Madrid and Malaga make it perfect week for Spain

Updated October 04, 2012 08:57:20

Real Madrid and Malaga coasted to their second successive victories in the Champions League on Thursday morning (AEST) and rounded off a perfect four wins from four games for Spanish sides in this week's matches.

Real hammered their by now traditional whipping boys Ajax 4-1 in Amsterdam - which included somewhat surprisingly Cristiano Ronaldo's first ever Champions League hat-trick - while Malaga continued its impressive start to its maiden campaign with a 3-0 away win at Anderlecht.

Both Barcelona and Valencia had won their games on Tuesday with the latter side the only one not to have the full complement of six points from the two games.

Elsewhere two young players who would dream of having half the success Ronaldo has enjoyed made their own first historic mark for their clubs.

Italian Stephan El Shaarawy became Milan's youngest ever Champions League scorer just weeks before he celebrates his 20th birthday with a superb individual goal in the Italian side's fortunate 3-2 away win over ailing Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg.

Julian Draxler only turned 19 in September and he celebrated by scoring for Schalke 04 to become the youngest ever German scorer in the competition.

However, Montpellier striker Souleymane Camara put a dampener on the evening by scoring a 90th minute goal to force an unlikely 2-2 draw with the French side having been reduced to 10 men in the 52nd minute.

Schalke's disappointment was mirrored by Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund who outclassed Manchester City but found Joe Hart an obstacle to adding to a 1-0 lead and a late penalty by Mario Balotelli saw the hosts undeservedly share the spoils.

While Montpellier garnered their first point of the campaign the side they edged for the Ligue 1 title last season Paris Saint Germain failed to build on their opening win as they lost for the first time this season 1-0 away at Porto.

Real's fifth successive win against Ajax in the past three seasons in the Champions League group stage had the Spanish champions coach Jose Mourinho in exultant mood.

"Real are back, it is the Real that beat Barcelona last season," said Mourinho, whose side travel to Barcelona on Sunday for their first meeting of the season.

"It is the first time this season that the team has won three or four consecutive games, it is important for our objectives and our confidence.

"We must carry on like the way we are playing. We can't win every game but when individual qualities transform themselves into collective qualities it is only normal the results follow."

Schalke reflected on the three points it felt it deserved but instead had to make do with a point apiece.

"We played with too much fear," was a typically frank admission by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who scored Schalke's second goal.

Montpellier boss Rene Girard, though, felt that Schalke had got what they deserved.

"This team (Schalke) has disrespected us, starting with the coach.

"And when you don't show respect, things like this happen."

AFP

Tags: sport, soccer, champions-league, netherlands

First posted October 04, 2012 08:54:27

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Falcao fires Atletico Madrid to Europa title

Updated May 10, 2012 08:01:50

A double by Colombian striker Radamel Falcao inspired Atletico Madrid to a 3-0 win over fellow Spaniards Athletic Bilbao in Bucharest and their second Europa League trophy in three seasons.

Falcao, who also became the first player to win successive Europa League/UEFA Cups with different sides having scored the winning goal for Porto last year, scored a brilliant first-half double to take his tally for this season's competition to 12.

"I am grateful for this moment that few players have the chance to experience, grateful to all the team, my colleagues, the coaching staff," Falcao told Spanish TV.

Brazilian attacking midfielder Diego, who was suspended for the 2009 final for Werder Bremen against winners Shakhtar Donetsk, added a third late in the 83rd minute to give Argentinian coach Diego Simeone a trophy just months after he took over the top job.

"It was a tough match, an extraordinary match, almost perfect," Diego said.

"We played it so that it was an easy finish but we were facing the magnificent team that is Athletic Bilbao."

Atletico's victory also saw them break Barcelona's record of 11 successive wins in European competition set in the 2002/03 Champions League campaign.

Athletic Bilbao's coach Marcelo Bielsa took responsiblity for his side's defeat.

"I am disappointed, we did not play a good match," said the former Argentina coach, who guided the Argentinians to the 2004 Olympic title.

"I am in charge of the strategy of the squad who failed to achieve its objective, which makes the disappointment even greater.

"Atletico deserved their win, but the scale of it was excessive.

"The feeling of personal responsiblity increases in the sense that the difference in quality of the two teams is not the one shown tonight."

Bilbao started nervously, twice giving away possession at the back, and had barely got into the match when Atletico went ahead in the seventh minute.

