Magical Messi Makes All The Difference For Barca

Lionel Messi displayed a clinical show of attacking football to help Barcelona overcome a 1-0 deficit to beat fierce rivals Real Madrid 3-1 at the Bernabeu last night.

With Christmas fast approaching, Real were presented with a sackful of chances to gift them a huge three points in the race for the title.

However they were left to suffer from poorly executed opportunities, and it was left to the magical touch of Messi to capitalise on Madrid’s demise.

Before the game, pundits were predicting Madrid to finally overhaul Barca’s dominance in the El Classico.

Although Madrid surprising took the lead through Karim Benzema with 23 seconds played, the league leaders were no match for what was an unstoppable performance from the Catalan’s midfield maestros.

The match build-up was mainly structured around the football superstars that are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and yet again one player prevailed on the big stage.

It took 5 minutes for the world footballer of the year to turn El Classico on its head. Within 4 minutes of Benzema’s opener; Messi took advantage of a Sergio Ramos slip before gliding the ball past two tackles and forcing a great save from Casillas.

Messi’s inspired presence on the game got its first reward, when yet again he unveiled a combination of divine ball control and remarkable decision making to slot a marvellous through ball to Sanchez who complimented the assist with a great finish.

The Argentine narrowly avoided a red card come the half time whistle. A yellow card for dissent was shortly followed by a trip on Alonso. The referee looked certain to pull out an inevitable second yellow, but quickly pulling away from the pocket when realising that the man who conceded the foul was the greatest player on the planet.

If Messi was sent off, then we would have been looking at completely different story.

With Fabregas taking a centre forward role in the second half, Sanchez and Messi provided the former Arsenal skipper with exceptional pace and precision crossing down the flanks.

Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta formed the three in midfield, and they supplied the wings with great passing whilst also balancing the threat of taking long range shots against Iker Casillas.

Xavi then struck the jackpot when his shot from 25 yards took a freak deflection off of Marchelo, wrong footing Casillas who scrambled to crawl the ball away but to no prevail.

Real Madrid had a number of chances to bring the game back to honours even, the pick of the bunch coming from an unmarked Ronaldo header which unbelievably failed to hit the target.

The game was then sealed by exhibition counter attacking football from the Spanish champions, as an exceptional run by full back Daniel Alves was followed with a great in-swinging ball to Fabregas who was there at the back stick to head home the sucker punch goal.

Madrid remain favourites to take the La Liga crown as they still acquire a game in hand, however Barca still have the attacking power to spoil Real’s title surge.

Xavi: We Were Far More Superior To Real Madrid

Barcelona midfielder Xavi believes that his side were too strong for Read Madrid at the Berbabeu last night.

Xavi, who has been with the Catalonian side since the age of 11, scored one of three goals that insured Barca took all three points to bring them level with Real Madrid at the summit of the La Liga table.

Real Madrid took the lead 23 seconds into the game when Karim Benzema tapped in from close range, but three goals by Alexis Sanchez, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas sealed the victory on what was a dramatic evening in Madrid.

A much needed result for the reigning champions who have only taken 3 wins from seven away games this season, and Xavi believes that Madrid were no match for the visitors.

“We were very superior to Real Madrid today.”

“"We wanted to be brave here. We know that you cannot win otherwise and the team played a great match in every department. We are far superior to Real Madrid."

The 31 year old also praised keeper Victor Valdes, who gifted the Spanish league leaders a goal when a misplaced pass to Daniel Alves fell to the feet of Karim Benzema who pounced in from close range.

“Victor Valdes has been very brave in spite of the initial error and was able to recover and play very well.”

"I am very happy about everything, for the victory, and the most important thing is that collectively we played a great game and we were very superior."

However his boss Pep Guardiola quickly brought his side back down to earth, and reiterated that Madrid are still favourites to take the crown despite yet another El Classico defeat to Barcelona.

“I am delighted with the performance [but] Madrid will recover.

“To win here, you have to play a very good game and we have done that. But there is still much to do and Madrid will again be the leaders if they beat Sevilla.”

“There are no champions in December.”

Real Madrid missed a hatful of glorious chances, including an unmarked Ronaldo header that could have given Real a much needed equaliser.

