Sports update

[Edoman]

Atletico Madrid confirm Suarez injury blow

07/04/2021

Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez suffered an injury in training

Atletico Madrid have confirmed that striker Luis Suarez is facing a possible spell on the sidelines after injuring a muscle in his left leg.

The Uruguay international, who leads the scoring charts for Atleti this season with 19 league goals, sustained the injury during a training session on Wednesday.


A statement released on Atletico's official website did not reveal the extent of the damage, but reports from Spain suggest the 34-year-old is facing three weeks out.


Suarez was already suspended for Sunday's trip to Real Betis and may also now miss league games with Eibar, Huesca and Athletic Bilbao before the end of April.
It is another blow for the LaLiga leaders, who have won just four of their past 10 league games to let Barcelona and Real Madrid close the gap to one and three points respectively.
Former Barca striker Suarez has remained injury free since joining Atleti at the start of the season, though he did spend time out after testing positive for coronavirus in November.

He has netted his 19 LaLiga goals in 26 appearances at a rate of one every 108.21 minutes, which is second only to Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (100.13) among those to have scored at least five times.


However, Atletico have won all four league games Suarez has not started this term and scored an average of 2.8 goals across those fixtures, compared to 1.6 with him in the line-up.

Diego Simeone will also be without suspended second top-scorer Marcos Llorente for next weekend's clash with Betis, possibly paving the way for Moussa Dembele to make his first start since joining on an initial loan deal from Lyon in January.

[Edoman]

Juventus 2-1 Napoli: Ronaldo and Dybala restore winning ways in Turin

07/04/2021

Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring against Napoli

Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A with a 2-1 defeat of Napoli at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.
After a shock defeat to Benevento ended their run of seven consecutive home league wins, the champions responded in impressive style to record a ninth victory in 10 home league games against Napoli.
Cristiano Ronaldo dispatched a cross from the excellent Federico Chiesa to put Juve ahead with his fourth goal in his past six appearances against the Partenopei.


Gianluigi Buffon made a handful of solid saves to preserve Juve's lead before substitute Paulo Dybala fired in an expert second to make the points safe, with Lorenzo Insigne's late penalty counting for little.


Ronaldo missed a clear chance to head in the opener before finding his mark with aplomb 13 minutes in, steering home a low right-footed finish after Chiesa had twisted superbly into space down the right wing.


Chiesa and Juan Cuadrado were causing real problems for Gennaro Gattuso's side, the latter stinging the palms of Alex Meret after a promising run.

The visitors offered little first-half threat of their own, although Insigne did have Buffon scrambling with a shot from the edge of the box that whistled wide.

Buffon was busier after the restart, denying Giovanni Di Lorenzo and then Insigne from either side of the six-yard box as Napoli pushed forward for an equaliser.
Fabian Ruiz was denied by the Juve veteran from another hopeful attempt, and Napoli heads dropped further 17 minutes from time when Dybala swept a stylish low finish past Meret from the edge of the box – his first goal since January 3.
Insigne at last beat Buffon with an emphatic penalty after Giorgio Chiellini bundled over Victor Osimhen, but it proved too little too late for the visitors.

What does it mean? Andrea Pirlo restores pride but Inter remain clear

Juve are still third but just a point behind Milan, who drew with 10-man Sampdoria last weekend.
However, with Inter 12 points ahead at the top, Juve's hopes of making it 10 consecutive league titles are beginning to look slim indeed.


Napoli stay fifth but are only two points behind Atalanta in fourth.

Cunning Chiesa

Chiesa was the liveliest player on the pitch and Juve's most persistent source for attacking threat, even after his superb assist for Ronaldo.
While he completed the fewest passes (15) of any starting Juve player, his runs with and without the ball caused chaos and he should have had the chance to score a simple finish from Alvaro Morata's fast break.


Morata misfires


Morata was guilty more than once of getting into the right position in attack only to make the wrong call with the ball at his feet.
While he did manage to create two chances in his 69 minutes on the pitch, he missed both of his attempts at goal and made a mess of a three-on-one counter-attack.


