Lionel Messi's brilliant goal which equalised the scoreline at half time.
Mar 24, 2014
Lionel Messi shows that he is "The Best Player in the World"!
Santiago Bernebeu, this was supposed to Cristiano Ronaldo's romping ground, a field where he bulldozes opposition into submission, one where he morph into a matador; but someone forgot to tell that to Lionel Messi. Last night Lionel Messi answered his critics in spectacular fashion in the process re-wrote the history books a number of times. Last week while reviewing the performance against Osasuna, I wrote "Which better place to equal Hugo Sanchez record than Santiago Bernebeu?" It looks like Lionel Messi also had the same thing in mind, his hat-trick has taken him two goals past Hugo Sanchez in La Liga all time scorers record. And he did that in a Stadium where the Great Mexican is worshiped. That was not the only record he broke. He has currently the top scorer in Clasico matches, his performance taking him two past Alfred di Stefano's record of 19 goals. What better place to do that? Also his hat-trick at the bitter-rival's home was the first by a Barca player in their history.
Barca - 4, Real Madrid - 3 Extended Highlights Video
Lionel Messi scored yet another hat-trick breaking a number of records in the process at the Santiago Bernebeu. With 21 goals Real Madrid has become his favorite victim.
Lionel Messi Hat-Trick Seals El Clasico win for Barca | Barca - 4, Real Madrid - 3
Lionel Messi made all the difference between Real Madrid and Barca in one of the most sensational Clasico we have seen in recent times, to cut Barca's deficit in the top by one point. In a match which swung like a pendulum between each team, Lionel Messi scored three, two from the spot and created the opener. It was classic Clasico, which had goals from Messi and Ronaldo, a Sergio Ramos red card, a controversial penalty awarded for Real Madrid; some Real Madrid fans could argue there was one awarded for us also; it had it all. Even with this victory we still lie at third position, but the difference between the top and us is just one point, and that's crucial. Martino went with the same line-up which featured in the second leg of the Manchester City tie for this all crucial match. Alves, Pique, Mascherano and Alba made up the back four in front of Valdes. Cesc, Busquets and Xavi formed the midfield trio. The front three had Iniesta on the left, Neymar on the right and Messi in the centre. Pinto, Bartra, Adriano, Song, Sergi Roberto, Pedro and Alexis all started from the bench. The Real Madrid side started as I predicted in the preview - Lopez, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Alonso, Modric, Di Maria, Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo.
Mar 22, 2014
Barca vs Real Madrid Preview | A Must Win Match for FC Barcelona
Barca will play the second Clasico of the season tomorrow at the Santiago Bernebeu, knowing clearly that a loss there would put them out of the title race. Barca currently lies seven points behind the league leaders, Real Madrid. A lose will take that to seven points, something which could be impossible to compensate in a three horse race. A draw will not harm Barca much but then leave a lot to chances. In that scenario, anything other than a victory at the Bernebeu will be non-ideal for FC Barcelona. The strange thing is that even if we win, we could see ourselves still remaining in third depending on what happens in the Atletico vs Real Betis match. FC Barcelona could not have asked for a much better preparation going into the game. After the inconsistent start to 2014, Barca looks to have turned their form for the good with brilliant performance against Manchester City and Osasuna at home. Even though these two performances came at home, there is a belief that the team has regained his form and that the results should start showing away from home now. And that belief stems from the excellent form shown by Lionel Messi in the last couple of matches.
Mar 21, 2014
FC Barcelona faces Atletico Madrid in UEFA Champions League Quarter Final
In an all Spanish affair, FC Barcelona has been drawn up against Atletico Madrid in the Quarter Finals of 2013-14 UEFA Champions League. After the tough tie against Manchester City , Barca fans were hoping for an easier outing this time around, preferrably Manchester United. But instead we are pitted against La Liga rivals from the Capital city. How tough this fixture would be is explained by the fact that the three previous meeting against this two team in the Legaue has ended in draw. FC Barcelona will be playing the first leg at home and that means Atletico has a slight advantage of the seconds leg being a home affair. Barca boys have been peaking slowly in the last couple of matches , so they will be more than ready for the first leg which will be held 2nd/3rd of April.
Mar 19, 2014
Should Neymar Start at the Santigo Bernebeu?