After the game, Jose Mourinho expressed the significance of Ronaldo’s glaring miss from 10 yards out.

“When it was 1-0 we could have easily gone 2-0 up and maybe under normal circumstances, Cristiano [Ronaldo] put it wide.”

There was a dramatic end to the first half when Lionel Messi, who had been booked earlier on in the game for dissent, tripped Alonso. The referee looked to pull out the red card that would of saw the Argentine sent off, before quickly pulling away from his pocket when seeing the guilty face of Messi.

With the game evenly balanced, Mourinho believes that the referee could have been more lenient towards his side and sent off the Barca talisman.

“I thought Messi could have been sent off, but until I see it again I won’t say more in case I’m wrong.”

Match Report: Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona

A rampant second half display by reigning La Liga champions Barcelona beat league leaders Real Madrid 3-1 on an entertaining evening at the Bernabeu.

Three goals by Sanchez, Xavi and Fabregas was more than enough to end Real Madrid’s 10 league victory streak, and cut the deficit down to equal terms at the top of the La Liga table.

A close range goal by Benzema was cancelled out by a Sanchez strike close to half time. With a deflected strike by Xavi straight after half time, a diving header by Cesc Fabregas sealed the Catalonian’s third away victory in seven games.

Real Madrid got off to the perfect start, after Barca keeper Victor Valde’s attempted pass to Eric Abidal fell to the feet of Di Maria whose shot was blocked, falling perfectly to Ozil whose volley was deflected into the path of Karim Benzema who poked home from close range.

Ronaldo then squandered the chance to put the league leader further ahead when a Benzema run down the left wing was squared to the Madrid talisman who selfishly shot wide instead of setting up Di Maria who was clear on goal.

Lionel Messi started to make his way into the game and a great run down the right flank forced a great save by stopper Iker Casillas. Barca looked the more likely to force the equaliser.

With the game closing in on half time, Barcelona got their reward. Lionel Messi capatalised on a Sergio Ramos slip, gliding the ball past two Madrid tackles and slotting a through ball to Sanchez who placed the ball past Casillas to give the Chilean his 5^th goal of the season.

Shortly after the equaliser, Messi was punished with a yellow card after arguing with the referee over a Pepe foul on Sanchez. With the first half closing in, the Argentine could have easily been sent for an early shower, after a late challenge on Xabi Alonso caused the referee to reach for his pocket, before then pulling away from what looked like an imminent sending off.

The Bernabeu was then stunned, after a long range Xavi strike was deflected by Marchelo, leaving Iker Casillas wrong footed and scrabbling to crawl away the ball which inevitably rolled into the net.

With Barca leading at the Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with a glorious opportunity to tie the match when an Alonso cross was headed wide by Madrid’s top goal scorer.

A sucker punch goal ruled out any hint of comeback, when a deep cross by Daniel Alves was met at the back stick by Fabregas who dived in to head in his 8^th goal of the season, putting clear daylight between the two clubs.

Mourinho put on Gonzalo Higuain to boost Real’s attacking options and a Sergio Ramos cross evaded the stretching foot of the Argentian striker, preventing him from bringing Madrid back in the game.

With 90 minutes fast approaching, Barcelona kept a stern back lie as well as attacking with presence to earn themselves their first El Classico win of the season.

Match Preview: Real Madrid vs Barcelona

The eyes of the watching world will be on the Bernabeu tonight, as Real Madrid look to extend their lead to six points over Barcelona in this season’s first El Classico encounter.

The first meeting between the fierce rivals this season, Madrid lead Barcelona by three points at the top of the table with a game in hand. This game see’s the Catalonians arrive at Santiago Bernabeu at a bad time, as Real have scored 28 goals in their last six games at home.

Barcelona show exception home form too; with 9 games, 39 goals and none conceded keeping them hot on the heels of the league leaders.

However their away form isn’t one to savour, as they have only taken two victories from six games having suffered a surprise defeat to Getafe in their last venture from the Nou Camp.

Jose Mourinho goes into the game with just one injury concern, as centre back Ricardo Carvalho has pulled a ligament in his right knee furthering him to the sidelines after overcoming back problems.

Pep Guardiola has no injury concerns ahead of the crucial tie; however he will be looking towards one player in particular to continue his impressive scoring record this season.

