After getting off to an early 0-2 lead at Granada on Monday night, Real Madrid took control of the La Liga title race and moved within a single victory of clinching the crown.

Los Blancos defeated Granada by a 1-2 final at the Nuevo Los Carmenes on Monday night in a game that turned out to be a little more difficult than it looked for Real Madrid after the first 16 minutes went by.

Zinedine Zidane’s side took an early 0-2 lead after Ferland Mendy found the net with a beautiful goal at the 10-minute mark, and then Karim Benzema doubled the lead just six minutes later.

Real Madrid went into halftime with a 0-2 lead and in total control, but the mid-table Granada side, which has put together a brilliant campaign after promotion from Spain’s second division, had some tricks up its sleeve in the second half.

Darwin Machis halved Los Blancos’ lead after he fired a shot through Thibault Courtois’ legs, suddenly putting the Spanish giants on their heels.

Granada kept pressing for another goal, but ultimately came up short thanks to a couple of brilliant saves by Courtois and a massive goal-line clearance by defender Sergio Ramos.

Their win puts Real Madrid four points clear of Barcelona with two matches to go. A win against Villarreal on Thursday night or against Leganes on Sunday night would be enough to clinch the crown for Real Madrid for the first time since 2017.

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FC Barcelona drew with Celta Vigo in a 2-2 battle in Galicia on Saturday afternoon, further sinking the Blaugrana’s ever-dwindling title hopes.

Their loss, in combination with Real Madrid’s 1-0 win against Espanyol on Sunday night, means that the two-time reigning La Liga champions now trail their bitter foes by two points in the standings with six matches left to play.

Barcelona got out to a 0-1 lead just before the 20-minute mark of the match when Leo Messi made a brilliant free-kick assist to Luis Suarez, who headed the ball into the net.

They took their lead into halftime, however, Celta was able to tie it up in the 50th minute after a Fedor Smolov goal.

Luis Suarez, however, found the net again for his second goal on the day only 17 minutes later to score a goal that the Cules hoped would be all they needed to bring home 3 crucial points.

However, Celta forward Iago Aspas scored a brilliant curved free-kick goal that Marc Andre ter Stegen could do nothing to defend in the final minutes of the match, ensuring that Barcelona would go home with only a point.

Barcelona, which now trails Real Madrid by 2 points in the standings and would lose a theoretical tie-breaker, now has huge pressure to win out in its final 6 games in order to make a title push.

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This weekend’s action in Spain’s La Liga resulted in a big change at the top of the table, as Real Madrid moved to the #1 spot after a big 1-2 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday night.

Real Madrid’s win drew them even on points with FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid’s superior head-to-head record in the team’s two meetings this season meant that they will head into the final eight matches of the season as the slim leader in the standings.

Barcelona was tripped up in a 0-0 draw at Sevilla on Friday night, as they were unable to break through and get a goal against Julen Lopetegui’s men.

Real Madrid saw their opportunity and seized it on Sunday night in San Sebastian in a tough battle against a Real Sociedad team that has aspirations to finish in European positions in the table this season.

After a scoreless first half, Los Blancos took a 0-1 lead in the 50th minute after Vinicius Jr. was awarded a controversial penalty after being lightly touched in the box and falling to the ground. Sergio Ramos then easily fooled Alex Remiro and transformed the spot kick.

Twenty minutes later, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema doubled his team’s lead. While Real Sociedad was able to pull a goal back before the final whistle blew, they were unable to find an equalizer and Real Madrid walked away with all three points.

Madrid will look to continue their good run of form at home against Mallorca on Wednesday, while Barcelona will look to keep pace at home against Athletic Club.

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Hot on the heels of current La Liga leaders FC Barcelona, Real Madrid kept pace with their eternal rivals after a relatively comfortable 3-0 win over Valencia on Thursday night.

Madrid’s win, which comes against a team that is battling for European positions next season, is a big step towards putting pressure on Barcelona in the chase for the title.

The first half of the match, which was played at Madrid’s Alfredo di Stefano Stadium behind closed doors the Bernabeu Stadium continues renovation work, did not see any goals as Madrid and Valencia traded attacking chances to no avail.

However, in the second half, Valencia’s defense and keeper Jasper Cillessen finally could do no more to stop Los Blancos’ attack.

Striker Karim Benzema broke the scoreless deadlock with a strike in the 61st minute to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Only thirteen minutes later, attacker Marco Asensio saw his first action on the pitch since a preseason ACL tear, nearly 10 months ago. In fewer than 30 seconds, he found the net to double Madrid’s lead in a triumphant manner.