Key Opta Facts

- Juventus have won nine of their last 10 home games against Napoli in Serie A (L1), with an aggregate score of 23-8 in the process. 
- Napoli have lost a Serie A match for the first time since last February against Atalanta (4-2), with five wins and one draw since then. 
- Giorgio Chiellini became the first outfield player to reach 250 Serie A victories since 2004-05. 
- Lorenzo Insigne has joined Diego Maradona (81 goals) at fourth place Napoli's top scorers in Serie A. 
- Juventus have won eight of their last nine home games in Serie A (L1), scoring 22 goals and conceding five in the process. 

What's next?

Juve host Genoa on Sunday, with Napoli next in action away to Sampdoria.

[Edoman]

Boateng to leave Bayern at end of season, Salihamidzic announces

07/04/2021

Jerome Boateng is to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season

Jerome Boateng will not be offered a new contract by Bayern Munich at the end of the season, the German club's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has announced.

The 32-year-old has spent the past 10 seasons at the Allianz Arena, making over 350 appearances during that time and winning 21 trophies.
He was a regular for Bayern last season as they won a domestic and European treble and has started 29 games in all competitions this campaign.

However, with Dayot Upamecano due to arrive from RB Leipzig ahead of next season, the former Hamburg and Manchester City player will follow fellow long-serving defender David Alaba in departing when his contract runs out.

"Jerome's contract expires in the summer and will not be extended," Salihamidzic told Sky Sport Germany ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg with Paris Saint-Germain. "He leaves through a big door, hopefully with more titles."
Boateng's future is rumoured to have been a point of conflict between Salihamidzic and head coach Hansi Flick behind the scenes, with the latter pushing for a new contract to be awarded.


The centre-back has also represented Germany 76 times, but he has not been called up to the squad by outgoing boss Joachim Low since October 2018.

Alaba announced in February that he will also be leaving Bayern when his deal comes to an end in June, but Bayern have already moved to snap up Upamecano from Leipzig in a deal worth a reported €42.5million.

[Edoman]

Neymar banned for two Ligue 1 matches

07/04/2021

Neymar was back in the PSG starting XI on Saturday but was sent off late on

Neymar will be banned for Paris Saint-Germain's next two Ligue 1 matches, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has announced.


The Brazil superstar was sent off following an altercation with Lille defender Tiago Djalo, who was also dismissed.
Neymar and Djalo were each handed three-match bans, but with one of those games suspended.


Saturday's 1-0 defeat left PSG three points behind Lille at the Ligue 1 summit and only one better off than in-form Monaco in third.


Mauricio Pochettino's side will be without Neymar for the weekend trip to Strasbourg and a home match versus Saint-Etienne on April 18 which comes after the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.


PSG midfielders Leandro Paredes and Idrissa Gueye will also be unavailable to face Strasbourg due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

[Edoman]

Porto 0-2 Chelsea: Blues put one foot in semi-finals thanks to Mount and Chilwell

07/04/2021

Mason Mount scored the crucial goal for Chelsea

Chelsea have one foot in the Champions League semi-finals thanks to a 2-0 away win over Porto, with Mason Mount's first-half effort added to late on by Ben Chilwell.


Thomas Tuchel's men came into the contest on the back of an embarrassing defeat to struggling West Brom but managed to put that behind them on Wednesday, even if they were not entirely impressive.


Back on the scene of their 4-0 group-stage win over Sevilla due to coronavirus travel restrictions, Chelsea were second best for significant parts of the game but opened the scoring through Mount just past the half-hour mark.
Porto, without key men Sergio Oliveira and Mehdi Taremi due to suspension, were unable to apply the required finishing touch to some of their eye-catching build-up play and a defensive error gifted Chilwell the opportunity to seal what looks like a commanding first-leg advantage.
For all the talk of Porto representing a dream draw for Chelsea, it was Sergio Conceicao's men who looked brighter in the early exchanges, with Luis Diaz having an effort crucially blocked a few moments before Matheus Uribe saw a fine volley land on the roof of the net rather than in it.
Chelsea had another escape in the 24th minute as Edouard Mendy just about managed to stop Otavio scoring direct from a corner and Zaidu Sanusi put the rebound over.

