Spanish Primera Liga : La Liga 2013/14 , Atletico Madrid are Champions

[mampilly]

CR7 makes history in Real Madrid win

Real Madrid got back to winning ways as they brushed aside Real Sociedad 5-1 thanks to two goals each from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The league leaders had dropped points at home to Malaga and away at Villarreal in the past six days, but any lingering doubts from those games were extinguished within seven minutes as Gonzalo Higuain swept home Benzema's pass.

Ronaldo made it two just after the half hour as he latched onto Kaka's through ball to calmly slot past Claudio Bravo for his 100th Primera Division goal, and Benzema added a third with a wonderful lob over Bravo five minutes before the break.

Xabi Prieto's deflected effort pulled a goal back for the visitors a minute later.

But Real continued to dominate and Benzema and Ronaldo doubled their tallies after the break thanks to more great build-up play from Sami Khedira and Higuain respectively.

Barcelona's 2-0 win at Mallorca earlier in the day had cut Madrid's lead to three points before kick-off but they were never in any danger of failing to win for the third time in a week after Higuain had expertly guided Benzema's pass into the bottom corner from just outside the area.

The Frenchman just could not stretch to turn home Higuain's excellent cross 10 minutes later before Sociedad had a rare opportunity to equalise as Antoine Griezmann's shot was deflected into Imanol Aggiretxe's path, but the striker's poor touch took him wide and Iker Casillas was able to comfortably turn his shot behind.

Ronaldo then passed up two glorious opportunities as he shot straight at Bravo when one-on-one with the keeper and headed wide Sergio Ramos' cross when unmarked only a few yards from goal.

But the Portuguese did not have to wait long to find the net as Kaka's defence-splitting pass put him in the clear again and this time he showed more composure to slot the ball into the corner of Bravo's net.

Benzema scored a brilliant third eight minutes later as he controlled Xabi Alonso's ball over the top before weighting his lobbed finish over Bravo to perfection.

Straight from the kick-off, though, Sociedad got a goal back as Prieto's fierce shot from outside the box was helped past Casillas via a deflection off Ramos.

It took Real only three minutes into the second period to restore their three-goal cushion as Benzema was played in by another fine pass, this time from Sami Khedira, and he rattled the ball past Bravo to take is tally to 20 for the season.

Seven minutes later the hosts had their fifth as the Sociedad defence was again undone by a long ball out from the back and Higuain squared for Ronaldo to tap home is second of the night and his 101st in the competition from just 92 games.

Antonine Griezmann should have pulled another goal back for Sociedad but his weak header was easily saved by Casillas before Raphael Varane's header was cleared off the line to deny Real a sixth.

And a comfortable evening for the hosts was rounded off when they were even able to withdraw Ronaldo and Benzema early to rest them ahead of the first-leg of their Champions League tie with APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday.

[mampilly]

Messi scores as Barcelona tops Mallorca

Lionel Messi scored his 55th goal of the season as 10-man Barcelona beat Mallorca 2-0 for its seventh consecutive league win on Saturday, provisionally reducing the gap with Spanish leader Real Madrid to three points.

Messi, who broke Barcelona's all-time scoring record on Wednesday, netted from a poorly defended free kick to become the first player in a top-level European league to score 55 goals in a season since Sporting Lisbon's Mario Jardel in 2002.

Barcelona's Thiago Alcantara received his second booking in the 56th, but Gerard Pique volleyed in Messi's rebound off the post in the 79th to seal the victory.

The pressure is on Madrid when it hosts Real Sociedad later without suspended coach Jose Mourinho and several players.

Just last week Madrid's march toward a first league title in four years looked unstoppable, but back-to-back draws combined with Barcelona's rediscovered form have tightened the race.

''When we went down to 10 men we knew it would be tough, but we resisted well,'' Pique said. ''These are three valuable points. Now let's see what happens (with Madrid).''

Mallorca carried the initiative early at Iberostar Stadium.