Benzema wrapped up the game just before the final whistle blew, driving a a spectacular right-footed strike into the net to give the scoreboard its 3-0 final tally.

Real Madrid will look to keep pace as it travels to play Real Sociedad on Sunday, while the leaders face a tough game of their own at Sevilla.

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Spain’s La Liga returned to action this weekend after a three-month pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic which sent sports around the globe to a screeching halt.

The league, which featured a two-horse race between eternal rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid for the title before the stoppage, looks to be continuing on the same path after Los Blancos defeated Eibar 3-1 on Sunday, equaling Barcelona’s Saturday win.

Real Madrid dominated the match, which was held at its Alfredo di Stefano Stadium behind closed doors as the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium undergoes renovation work.

Madrid went into halftime up 3-0 against Eibar, which currently finds itself only two points above the relegation zone, and never looked to be in any danger of dropping points.

Toni Kroos opened the scoring in the 4th minute, blasting a long-range goal with his right foot. Defenders Sergio Ramos and Marcelo added goals in the 30th and 37th minutes, respectively, sending their team to the break with the game in hand.

While Pedro Bigas did score for Eibar in the second half of the match, it was too little, too late for the Basque side.

With their win, Real Madrid keeps pace in the standings. They currently find themselves in 2nd place, two points behind front runner Barcelona.

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The Spanish La Liga became the second major soccer league to return to action after previously suspending its 2019/20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The honor to lead the way belonged to crosstown rivals Sevilla and Betis, who faced in the popular Seville Derby on Thursday night.

Sevilla won the match 2-0 thanks to goals from Lucas Ocampos and Fernando.

Sevilla was dominant for the better part of the match while Betis focused on defending their goal and threatened from counterattacks. After a score 0-0 at halftime, Sevilla increased the pressure which resulted in a penalty kick in the 56th minute after Betis defender Marc Bartra fouled striker Luuk de Jong. Ocampos took the responsibility and calmly converted from the penalty spot to give his team the lead.

After scoring, the Argentinian winger decided to honor the fans by saluting the stands, despite the fact that the game was played without an audience.

“I had never played a derby here before and even though the fans are not here I still wanted to honor them and make it feel like they were and show that we are working hard for them,” said Ocampos.

Just six minutes after this, Fernando added to Betis’ misery. The veteran midfielder used the stir in the penalty area following a corner kick and scored with a header to increase Sevilla’s lead.

Betis tried to bounce back but lacked the creativity to make a worthwhile chance in front of Tomás Vaclík’s goal.

The win helped Sevilla solidify themselves on the third place in the standings and continue their push for a Champions League spot. Betis, on the other hand, remain in the 12th position and won’t play in Europe next season.

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After Bundesliga resumed its season in May, other top soccer leagues in Europe are following its footsteps. England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and Italy’s Seria A all announced that they are returning in June after they previously suspended their seasons due to coronavirus pandemic.

The Premier League announced on Thursday that the 2019/20 season will resume on June 17th with two matches: Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United and Manchester City vs. Arsenal. After these two games, the rest of the teams will also have their matches between 19th and 21st June.

On Friday, Seria A confirmed that the Italian clubs will also resume the 2019/20 season, with the first games being scheduled for June 20th. It is expected that teams play every three days in order to finish out the season as quickly as possible.

The earliest return, however, is reserved for La Liga, which resumes on June 11th with a match between Sevilla and Real Betis. According to the announcement, the games will be played each day in order to conclude the competition by July 19th.

Matches in all three leagues will be played without audience.

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Soccer fans in Spain are about to receive some devastating news. According to ESPN, La Liga clubs have been recently informed that the fans won’t be able to attend the games once the league activities resume. This decision is expected to stay in force until 2021.

La Liga suspended its season indefinitely last month due to coronavirus pandemic, and it is still unknown when the competition might make a comeback. But even when this does happen, the league officials intend to adhere to recommendations from the Spanish government and operate under strict measures.

ESPN’s sources report that the audience might be allowed to attend games starting January 2021, but even then, the stadiums won’t operate in full capacity.

La Liga officials underlined that the decision is open for a review, depending on the course of the health crisis. If the coronavirus in Spain gets under control more efficiently, then the fans might get access to stadiums earlier than projected.

Almost all major leagues in Europe are currently suspended, but there are indications that things might change in the near future as competitions like Bundesliga are contemplating resuming its activities as early as May. However, all of these leagues intend to play games without an audience.

The post La Liga Games Expected to Take Place Without Fans Until 2021 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Due to the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain, which has taken on a new severity during the past week, La Liga will meet with the Spanish Footballer’s Association and the Spanish Football Federation on Thursday to make a crucial decision.