But a period of Chelsea pressure followed and they capitalised, Mount producing a gorgeous turn to beat Chancel Mbemba on the edge of the box before firing into the bottom-left corner.


Porto began the second period encouragingly as well, Diaz seeing a curling effort go agonisingly wide from 20 yards after excellent work from Wilson Manafa.


An effort from distance at the other end – courtesy of Antonio Rudiger – led to Agustin Marchesin spilling at the feet of Timo Werner, who squared to Kai Havertz and he missed an open goal, though his blushes were spared, to a certain extent, by the offside flag going up against his compatriot.


Not that Chelsea were made to rue that situation as, soon after Christian Pulisic had hit the post on the break, Chilwell made sure of the victory as he pounced on a loose touch by Jesus Corona and tucked into an empty net after rounding Marchesin.

[Edoman]

Bayern Munich 2-3 Paris Saint-Germain: Mbappe double stuns holders

07/04/2021

Kylian Mbappe celebrates opening the scoring

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain ended holders Bayern Munich's 19-match unbeaten Champions League run by winning a quarter-final first-leg thriller 3-2.

The lethal Mbappe's 31st goal of the season early on in the snow at Allianz Arena on Wednesday and a header from captain Marquinhos put PSG two goals up in a repeat of last year's final.


Eric Choupo-Moting pulled one back against his former club in the first half and Thomas Muller levelled after the break, but Mbappe had the final say with a third away goal for PSG.


Mbappe's double, which took his tally to eight goals in as many Champions League games this season, gave Mauricio Pochettino's side the upper hand heading into the second leg at the Parc des Princes next Tuesday.


Choupo-Moting headed against the crossbar early on, but it was PSG who took the lead with an Mbappe strike in the third minute.


The France striker controlled a pass from Neymar, sent off in the defeat to Lille on Saturday, before unleashing a right-footed shot that squirmed under Manuel Neuer.


Julian Draxler had a goal ruled out as Mbappe was marginally offside before PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas superbly kept out Leon Goretzka's close-range header and a Benjamin Pavard drive.


PSG caught Bayern napping again to double their lead 28 minutes in, Marquinhos breaking the offside trap to control Neymar's pinpoint cross and calmly slotting beyond Neuer.


Marquinhos was replaced by Ander Herrera with a groin injury soon after, and his presence was missed at the heart of the PSG defence when Choupo-Moting headed home Pavard's cross eight minutes before the end of a pulsating first half in which Bayern lost injured duo Niklas Sule and Goretzka.


Neuer denied Neymar from close range and Alphonso Davies was on hand to clear Angel Di Maria's goal-bound shot off the line early in the second half.


The holders were level on the hour-mark, with an unmarked Muller rising to nod Joshua Kimmich's whipped free-kick beyond a helpless Navas.
Muller went off for treatment with blood pouring from his head moments later and Mbappe inflicted more pain on Bayern midway through the second half, driving into the area before firing inside the near post through Jerome Boateng's legs.


David Alaba came close to an equaliser when his measured shot clipped the outside of the post as PSG clung on for a precious advantage.

[Edoman]

Inter showed how much they have grown with win against Sassuolo, says Conte

07/04/2021

Antonio Conte was delighted with Inter's victory over Sassuolo

Inter showed just how much they have grown this season with their 2-1 win over Sassuolo on Wednesday, according to head coach Antonio Conte.


The Nerazzurri moved 11 points clear at the top of Serie A with the victory, sealed through goals from Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez in each half – their only two on-target attempts of the contest.


Hamed Junior Traore deservedly pulled one back for Sassuolo with a late strike, but the league leaders held on to become the second side in Serie A history – after Milan in 1989-90 – to win their first 10 games in the second half of a campaign.
Inter recorded their lowest possession rate (30 per cent) in a Serie A match since Opta records began in 2004-05 and were outdone on shots by Sassuolo 15 to seven.


