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Post by steve on Dec 28, 2015 19:32:46 GMT 1
THAT'S JUST ABOUT IT THEN
Real Madrid remain excluded from the Copa del Rey after losing an appeal against their punishment for fielding an ineligible player.
The 19-time winners were expelled for playing winger Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz in the last 32 on 2 December.
Cheryshev should have been serving a one-match ban for yellow cards he was shown while on loan at Villarreal.
Spain's Administrative Court of Sport dismissed Real's appeal after "analysing all the parties' arguments".
The club can still appeal against the verdict, but would need to take the case to Spain's normal law courts - effectively starting litigation against the Spanish football federation.
Real, third in La Liga behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, last won the Copa del Rey in 2014.
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Post by lesd on Jan 6, 2016 20:49:35 GMT 1
6/1 - Last 16
A good afternoon for Mr Neville....Valencia 4-0 Granada - hat-trick for Negredo.
Sevilla take the Seville derby by 2-0 over Betis.
And Barca are up against Espanyol for the second time in four days.
Currently (after 20 mins) 1-1 with Messi getting the azulgranas on terms after Caicedo put Espanyol ahead.
43 mins....a stupendous Messi free kick makes it 2-1.
So, you're marking Neymar, Suarez and Messi when up pops Gerard Piqué to make it 3-1. (48 mins)
87 mins...Neymar to Messi to Neymar....4-1.
And that's it.
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Post by lesd on Jan 8, 2016 18:11:04 GMT 1
Well, not quite 'it'!
The return leg at Espanyol next Wednesday (13th) should be great fun!
According to the ref's report, Suarez verbally 'assaulted' Pape Diop in the tunnel after the game. He's been given a 2-match (CdR) ban.
And with Diop and Perez both seeing red for Espanyol, there is likely to be some afters waiting for the Barca lads when they arrive.
A not-to-be-missed game. Although it's possible that Enrique could 'rest' a few to defuse the situation.
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Post by lesd on Jan 13, 2016 0:19:03 GMT 1
Poor old Deportivo! Thrashed last week 5-0 at Real in La Liga get hammered AT HOME tonight 0-3 (1-4 on agg.) in the Copa by Mirandes from Segunda A.
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Post by lesd on Jan 13, 2016 21:34:40 GMT 1
And here we are for the third meeting of the Barcelona teams in two weeks.
30 mins and Barca's own 'Colonel' Munir makes it 0-1 at Espanyol. From an exquisite pass from the Ballon d'Or man.
40 mins and it looks as if Espanyol are trying to equal or beat last week's score of two reds!
Gonzalez scythes down Messi for his first yellow and then Caicedo gives Ter Stegen a straight fore-arm smash to pick up his yellow. Ter Stegen looks to have lost at least one tooth.
86 mins and what do you make of this.....
Arda Turan to Alex Vidal to Munir and slotted in for 0-2. Who needs Messi, Neymar and Suarez?
And that's that.
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Post by lesd on Jan 14, 2016 21:39:28 GMT 1
Valencia carry on where they left off thrashing Granada. When it gets to nil 5, 6, 7 on aggregate no one really wants to carry on playing. Terrible game.
Weird...no one looks happy at the end! 0-3...0-7 to Valencia on aggregate.
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Post by lesd on Jan 27, 2016 21:44:30 GMT 1
It's the big night again!
Barca vs Athletic Club Bilbao (2-1 from the first leg)
11 mins and Iñaki Williams makes it 0-1 to Athletic. A perfectly timed run outsprinting Matieu.
Barca may be regretting having complained about refereeing recently! The decisions aren't going their way. A good goal from Vermaelen ruled out. A clear penalty for Neymar not given and a further foul on Neymar by the 'last man' only receiving a yellow not red.
Half-time.
And a shock in the other game tonight...Atlético 2-3 Celta de Vigo. (First leg was 0-0)
52 mins...great ball through from Sergi Roberto to Messi...perfect cross past Rakitic to Suarez...1-1.
80 mins and Barca pressure tells. Piqué has a great header saved by Herrerin, but stays up for the corner and a perfect cross from Alves lands on his head....2-1.
90 mins and another assist for Sergi Roberto...ball slipped through to Neymar who blasts it into the net.
And that's that....3-1 (5-2 on agg.)
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Post by lesd on Jan 28, 2016 21:26:06 GMT 1
And tonight, Mr Neville is hoping to keep his job alive by progressing in the Copa. Whilst Seville should put Segunda Div Mirandes to the sword.
20 mins and Valencia go 0-1 up at Las Palmas with a tap-in from Rodrigo. (First leg 1-1)
Half-time in a very poor game.
(Just caught up with the goals from the Atléti/Celta game. Brilliant. Especially the Guidetti goal.....
Sevilla duly dispense with Mirandes 0-3.