After declaring on Tuesday that the league’s next two matchdays would be played behind closed doors, the bodies will now meet to decide whether or not to suspend the competition temporarily.

Spain went from having only around 80 cases of the novel virus at the beginning of the month to having over 2,000 cases as of this Wednesday, March 11th.

If the decision is made to suspend the league, La Liga would reportedly adopt a “wait and see” approach to see how the virus evolves over the next two weeks. The league will then decide whether to end the season, or alternatively, reschedule the canceled games for a new date.

Spain has already implemented changes in its soccer schedule due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. The Copa del Rey final between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad has already been postponed from its original April 18th date.

For now, La Liga fans must wait and see to see how the league ultimately reacts to the ever-changing health situation in Spain.

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FC Barcelona took a two-point lead in the race for the Spanish domestic title over the weekend, defeating Eibar 5-0 at the Camp Nou while watching their eternal rival Real Madrid lose 1-0 against Levante.

The Blaugranas played on Saturday afternoon and made easy work of relegation candidate Eibar despite unrest in the crowd due to unhappiness with club president Josep Bartolomeu.

Leo Messi put in a world-class performance, scoring four goals against an Eibar defense that was helpless against his masterful play. It was never a contest on Saturday in Barcelona, leaving the Cules with some hope that they could take the La Liga lead with a little bit of help.

And they got help in the form of a massive win for Levante over Real Madrid in the Saturday night cap.

Real Madrid traveled to Valencia to face off with the mid-table Granotas having not lost a La Liga match since October 19th at Mallorca. A brilliant performance from Levante goalie Aitor Fernandez and a stunning goal by Jose Luis Morales, however, doomed them on Saturday to second place.

The La Liga drama comes on the heels of a hugely important week for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. The new La Liga leaders will travel to Italy to take on Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 matchup, while Real Madrid will host Manchester City.

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After getting off to an early 0-2 lead at Granada on Monday night, Real Madrid took control of the La Liga title race and moved within a single victory of clinching the crown.

Los Blancos defeated Granada by a 1-2 final at the Nuevo Los Carmenes on Monday night in a game that turned out to be a little more difficult than it looked for Real Madrid after the first 16 minutes went by.

Zinedine Zidane’s side took an early 0-2 lead after Ferland Mendy found the net with a beautiful goal at the 10-minute mark, and then Karim Benzema doubled the lead just six minutes later.

Real Madrid went into halftime with a 0-2 lead and in total control, but the mid-table Granada side, which has put together a brilliant campaign after promotion from Spain’s second division, had some tricks up its sleeve in the second half.

Darwin Machis halved Los Blancos’ lead after he fired a shot through Thibault Courtois’ legs, suddenly putting the Spanish giants on their heels.

Granada kept pressing for another goal, but ultimately came up short thanks to a couple of brilliant saves by Courtois and a massive goal-line clearance by defender Sergio Ramos.

Their win puts Real Madrid four points clear of Barcelona with two matches to go. A win against Villarreal on Thursday night or against Leganes on Sunday night would be enough to clinch the crown for Real Madrid for the first time since 2017.

The post Real Madrid Moves Closer to La Liga Crown with 1-2 Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.

FC Barcelona drew with Celta Vigo in a 2-2 battle in Galicia on Saturday afternoon, further sinking the Blaugrana’s ever-dwindling title hopes.

Their loss, in combination with Real Madrid’s 1-0 win against Espanyol on Sunday night, means that the two-time reigning La Liga champions now trail their bitter foes by two points in the standings with six matches left to play.

Barcelona got out to a 0-1 lead just before the 20-minute mark of the match when Leo Messi made a brilliant free-kick assist to Luis Suarez, who headed the ball into the net.

They took their lead into halftime, however, Celta was able to tie it up in the 50th minute after a Fedor Smolov goal.

Luis Suarez, however, found the net again for his second goal on the day only 17 minutes later to score a goal that the Cules hoped would be all they needed to bring home 3 crucial points.

However, Celta forward Iago Aspas scored a brilliant curved free-kick goal that Marc Andre ter Stegen could do nothing to defend in the final minutes of the match, ensuring that Barcelona would go home with only a point.

Barcelona, which now trails Real Madrid by 2 points in the standings and would lose a theoretical tie-breaker, now has huge pressure to win out in its final 6 games in order to make a title push.

The post Barcelona Frustrated by Celta Vigo in 2-2 Draw appeared first on SportzBonanza.