But Conte was happy with the manner of the victory, insisting that points are more important than the performance, as Inter learned the hard way when exiting the Champions League in the group stage.


"I congratulate Sassuolo as they came here to play their game and this performance shows how much we've grown," he told Sky Sport Italia. "With this attitude, we'd still be in the Champions League.

"Sassuolo make possession their main strength, so we chose to close the gaps in the centre more than anything else. We knew that we'd have to cede possession.


"Aesthetics are fine, but the Scudetto is too important. We played beautiful football in the Champions League and all anyone said was that we were eliminated, so we have to focus on the results now.

"We are trying to press high, without running too many risks, so we can make the most of players like Lukaku, Lautaro and [Achraf] Hakimi who can hurt teams when running into space."

Lukaku's 10th-minute opener came from his only attempt and he added to that with the assist for Martinez's goal midway through the second half.

The Belgium international has now scored in five successive outings for club and country, with this his first headed goal in Serie A since July 2020.

"You can see the work Romelu has done and I don't forget when people said he was overrated. I immediately said that with his potential, he could do extraordinary things here," Conte said.

"The great thing about our strikers is that they are all willing to do the dirty work, too. Christian Eriksen has also grown. We knew it would be difficult for him to adapt to a very tactical league like Serie A. He can do much more, but we are counting on him.

"It's a pity we conceded that late goal, but we are more balanced and mature as a team now. If you want to win league titles, solidity is important."
Despite boasting a healthy lead over closest challengers Milan, and a 12-point advantage on champions Juventus, Conte does not feel there is much difference between the clubs in terms of quality.

"I'm amazed by that," he said of the points gap. "To regain so many points over the past two seasons against the team that has dominated for the past nine years was difficult even in the best of dreams.


"But it doesn't mean we are better than Juventus. They have a strong team and they demonstrated that by beating Napoli."
Inter have won 11 home league games in a row and host relegation-threatened Cagliari on Sunday, but Conte is not ready to celebrate a first Scudetto for Inter since 2009-10 just yet.

"There are still many games to go and each victory is worth six points," he said. "By winning we have put on more pressure and can see the satisfaction in everyone's eyes.

"We want to do something wonderful for a club that hasn't won for 10 years. It's be wonderful if we were the ones to remove from the pedestal those who won for nine years non-stop.

"But there will be tension from here on – it'll feel like the ball weighs more at our feet, perhaps more than for those teams who no longer have the same objectives."

[Edoman]

Bayern 2-3 PSG: Kylian Mbappe scores twice as Paris St-Germain beat title holders, Bayern Munich in Champions League quarter-final







European and World champions, Bayern Munich were stunned by PSG as they suffered their first champions league defeat since March 2019 on Wednesday night, April 7, losing 2-3 at home.

PSG took an early lead through star boy Kylian Mbappe after making an aggressive start as Bayern showed just how much they missed the absent Lewandowski.
 


Marquinhos scored PSG’s second, before Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Thomas Muller both struck for a Bayern team that played with an intensity and intent that bordered lacked that magical finishing touch that Lewandowski had become known for.
 


Bayern fought back well, taking control in the second half to make it 2-2 but PSG struck on the counter to secure their advantage.
 


Fresh from outshining Lionel Messi in the previous round, Mbappe showed his world-class ability by scoring PSG's third goal making a mockery of Bayern's defence after exploiting the home side’s high defensive line .

Neymar’s disguised pass to Mbappe was perfect, and Mbappe’s finish squirmed past Manuel Neuer in the home side’s goal.

The last time Mauricio Pochettino faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League, his Tottenham Hotspur team were thumped 7-2. 

Kylian Mbappe has been directly involved in 35 goals in 33 games for Paris SG in the UEFA Champions League (19 goals, 16 assists), while he’s scored six in seven games in the competition this season – already his joint-best goal tally in a single campaign (also 6 in 2016-17).

