances, but Aguero managed to put one inside to guarantee all the three points.
Barcelona has managed to lose points during February in the past few seasons, and this season is no different. Against Bilbao, Barca were forced to work hard and chase the game in the second half. Bilbao equalized in the 50th minute from a penalty from Iraola. But Messi had other plans, as he won them the game with an important goal to keep the distance from Real Madrid, giving Pep a victory in his 100th game in charge. Sevilla managed to pull off a victory against Hercules with a single goal from Rakitic. Hercules has been horrible away from home, and this is Sevilla’s first victory in seven games.
Racing defeated Getafe, as an 88th minute penalty by Pinillos sealed the game. Espanyol’s European chase has been derailed further after they were surprised by Osasuna, who put four past them; it was a great night for Osasuna’s new coach Mendilibar and a bitter result for Espanyol. Villarreal seems to have hit a rough patch, as they are increasingly finding it hard to get a win, with Malaga taking a point from this game as Fernandez canceled out Marco Ruben’s early goal in the 82nd minute. Almeria held Deportivo to a 1-1 draw at home, which gives them a vital point in their relegation battle. It was a dramatic finish, as Deportivo’s goal keeper Aranzubia scored the equalizer in the 95th minute to salvage a point.
Player of the week
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
“He’s a character out of a Charles Dickens novel. He’s Oliver Twist. An innocent little guy that arrives at Victoria Station and picks the pockets of all those who think they are important without them noticing and who has a great group of ‘thieves’ working by his side.” – Terry Venables on Lionel Messi.
In his 250th game for the club, Messi scored his 168th goal. It was a very important goal, which could become decisive in the later stages. Barca were pushed hard for the result, and it was no surprise that Messi was again there to save the day.
He also produced one of his amazing mazy runs, which resulted in the defenders hacking him down. Unfortunately, the penalty was not awarded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXKYFFsHqeQ&feature=youtu.be
Match of the week
FC Barcelona 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
FC Barcelona found themselves up against a giant team in the form of Athletic Bilbao. It was crunch time, as the gap between them and Real Madrid has been reduced to 2 points, and any slip up could prove costly. Bilbao decided to park the bus in the first half, setting up a defensive wall deep in their own half. But it was breached immediately, as Villa scored in the 4th minute to open up the game. This was his third goal in three games, and he continues his prolific form of hitting the post from all angles. With Valdes out injured, Pinto was between the posts; he made an excellent save from Liorente’s header to keep Bilbao out in the first half. A defensive mistake resulted in Busquets giving away a penalty which was converted by Iraola, and Barca had to chase the game after that. Finally Messi stood up and helped them come back to win the game.
Goal of the week
Real Madrid (Di Maria & Benzema)
Some goals can leave us in awe and fill us with joy. One such moment was produced by Real Madrid against Levante. It was from another Argentine, who goes by the name Di Maria, who created this chance for Benzema. Receiving the ball in the right wing and facing the goal, Di Maria made a darting run towards a packed defense. He took out each defender with his quick feet and laid a beautiful ball across the goal where Benzema was waiting to just tap it in.
Team of the week
Aranzubia, Marcelo, Pique, Carvalho, Alves, Eguren, Nekounam, Xavi, Villa , Di Maria, Messi
Primera División table
# Team Matches GD Pts
1 Barcelona 24 60 65
2 Real Madrid 24 36 60
3 Valencia 24 13 48
4 Villarreal 24 18 46
5 Athletic Bilbao 24 4 38
6 Espanyol 24 -5 37
Top Goal Scorer 2010 – 2011 | El Pichichi:
# Player Team Goals
1 Lionel Messi Barcelona 25
2 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 24
3 David Villa Barcelona 16
4 Fernando Llorente Athletic Bilbao 13
5 Giuseppe Rossi Villarreal 12
6 Pedro Barcelona 12