But it was Messi who had the first scoring chance in the 13th when he stole a backpass and raced into the area, only to send his chip try off the face of goalkeeper Dudu Aouate.

With orchestrator Xavi Hernandez on the bench, Barcelona's passing attack lacked its usual fluidity.

But a horrible defensive lapse by the hosts let Messi score one of the easier goals of his record 235 for Barcelona. Various Mallorca defenders failed to make a play on Messi's lobbed free kick, letting it bounce in the area before landing in the back of the net.

The goal took Messi's Spanish league-haul to 35 goals this season, two more than Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentina forward has scored in eight straight games with 18 goals during the streak.

Mallorca gained a numerical advantage after Thiago was shown a second yellow card for a questionable hand ball when it appeared he used his shoulder to control a ball.

Mallorca sought to capitalize on its extra manpower, but Pique put the result beyond doubt. Messi squirmed free and fired off the goal frame, and Pique shot in the rebound.

[Giggs]

Thanks mampilly...

[mampilly]

welcome giggs

[Giggs]

Saturday, March 31, 2012
31MAR2012 09:30pm IST Racing v Granada
31MAR2012 09:30pm IST Sporting Gijon v Zaragoza
31MAR2012 11:30pm IST Osasuna v Real Madrid , Live on Ten Action & Ten HD
01APR2012 01:30am IST Malaga v Betis
01APR2012 01:30am IST Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao , Live on Ten Action & Ten HD

Sunday, April 01, 2012
01APR2012 03:30pm IST Atletico Madrid v Getafe
01APR2012 09:30pm IST Valencia v Levante
02APR2012 01:00am IST Villarreal v Espanyol
02APR2012 01:00am IST Sociedad v Vallecano

Monday, April 02, 2012
03APR2012 12:30am IST Sevilla v Mallorca

[Giggs]

harsh on Athletic Bilbao...they are playing tonight vs Schalke (A) in the Europa League and on Saturday night they are playing Barca @ Nou Camp..can't move the fixture to Sunday as Barca's CL fixture vs Milan is on Tuesday

[mampilly]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kah5IrxMMQQ]Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao 2-0 - All Goals & Highlights 3/31/12 - YouTube[/ame]

[mampilly]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrL52hxBa3o]Osasuna vs Real Madrid 1-5 All Goals & Highlights (31.03.2012) - YouTube[/ame]

[Giggs]

Thanks mampilly

[Giggs]

Real Madrid put on a show

Real Madrid put on a show as they hammered Osasuna 5-1 to increase their hopes of title glory with a brace each for Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain and a stunner from Karim Benzema.

Benzema opened the scoring in spectacular fashion in the seventh minute as Ronaldo got to the byline and cut back a left-footed cross that Benzema brilliantly volleyed back across goal and into the far corner.

Ronaldo doubled his side's lead on 37 minutes with a thumping drive from 35 yards and the game was effectively over as a contest on 40 minutes when Higuain got in on the action, dinking the ball over the advancing Hernandez after breaking the offside trap.

Nino headed home at the far post from Roversio's cross to get one back after the break, but Ronaldo scored his second of the night on 70 minutes when he won a debatable free-kick on the edge of the area and then saw his shot deflect in off the heels of substitute Dejan Lekic.

The former Manchester United forward then set up Higuain on 77 minutes to complete the scoring with a simple close-range finish.

Barcelona kept up the pressure on Real at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao thanks to goals from Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

Iniesta smashed home the opener into the roof of the net after Alexis Sanchez had won possession and fed Messi, who slotted a ball to his team-mate.

Young winger Christian Tello then gave Barcelona a chance to double the lead as he tricked his way past Javi Martinez in the box and was pushed over from behind by the Spanish international in the 57th minute.

Messi stepped up to slot the penalty home - his 56th goal of the season - to give Barca the win and move to within one goal of Ronaldo in the goalscoring table.