The second leg will be played next week.

[Edoman]

UEFA Champion League: Porto 0-2 Chelsea : Mason Mount and Chilwell give London club hard fought victory







Chelsea football club of England played out a hard fought 2-0 win over Portuguese side FC Porto on Wednesday night April 7.
 
Porto who removed Juventus in the previous stage of the Champions league came into this game as non-favorites but bamboozled Chelsea with intricate passing for large periods of the match but their lack of accuracy in front of goal was their undoing.


 
Mount opened the scoring shortly after the half-hour mark. He drimbled Nigeria's Zaidu Sanusi after controlling Jorginho's pass before finishing into the far corner.
 

 
Defender, Chilwell followed in Mount's footsteps with a stunning first Champions League goal as he drove into the penalty area, after intercepting a loose pass and rounded the Porto goalkeeper five minutes from time.
 

 
The victory and two away goals means Chelsea are in complete control of the tie ahead of next week's return leg at the same venue, where they aim to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2014.
 
Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount speaking to BT Sport said: "We knew it would be a tough game. We kept going, we got the goal in the first half and the second secured a good win. It's only half the tie, there's a second leg to go."
 
"It's about time it [his first Champions League goal] came. I've been waiting patiently. It was a good time for it to come. A good pass by Jorginho, I had space and I hit it.
 
"I'm always working on it [finishing]. I don't think you can work on it enough. I think I can improve on it and score more goals.


"He [Ben Chilwell] showed great composure. I thought he'd shoot in front of goal but he took it past the keeper. He'll be buzzing with that.


"The job's not done. They'll fight for the next leg and we'll have to give it our all. We'll be ready."

[Edoman]

Fans Praise Kylian Mbappe's Performance Vs Bayern Munich

Kylian Mbappe has been praised by football fans after an impressive performance against Bayern Munich.

Mbappe showed his quality yet again by scoring twice in Paris Saint-Germain's 3-2 win against Bayern Munich.

The 22-year-old scored the first goal within the first three minutes of the match against Bayern Munich.

In the second half, Mbappe again made use of his speed by bursting into the box and scoring to give PSG a 3-2 lead.

Mbappe has now scored eight goals in the Champions League this season.

Mbappe was also named the Man Of The Match.

Fans reacted to Mbappe's performance and they think he's likely to win the Ballon D'Or.

A fan wrote: "Mbappe is absolutely world class."

ESPN wrote: "Kylian Mbappe is chasing the Ballon D'Or"

Watch Video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HihQ3UpSHG0

[Edoman]

Barcelona striker, Antoine Griezmann becomes a father for the third time with all his children born on April 8









Barcelona forward, Antoine Griezmann and his wife, Erika Choperena have welcomed their third child together, a baby boy named Alba. 
 
The France international, 30, took to his Instagram official page on Thursday, April 8,  to announce the birth of his new child with the caption; “Alba 08.04.21 ”
 

 
Uniquely, Griezmann’s three children all share the same birthday. The Barcelona star’s eldest daughter Mía Griezmann was born on April 8, 2016, and brother Amaro Griezmann arrived on the same day in 2019.
 

[Edoman]

LaLiga: Messi made sure Real Madrid did not win more titles – Sergio Ramos
on
 April 8, 2021



Real Madrid captain, Sergio Ramos, has said they would have won more titles if Lionel Messi was not playing for Barcelona.

The Spanish defender claims Messi made Los Blancos suffer over the years.

Ramos has won four Champions League crowns and five league titles during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.


Messi has helped Barca to 10 title triumphs and made a habit of dashing the dreams of their little rivals down the years.

Ramos told his documentary series, ‘The Legend of Sergio Ramos’: “We’ve suffered against Messi during these years.


“Perhaps if Barcelona didn’t have him, we would have won more titles.

“There was a time when we faced the best Barcelona in history. We had a great coach like [Jose] Mourinho, but it was hard for us to beat them.


“We didn’t win much and there was a lot of tension, caused by either them or by us.”

