Spain defeated Croatia 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time to win the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League title. This is la Furia Roja’s first trophy since the 2012 European Championship.

Both Spain and Croatia got the game off to a strong start, taking shots from early on in order to find an opener. Gavi almost scored for Spain in the 12th minute, dragging his shot inches wide of the goalpost, while Andrej Kramaric threatened the Spanish defense on a counterattack which required Aymeric Laporte to make a last-ditch tackle.

While Mario Pasalic and Josip Juranovic came close for Croatia in the second half, it was Spain that dominated proceedings in the latter stages. Ansu Fati looked certain to win the match for Spain with his close-range shot in the 84th minute, only for defender Ivan Perisic to clear the ball off the goal line.

Although Spain continued to dominate in extra time, it took penalties to decide the contest, with defender Dani Carvajal firing home the winning goal for Spain after goalkeeper Unai Simon saved penalties from both Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic.

Luis de la Fuente, who took over the role of Spain’s manager after the 2022 World Cup, told fans to express faith in his young squad of players. “These players are used to winning,” de la Fuente stated after the game. “They have won so much coming through the ranks and this can continue, I think this competitive streak is back and we can look forward to winning more.”

The post Spain Defeats Croatia on Penalties to Win UEFA Nations League appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Spain bested Italy in a 2-1 victory at the De Grolsch Veste stadium in the Netherlands on Thursday night to book their spot in the final of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.

La Furia Roja got the better of the Italians within three minutes of play when Yeremy Pino took advantage of a defensive error to hand Spain the lead after three minutes of play. Spain’s lead did not last long, however, with Ciro Immobile scoring a penalty just eight minutes later after debutant Robin Le Normand was deemed to have handled the ball in the box.

Dominating the ball with 63% possession and 19 shots compared to eight, it seemed as if Spain had run out of ideas as extra time loomed. Then, in the 88th minute, Rodri fired a long-range shot that was deflected into the path of Joselu, who scored from just four yards out.

“The team played a great game,” Joselu remarked after the game. “We dominated almost the entire second half, just the goal was missing. I was alone after Rodri’s shot, it fell (to me) and I was confident I wasn’t offside. I’m happy for my goal because we’re now into a final with a chance to win a trophy.”

Coach Luis de la Fuente’s squad will take on Croatia in the final of the UEFA Nations League in Rotterdam on Sunday.

The post Spain Defeats Italy to Clinch Spot in UEFA Nations League Final appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Spain defeated Norway 3-0 at La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga on Saturday night in the opening game of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. This was the first game for new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who took the reigns from Luis Enrique following La Furia Roja’s Round of 16 exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Dani Olmo handed the home team and took the lead in the 13th minute, sending the ball into the bottom corner of the goal after being set up by left-back Alejandro Balde. Without the strike power of Erling Haaland, Norway attempted to respond two minutes later when martin Odegaard’s shot on goal was blocked by center-back Nacho, who returns to the national squad after a five-year absence.

While the two sides continued to exchange chances, it was only in the 83rd minute that Spain managed to double their lead. 32-year-old striker Joselu scored with a header just three minutes after coming onto the field, thereby sealing a dream international debut for himself. The Espanyol forward struck again just two minutes later to extend his team’s lead to three goals.

“I have to thank [the coach] for the faith he’s shown in me in his first match in charge. I tried to give my all to reward him,” Joselu commented after the game.

The post Joselu Scores Twice In Spain Euro Debut appeared first on SportzBonanza.

On the first day of the second stage at the FIBA World Cup in China, former Euro champions Spain defeated Italy with a final result of 67-60. In a tough match with low points, Italy started the match by outscoring their rivals 15-5, forcing Scariolo to call his first time-out. After the short break, Italy made some changes and that backfired, as Spain made a 13-3 run, ending the first period with an 18-18 tie. 

In the second period, both of the team’s defenses were tough and the Italians won out with a narrow 12-13. After half-time, both teams started with a lot of misses from the field, with Spain making some shots and winning the 3^rd quarter with 20-17 score, making it harder for Italy as the pressure rose until the end, knowing that a loss would send the Azzuri home. In the last period, Spain scored only 2 points in the first 6 minutes, allowing Italy to take a 4-point lead which forced Spain’s coach to take a time-out. Like in the first half, Spain made a 10-0 run, taking back a 62-56 lead in the final 2 minutes. With this loss, Italy goes home, while Spain advances to the next round. 

