Re: Jornada 35 primera division

Levante had to come from behind to claim a draw against Elche, with a goal from Angel cancelling out Boakye’s opener.

Elche had the better chances throughout the match, and eventually pulled ahead on the hour mark through Boakye. The home side would have regretted not converting their numerous chances as they eventually conceded a goal, with Angel scoring for Levante to ensure that the spoils were shared on the night.

Both sides needed a win for similar reasons, but Elche’s proximity to the relegation zone was far more threatening and it showed in the opening minutes of the match.

Elche had already missed two good chances in the first five minutes of the game. First, Navas produced a massive save to deny Damian who had been played in by Rodrigues. Moments later, Pelegrin headed over from a corner.

Angel soon registered some attempts for Levante as he stood strong against three Elche defenders to get a shot off in the 7th minute, and shot on target once more as the ball fell to him during a corner. Herrera had to be quick to get down and save.

It would be one of the few genuine chances that Levante would have during the opening 20 minutes as Elche were on the attack for the majority of the time. Carlos Sanchez nearly opened the scoring in the 12th minute but an intervention from Botia cleared the ball off the line and kept the score level.

Pedro Lopez was carded for a block on Rodrigues just outside the box in the 17th minute, and the resulting free kick nearly did Levante in as Damian shot on target and would have scored by for a brilliant save from Keylor Navas.

Navas was in action once more to prevent Rodrigues running on to a through ball. The goalkeeper showed good awareness to ensure that he let go of the ball as he was about to slide out of his box in his attempt to clear the danger.

Levante were awarded a free kick outside the box soon after and they nearly made it count as Diop swung the set piece right on target, drawing a save out of Herrera.

The 34th minute saw Coro head the ball inches wide of the far post after he had been picked out by Damian with a perfect ball into the box. Elche were well on top in every sense by this point, except where it mattered most: on the scoreboard.

The second half began with an unforgivable miss from Rodrigues. Javi Marquez stormed into the box and produced a perfect cutback for his teammate, evading the horde of defenders stationed in the box. Unfortunately for Elche, Rodrigues seemed to get a little too excited and shot wide of the goal.

Levante nearly made Rodrigues regret his miss as Rodas headed just wide from a set piece swung in by Diop in the 54th minute, but he too could not keep his shot on target.

Carles Gil threatened Keylor Navas twice in quick succession on the hour mark, but it would be Boakeye who broke the deadlock with a brilliant goal as he turned his markers inside out before getting off a low shot that the goalkeeper could do nothing about.

However, that lead would last just ten minutes, as Angel proved to be Levante’s angel as he leveled the score from a corner. His initial effort was parried by Herrera, but the Levante player chased after the rebound and slammed it back towards goal to make it 1-1.

Rodrigues had the chance to put his side back into the lead when he received the ball on the edge of the box in the 80th minute. His first touch was perfect and took him past two defenders, but his next was awry as his shot went wide of the goalpost. The same player missed yet another golden chance moments later when all he had to do was guide a cutback into the back of the net.

Next up for Elche will be a trip to face Malaga while Levante face a stern test as they host league leaders Atletico Madrid in a week’s time.

Re: Jornada 35 primera division

Elche manager, Fran Escribá was disappointed with his team’s performance in Friday evening’s 1-1 draw with Levante and feels that they could’ve easily won but, in the end, they settled for a draw.

Fran EscribáIn his post-match press conference, Escribá spoke about the “bitter draw” and the loss of two very important points as they continue to fight off relegation.

“It’s a bitter draw, because we did enough to deserve something more. We tried to do much more than Levante in order to win. We’ve let two very important points slip away from us.

“[Rodrigues] deserved to score after the game he played, but he missed it just a bit. We created a lot of chances but lacked confidence. This has been one of those matches where we could’ve won comfortably and yet we could only get a draw.

“The players are annoyed and in addition to being disappointed about the draw, they are confident they are going to stay up.”

Escriba then discussed his side’s chances of staying in the Primera, stating that he and the players feel confident they will.

“This is a point on the path towards survival and should be viewed positively and we’ll try to add three the next time out. We have no guarantee that we’ll stay up but we feel strongly that we will.”