[Edoman]

Europa League: This is the worst Arsenal team ever – Merson

on
 April 8, 2021




Arsenal legend, Paul Merson, has labelled the current squad as the worst he has seen.

The Gunners were thrashed 3-0 by Liverpool last weekend, leaving them in 10th place in the league.


Arsenal face Slavia Prague on Thursday night in the Europa League, knowing they must win, if they want to stand any chance of playing in the Champions League next season.


But it has been a disappointing season for Mikel Arteta’s men, one that has left Merson shocked.

“They’ve taken that chance now to be completely and utterly judged on five more football matches. What I watched against Liverpool the other day was as bad as I’ve ever seen.

“People will say about the times under Unai Emery and at the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign, but I never saw anything like that.


“All I saw was rolling the ball back to the goalkeeper and he just lumped it down the field,” Merson told Sky Sports.

[Edoman]

Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid, Man City players named in Champions League team [Full list]


on
 April 8, 2021




Four Chelsea players have been included in the UEFA Champions League team of this week.

UEFA released the Champions League team in a post on its website on Thursday following the conclusion of the week’s quarter-final first-leg games on Wednesday.

The four Chelsea players are César Azpilicueta, Edouard Mendy, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell.


Chelsea players made the list alongside Paris Saint-Germain stars, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Marquinhos.
Recall that Chelsea defeated FC Porto 2-0, thanks to goals from Mount and Chilwell.

Below is the UEFA Champions League team after the conclusion of this week’s last-8 matches:

Goalkeeper:

Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)

Defenders:
César Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Marquinhos (PSG)
Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)


Midfielders:

Marco Asensio (Real Madrid)
Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Phil Foden (Man City)
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)

Forwards:

Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Neymar (PSG)

[Edoman]

Pitch Invader Runs On Pitch In Granada Vs Manchester United Match (Photos) 

A few minutes after Granada vs Manchester United match started, a man ran on the pitch during the Europa League match.

The pitch invader evaded security and ran onto the pitch as the match was stopped cor some minutes.

The man ran across the field completely butt n*ked in a shocking moment.

The main was immediately detained and taken away by the Local police.

The incident happened in the first half of the Europa League match.

Granada Vs Manchester United ended in a 2-0 win in favour of the Premier League club.

Watch Video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56AqBVc1UZU

[Edoman]

EPL: Lampard speaks on rejecting new jobs since he was sacked at Chelsea


on
 April 10, 2021




Former Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, has revealed that he has rejected several management offers.

Lampard was sacked at Stamford Bridge after only 18 months in charge.
He has since been replaced by former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss, Thomas Tuchel.
However, Lampard is still being eyed by a few teams, but the ex-England midfielder feels the opportunities have not been quite right.


“Nobody wants to lose their job. But when you go into this career, it can happen, no matter how good you think you are.

“It’s given me a lot more time to be at home. It’s been great to be around the family.

“I’ve had some opportunities that have come up in the last six weeks, two months, that have been flattering, but not the right thing. They were not quite right,” Lampard said.

[Edoman]

Chelsea: Why I trusted Mason Mount, made him captain – Lampard


on
 April 9, 2021



Former Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, has insisted that he trusted Mason Mount during his time at Stamford Bridge because the midfielder was special.

Lampard also said that he made Mount, Chelsea’s captain before he left the west London club because he wanted to show the 22-year-old that his authority and standing within the group had risen.


The Blues legend believes the emergence of Mount under his stewardship at Chelsea is something he will always be happy about.

Lampard was sacked last January by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
The Englishman was replaced by former PSG manager, Thomas Tuchel, who has been impressive for Chelsea so far.

Speaking about Mount ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday evening, Lampard said in a Q&A hosted by the London Football Awards, “I am delighted. I never understood the critics. He’s evolving all the time. His performances were top draw.

“He would never play in an English league, the Championship is a tough league, but when he stepped through the door, I could see something special in him, his quality, his work ethic. I really trusted him.


