Real Madrid‘s tough victory is being cherished by the whole squad including goal keeper, Iker Casillas, who considered the match as one of their most difficult tie adding that the victory could very well be the one ensuring their La Liga title.

Casillas gave lots of credit for Vallecano’s performance but revealed that the venue along with match time also provide some issues for Madrid on that match, as it’s not something common for the Los Blancos players.

“This was our hardest game this season. We had a rough time. The venue and the time make this sort of game very difficult… But Real Madrid played very well, defending solidly and taking three points that may be worth a league title,”

Casillas also admitted that Vallecano gave plenty problems for Los Blancos on the game, especially from set pieces which eventually forced Jose Mourinho to give more instruction during half time break for the Madrid players. Mourinho’s words obviously was pretty successful as not only that the Galacticos managed to grab the only goal in the second period but they also survived some scares especially in the final minutes where the home team were pushing up for the equalizer.

“Rayo deserve a lot of credit because they did very well and we found it very hard to defeat them. They had several chances on goal, especially in set pieces, but we also deserve credit because it was hard to take three points. Cristiano’s amazing goal is very important to us. The coach wanted to motivate us in set pieces so that we kept our position and didn’t lose focus,” Casillas added.

The hard fought victory will definitely lifted Madrid players’ confidence as not only that the three points kept their current 10 points gap with Barcelona in tact but winning a tough game usually does provide a morale boost for any teams. Despite haven’t been able to beat Barca as just yet this season, Mourinho’s team obviously wouldn’t really mind as long as they does snatch the La Liga title by the end of season.

photo credit: Carlos RM

Atletico Madrid‘s tactician, Diego Simeone, didn’t left the pitch in rage after his team’s defeat against Barcelona, especially with a rather controversial yet brilliant Lionel Messi’s free kick which simply decided the end result.

Speaking to the press after the game, Simeone is content with the defeat and even hailed Messi as the genius that simply decided the end result on the Sunday fixture with his brilliance, more than anything.

Simeone admitted that his team were in some difficulties during the first half, which eventually forced them to go behind through Dani Alves’ goal. However, things were improving in the second period, which can be seen by their success in grabbing the equalizer and created plenty of goal scoring chances that could’ve put the Madrid based outfit in the lead. Eventually things were decided with a rather questionable free kick from Messi, who took the kick early when Atletico’s keeper was still busy organizing his defensive wall.

“Results are always fair. We tried to play the game in a specific way and close down the spaces. “In the first half it was difficult for us and in the second half the game was more open. We could have taken the lead, but a genius [Messi] left us with nothing. The referee was did well, although there were some little issues,” Simeone said.

The 2-1 defeat against Barcelona is obviously disappointing for Simeone as his team were going in a good run before the defeat, but he can pretty much be proud with his squad’s effort as they were giving the Catalan side a run for their money indeed. Just like the former Catania coach’s said, Atletico had several chances to actually take the lead which they failed to convert and eventually bite them back in the end as with all the great qualities that Barca had, they decided the game in an unlikely situation.

It would be interesting to see whether Atletico can bounce back from the defeat and take their performance as a motivational lift instead of disappointment which could troubled them mentally. Still having a shot in grabbing an European place for next season, Simeone’s squad should obviously get their act going again and continue to play excellent football in La LIga along with Europa League competition.

photo credit: Blog Gallery

Barcelona continue to maintain their hope in chasing the 10 points gap with Real Madrid after beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 in Vincente Calderon, but apparently the success didn’t make the Catalan side’s tactician, Josep Guardiola getting more confident.

After the match, Guardiola revealed to the press that the win doesn’t increase Barca‘s chance in leapfrogging Madrid for the La Liga title, as the tactician even think that his team are unlikely to be retaining their crown this season.

Despite admitting that the title might be getting further away from their reach, Guardiola promised the fans that the Catalan side will keep on trying to chase their rival until things are eventually decided. The tactician seemed trying to keep away the tension from his team as they definitely looked under pressure against Atletico, a situation which could eventually forced them to slip some more points in the upcoming matches.

I don’t think we will win the league, but we will fight until the end. We have passed a difficult test against a very tough opponent [in Atletico],” Guardiola added.

Aside commenting about his team’s chances in La Liga, Guardiola didn’t forgot to praise his Argentinian superstar, Lionel Messi, who once again inspired Barcelona into victory with his lovely free kick and also involvement in the first goal scored by Dani Alves. The Spanish tactician hailed Messi as a leader who proved his worth many times on the pitch, deciding the game for his side in more than just one or two occassions.

A leader is he who steps forward when his team needs him and Leo [Messi] has been doing that for four years,” Guadiola said.