Adrian Lopez sent Falcao away down the right, the Colombian ran into the area, checked, made space for his shot and curled the ball into the top corner on the turn.

Fernando Llorente directed a header and then a volley wide of goal from close range as Athletic finally sprang into action before Iker Muniain had a low shot parried by Thibaut Courtois.

But Atletico, always looking more dangerous, went further ahead on 34 minutes when Bilbao lost possession on the edge of the area, and Arda Turdan found Falcao who brilliantly twisted past his marker to fire the second into the roof of the net.

Bilbao improved greatly after the break and made an immediate impact as Muniain burst down the right and delivered a low cross which Miranda did well to put behind for a corner.

Athletic's Ibai Gomez fired over the bar and fellow half-time substitute Inigo Perez caused Courtouis a fright with a dipping 35-metre free kick, though they also had a let off when Atletico forward Lopez fired wide after working a good shooting chance.

Oscar de Marcos wasted another chance for Bilbao then Markel Susaeta had a shot deflected agonisingly wide but their hopes of a fightback ended with Diego's late individual effort.

"It was a tough match, an extraordinary match, almost perfect," Diego told Spanish TV.

"We played it so that it was an easy finish but we were facing the magnificent team that is Athletic Bilbao."

AFP/Reuters

Tags: uefa-cup, soccer, sport, spain, romania

First posted May 10, 2012 07:25:39

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Real Madrid crowned Spanish champions

Updated May 03, 2012 09:51:18

Real Madrid claimed their first Spanish title in four years, ending the reign of bitter rivals Barcelona, after beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 for their 32nd league crown.

Gonzalo Higuain, Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo scored the goals to give Jose Mourinho a record-breaking four titles in four different countries and the victory required with two games remaining.

Mourinho's first Spanish league title ended Barca's run of three successive league titles in his second season at the club.

Madrid needed to win after Barcelona had earlier beaten Malaga 4-1 with goals from Carles Puyol and a hat-trick from Lionel Messi that saw him break Gerd Muller's record for goals in a single European season.

Afterwards the players jubilantly celebrated on the San Mames pitch as the first visiting team to ever win a title in Athletic's stadium.

"It's been a long hard season but we've finally done it and I just hope it's the first of many with this young squad, we dedicate it to the fans," said captain Iker Casillas on the final whistle.

"We're very happy," said Sergio Ramos, who last week had experienced vastly different emotions when he missed a penalty in the Champions League semi-final shootout defeat by Bayern Munich.

"It's been a tough league and Barca were an extraordinary rival, we'll enjoy it now and celebrate it with our fans."

Mourinho again refused to face the Spanish press after the game but spoke to Real Madrid TV.

"It's been a great title for us, no-one has given us anything all season, we've fought from start to finish, the players have been fantastic and deserve it," said the 49-year-old.

"I've won titles before in Portugal, Italy and England but this has been the most difficult of all. I think even Barca, after they've won three titles in a row, know that we deserve this one," he added.

Getting the better of Barca, where he was an assistant under Bobby Robson in the late 1990s, will be a particular source of satisfaction for Mourinho, who has made a habit of needling his former employers during his two years in the Spanish capital.

He could not help taking a dig at the Catalans, suggesting one of the penalty's they had been awarded in their 4-1 home win over Malaga earlier on Wednesday was "soft".

"Barca won a lot of games and tried to push the league as far as possible," he added.

"I think that they themselves, champions and a club with a great tradition, know that we deserve this league title."

Madrid looked to have got the perfect start when it was awarded a penalty on 11 minutes for a clear handball by Javi Martinez.

However, Ronaldo shot tamely down the centre and it was easily saved by Gorka Iraizoz -- it was his second penalty miss in a week after the semi-final loss to Bayern.

The Portuguese star need not have worried, five minutes later 'los blancos' were ahead when Higuain hit an unstoppable shot from 20 yards.

The title then became a virtual certainty on 20 minutes when Ronaldo found Ozil with a sweeping cross from the right-wing for the German midfielder to double the lead.

Five minutes after the interval Ronaldo headed home a corner to add the third and his 44th league goal of the season.

AFP/Reuters

Tags: spain, soccer, sport, spain

First posted May 03, 2012 09:51:18

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Real Madrid wins the King's Cup

 

Published:Thursday, April 21, 2011 9:56 AEST

Real Madrid goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas celebrates with the trophy after winning the Spanish Cup final against Barcelona at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on April 20, 2011.

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