The post Spain Eliminates Italy at FIBA World Cup to Advance to the Quarterfinals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

One of Spain’s domestic trophy competitions got a lot more interesting after Real Madrid and FC Barcelona were drawn to play each other in the competition’s semifinal.

The most intense rivalry in soccer, known as El Clásico, will come to the Copa del Rey in its semifinals. The winner of the draw will face the winner of the Valencia-Real Betis draw.

It’s undeniable that this is the most intriguing draw that the competition could’ve hoped for. The fiercest rivalry game in soccer will happen twice in February, with the first leg of the draw being played on Wednesday night in Barcelona at Camp Nou.

The definitive second leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid on February 27th. The winning team will advance to the Copa del Rey final in Sevilla at the Benito Villmarín on May 25th.

FC Barcelona currently sits in first place in Spain’s La Liga with 50 points, 8 points ahead of third-place Real Madrid. Los Blancos have struggled at times this season under new coach Santiago Solari and without Cristiano Ronaldo, but are currently on a five-game win streak.

Lionel Messi and his Barcelona squad will do their best to dispatch their eternal rivals in the hopes of winning their fifth consecutive Copa del Rey title.

The post Barcelona and Real Madrid to Square Off in Copa del Rey Semifinal Draw appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Real Madrid claimed their third consecutive Champions League crown after they defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the final, which was held in Kiev on Saturday. The result marked the 5th Champions League win for Ronaldo (he has won four with Madrid and won one title with Manchester United in 2008).

After the game, Ronaldo dropped a bombshell as he suggested that he could leave Madrid this summer. He said in an interview to BeIN Sport and Antena 3 reporters: “Now to enjoy, and in the next few days I will give an answer to the fans that they are on my side, it was very nice to be in Madrid.”

The 33-year-old ended as this season’s top scorer in the Champions League with 12 goals but was fairly quiet in Kiev as Liverpool’s defense did a good job in order to prevent him from getting chances to score.

Ronaldo was also asked if he was disappointed as he did not find the back of the net and he said: “Who’s disappointed? Perhaps they need to change the name of the Champions League to the CR7 Champions League. Who has the most titles and who has the most goals?”

The post Is Cristiano Ronaldo Leaving Real Madrid? appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Spain defeated Croatia 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time to win the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League title. This is la Furia Roja’s first trophy since the 2012 European Championship.

Both Spain and Croatia got the game off to a strong start, taking shots from early on in order to find an opener. Gavi almost scored for Spain in the 12th minute, dragging his shot inches wide of the goalpost, while Andrej Kramaric threatened the Spanish defense on a counterattack which required Aymeric Laporte to make a last-ditch tackle.

While Mario Pasalic and Josip Juranovic came close for Croatia in the second half, it was Spain that dominated proceedings in the latter stages. Ansu Fati looked certain to win the match for Spain with his close-range shot in the 84th minute, only for defender Ivan Perisic to clear the ball off the goal line.

Although Spain continued to dominate in extra time, it took penalties to decide the contest, with defender Dani Carvajal firing home the winning goal for Spain after goalkeeper Unai Simon saved penalties from both Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic.

Luis de la Fuente, who took over the role of Spain’s manager after the 2022 World Cup, told fans to express faith in his young squad of players. “These players are used to winning,” de la Fuente stated after the game. “They have won so much coming through the ranks and this can continue, I think this competitive streak is back and we can look forward to winning more.”

The post Spain Defeats Croatia on Penalties to Win UEFA Nations League appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Spain bested Italy in a 2-1 victory at the De Grolsch Veste stadium in the Netherlands on Thursday night to book their spot in the final of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.

La Furia Roja got the better of the Italians within three minutes of play when Yeremy Pino took advantage of a defensive error to hand Spain the lead after three minutes of play. Spain’s lead did not last long, however, with Ciro Immobile scoring a penalty just eight minutes later after debutant Robin Le Normand was deemed to have handled the ball in the box.

Dominating the ball with 63% possession and 19 shots compared to eight, it seemed as if Spain had run out of ideas as extra time loomed. Then, in the 88th minute, Rodri fired a long-range shot that was deflected into the path of Joselu, who scored from just four yards out.

“The team played a great game,” Joselu remarked after the game. “We dominated almost the entire second half, just the goal was missing. I was alone after Rodri’s shot, it fell (to me) and I was confident I wasn’t offside. I’m happy for my goal because we’re now into a final with a chance to win a trophy.”

