For 70 minutes it looked like we’d ultimately have to praise the goalkeepers following today’s LaLiga match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. With all due respect to the position — I love you, I admire you, I know your inner strength — thank god that’s not the case.
No one wants the “Greatest Show on Earth” to be dictated by positional killjoys, and this season’s second El Clásico finally got the goal(s) it deserved.
Having the smallest stadium in the league isn't always something to be proud of, but sometimes the smallest ones make the most noise. This list looks at some of the smallest soccer stadiums in the world’s biggest top-flight leagues.
LaLiga has confirmed the date and time for the 2020 El Clasico, and we can now begin to look forward to one of the most meaningful clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona in years. On Sunday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m. ET, the two eternal rivals will take to the pitch at El Bernabéu in Madrid with the league title on the line.
Lionel Messi and Barcelona have a massive week ahead on the road. A trip to the Stadio San Paolo to face Napoli on Tuesday in the Champions League is followed by an even bigger showdown with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Given the recent outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan and across China, how much money would it take to get you to move to the epicenter of a pandemic that has infected 74,576 with 2,118 deaths?
For Sevilla vice-captain Daniel Carriço, that price was apparently met.
Carriço left the club he’s called home for seven years to join Wuhan Zall on a $2.16 million transfer on Thursday.
Soccer is a sport often defined by tradition. A player’s jersey number is often indicative of his or her position on the pitch, a practice dating back more than a century.
But Atalanta players don’t give a fuck about jersey number conventions, and they’re on the verge of taking their No. 88s and No. 95s and No. 72s right to the Champions League quarterfinals.
Atalanta smashed Valencia 4-1 in the first leg of their UCL Round of 16 match on Wednesday at the San Siro. The second leg in is March 10 at the Mestalla.
In what will prove a controversial move, Barcelona looks likely to sign Leganes forward Martin Braithwaite. After season-ending injuries to both Ousmane Dembélé and Luis Suarez, the Catalan side finds itself sorely lacking in forward depth.
Entering Sunday’s match against league-leading Real Madrid mired in 18th place, Celta Vigo faced mission impossible at the Santiago Bernabéu — especially so since Real welcomed Eden Hazard back to the starting XI for the first time since Nov. 23.
But this is the wildest of LaLiga seasons with both Real and Barcelona looking mere shadows of their former selves, and it’s become increasingly difficult to label any result registered against the Spanish giants as a “shock.”
With Barcelona reeling at the Camp Nou, the visitors having pulled within a goal, Marc André ter Stegen once again stepped up to save the day. The German goalkeeper made a dizzying save in the 72nd minute to help second-place Barça hold off third-place Getafe for a 2-1 win on Saturday. The Blaugrana pulled back even on points with Real Madrid, at least until Los Blancos play Sunday.
No player better represents the artistry and meritocracy of football than Andrés Iniesta. His nickname El Ilusionista (The Illusionist) encapsulates it all. He had an unmatched ability to confound the opposition from the midfield position, be it his miraculous power to effortlessly escape a pack of chasing defenders or his fantastic capacity to contort the ball to his every desire.