Villarreal barca

MADRID: Sevilla climbed back up to third place in La Liga on Monday (Jun 22) after a 2-2 draw at Villarreal, as Bruno Soriano played for the first time in over three years following his injury nightmare. Paco Alcacer put Villarreal ahead on 18 minutes and Pau Torres restored the lead on the stroke of half-time after Sevilla captain Sergio Escudero had drilled in from outside the area. Munir El Haddadi ensured Sevilla came away with a point that put them back above Atletico Madrid, who face Levante on Tuesday, with an equaliser on 63 minutes to snap Villarreal's three-match winning run. The draw pushed Villarreal into the Europa League spots at the expense of Real Sociedad, while the introduction of Bruno for the final few minutes marked the end of an injury-decimated spell dating back to May 2017. Bruno, who was part of the Spain squad at Euro 2016, made his first appearance in 1,128 days when he replaced Alcacer, having been sidelined for the best part of three seasons by a … [Read more...] about Football: Sevilla go third as Villarreal’s Bruno returns from injury

MADRID: Sharp shooting allowed Sevilla to twice come from behind and take a valuable away point in a 2-2 draw at in-form Villarreal on Monday to move up to third place in La Liga. The result consolidated Sevilla's hopes of a Champions League berth next season while inflicting a blow to similar ambitions held by the hosts, who moved up to sixth but are four points outside the top four. Sevilla captain Sergio Escudero hammered home a stinging shot from outside the penalty area for the first equaliser just before the break and Munir El Haddadi's left-foot volley from an acute angle secured a draw at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Paco Alcacer and Pau Torres both scored to put Villarreal 2-1 ahead at halftime as their side looked for a fourth straight win since La Liga returned after the COVID-19 lockdown. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ken Ferris) … [Read more...] about Sevilla fight back to draw at Villarreal and move into third spot

BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Quique Setien says UEFA should allow his side to play the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Napoli at the Camp Nou rather than on neutral ground in Lisbon in the interest of fairness. Barca drew 1-1 at Napoli at a full and rocking San Paolo stadium but the second leg was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the match is one of four ties that still need to be settled before the quarter-finals can begin. UEFA announced on Wednesday that it will hold a 'final eight' tournament in Lisbon in August in order to complete its flagship competition but has yet to decide where the remaining last-16 matches will take place. Manchester City still need to host Real Madrid while Bayern Munich's match with Chelsea and Olympique Lyonnais' game with Juventus also need to be played, and UEFA says the venues will be finalised before the quarter-final draw on July 10. "I want to play the game in our stadium because if we don't we give an … [Read more...] about Setien urges UEFA to let Barca face Napoli at Camp Nou

BARCELONA: Former Barcelona assistant coach Juan Carlos Unzue has announced he has the rare neurological disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS. Speaking at a news conference at Barca's Camp Nou stadium on Thursday, Unzue, 53, revealed he had been diagnosed with the ultra-rare neurodegenerative disorder, which causes the death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles, in February. There is currently no cure for ALS and Unzue said he wished to raise more awareness of the disease. "I insist I am coping well, I feel privileged to be able to have lived the life I have and now I feel privileged about what I will be able to do about ALS, which is a disease that anyone can get," he said. The conference was presented by Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and attended by Spain coach Luis Enrique, Unzue's boss for three years at Barca and with whom he won nine trophies between 2014 and 2017, including the 2015 Champions League. A former goalkeeper for Barca … [Read more...] about Football: Former Barca assistant Unzue diagnosed with neurological disorder

MADRID: Lionel Messi was rugby tackled and then scored a penalty as Barcelona put the pressure back on Real Madrid by easing to a 2-0 victory over Leganes at an empty Camp Nou on Tuesday (Jun 16). Messi was hauled to the ground in the first half by a diving Unai Bustinza wrapping two arms around his waist and he was knocked over again in the second, this time earning a penalty, which he converted. After 33 appearances, Messi now has 26 goals this season. In his last eight games, he has seven goals and eight assists. The 17-year-old Ansu Fati had earlier given Barcelona the lead, continuing his breakthrough season with a fifth goal in eight league starts. Leganes could have made the reigning champions feel uncomfortable if Miguel-Angel Guerrero had taken either of two golden early opportunities but the first was cleared off the line and the second denied by the post. "We had a bit of luck at the beginning," admitted Barca coach Quique Setien. But his team's reward for a … [Read more...] about Football: Barca cruise past Leganes to turn up heat on Real Madrid