Lionel Messi has, yet again, been a one man show for Barca this season with 17 goals, 10 goals ahead of second club top goal scorer Cesc Fabregas.

Although the world footballer of the year’s continued supremacy of Spanish football has left the world in awe, it has been Madrid’s talisman who has matched the Argentine step by step.

Cristiano Ronaldo has matched Messi with 17 goals this season, along with six assists this season. With his incredible form in front of goal resembling his performance last season, which saw the Portuguese winger strike 40 goals in all competitions, Ronaldo has played an enormous part in Madrid’s winning run which has seen them win ten league games in a row.

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola has taken account of Madrid’s incredible form, and has seen a big difference from last season in Mourinho’s men.

“They are stronger than they were last year”, said the Spanish football manager.

“They know each other better, they have spent more time together and know what their coach [Mourninho] demands of them.”

“Above all they defend well, be quick in transitions and pay attention to factors like the circulation of the ball.”

“It will not be easy because they have a very intense game.”

Jose Mourinho has refused to speak to the media towards the build up of El Classico, leaving the media responsibilities to assistant coach Aitor Karanka who believes that Real will go all out to win.

“It’s not just a match like any other. But we are not going to change our way of working whatever the result is tomorrow.”

“We could have a lead of four, six or nine points that would not damage our principle. We have to go after the three points like we always do.”

Match Report: Adkins Focuses On Next Game

Southampton boss Nigel Adkins has praised his squad for coming from behind to take three points against Hull City yesterday evening, but says that he isn’t interested in breaking any records.

Two second half goals from Adam Lallana and Guly Do Prado secured their 21^st consecutive home win in all competitions. The last time they were defeated at home was nearly 10 months ago when Premier League champions Manchester United came from behind to win 2-1 to reach the last 16 of the Carling Cup.

However Adkins is ignoring the record books and focusing on Southampton’s serge into the Premier League.

"I'm trying not to look at records to be honest. It's great that we have got the momentum of winning games at home, and when that unfortunately comes to an end then we will take a look at the record books. In the meantime we will keep taking one game at a time and tonight I am delighted with a big three points.”

He also applauded his side’s response to going a goal down, after going in at half time 1-0 down to the visitors.

"In the second half we have come out and what a great ten minutes that was.The crowd has got right behind the players and the players got the crowd going and that has got us two great goals and a good victory.”

“We've gone behind and then gone ahead and won, so it's a great three points and I'll analyse the performance tomorrow and as a team on Thursday morning and then move on.” Tonight I will take all the positives from it because we got a great three points."

Adkins changed around the tactics during half time, and with the introduction of skilful winger Steve De Ridder, saw a much more positive attacking display from his men.

"In the second half we have changed it and played with two wide players, we turned down several opportunities in the first half to put the ball into Rickie who was crying out for it, so that's why we made the change.

“That's what you can do when you have a squad because we have the impact off the bench to try and change things around.”

Despite a stubborn and good performance by Hull City, their caretaker manager Nick Barnaby left Southampton bitterly disappointed.

"It's frustrating. We have to eradicate the silly mistakes. We're nearly there and we will get there. We need to work on some areas and have to iron out the mistakes. For 80 minutes I thought we played well but we were undone by 10 minutes of a lack of concentration."

Barnaby also criticised referee Oliver Langford’s decision to punish Robbie Brady with a straight red card after he caught Dan Harding late in a challenge with ten minutes remaining of the match.

"I don't think it was a sending off. I've looked at it again and I don't agree with the decision."

Match Report: Southampton 2-1 Hull City

Southampton have extended their run of home victories to a record breaking 21 games, as they came from a goal behind to beat a resilient Hull City 2-1 at the St Mary’s Stadium tonight.

Two goals from Guly Do Prado and Adam Lallana was more than enough to see off the Tigers, after Robert Koren scored the opener towards the end of the first half.

Tributes were made to the late Gary Speed before kick-off, as a minutes applause was conducted in remembrance for the late ex-Leeds and Newcastle midfielder.

Saints started on the front foot, after snappy midfield play led to Morgan Schneiderlin wasting an opportunity to take an early lead when his shot from close range was spilled by Hull keeper Peter Gulasci but gathered quickly.

