Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois joined coach Zinedine Zidane in criticizing organizers LaLiga for not postponing his side's game at Osasuna on Saturday due to a snowstorm.
The match finished 0-0, denting Real's title bid, after they were ordered by LaLiga to travel to Pamplona the day before the game due to storm warnings, but had to wait for four hours on the icy runway before taking off.
Maybe you were watching Manchester United vs. Manchester City in the Carabao Cup (why?). Maybe you were watching the fall of the U.S. Capitol (that’s more sensible). Either way, you missed Lionel Messi crafting a staggering monument to his own genius on the San Mamés pitch Wednesday during Barcelona’s 3-2 LaLiga victory over Athletic Club
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At the end of September, Luis Suárez left Barcelona on a free transfer amidst tears and sadness. The Culés needed a renewal of players and a cleaning of the locker room after a nightmare 2019-20 season that closed with that 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
In the year 2021, Lionel Messi will turn 34 while Cristiano Ronaldo turns 36 in just one month’s time. Playing in their first matches of the New Year on Sunday, the duo showed just how important they remain to their respective clubs by providing match-winning moments.
Over in Spain, Messi returned from his extended winter break to appear in his 500th LaLiga match for Barcelona. He’s the first non-Spanish player to reach the milestone, and among active players, only Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos (505) and Real Betis’ Joaquín (565) have more.
Coming into the latest edition of the Basque Derby, both Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad had endured a dry spell of form.
After winning eight of nine games through late November, Sociedad drew six consecutive games before losing its next three. Having spent time at the top of the table this season, La Real's poor run saw it drop down to third. Athletic, on the other hand, has experienced inconsistency all season. Traditionally the more successful of the Basque giants, it now sits 12th in the table.
Javi Gracia's Valencia fell to a 2-1 defeat against Granada on Wednesday, the side's second consecutive loss.
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— Valencia CF (@valenciacf_en) December 30, 2020
Ten-man Granada defeated nine-man Valencia on Wednesday in one of the most ridiculously officiated games you’ll ever see at the highest level of professional sport. Adrián Cordero Vega was the man in the middle, and his performance included a questionable decision at the monitor followed by three red cards in six minutes.
There’s no shame in being excited by the collection of USMNT talent in LaLiga. The trio of Sergiño Dest, Konrad de la Fuente and Yunus Musah already represents a golden age of Americans in Spain’s top flight, although there’s something incredibly U.S. Soccer about the fact that they currently boast almost as many international caps as they do LaLiga appearances.
Lionel Messi could only watch from the Camp Nou stands — dressed like an arctic explorer in 50°F weather — as Barcelona stumbled to a 1-1 draw with an Eibar side that entered the match in 17th place on Tuesday.
It was a night to forget for center back Ronald Araújo, who was at fault for Eibar’s goal, and striker Martin Braithwaite, who missed a penalty in the eighth minute.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will miss Tuesday's match at home to Eibar due to an ankle injury, the LaLiga club said on Sunday.