Re: Jornada 35 primera division

Levante manager Joaquin Caparros was happy with his side’s 1-1 draw against Elche on Friday evening and felt the teams were even and it was a fair result.

Joaquín Caparrós LevanteIn his post-match press conference, Caparros spoke about the point which keeps them in midtable and inches them closer to mathematical survival, while also improving their goal differential, which may come in handy in the next several weeks.

“It was a hard fought game because of the needs of both the teams. We came to compete and that’s what we did. The first half was very even. They score but we were able to react.

“Losing here wouldn’t have been good for us because we needed to fight for survival as we did before. Throughout the entire competition we’ve been stuck at midtable and we needed to continue as such.”

Levante have secured survival for next season and are now fighting to see how high they can finish.

Re: Jornada 35 primera division

Osasuna came into the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening hoping to spring a trap on Real Madrid, who are on the cusp of reaching the Champions League finals, but they soon realised that when Cristiano Ronaldo is in the line-up, all bets are off.

Real Madrid came out to present the Copa del Rey trophy to the fans, while being honoured by Osasuna.

Soon after there was a moment of silence as those in attendance respectfully honoured a moment of silence for former Barcelona manager, Tito Vilanova, who passed away on Friday afternoon after a two-year battle with cancer.

However, the show must go on and Real Madrid got right to work in order to wrap things up quickly and shift their focus to their second leg Champions League tie against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opening goal in the fifth minute of the match, a golazo from outside the box that was impossible for goalkeeper Andres Fernandez to get a hand on.

From that point on, both sides maintained their level of play, with Osasuna holding firm on defence while Real Madrid continue to attack and exploit any possible weakness.

Andres continued to bail Osasuna out on several occassions and the side from Pamplona were able to hold a fired up Blancos squad to a 1-0 lead going into the break.

Yet, after halftime, things fell into place for Real Madrid and the wheels came off for Osasuna, with Cristiano scoring his second goal of the evening in the 52nd minute, which was soon followed by Sergio Ramos’ goal in the 60th minute to effectively kill the match.

At that point, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti made several changes to keep his players fresh for Tuesday, but Real Madrid couldn’t stop scoring, as defender Dani Carvajal got in on the action at the 83rd minute, thanks to a pass from his U-21 teammate, Isco.

Real Madrid then coasted through the rest of the match as both teams were eager for the referee to blow the final whistle, as Cristiano finished with his 50th brace in his Real Madrid career.

Re: Jornada 35 primera division

Almería snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, after Espanyol had the lead at the end of the first-half, only for their scorer Stuani to get his marching orders, just after the second-half began. The second half saw the visitors more adventurous going forward and in the space of five minutes, they struck twice and sealed a priceless three points.

A tight first half at the Cornellà began with a battle for possession between Espanyol and Almería, and though the home side were showing more purpose going forward, the Andaluz side had themselves set out tightly in defence, permitting little through.

Few clear chances became the theme of the game as it progressed, with Almería sat deep and only getting forward dangerously on too few occasions, whilst Espanyol tried to keep them pressed back. Neither side were entertaining the fans and eventually, there were whistles from the crowd, amidst the tussles in midfield for possession and territorial advantage.

Eventually, Espanyol managed to find some chinks in the defensive armour as the half drew to a close. In the 39th minute, Javi López sent a good ball through that Sergio García controlled well, then unleashed a ferocious strike that whizzed just wide of the post.

The opener wasn’t long in coming though, as Córdoba won the ball superbly upfield, slipped it to Sergio García out wide on the edge of the area in the 42nd minute. He looked up, picked out the runner and sent the perfect cross for Stuani to head home at the far post. Almería tried to respond quickly before the end of the half, and a free-kick almost brought a quick equaliser. Corona swinging the ball into the area and Trujillo lost his marker to make the header, but unable to steer it on target.

Although Espanyol had the narrow advantage of their goal, shortly after the second half began, they were soon down to ten men. In the 47th minute, goalscorer Stuani collected a second yellow card for elbowing an opponent.

As the game continued, Espanyol managed to stay tight despite their numerical disadvantage, but Aguirre still felt there were changes needed and he was the first to make movements from the bench. In the 55th minute, he replaced Simao and Córdoba with Álex Fernández and Pizzi. Almería followed suit then as Francisco made his first change, with Aleix Vidal on for Soriano.