Hull put a lot of pressure on Southampton’s back four, with full back Liam Rosenior’s pace causing a lot of damage down the right flank.

With the half coming to the end, the Saints had a number of chances to break the deadlock, with Guly Do Prado squandering several headers wide of the target.

However Hull’s patience and hard work paid off, when a fine cross from Tom Cairney was met by the head of Slovenian international Robert Koren, who slotted the ball into the top corner to claim his 4^th goal of the season.

Southampton returned to the field after the half time interval looking fresher and more determined. Looking comfortable on the ball, they threatened Hull’s defence immensely and within three minutes of the restart, they got their reward.

The introduction to crowd favourite Steve De Ridder proved influential, as an early cross by the Belgian winger was headed on by Lambert, falling to the fluorescent boot of Guly Do Prado who made no mistake in blasting the ball high into the net from 12 yards out.

The equaliser gave the Reds the confidence boost they strived for 48 minutes, and they looked like a side capable of attacking with intent.

The winner was in sight for the league leaders, and an adventurous run by Saints full back Frazier Richardson was complemented by a fine cross, and who else to fly in but Adam Lallana whose precise header found the bottom corner.

Hull pressed for an equaliser, and goalscorer Robert Koren curled a shot just wide of the post to scare the home supporters.

The final 20 minutes proved to be a tense period for the Southampton faithful, but on the 79^th minute a high tackle by Hull midfielder Robbie Brady on Dan Harding meant the youngster was heading for an early shower. A straight red produced by referee Oliver Langford, the Saints gained control of the match to see out the stubborn visitors.

A hard earned victory meant that Southampton would remain at the top of the table, as West Ham beat promotion contenders Middlesbrough 2-0 at the Riverside. The defeat meant Hull City would drop three places to 10^th, losing vital points as they push for the play-offs.

Match Preview: Southampton vs Hull City

Championship league leaders look to set a new club record tomorrow night when they welcome Hull City to the St Mary's Stadium.

A victory in tomorrow’s encounter would mean the Saints have won the last 21 games on home soil, a post war record last set by Liverpool in the 1971/72 season.

Southampton currently sit at the top of the Championship with a two point cushion over rivals West Ham in second place, who aim to keep up the pressure on the Reds tomorrow when they travel north to the Riverside to face fellow promotion chasers Middlesbrough.

One absentee that will be missing from tomorrow’s game is midfielder Richard Chaplow, who only lasted seven minutes in last Saturday defeat to Bristol City.

Adkins will be relying on talisman Rickie Lambert to be firing the ball into the net, as the Liverpudlian has been in clinical form in front of goal for the Saints, firing in 12 goals in the 19 appearances he has made in the league this season.

The visitors on the other hand welcome Aaron Mclean back to the squad after serving a one match ban from reaching five yellow cards. The striker is likely to partner hitman Matty Fryatt, who is currently Hull’s top goalscorer with seven goals. However Paul McKenna will miss the trip down to the south coast as he too is serving a one match ban from reaching five yellow cards.

The tigers will be hoping to roar back to a much needed win tomorrow night, after two Matty Fryatt goals were cancelled out by a late attacking onslaught, as Hull let slip a two goal lead to lose 3-2 to Burnley at the KC stadium last weekend.

The previous time these two teams met, Hull ran out 5-0 victors, a result that was one of many impressive displays that took the tigers to the Premier League. In that same season, Southampton narrowly avoided relegation.

However three years on and Saints are in a completely different prospective as they look to secure a second successful promotion to the very top of English football. A 21^st straight home win would keep the pressure on rivals Middlesbrough and West Ham, and boss Nigel Adkins is expecting a difficult test.

“It’s going to be a good game. I’ve seen Hull play on four or five occasions now and they play good football, they pass the ball around really well.”

Adkins went onto praise Southampton’s fans for their contribution to the Saint’s recent run of form. "The supporters are right behind us, on Saturday when things weren't quite happening for us, the supporters then tried to lift the players. That happens a lot at St Mary's because they can see that we want to move the ball about and we have scored more goals than anyone else in the division.

Southampton have yet to slip into their ‘rough’ patch and after a shock defeat at Ashton Gate, they will be looking to take three crucial points to remain favourites to be promoted to the big time.