It would be very interesting to see whether Barcelona players will be more calmer, motivated or simply losing their interest in the next few matches in La Liga, considering Guardiola openly admitted the chance for retaining the La Liga is getting smaller each weekend. Of course the chance for the Catalan side remains open but with the Los Blancos’ constant abilities to grab results against every other team in the league, things obviously doesn’t look promising for El Barca.

photo credit: braveheartsports

Real Madrid successfully grabbed another important victory in La Liga after beating Rayo Vallecano with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, the result obviously pleasing for the Galacticos’ coach, Jose Mourinho, but he admitted that it was a rather fortunate win for them.

Mourinho gives lots of credit for Vallecano, who in his eyes actually deserved a point from the game, considering the positive attitude that the home side showed.

The Portuguese tactician added that his side’s strong focus in the defense is pretty much what brought them the three points as they were forced to defend tightly by Vallecano especially from set pieces, who simply troubled Madrid all day long. Mourinho also revealed his disappointment about his team’s failure in closing the game after taking the lead, especially since there were many space and chances coming from their counter attacking setup.

Rayo did not deserve to lose. A draw would have been a just result because Rayo were fantastic. They made us work incredibly hard and had three clear chances to score. We could have sealed the match with counterattacks in the second half but didn’t,” Mourinho revealed. “We had to defend against chances in set pieces and we fought hard to clear them. We did a very good job and fought very hard. We wouldn’t have won had we not concentrated this hard in defence. We suffered on a difficult pitch. I’m happy with the score and with my men’s job, but I’m intelligent enough to see Rayo didn’t deserve to lose.”

Aside revealing his relief with the ‘lucky’ victory, Mourinho also commented about the lack of away support that his Madrid get from their devotees. Having only around 300 fans arriving at Vallecano stadium apparently wasn’t enough for the Porguese coach, since in previous games the low fans affection was also visible in the former Chelsea’s manager. The “Special One” believed that considering the game against Vallecano was held still in the Madrid region, more support should arrives for Los Galacticos.

Mourinho simply believes that the fans should give something more for the club especially in their away trip, especially since Madrid have been successfully leading the La Liga at the moment with 10 points ahead of Barcelona. It seems that some fans might still be disappointed since the Los Galacticos haven’t beat their Catalan rival in a direct meeting this season as just yet, this situation usually is very important for Madridistas, who always had a fierce relationship with the Blaurgrana.

“I’m sad only 300 of our fans were here given that we’re still in Madrid. We’re leaders and only 30 people came to see us in Getafe and 300 in Vallecas. We have a shared objective with our supporters and they should give us a little more,” Mourinho added.

photo credit: dphuonq

Cristiano Ronaldo once again scored an important goal for his team’s victory in La Liga and not only a decisive one, it also an exquisite strike since the player scored with a wonderful back heel.

Commeting after the game, Ronaldo simply being modest with his goal by admitting that he never though that his effort would ended up on Rayo Vallecano‘s net as the attacking midfielder simply tried to hit the ball as had as he could.

Ronaldo was more happy with the fact that his goal was important for his team’s victory rather than the extravagant part of it, which is understandable since the player has scored plenty cracking goals before in his footballing career. The Portuguese international is simply grateful that he has once again managed to be decisive for his side as he believes the La Liga title is getting closer with the three points that Los Galacticos earned at Vallecano.

“I didn’t even think when I scored. I just hit the ball with my heel and therefore surprised the defenders and the goalkeeper. I hit it strongly enough so they couldn’t stop it. It gave us the victory, so it’s worth twice us much to us,” Ronaldo explained.

Commenting more about the game, Ronaldo revealed that it was definitely a difficult tie for the league leader as Vallecano put on an excellent fight which forced Madrid to defend bravely in the last few minutes to secure all three points. The Portuguese international also doesn’t want to think much about Barcelona‘s result as he simply believes that El Real should just focus on their own matches as their success in La Liga at the moment is simply decided by their own effort.

“Rayo played a great game and made things very difficult for us. They had chances to draw the match, but we defended well and earned a favourable score. It was a messy game, especially in the opening minutes, because neither team had control of it. The coach spoke to us during half-time and we concentrated harder,” Ronaldo stated. “We shouldn’t focus on what others do so long as we do our job right.”

photo credit: Vectorportal

Lionel Messi once again acted as Barcelona‘s savior as the Blaurgana successfully edged out Atletico Madrid in a very tough game which saw the defending champion continuously troubled by the home side.

The victory obviously preserved the Catalan side’s hope in catching their rival, Real Madrid, who in a few hours earlier already pulled up 13 points lead ahead, which eventually cut back to 10 again thanks to the three points against Atletico.

Coming into the game potentially knowing that Madrid have picked up a victory, forced Barcelona squad to apply pressure on Atletico right from the start but the in form Diego Simeone’s squad didn’t simply rest on their laurels. Although didn’t managed to had much of the possession, the home team continuously caused problems for Barca back line especially from the movement of Radamel Falcao, Adrian Lopez and also Arda Turan.

