La Liga

MADRID — Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said on Friday that there is no problem between forwards Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior.

Barcelona's 17-year-old midfielder Pedri may not have got on the scoresheet in his side's 2-0 Champions League win over Juventus but the teenager was the unmistakeable star in a victory that gave life to his wounded side and put him on the map.

Given a second start in a row despite looking fazed in Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid, Pedri played with ambition and bravery against the Italian champions, driving Barça's play with slick passing and confident dribbling.

After a week in which Karim Benzema's damning opinion of strike partner Vinícius Júnior was unwittingly revealed, Real Madrid's forwards will be hoping to present a united front when they host Huesca in LaLiga on Saturday.

BARCELONA — Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned from the club on Tuesday ahead of a vote of no confidence that was due to be held next month after some 20,000 fans signed a petition demanding that he step down.

The rest of the board of directors also resigned.

"It's a thought-out, serene, informed decision" to resign, Bartomeu said in a televised speech.

Real Madrid is one step closer to getting its money’s worth for Eden Hazard. The $113 million man is finally back in the squad after last playing on Aug. 7 in a Champions League defeat to Manchester City.

The Belgian’s tenure with Real Madrid has been marred with injuries to put it lightly. A broken fibula that required surgery saw Hazard sidelined for the majority of the 2019-20 campaign. The nightmare of a season for the Belgian saw him score one goal.

Real Sociedad blitzed Huesca 4-1 at home on Sunday with two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal for a fourth straight win in all competitions to storm back to the top of LaLiga in style.

Spain forward Oyarzabal put the Basque side ahead with a penalty in the first half and restored their lead early in the second after Huesca forward Rafa Mir had headed in an equalizer. 

Sociedad's Cristian Portu and Alexander Isak then put the game beyond the promoted side's reach with further strikes, both laid on by passes from David Silva.

BARCELONA — Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos once again proved to be the man for the big occasion as he converted a fiercely debated penalty to help his side to a 3-1 win over rivals Barcelona at an empty Camp Nou in LaLiga on Saturday.

Ramos, making a record 45th appearance in the 'Clasico' fixture, was awarded the spot-kick following a VAR review, after falling in the area when his shirt was tugged by Barca's Clement Lenglet as the pair contested a corner.

There’s no doubt Saturday’s El Clásico was an unusual one. For starters, no fans were allowed in the Camp Nou, as Covid-19 precautions are still keeping stadiums empty. Then there was the fact neither side came into the match among LaLiga’s top two teams in the table, with Barcelona all the way in 10th and Real Madrid coming off two straight defeats. 

And perhaps most notably this side of the pond, for the first time ever, an American was playing in the match.

With a quick tweet of the ref’s whistle and a swift kick from Karim Benzema, 19-year-old Sergiño Dest made history. The fullback became the first American to play in El Clásico on Saturday, starting on the right flank of Barcelona’s defense alongside Gerard Piquè, lining up opposite of Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior.

Kickoff at Camp Nou makes this one .