On Sunday FC Barcelona produced their best performance of the season. A 7-0 victory in itself is self explanatory; but the vigor and desire displayed by players on the field made many claim that "The Vintage Barca is Back". May be it's too early to say about that; but it cannot be argued that Barca played some of the their best football's in their last two matches - first against Manchester City and now against Osasuna. The Osasuna victory has raised the expectation of fans ahead of the Clasico. Even though we have struggled in recent away matches and the last two brilliant performances came at the Camp Nou; one might be tempted to believe that the team has turned their form and it should now show on their away records. One of the major factors for this recent turnaround has to be the coming back of Lionel Messi. Messi has been struggling since he returned from the long layoff; some questioned his commitment, especially with a World Cup to play for in Summer. But he has started to re-emerge back and that's showing in our performances.
Mar 17, 2014
Barca Images GIF - Lionel Messi's record Breaking Goal
Lionel Messi's record breaking Goal against Osasuna. He scored one before and after this taking his total goal tally for Barca to 371 in all matches.
Barca Images GIF - Iniesta's Golazo against Osasuna
Iniesta does not score much, but when he scores, they are some special like this!
Mar 16, 2014
Messi creates History in perfect Barca performance; FC Barcelona - 7, Osasuna - 0
Lionel Messi capped off a historic night with a brilliant hat-trick which saw him moving clear of Barcelona's all time Top Scorer Paulino Alcantara to become the top scorer in Barca's history. The very fact that he is just 26 years old make that achievement so unbelievable, but that's something we need to come to terms with. The numbers he could come up with by the time he retires could be astronomical. He is currently just one short of Real Madrid Legend, Hugo Sanchez's all time La Liga record; which definitely would be his next target. Could he achieve that at the Santiago Bernebeu next week? Who knows! Considering the fact that Osasuna was lying on the bottom half of the table, Martino saw it a great chance to give Bartra a start. He, along with Mascherano formed the central defensive pairing in front of Valdes. Alba and Alves completed the defense. The midfield had Xavi,Busquets and Iniesta. Messi, Pedro and Sanchez made up the front trio. Pinto, Montoya, Adriano, Song, Cesc, Neymar and Tello started from bench.
Mar 13, 2014
Barca Images GIF - Lionel Messi's Brilliant Goal against Manchester City
Lionel Messi is back and so his trademark dink over the keeper. Joe Hart had a good night, but could do nothing against Lionel Messi here. This GIF is a must have for all Messi and Barca fan.
Lionel Messi takes Barca past Manchester City into Champions League QF
Barca booked their place in the Quarter Finals of the 2013-14 Champions League with a comfortable 2-1 victory at home against Manchester City. The 2-1 victory on the night and 4-1 on aggregate see Barca making yet another Quarter Final appearance, their seventh consecutive ones. Manchester City and Barcelona clash was the pick of many pundits for the marquee clash of this round of Champions League. The more than comfortable victory would do Barca a world of good, especially when they have suffered a number of setbacks recently on domestic front. It may be quite unfair to credit this victory all to Lionel Messi; there's a point in that. We had some seriously memorable performances from some other players too, especially Iniesta and Jordi Alba. But regardless of that it was Lionel Messi who made all the difference; not because he scored the vital goal but because he was involved in all that was good on the night. And it started with that darting run into our box to dispossess Aguero, which set the tone and simply showed a hint of his intensions.
FC Barcelona - 2 : Manchester City - 1 Match Highlights Video
FC Barcelona secured their place in yet another Champions League Quarter Final with a convincing 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Camp Nou. With this victory Barca move forward with an aggregate score of 4-1 in two legs against a team which terrorized defending Champions Bayern at their home. So this victory could give us all the momentum while moving forward in the competition.
Feb 16, 2014
Feb 10, 2014
Barca - 4 : Secilla - 1 Highlights Video; Messi helps Barca script crucial Victory
The see-saw season in La Liga continues with brilliant effect - this time we making a come back. After losing the Table leader position last week, we needed to respond and our boys did it in style - reclaiming the top position back. The tight race is very much described by the fact that three teams share the same point at the top of the table and only seperated by goal difference. The visit to Sevilla has been one of the toughest away matches for Barca in recent times. So this win could prove pretty crucial where we end up at the end of the season. The match had it's share of drama - first another goal conceded by us, then a couple of chances for Sevilla before we equalised from a clearly Offside Alexis header. Then came the value of having Messi in the team - two brilliantly taken goals gave us the lead before Cesc rounded it up with his first of the game.