The match was very interesting indeed as both teams created chances after chances, but the Blaurgrana could have taken a pretty early lead when Messi puts the ball in the net but was ruled out after the Argentinian spotted using his hand in the process. However, being the more patient and dominant team on the ball, Barca earned their reward in the 36th minute when Dani Alves successfully met Cesc Fabregas’ cross inside the penalty area and gave the visitor an important goal indeed.

Losing a goal down in the first half, the home team reacted well in the second period as they stepped up their pressure over the Catalan army and eventually grabbed the equalizing goal that arrived from Atletico’s main bomber, Radamel Falcao. The ex-Porto striker smartly moved away from Barca defender’s marking and slammed home a lovely first time shot which simply beaten Victor Valdes, who couldn’t really do anything about the equalizer.

Barcelona tried to reacted strongly after the equalizer, but the home team’s confidence apparently is already flying high as they continue to trouble the away team through Falcao and even Fellipe Luis, who played really well on the day. In the other end, Alexis Sanchez also had his goal ruled out after the Chilean was also found handling the ball before bundling it into Atletico’s goal, keeping the score line remain level.

Just when the game looked to be ending in a draw, Messi once again provided a moment of brilliance, albeit also a bit controversial, when the Argentinean curled an early free kick which caught Atleti’s keeper, Courtois, stranded. The home team players were disappointed that the referee allowed Barca to take the free kick early as Messi took the kick when Simeone’s boys were still focusing in organizing their defensive wall.
Atletico tried to get back into the game and simply dominated the proceedings after Messi’s goal as Falcao and Juanfran picked several good goal scoring chances which defender bravely by the Catalan boys. After a tough job at the back, the Blaurgrana eventually hold on for a precious victory which simply kept their chance in reaching their rival, Real Madrid, who doesn’t seem to stop themselves from winning.

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Real Madrid continue their reign in La Liga and maintain gap with Barcelona after picking up another victory on the road as they defeated Rayo Vallecano with a single goal from their Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo.

It was an important victory indeed as it wasn’t achieved in an easy way since the home team put on an excellent effort to trouble the league leader, who were aiming to keep their 10 points lead over their Catalan rival in place.

Playing in a difficult pitch once again troubled Madrid players especially with their opponent looking very motivated right from the kick off, forcing the visitor not being able to play their usual dominating performance. Both teams were pretty much using the long balls more often, something which isn’t really common for the Galacticos, who usually plays more ball to the ground with the addition of individual brilliance from their attacking minded players.

The two teams had their chances in the first half but neither managed to put the ball in the net, ending the first period with a goalless draw. Madrid tried to pushed up more in the second period and their effort eventually paid off around the 54th minute when Ozil’s corner found Ronaldo, who ridiculously back heeled the ball to score his 29th league goal of the season in some fashion.

Ronaldo’s goal made things lot more easier for Madrid as Vallecano began to push up even more, leaving much spaces for the visitor players to exploit especially from the counter attack. However, Los Galacticos’ failure in finishing off their opponent on the counter simply troubled them in the last 5-10 minutes, when the home team kept on plugging in search of the equalizing goal, causing some nervousness in the Los Blancos’ back line.

Eventually, Madrid managed to hold on for the important victory, bringing a sigh of relief for Mourinho, who can continue to feel calm knowing that their 10 points lead is still being preserved. Grabbing a difficult result could very well be one of the most important points which will help their course in winning the La Liga this season, something which would be considered a feat for Los Blancos as they can finish above their fierce rival.

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Athletic Bilbao‘s ambition to maintain their fourth place spot was held at El Madrigal after Marcelo Bielsa team’s only grabbed a point against home team Villarreal, forcing the Basque side stuck at fifth place until another week.

The Yellow Submarines’ Brazilian striker, Nilmar was the main culprit that held Bilbao’s mission as the forward scored the equalizing goal which simply canceled out the visitor’s earlier lead.

Having different ambitions in the league, the match between Villarreal and Bilbao turned out to be an interesting battle as the home team are looking to get away from relegation zone, while the visitor are targeting fourth place spot. The home team managed to take the lead first though, as Marco Senna curling free kick thumping right into Gorka Iraizoz’s goal, without giving any chance for the goalie to do something about it.

Senna’s goal remained until the break, forcing Bilbao to change things around right from the re-start as Marcelo Bielsa brought on Fernando Llorente in start of second half in an attempt to improve his team’s attacking display. That attempt work to a success when the Spain international eventually bagged the equalizing goal for his side in around the 62th minute when his header from Toquero’s cross beaten Diego Lopez on the home team’s goal.

