Showing posts with label Iniesta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iniesta. Show all posts

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Spain penalty prowess too much for Italy

Spain booked their place in the Confederations Cup final on Thursday with a penalty shoot-out victory over Italy.

Cesare Prandelli's side battled the world and European champions for 120 minutes but neither side could break the deadlock.

But Spain's superstars proved to be as accurate from the spot as they are with their passes, as Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Juan Mata and Sergio Busquets all netted.

Italy matched their opposition for quality every step of the way, until Leonardo Bonucci fired over the bar, leaving Jesus Navas to calmly slot past Gianluigi Buffon to book a final clash with Brazil on Sunday. 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Running scared: Tahiti & Nigeria get ready for Spain test

Nigeria thumped Tahiti 6-1 in Monday's Confederations Cup clash but a far tougher test awaits both nations before Group B reaches its conclusion.

Far from being bullish about their chances, both sides could be forgiven for packing up and heading home early ahead of their respective fixtures against the might of Spain - world and European champions no less.

Vicente del Bosque's powerhouse kicked off their campaign in Brazil with a 2-1 win over Uruguay and will expect to take maximum points from their final two group games. 

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Football's biggest names land in Brazil ahead of Confederations Cup

With the World Cup under a year away, host nation Brazil stage the 2013 Confederations Cup with the rest of the world set to get a glimpse of what the country has to offer.

The hosts kick off proceedings on Saturday evening against Japan, with the likes of Oscar, David Luiz, Hulk and Neymar all expected to be in action.

And if that game alone does not boast enough big names, Spain have a star cast including Juan Mata, Fernando Torres and Andres Iniesta, Italy have Mario Balotelli and Andrea Pirlo, and Uruguay boast Edinson Cavani and, of course, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Mourinho's trail of destruction in Spanish football

Andres Iniesta was scathing in his analysis of Jose Mourinho's time at Real Madrid.

"Yes he damaged Spanish football," the Barcelona midfielder said. "In general, more harm than good."

With La Liga in ruins, let's just hope the Premier League can withstand the whirlwind of carnage that is Mourinho

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Barcelona stars return to scene of Spain triumph

The Champions League is back on Tuesday as Barcelona take on Paris Saint-Germain with a number of the Catalan giants' making a swift return to France.

No fewer than eight Barcelona stars were involved as Spain defeated France 1-0 in World Cup qualifying just seven days ago, with Pedro scoring the crucial winning goal.

Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Co. firmly planted their flag at the Stade de France a week ago, but can they do the same again in Paris against a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-led PSG side? 

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Pedro flies the flag as Spain conquer France

Spain ensured they regained full control of both their World Cup 2014 destiny and top spot in Group I on Tuesday after they battled to a 1-0 victory over France.

Despite Paul Pogba's red card, a closely-contested match at Stade de France was decided by a sole Pedro finish on the shade of an hour to give Didier Deschamps and his troops a case of les Bleus in their quest to reach the finals in Brazil.

Prior to kick-off, Spanish newspaper Marca - in a bid to taunt their Gallic neighbours - printed a front page of the Eiffel Tower resembling the colours of la Roja, and it seems they have now got their wish following the world champions' latest conquer! 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Barcelona turn to Messi to drag them out of a Champions League hole

Barcelona will require a stellar performance on Tuesday evening as they head into their Champions League clash with AC Milan on the back foot after a humbling at San Siro.

Lionel Messi endured a frustrating evening in the first leg against Massimiliano Allegri's side as Barcelona slipped to a 2-0 defeat following goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari.

Will the Argentine maestro be able to shine at Camp Nou and inspire his side to the Champions League quarter-finals? 

Friday, February 22, 2013

Boateng & Milan knock Barcelona off their perch

The best team in Spain. The best team in the world. The best team in the history of football. Barcelona have certainly taken lots of plaudits over the past few years, and few would have thought the Blaugrana would be leaving San Siro empty-handed ahead of their Champions League tie against Milan.

But that's the funny thing about football: it never quite happens as you would expect it to. Former Portsmouth duo Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari put the team in yellow to the sword with two goals in the second half, the latter a fine move and finish that hands the Italian side all the momentum heading into the second leg, as the Prince went about ruffling the feathers of Puyol, Messi and co. 

Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year! Stars prepare to bring in 2013

Spain secured their place in the pages of football history, Chelsea marched to an unlikely Champions League triumph and two of the greatest players of all time have smashed yet more records. 2012 will be difficult to match.

With the fixtures in the world's major leagues wrapped up for the current calendar year, the game's biggest and brightest can celebrate a job (mostly) well done.