Feb 6, 2014
FC Barcelona - 2 : Real Sociedad - 0; Barca takes a firm steps towards Copa Del Rey Final
FC Barcelona took a firm step towards securing their place in the final of Copa Del Rey with a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad. One goal from Busquets and another an epic own goal was enough for Barca to secure a two goal advantage going into the second round. If succeeded Barca will most probably face Real Madrid who secured a 3-0 victory against La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid at home.
Feb 2, 2014
Help Stop STAR Sports Exploitation
Sometimes a small signature could make the biggest change. And this our chance. Sign the petition to STOP STAR Sports exploitation. Please spread the word too..
Feb 1, 2014
FC Barcelona - 2 : Valencia - 3 - All Goals Video
FC Barcelona still remains at the top of La Liga after playing their 22nd match in the league. But at the end of Round 22, the chances of the same happening are extremely rare. That is courtesy of a very poor performance against Valencia, which saw Barca go down 3-2 at the Camp Nou. The performance on the night shocked the fans and the result will definitely see Barca conceding the top position on the table. We were lucky not to have conceded the top position to Atletcio at the end of Round 20, but the chance of that's happening is very rare this time around. To make matters worse, we could end up in third position once the big teams from the Capital end their match. Sanchez gave the lead to Barca in the first half, but Valencia pulled one back towards the end of the first half. It got worse, thanks to some comic defending from our boys. Messi got us level from a penalty, the awarding of which was pretty harsh against Valencia. But justice was served finally to Valencia when they regained the lead following a brilliant move and finish. If we are showcasing this same defending when we visit Etihad, the result could be some embarrassment for us.
Jan 30, 2014
FC Barcelona - 5 : Levante - 1 Highlights Video
FC Barcelona sealed a place in 2013-14 Copa Del Rey Semi-Finals with spectacular fashion by destroying Levante 5-1 at Camp Nou in the second leg. The tie was more or less sealed in Barca's favour in the first leg, when a Messi inspired Barca scored four times away from home. This take the aggregate to 9-2 in favour of Barca in two leg. FC Barcelona will now face either Real Sociedad or Racing Santander in the semi-final. The second semi-final will be a clash between the two Madrid heavy weights - Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Jan 29, 2014
Jan 27, 2014
Barca - 3 : Malaga - 0 Highlights Video
Goals from Pique, Pedro and Alexis gave Barca a comfortable victory which put them back on the top of the table. What surprised everyone is that Lionel Messi has not yet opened his La Liga account for the year 2014. Is it a mini-crisis?
Jan 24, 2014
Sandro Rosell Quits Officially, Installs his Puppet to run the show!
"Live by the sword, die by the sword"
So finally it has happened. Rosell has announced yesterday that he will step down as President of the Club following a Spanish Court's ruling that there was enough doubt for it to start an investigation on the Neymar deal. Sandro Rosell's time at Barca would be remembered as the time where football took a back stage, and all other things were rushed to the front. His decisions has left the footballing team struggling without reinforcement in crucial areas in the field. He came to power on a huge mandate vowing to correct the club's financial debt situation( something in which still there is no clarity), reintroduce the Catalan identity back to the club and also to correct everything and whatever Laporta did. Now Laporta was no saint, but to target Cryuff in order to get one on with Laporta was cheap. And that resulted in the club Legend, Cryuff moving away from the club, that got Guardiola upset and he moved; but that was not all.
Jan 20, 2014
Barca - 1, Levante - 1 : Is it Two Points Dropped or One Point Gained?
Barca dropped two points away from home against Levante which could see them lose the top position in the La Liga. We lie on top with one point ahead of Real Madrid after the draw but that could all change depending on how Atletico perform against sevilla later in the night. It was an extremely difficult struggle especially after going down so early in the match. Barca found it extremely difficult to break the well organised defense and whenever we came close the keeper, Navas and defender Juanfran pulled off out of the world saves. Martino coontinued with his rotation policy, this time making a number of changes from the side which started against Getafe midweek. Messi started his first league game of 2014 and partnered Pedro and Alexis. Cesc, Busquets and Xavi made the midfield trio. The defense had Montoya, Pique, Mascherano and Alba guarding the goal infront of Valdes.