Bielsa’s team were spurred on by the equalizer as they pushed forward for the second and eventually grabbing it four minutes later, when Susaeta broke free and beat Lopez in a one on one situation. Unfortunately for Bilbao, their lead didn’t last long as Nilmar equalized two minutes later after successfully capitalizing on a defensive error from Martinez, before scoring the goal that helped his side’s effort in staying away from the relegation zone.

photo credit: mahatsorri

Barcelona‘s coach, Josep Guardiola wasn’t in the mood in commenting about his future as his mind is simply focused on the Catalan’s upcoming clash against Atletico Madrid, which could potentially be another troubling game for the defending champion.

Guadiola acknowledged the improvement that Atletico made under the new reign of Diego Simeone and urged his team to play their best game in order to get three points at Vicente Calderon.

Simeone has changed the dynamic [of the team]. (Atletico) has a soul, they are intense, aggressive … all of the players work and put in a strong effort. You watch the team, it’s an expression of their manager. His strong and intense take on the game when he was a footballer has been transmitted to his team [we must] try and play in a way that favours this team. We’ll have little time to think, we’ll have to be alert, brilliant, and skilled,: Guardiola stated.

Having already lost several points in their away games in La Liga this season, it’s normal that Guardiola has some worries ahead of their game against Atletico this Sunday, not to mention the fact that the Madrid based side are on a good form at the moment. With the obligation to chase their rival, Real Madrid, who are already 10 points ahead, the Catalan squad must get things right a game at the time, while hoping that Jose Mourinho’s team would be slipping.

Guardiola added that the situation is getting really delicate indeed for Barca in La Liga as they must now try to win every matches while hoping that their rival losing some points, something which hasn’t really happen in the last couple seasons. There’s still lots of games to play but it’s obviously a difficult task for the Catalan outfit in chasing Los Blancos, especially should Mourinho’s team kept their current excellent form in the league.

When a team is 10 points behind the leaders the mindset isn’t to mount a comeback. Our plan is to be calm and try to win the match. We can’t focus on anything else. In this house there is always pressure but they [they players] know that they can’t give up. The Liga is complicated, we have to take it a game at a time,” Guardiola added.

Meanwhile, stating a little comment regarding several media question about his future, Guardiola simply said that he is tired with the press affection of it and promised to inform things when there’s an update. The tactician has been closely linked with a move to Inter Milan, who are in desperate need of new coach, after things doesn’t really happening for the Nerazzurri, who are in the verge of firing their current tactician, Claudio Ranieri, after such a disappointing run of results.

[My contract] is [becoming] a tiresome issue. “When there are updates, you will know,” revealed Guardiola.

photo credit: braveheartsports

Malaga earned a massive boost on their attempt in netting the fourth place spot after demolishing bottom table side, Real Zaragoza, in a very interesting match which saw Manuel Pellegrini’s team came back from a goal down and slotted four in just 21 minutes.

Other interesting match saw Levante edging Espanyol 2-1, putting the Barcelona neighbor’s European ambition on hold as they are stuck at seventh place but the Frogs got themselves back on the fourth spot race thanks to the narrow win.

At La Rosaleda, Malaga provide a spectacle for their fans but not before providing some early scares as Pellegrini’s side were a goal down midway in the first period when Carlos Aranda scored for the visitor after receiving a cross from Angel Lafita. The home team didn’t have to wain until the break to equalize though as Sebastian Fernadez’s header right before the half time whistle puts the score on level terms, something that the home team pretty much deserved.

Things changed in the second half, especially after Paulo Da Silva scored an own goal, which simply opened the flood gate as Malaga added three more from Martin Dimechelis, Isco and Rondon to give a massive win for the home team. Sensationally, those four goals arrived only in 21 minutes, a condition which really saw how vulnerable Zaragoza are mentally as they simply put their heads down right after they got pinned back.

Meanwhile, Levante temporarily puts themselves back on top four after a successful victory over home team Espanyol, ending the Frogs’ current misery of failing to win on their previous three games. Ruben Estrada was the hero for the visitor on the night as his late goal in the 89th minute simply ended the home team’s effort.

Levante took the lead first in the first half when he sweep home Arouna Kone’s pass, beating Francisco Casilla on Espanyol goal, who couldn’t really do much to avoid the opening goal. The home team fought hard and earned themselves an equalizer in the 75th minute through Kalu Uche, who headed home Juan Verdu’s free kick from the right, lifting the spirit of the crowd as they expected a winning goal to arrive shortly.

Another goal did eventually arrived late in the second half, but it was to the despair of Espanyol fans as Levante were the one getting all three points after Ruben Estrada swung in a wonderful free kick that ripped the home team’s net. The late goal simply ended Mauricio Pochettino’s side effort in trying to win the match as there isn’t much time left on the clock by the time Ruben netted in the visitor’s second.

All La Liga results on Saturday:

Espanyol v Levante 1-2; Malaga v Real Zaragoza 5-1; Real Betis v Getafe 1-1; Racing Santander v Sporting Gijon 1-1

photo credit: Photocapy