And now for, hopefully, a better 45 minutes from Las Palmas.
Final score 0-1. Awful game.
Semi finalists are Barca, Celta, Sevilla and Valencia. The draw will take place tomorrow (Friday) and the games will be played over two legs next week and the week after. The final will be 21st May - somewhere! Location is always a problem.
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Post by lesd on Jan 29, 2016 22:30:12 GMT 1
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Post by lesd on Feb 3, 2016 21:03:36 GMT 1
Wed 3rd.
Barca vs Valencia.
And a laugh to start! Cheryshev, whose appearance for Real Madrid got them booted out of the Copa, is on the Valencia bench. Just hope Neville has checked his eligibility!
6 mins....Neymar to Suarez....1-0. Too easy!
11 mins...Busquets to Vidal to Suarez...2-0. Taxi for Mr Neville?
28 mins...Iniesta to Neymar to Suarez...no he leaves it for Messi...3-0.
How unselfish can Suarez be. On a hat trick and he leaves it for Messi! Mind you, with over an hour still to play, he'll probably notch a third anyway.
It goes from bad to worse! 44 mins and Moustafi brings down Messi for a penalty and a red!
But Neymar must be worrying about his court appearance. Hits the post.
Well, Valencia made it to half-time at only 3-0! But I'm not wasting time on the second half. Off to the pub. Bye for now.
I didn't miss much then!
4 for Suarez and 3 for Messi. No need to watch next week.
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Post by lesd on Feb 4, 2016 21:19:41 GMT 1
Thurs 4th
44 mins and a great header from Rami puts Sevilla 1-0 up against Celta.
59 mins and a determined Gameiro out-muscles Castro in a 1-to-1 to make it 2-0.
61 mins and a carbon copy ball over the top sets-up Gameiro for his second....3-0.
86 mins and Krohn-Delhi gets away from Castro as Celta are too far upfield and it's 4-0. All over.
Looks like it'll be a Barca vs Sevilla final. In which case it's likely to be at the Mestalla.
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Post by lesd on Feb 4, 2016 23:06:58 GMT 1
With next week's return leg for Barca being in Valencia and their La Liga game this weekend also being there (against Levante on Sunday KO 12:00!) will they hang around and have some trips out into the Valencian and Murcian countryside to see places they won't get to on a regular basis? Nueva Condomina for one!
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Post by lesd on Feb 10, 2016 20:48:39 GMT 1
Not sure that Barca are taking this evening's game in Valencia all that seriously!!!
Squad: Ter Stegen, Masip, Douglas, Rakitic, Bartra, Munir, Sandro, Sergi Roberto, Adriano, Aleix Vidal, Vermaelen, Mathieu, Wilfrid Kaptoum, Sergi Samper, Dani Romera, Juan Cámara, Gerard Gumbau & Carles Aleñá
38 mins and Negredo beats the offside trap and scores for Valencia. 1-0. (Agg...1-7)
And that's half-time.
Time for the pub.....back later.
Not much to miss then. Barca go the final with a 1-1 draw.
The make-shift defence seriously at fault for the Negredo goal with the 'experience' of Vidal/Bartra/Matieu/Adriano/Vermaelen at the back seemingly counting for nothing. And Enrique only continuing his unbeaten run (now a record 29 games) thanks to a goal from sub. Kaptoum who only came on 3 minutes earlier.
The youngsters up front unable to hit the proverbial barn door for the previous 84 minutes.
Tomorrow should see Sevilla being their opponents.
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Post by lesd on Feb 11, 2016 21:19:53 GMT 1
Celta vs Sevilla
36 mins....Iago Aspas gets one back for Celta (Agg. 1-4)
Half-time.
55 mins...Aspas bags a second. Could this be an upset?
56 mins...order returns! Ever Banega puts one in for Sevilla. 2-1 (Agg. 2-5)
88 mins...and it's 2-2.
And that's that. Barcelona will meet Sevilla in the final on 21st May.
BUT one player will not get to run out. Sevilla's N'Zonzi received a yellow for a needless foul at the end which rules him out. Some players really are thick!
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Post by steve on May 20, 2016 14:24:40 GMT 1
CATALONIA GO SCOTTISH
Barcelona fans will be handed 10,000 Scotland flags for Sunday's Copa del Rey final with Sevilla after pro-Catalan independence flags were banned.
The government's representative in Madrid decided not to allow the 'Estelada' flag to be used in the game in the city's Vicente Calderon ground for "operational and security reasons".
"We've chosen this symbol because it highlights the different treatment that Catalonia receives from Spain, compared with the UK government's treatment of Scotland," a group of bodies said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Barcelona released a statement following the Estelada ban. "FC Barcelona considers the decision to be an attack on the freedom of expression, the fundamental right of each and every individual to express their ideas and opinions freely and without censorship, a right which is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," it read.
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