Jan 17, 2014
Barca - 2, Getafe - 0 Highlights; Lionel Messi Continue Goal Scoring Streak
Lionel Messi continued his goal scoring streak after the recent return from injury, scoring both the goals in a 2-0 victory over Copa Dely Rey second leg clash against Getafe. We were fortunate to see yet another Golazo of the little Argentinian. Haven't got the chance to watch it? Don't worry watch it in the video below. It's worth the wait.
Jan 12, 2014
Barca - 0, Atletico Madrid - 0; Stalemate at the Vicente Calderon
At the half way stage of the 2013-14 season, FC Barcelona remain on the top the table courtesy of goal difference after being tied at 50 points with Atletico Madrid. It was expected that one of these teams would move clear of the other after tonight's encounter. That wasn't meant to be as the first La Liga clash between the table toppers ended in a goal less draw. Tata Martino, the Barca coach could be pretty happy with the result as this was considered to be the toughest test for his team in the League this season. Atletico meanwhile, would have to be disappointed a bit after creating some good counter attacking moves, backed up with a crowd which made the Vicente Calderon resemble a bull ring. On the pitch, it was indeed a bull fight which went on.Martino surprised everyone when he announced a starting line-up minus both Neymar and Messi at the top of the table clash. In the absence of the two superstars, Cesc, Pedro and Alexis formed the front three. The midfield had the usual Iniesta, Busquets and Xavi formation. The defense was along expected lines with Alves, Pique, Mascherano and Alba lining up in front of Victor Valdes. Atletico Madrid started with Courtois, Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Luis, Tiago, Gabi, Koke, Turan, Costa and Villa
Jan 7, 2014
Do Barca fans value Lionel Messi less?
"There is so much that people take for granted"
There is no doubt that the recent exploits from Barca's forwards have left the fans extremely satisfied. They are satisfied to such an extent that there are so much discussions happening about how Barca finally managed to kick the dreaded Messidependencia out, how the Pass First to Messi attitude has changed and how Barca have suddenly realized missing Messi is not a big thing! This leads one to wonder whether the only group who values Messi less is the Barca fans themselves. Even Real Madrid fans tend to believe that Messi is what makes the difference to this Barca side, even though they rate him below Ronaldo. All this is happening when a study commissioned by three leading European Clubs have placed his value at staggering 400 Million Euros. And there are reports that a club is willing to pay his 250 Million buyout clause. If he is valued this high, then why Barca fans tend to suggest that missing Messi does not make much of a difference now, especially with Neymar's arrival? If it's really true then we could definitely cash on him!
Jan 6, 2014
FC Barcelona vs Elche Pictures
Pictures from Yester Night's encounter against Elche. Barca started the new Year in spectacular fashion.
Jan 5, 2014
FC Barcelona - 4, Elche - 0 All Goals Videos
Alexis Sanchez started 2014 in spectacular fashion scoring a sensational hat-trick to seal Barca's 4-0 victory over Elce. With this victory Barca retain their top position on the League table.
Barca Images GIF - Alexis Sanchez Goal against Elche
Alexis Sanchez had the honour of opening Barca's goal account in a 2014 New Year.
Jan 2, 2014
For Football in India, STAR Sports could be the Biggest Villain!
"Greed is so destructive. It destroys everything. - Eartha Kitt "
Football fans in India had experienced this feeling before, especially La Liga fans - The feeling of being non-existent in the Grand schemes of things. We La Liga fans faced it some years back when one fine morning Star Sports announced that they won't be telecasting the Spanish League anymore. What shocked us that it happened in the 2009-10 season, when Football's greatest current superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo all were playing in Spain? Majority of the footballing superstars were playing in Spain, but still Star Network deemed it not necessary to pursue the rights to telecast La Liga. The next season Dubai based Ten Sports bagged the rights and La Liga fans were pretty happy with the continued coverage(even though their pre-match analysis program tortured us a bit). Last season STAR SPORTS once again jumped in the pool and won the rights for La Liga for the next three years. Followers of this blog will do well to remember that I did warn you to get ready for Step Motherly treatment of La Liga over EPL. But it looks like that warning was nothing compared to what STAR SPORTS had in store for us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