This weekend’s action in Spain’s La Liga resulted in a big change at the top of the table, as Real Madrid moved to the #1 spot after a big 1-2 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday night.

Real Madrid’s win drew them even on points with FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid’s superior head-to-head record in the team’s two meetings this season meant that they will head into the final eight matches of the season as the slim leader in the standings.

Barcelona was tripped up in a 0-0 draw at Sevilla on Friday night, as they were unable to break through and get a goal against Julen Lopetegui’s men.

Real Madrid saw their opportunity and seized it on Sunday night in San Sebastian in a tough battle against a Real Sociedad team that has aspirations to finish in European positions in the table this season.

After a scoreless first half, Los Blancos took a 0-1 lead in the 50th minute after Vinicius Jr. was awarded a controversial penalty after being lightly touched in the box and falling to the ground. Sergio Ramos then easily fooled Alex Remiro and transformed the spot kick.

Twenty minutes later, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema doubled his team’s lead. While Real Sociedad was able to pull a goal back before the final whistle blew, they were unable to find an equalizer and Real Madrid walked away with all three points.

Madrid will look to continue their good run of form at home against Mallorca on Wednesday, while Barcelona will look to keep pace at home against Athletic Club.

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Hot on the heels of current La Liga leaders FC Barcelona, Real Madrid kept pace with their eternal rivals after a relatively comfortable 3-0 win over Valencia on Thursday night.

Madrid’s win, which comes against a team that is battling for European positions next season, is a big step towards putting pressure on Barcelona in the chase for the title.

The first half of the match, which was played at Madrid’s Alfredo di Stefano Stadium behind closed doors the Bernabeu Stadium continues renovation work, did not see any goals as Madrid and Valencia traded attacking chances to no avail.

However, in the second half, Valencia’s defense and keeper Jasper Cillessen finally could do no more to stop Los Blancos’ attack.

Striker Karim Benzema broke the scoreless deadlock with a strike in the 61st minute to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Only thirteen minutes later, attacker Marco Asensio saw his first action on the pitch since a preseason ACL tear, nearly 10 months ago. In fewer than 30 seconds, he found the net to double Madrid’s lead in a triumphant manner.

Benzema wrapped up the game just before the final whistle blew, driving a a spectacular right-footed strike into the net to give the scoreboard its 3-0 final tally.

Real Madrid will look to keep pace as it travels to play Real Sociedad on Sunday, while the leaders face a tough game of their own at Sevilla.

The post Real Madrid Beats Valencia 3-0 to Keep Pace in La Liga Race appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Spain’s La Liga returned to action this weekend after a three-month pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic which sent sports around the globe to a screeching halt.

The league, which featured a two-horse race between eternal rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid for the title before the stoppage, looks to be continuing on the same path after Los Blancos defeated Eibar 3-1 on Sunday, equaling Barcelona’s Saturday win.

Real Madrid dominated the match, which was held at its Alfredo di Stefano Stadium behind closed doors as the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium undergoes renovation work.

Madrid went into halftime up 3-0 against Eibar, which currently finds itself only two points above the relegation zone, and never looked to be in any danger of dropping points.

Toni Kroos opened the scoring in the 4th minute, blasting a long-range goal with his right foot. Defenders Sergio Ramos and Marcelo added goals in the 30th and 37th minutes, respectively, sending their team to the break with the game in hand.

While Pedro Bigas did score for Eibar in the second half of the match, it was too little, too late for the Basque side.

With their win, Real Madrid keeps pace in the standings. They currently find themselves in 2nd place, two points behind front runner Barcelona.

The post Real Madrid Beats Eibar 3-1, Keeps Pace with Barcelona appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Spanish La Liga became the second major soccer league to return to action after previously suspending its 2019/20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The honor to lead the way belonged to crosstown rivals Sevilla and Betis, who faced in the popular Seville Derby on Thursday night.

Sevilla won the match 2-0 thanks to goals from Lucas Ocampos and Fernando.

Sevilla was dominant for the better part of the match while Betis focused on defending their goal and threatened from counterattacks. After a score 0-0 at halftime, Sevilla increased the pressure which resulted in a penalty kick in the 56th minute after Betis defender Marc Bartra fouled striker Luuk de Jong. Ocampos took the responsibility and calmly converted from the penalty spot to give his team the lead.

After scoring, the Argentinian winger decided to honor the fans by saluting the stands, despite the fact that the game was played without an audience.

“I had never played a derby here before and even though the fans are not here I still wanted to honor them and make it feel like they were and show that we are working hard for them,” said Ocampos.