Espanyol and Sergio García caught sight of goal in the 62nd minute, but though his aim was true, it was also stopped well by Esteban. Moments later and with Víctor Álvarez injured and unable to continue, the home side were forced to make their third change in the 65th minute, as Fuentes came on in his place.

From there, it all seemed to go completely wrong for Espanyol. Almería pushed forward well in the 68th minute and Corona sent in a dangerous cross from a free-kick, which Fran Vélez was able to reach with the header, putting his side back on level terms.

A swift double change then from Francisco for Almería, as he replaced scorer Vélez and Azeez with Zongo and Suso. The on loan Liverpool player didn’t take long to make his mark, after his side won a free-kick in the 72nd minute. Cool, calm and confident, Suso struck the dead-ball beautifully and straight into the back of the net. His side now had the lead and Espanyol had capitulated in a nightmare five minute spell.

Almería sought to kill the game, but Espanyol rediscovered their defensive solidity at the back, whilst also remaining dangerous themselves on the counter. Álex came close as the game headed into the final stretch and then in the 86th minute, a powerful counter from the home side could have brought them back into the game, but was stopped by a handball from Trujillo, with the Almería man collecting a yellow card, rather than concede the space that would have seen his opponents through.

The disappointment would be complete for Espanyol, deep into injury time and throwing everything forward. Almería caught them on the break and Zongo was clean through on goal, but before he reached the area, Javi López brought him down and as the last man, saw a straight red card. The free-kick came to nothing, but Almería had already done the damage, earning themselves a priceless three points.

Re: Jornada 35 primera division

Espanyol manager Javier Aguirre was far from impressed with his side, following loss to Almería at the Cornellà, insisting his players must buck up their ideas, as 41 points still isn’t enough to mathematically guarantee their safety in La Liga.

Following the 1-2 defeat at home against Almería, there wasn’t an ounce of satisfaction from the performance of his team, as Espanyol manager Javier Aguirre admitted he was furious with how the game turned out and far from happy with his players.

“I’m very angry. This defeat upsets me deeply and we’re concerned. We haven’t been able to take points. Now we have to get our heads down again, close ranks and regain the spirit we’ve lost.”

“During the game we we didn’t seem to have any accuracy, but even with that, we had the lead going into the break. We had everything in our own hands, then it all went against us. We lacked an understanding of how important the game was.”

“Now we have to get back to making a good finish to the season and get ourselves back on the path of victory. We’re still in a bad run of form and results.”

Clearly being unable to finish the game with eleven players on the field, didn’t help the cause, though Aguirre refused to criticise the referee directly, but suggested that the Almería player had pressured the match official for a second yellow card.

“The dismissal of Stuani changed everything. We’re left empty handed and our heads are down. The Almería player did his job very well, protested, the referee gave the free-kick and we were left looking like idiots.”

Aguirre concluded with a warning, that even with 41 points, they’re not yet mathematically safe and if their losing streak continues, they’ll have a real problem on their hands, but also accepting that he’s as much to blame.

“We’ve wasted the advantage we had and we’re in the shit now. We have to understand we need to look over our shoulders now, because those beneath us are pushing hard for points now and we don’t want to experience any agony on the final day of the season. This situation makes me angry, because I think that I too, as manager, haven’t been up to the level required.”

Re: Jornada 35 primera division

Almería manager Francisco was pleased with how his side battled against Espanyol, claiming themselves a priceless three points and restored belief, that they can still fight their way out of the relegation zone in La Liga.

Following the 1-2 away victory at Espanyol, Francisco acknowledged that their opponents are always a difficult side to face, but was very happy with how his team kept plugging away and never gave up.

“Espanyol might not be playing for anything, but they have good players and they always make life difficult. We were ambitious and we went for them. We believed in making the comeback and we got ourselves back where we wanted to be.”

Responding with a smile, at the suggestion that his side had utilised a little gamesmanship, to push Espanyol to their bookings and ultimately, the dismissal of two of their players, Francisco responded that the Stuani dismissal had helped open up the game for his team.

“It gave us a little bit more space. We knew that he and Víctor Álvarez were on yellow cards and if they got a second, then it would make things easier for us.”