“At Chelsea, there were established players in those positions. The one thing I can be happy about is being part of that story for Mason from an early age. You are seeing him mature quite quickly.



“For me, firstly, it was attitude and mentality. There was something about him when he played. It was an awareness of what was around him. I was sure it would be a difficult ride for him in the Championship.


“He’s going to carry on developing, and he is going to be a fantastic player. A nice feeling for me when I left Chelsea, I made Mason captain. It was not a gesture. I didn’t know I was leaving at that point.


“I wanted to show Mason that his authority and standing within the group had risen. When you have players who have that care, it does not matter who the manager is. As you can see, I like him a lot.

[Edoman]

Lionel Messi, Barcelona Players Arrive In Madrid For El Clasico (Photos, Video) 

Lionel Messi, and his Barcelona teammates have now arrived in Madrid for today's Spanish La Liga El Clasico.

Real Madrid host Barcelona today at the Santiago Bernabeu.

A few months back, Barcelona were 12 points behind Atletico Madrid and with no president or plans for the January transfer market.

Barca closed the gap on Diego Simeone's team to just one point on Monday night.

Barcelona will be crowned Spanish La Liga Champions if they win their last matches in the league.

New Barcelona President Juan Laporta also travelled with the players to Madrid for the El Clasico match.

Watch Video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6ccM4aOae0

[Edoman]

Crystal Palace 1-4 Chelsea : Blues move back to fourth with commanding win







Chelsea moved back up to fourth in the Premier League table after a blistering 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Friday, April 9.
 
Before kick-off of the London derby, both teams observed a two-minute silence for His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away on Saturday April 9.
 


Then in quick transition the Blues were 2-0 up inside 10 minutes and before Crystal palace could recognize what was going on, Chelsea were already 3-0 ahead on the 30th minute.

Kai Havertz scoring his first Premier League goal since October, guided the ball into the net from an angle.
 

 
Christian Pulisic soon scored after Havertz’s opener, before Kurt Zouma beat former Chelsea captain Gary Cahill in the air to add Chelsea's third from a Mason Mount free-kick.

Palace striker, Christian Benteke scored one for his club just past the hour mark when he headed in from open play.
 


Pulisic in such a fine form, scored his second of the game and ended all hopes of a Crystal Palace comeback.
 
Chelsea headed into this match after losing terribly to West Brom, but with this victory, Chelsea have now won seven league games in row against Crystal Palace for the first time ever. This was their 48th league meeting.

The win also means Chelsea is undefeated in their last six Premier League away games, which are all the ones played under Thomas Tuchel.

Chelsea play the second-leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie against Porto next week. 

[Edoman]

Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona: Zinedine Zidane's men go top of the table (As it happened)







Real Madrid are now top of the La Liga table after doing the double over Barcelona for the first time since 2007-08 by winning 2-1 on Saturday night, April 10.

 It was a very entertaining game as Madrid’s counter-attacking tactics worked well, particularly in the first half as Karim Benzema put Madrid 1-0 ahead.
 

 
33-year-old Benzema was first to meet Lucas Vazquez's low cross towards the near post, squeezing a backheeled flick past Marc-Andre ter Stegen for his 25th goal in 35 appearances this season.

Barcelona fell further behind when Kroos' free-kick took a deflection off Sergino Dest on its way past Ter Stegen.
 


Federico Valverde could have made it 3-0 before half-time, but his shot across goal came back off the inside of the far post.

In the second half Coach Ronaldo Koeman ditched Dest and brought in Griezmann.
 


But it was Oscarueza who pulled one back for Barca before Madrid's Casemiro was shown a late red card.
 



Barca almost snatched a draw in second-half stoppage time when Moriba thumped a loose ball against Courtois' crossbar, but Real held on to record three consecutive El Clasico wins for the first time since 1978.
 

 
The result takes Real Madrid level on points with Atletico Madrid but are ahead of their city rivals because of their superior head-to-head record.

Atletico, who led La Liga by 10 points as recently as 31 January, can reclaim top spot with victory at Real Betis on Sunday.