Just six minutes after this, Fernando added to Betis’ misery. The veteran midfielder used the stir in the penalty area following a corner kick and scored with a header to increase Sevilla’s lead.

Betis tried to bounce back but lacked the creativity to make a worthwhile chance in front of Tomás Vaclík’s goal.

The win helped Sevilla solidify themselves on the third place in the standings and continue their push for a Champions League spot. Betis, on the other hand, remain in the 12th position and won’t play in Europe next season.

The post La Liga Returns with Sevilla’s 2-0 Win Over Betis appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After Bundesliga resumed its season in May, other top soccer leagues in Europe are following its footsteps. England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and Italy’s Seria A all announced that they are returning in June after they previously suspended their seasons due to coronavirus pandemic.

The Premier League announced on Thursday that the 2019/20 season will resume on June 17th with two matches: Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United and Manchester City vs. Arsenal. After these two games, the rest of the teams will also have their matches between 19th and 21st June.

On Friday, Seria A confirmed that the Italian clubs will also resume the 2019/20 season, with the first games being scheduled for June 20th. It is expected that teams play every three days in order to finish out the season as quickly as possible.

The earliest return, however, is reserved for La Liga, which resumes on June 11th with a match between Sevilla and Real Betis. According to the announcement, the games will be played each day in order to conclude the competition by July 19th.

Matches in all three leagues will be played without audience.

The post Premier League, La Liga, and Seria A Returning in June appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Soccer fans in Spain are about to receive some devastating news. According to ESPN, La Liga clubs have been recently informed that the fans won’t be able to attend the games once the league activities resume. This decision is expected to stay in force until 2021.

La Liga suspended its season indefinitely last month due to coronavirus pandemic, and it is still unknown when the competition might make a comeback. But even when this does happen, the league officials intend to adhere to recommendations from the Spanish government and operate under strict measures.

ESPN’s sources report that the audience might be allowed to attend games starting January 2021, but even then, the stadiums won’t operate in full capacity.

La Liga officials underlined that the decision is open for a review, depending on the course of the health crisis. If the coronavirus in Spain gets under control more efficiently, then the fans might get access to stadiums earlier than projected.

Almost all major leagues in Europe are currently suspended, but there are indications that things might change in the near future as competitions like Bundesliga are contemplating resuming its activities as early as May. However, all of these leagues intend to play games without an audience.

The post La Liga Games Expected to Take Place Without Fans Until 2021 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Due to the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain, which has taken on a new severity during the past week, La Liga will meet with the Spanish Footballer’s Association and the Spanish Football Federation on Thursday to make a crucial decision.

After declaring on Tuesday that the league’s next two matchdays would be played behind closed doors, the bodies will now meet to decide whether or not to suspend the competition temporarily.

Spain went from having only around 80 cases of the novel virus at the beginning of the month to having over 2,000 cases as of this Wednesday, March 11th.

If the decision is made to suspend the league, La Liga would reportedly adopt a “wait and see” approach to see how the virus evolves over the next two weeks. The league will then decide whether to end the season, or alternatively, reschedule the canceled games for a new date.

Spain has already implemented changes in its soccer schedule due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. The Copa del Rey final between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad has already been postponed from its original April 18th date.

For now, La Liga fans must wait and see to see how the league ultimately reacts to the ever-changing health situation in Spain.

The post La Liga in Talks to Suspend 2019-20 Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

FC Barcelona took a two-point lead in the race for the Spanish domestic title over the weekend, defeating Eibar 5-0 at the Camp Nou while watching their eternal rival Real Madrid lose 1-0 against Levante.

The Blaugranas played on Saturday afternoon and made easy work of relegation candidate Eibar despite unrest in the crowd due to unhappiness with club president Josep Bartolomeu.

Leo Messi put in a world-class performance, scoring four goals against an Eibar defense that was helpless against his masterful play. It was never a contest on Saturday in Barcelona, leaving the Cules with some hope that they could take the La Liga lead with a little bit of help.

And they got help in the form of a massive win for Levante over Real Madrid in the Saturday night cap.

Real Madrid traveled to Valencia to face off with the mid-table Granotas having not lost a La Liga match since October 19th at Mallorca. A brilliant performance from Levante goalie Aitor Fernandez and a stunning goal by Jose Luis Morales, however, doomed them on Saturday to second place.

The La Liga drama comes on the heels of a hugely important week for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. The new La Liga leaders will travel to Italy to take on Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 matchup, while Real Madrid will host Manchester City.

The post Barcelona Beats Eibar 5-0, Takes Lead in La Liga Title Race appeared first on SportzBonanza.