On the whole, Francisco explained, his side had wanted to make life difficult for Espanyol in every way they could.

“We wanted Espanyol to get into a game of uncertainty, we wanted to make sure they were neither happy or comfortable. In the end, we had a lot more to play for than they did.”

Re: Jornada 35 primera division

Almería forward Suso scored the winning goal for his side, with a superbly taken free-kick as they claimed a crucial victory away at Espanyol.

Currently on loan from Liverpool, Suso made a cameo appearance from the bench from Almería and struck the perfect beat within moments of his introduction, scoring an excellent free-kick for the winning goal. This was shortly after another free-kick had from Corona had set up Fran Vélez for the equaliser.

After the game game and speaking with broadcasters, Suso gave his thoughts about the game and in particular, the success from dead-ball situations, that claimed his side the points.

“They made things very difficult for our strikers in the first-half, but we’ve deserved the win. Free-kicks are something we’ve been working on and today we’ve had good fortune, as they’ve brought us the result.”

Asked about his spectacular free-kick and resulting goal, Suso was humble about his strike.

“Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. Luckily, today’s the day one’s gone in for me.”

The win puts Almería back in the fight for survival in La Liga and Suso believes they can reach safety, during their three final games of the season.

“We’ve won today and while it remains mathematically possible, we have to keep going with enthusiasm in the game against Betis next week at home. We’ll need the points, because now we see everything completely differently with this win.”

Suso doesn’t expect that to be an easy game, even though Real Betis have nothing left to play for but their pride, after their own relegation on Saturday, pointing out that Espanyol had little to play for either, but they’d fought hard against his side.

“They’re professionals and they won’t want to lose, just like Espanyol today and they won’t look at is as if they’ve nothing to play for. They’re going to make it difficult for us.”

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Los Leones put three incredible goals past Sevilla at the San Mames to win 3-1 and move another step closer to Champions League play next season.

Athletic Club Bilbao hosted Sevilla on Sunday afternoon in danger of seeing the visitors pull level with them for fourth place in the La Liga table, but the night would belong solely to Los Leones.

As the game began it was clear that the home side were out for blood. Athletic attacked in numbers and were able to strike early in the most unforeseen way.

Markel Susaeta stepped up in the fourth minute to take the game’s first corner kick. He whipped the ball into the box and watched as it beat everyone, including Sevilla keeper Beto, to put Athletic up 1-0. The fans felt the energy and the San Mames began to roar.

The early goal clearly caught Sevilla off guard as they looked rattled and were forced back into defense. Athletic kept putting the pressure on, but struggled to double their lead.

Iker Muniain and Aritz Aduriz would both have great chances in the first half, yet they were not able to finish. The halftime whistle finally came with Athletic up 1-0 and Sevilla struggling to get into the game.

As the second half started the atmosphere had not changed. The fans were singing and Sevilla were being forced to create magic. The visitors were able to start getting forward and the match eventually leveled out.

However, just when Sevilla were starting to turn the match around, the Basques would strike again.

In the 53rd minute, Andoni Iraola sent in curling cross which found Iker Muniain alone at the back post. The winger volleyed his chance at goal and beat the keeper at the near post to double the lead for Los Leones.

The visitors were quickly running out of time to turn things around and would be put in more danger when Figueiras was sent off after picking up a second yellow. Twenty minutes later Athletic would strike again. It was Iraola again who sent in a very long cross into the box. Ander Herrera darted into the area and blasted a header past the keeper shocking everyone at the stadium.

Athletic began to celebrate and could tell that their search for the Champions League may finally be here.

Sevilla looked beaten but refused to give up. Five minute later Kevin Gameiro was able to run through a hole in the defense to get alone with the keeper. The Sevilla forward struck a shot at the far post and was able to pull one back for the visitors.

Athletic were not phased by conceding the strike and remained in control. The rest of the match played out with both sides cautious and not looking to do much more. The final whistle came with Athletic having won 3-1 to secure a six point lead over the fourth place spot and likely earning a place in the Champions League as well.

Jornada 35 primera division

Pobre Valladolid... han pasado del 0-1 al 2-0... aunque estaba atacando mejor el Celta.