But there's plenty more to look forward to in 2013. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will carry on and, in all likelihood, reach a few more remarkable landmarks. A mouthwatering last 16 of the Champions League awaits. And, when all else fails, there's Mario Balotelli.


Monday, December 3, 2012

Sour grapes for Zlatan over Messi nomination

Paris Saint-Germain's outspoken centre-forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic courted controversy once more last week by stating that Barcelona striker Lionel Messi shouldn't pick up the Ballon d'Or award this year.

The 31-year-old Sweden international believes that after having already won it three times in a row, that the Blaugrana genius would be far from a deserving winner and that it should be shared around more.

With Fifa whittling it down to just a three-man shortlist, and Messi competing alongside team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic may have to wait a little while longer to get his wish, with the Argentine the current front-runner and overwhelming favourite.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Barcelona & Messi fail to tame Celtic Lions

Celtic may have come unstuck against Barcelona two weeks ago at Camp Nou, but Neil Lennon's men got the better of the Catalan giants on Wednesday evening with an emphatic 2-1 win.

Lionel Messi grabbed a late goal for Spaniards, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation, with efforts from Victor Wanyama and Tony Watt ensuring Celtic's Lions roared to victory at Parkhead...
 

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Ronaldo's stars align as he tops the Goal.com 50

This year's Goal.com 50 has been announced with Cristiano Ronaldo revealed as the top player of the past 12 months.

Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas was surprisingly placed second with Lionel Messi shunted down to third after Los Blancos' title-winning exploits in La Liga last term.
The list has sparked debate and intrigue among fans and pundits alike, and is likely to continue to do so for time to come.

Not everyone has the time to pore over the facts and stats of the list in full so we have brought the entire 50 to you in the simplest of forms.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Spain look to tiki-taka the Euro trophy home again

Spain go into the final of Euro 2012 against Italy with a chance of making history as they seek to become the first international side ever to win three successive major international tournaments.

The team's tiki-taka style of play - based on keeping possession through short passing and continuous movement of players - was once celebrated as the pinnacle of footballing perfection, but it has been derided in various quarters throughout the tournament for being boring and lacking entertainment value.

The defending champions won't mind one bit, though, as they bid to secure their place in the annals of history alongside the great international sides of the past. But first they have to find a way past an Andrea Pirlo-inspired Italy side, who they drew with 1-1 in their opening Group C clash.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Spain take measures to stop Ronaldo

The first of the Euro 2012 semi-finals is upon us with Spain taking on Portugal, and one man the reigning European champions will know all about is Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar won the Spanish title last season with Jose Mourinho's men and is hitting top form in Poland and Ukraine with three goals to his name already.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has said his side must "deactivate" the Real Madrid man to progress to the final, but just how will his team go about doing it?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Spain & Italy scramble into the Euro 2012 quarter-finals

Spain and Italy both secured their place in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals on Monday night, but neither side qualified from Group C with the ease that had been expected.
After draws in their opening two games, the Azzurri secured a 2-0 victory over the already eliminated Republic of Ireland, while Vicente del Bosque's men left it late to see off Croatia and in turn knock Slaven Bilic's side out of the tournament.

With Spain and Italy having reached the quarter-final base point, both sides will now be focused on reaching the peak of the Euro 2012 mountain...

Friday, June 15, 2012

Fans fly the Irish flag while players wave white ones

After a 3-1 defeat to Croatia in their opening game of Euro 2012, Republic of Ireland took on reigning world and European champions Spain, hoping to pull of a shock and keep their Euros dreams alive.
Unfortunately for the Irish, those dreams quickly turned into a nightmare as an early goal from Fernando Torres set the tone for a difficult evening for the Boys in Green.

Goals by David Silva, Cesc Fabregas and a second for Torres followed as Spain ran out 4-0 winners to put an end to Giovanni Trapattoni's hopes of a quarter-final berth, despite the magnificent backing from the Irish fans.
 

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Chelsea bus arrives at Camp Nou

Chelsea managed to defy the odds when they kept Barcelona off the scoresheet and secured a 1-0 semi-final win over the reigning Champions League holders at Stamford Bridge last week, but will they be able to repeat the feat at Camp Nou in the second leg?

The Blues' interim coach Roberto Di Matteo has insisted that his side will take the game to the Blaugrana in Catalunya in a bid to extend their advantage. Pep Guardiola, however, remains wholly confident that his Barca outfit will be able to defeat the west Londoners and that Lionel Messi will return to form having failed to score in the club's previous two fixtures.

Will Di Matteo keep his word and attack Barca from the start, or will he opt for the old park the bus routine?