Coach Luis de la Fuente’s squad will take on Croatia in the final of the UEFA Nations League in Rotterdam on Sunday.

The post Spain Defeats Italy to Clinch Spot in UEFA Nations League Final appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Spain defeated Norway 3-0 at La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga on Saturday night in the opening game of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. This was the first game for new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who took the reigns from Luis Enrique following La Furia Roja’s Round of 16 exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Dani Olmo handed the home team and took the lead in the 13th minute, sending the ball into the bottom corner of the goal after being set up by left-back Alejandro Balde. Without the strike power of Erling Haaland, Norway attempted to respond two minutes later when martin Odegaard’s shot on goal was blocked by center-back Nacho, who returns to the national squad after a five-year absence.

While the two sides continued to exchange chances, it was only in the 83rd minute that Spain managed to double their lead. 32-year-old striker Joselu scored with a header just three minutes after coming onto the field, thereby sealing a dream international debut for himself. The Espanyol forward struck again just two minutes later to extend his team’s lead to three goals.

“I have to thank [the coach] for the faith he’s shown in me in his first match in charge. I tried to give my all to reward him,” Joselu commented after the game.

The post Joselu Scores Twice In Spain Euro Debut appeared first on SportzBonanza.

On the first day of the second stage at the FIBA World Cup in China, former Euro champions Spain defeated Italy with a final result of 67-60. In a tough match with low points, Italy started the match by outscoring their rivals 15-5, forcing Scariolo to call his first time-out. After the short break, Italy made some changes and that backfired, as Spain made a 13-3 run, ending the first period with an 18-18 tie. 

In the second period, both of the team’s defenses were tough and the Italians won out with a narrow 12-13. After half-time, both teams started with a lot of misses from the field, with Spain making some shots and winning the 3^rd quarter with 20-17 score, making it harder for Italy as the pressure rose until the end, knowing that a loss would send the Azzuri home. In the last period, Spain scored only 2 points in the first 6 minutes, allowing Italy to take a 4-point lead which forced Spain’s coach to take a time-out. Like in the first half, Spain made a 10-0 run, taking back a 62-56 lead in the final 2 minutes. With this loss, Italy goes home, while Spain advances to the next round. 

The post Spain Eliminates Italy at FIBA World Cup to Advance to the Quarterfinals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

One of Spain’s domestic trophy competitions got a lot more interesting after Real Madrid and FC Barcelona were drawn to play each other in the competition’s semifinal.

The most intense rivalry in soccer, known as El Clásico, will come to the Copa del Rey in its semifinals. The winner of the draw will face the winner of the Valencia-Real Betis draw.

It’s undeniable that this is the most intriguing draw that the competition could’ve hoped for. The fiercest rivalry game in soccer will happen twice in February, with the first leg of the draw being played on Wednesday night in Barcelona at Camp Nou.

The definitive second leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid on February 27th. The winning team will advance to the Copa del Rey final in Sevilla at the Benito Villmarín on May 25th.

FC Barcelona currently sits in first place in Spain’s La Liga with 50 points, 8 points ahead of third-place Real Madrid. Los Blancos have struggled at times this season under new coach Santiago Solari and without Cristiano Ronaldo, but are currently on a five-game win streak.

Lionel Messi and his Barcelona squad will do their best to dispatch their eternal rivals in the hopes of winning their fifth consecutive Copa del Rey title.

The post Barcelona and Real Madrid to Square Off in Copa del Rey Semifinal Draw appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Real Madrid claimed their third consecutive Champions League crown after they defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the final, which was held in Kiev on Saturday. The result marked the 5th Champions League win for Ronaldo (he has won four with Madrid and won one title with Manchester United in 2008).

After the game, Ronaldo dropped a bombshell as he suggested that he could leave Madrid this summer. He said in an interview to BeIN Sport and Antena 3 reporters: “Now to enjoy, and in the next few days I will give an answer to the fans that they are on my side, it was very nice to be in Madrid.”

The 33-year-old ended as this season’s top scorer in the Champions League with 12 goals but was fairly quiet in Kiev as Liverpool’s defense did a good job in order to prevent him from getting chances to score.

Ronaldo was also asked if he was disappointed as he did not find the back of the net and he said: “Who’s disappointed? Perhaps they need to change the name of the Champions League to the CR7 Champions League. Who has the most titles and who has the most goals?”

The post Is Cristiano Ronaldo Leaving Real Madrid? appeared first on SportzBonanza.