La Liga 2023/24 Archives

La Liga: Atletico Madrid crush Rayo Vallecano 7-0 to jump to second position

PUENTE DE VALLECAS: Atletico Madrid ruthlessly destroyed Rayo Vallecano in their own backyard on Monday with a score of 7-0, consequently jumping to second position in the La Liga points table at Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas (Estadio de Vallecas).

Both teams went to the ground without a loss in their previous two games, however, the visitors gained an early advantage as Antoine Griezmann scored in the second minute into the game courtesy of Rodrigo De Paul’s assist.

Rodrigo De Paul also attempted to score a goal of his own, but his attempt was missed.

Rayo Vallecano made two vain attempts before Atletico Madrid’s Memphis Depay extended the lead to 2-0 at the 16-minute mark.

Rodrigo De Paul made another assist in the 36th minute as Nahuel Molina scored the third goal for Atletico Madrid.

The home side made two attempts before the first half but failed to get a goal over Atletico.

The game appeared to be over at 3-0 in the first half but the visitors did not slow down, and struck the fourth goal in the 73rd minute thanks to Álvaro Morata, who came off the bench for injured Memphis Depay. The fifth goal came a mere six minutes later as Ángel Correa netted from outside the box.

Ángel Correa assisted Álvaro Morata to score another goal in the 84th minute before Marcos Llorente hit the final nail in the coffin with the seventh goal only two minutes later to hand a humiliating defeat to Rayo Vallecano.

This was the biggest-ever away win in La Liga for Atletico Madrid.

In another La Liga game, home side Getafe clinched a late victory over Alaves after a hard-fought game at Coliseum Alfonso Pérez. The scores were level at the 80-minute mark and the game appeared to be drawn, however, Alaves’ Xeber Alkain was shown a yellow card, awarding a penalty to Getafe. Borja Mayoral successfully converted the penalty to close the game with a 1-0 win.

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La Liga: Barcelona avoid Villarreal scare in seven-goal thriller

VILLARREAL: Defending champions Barcelona came back from behind to steal the victory from home team Villarreal in a thrilling clash in the ongoing La Liga season at El Madrigal on Sunday.

The team Villarreal began the game strong, but Barcelona quickly turned the tables with two goals in just three minutes, scored by Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, putting the hosts under immense pressure early on.

Villarreal, however, pulled one back at the 25-minute mark as Juan Foyth rose highest at a corner and headed past a helpless Ter Stegen. They did not stop there and Alexander Sørloth scored an equalizer in the 39th minute to close the first half at 2-2.

Just five minutes into the second half Villarreal’s Alex Baena stunned Barcelona with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box to give the home side an advantage over the defending champions.

Barcelona’s 16-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal hit a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to equalize but it hit the bar to deny a lead to the Catalans.

However, Ferran Torres, who came off the bench to replace Oriol Romeu, scored an equalizer for Barcelona in the 68th minute. Meanwhile, they went ahead of Villarreal in the 71^st minute as Polish striker Robert Lewandowski finally got his name on the scoresheet with the winning goal, after failing to net the ball in the previous two matches against Getafe and Cadiz.

Barcelona’s Ansu Fati made two attempts in the last few minutes, however, the hosts denied any other goal to finish the game at a deficit of one goal.

In another La Liga fixture played at San Mames, home side Atheltic Club thumped Real Betis 4-2 to register their second consecutive victory in the season.

The visitors started the game tremendously with Willian José scoring at the two-minute mark into the game. They doubled the lead with a goal eight minutes later as Aitor Ruibal assisted Isco to lead by 2-0.

However, Nico Williams’ foul allowed a penalty to the home side, and Mikel Vesga converted the penalty to reduce the difference for Athletic Club. Mikel Vesga scored off another penalty to level the scores.

Just before the final whistle for the first half, Gorka Guruzeta netted the ball to give the lead to the home side.

Real Betis made several attempts in the second half but Athletic Club did not allow them to get past and dominated the game, and scored another goal in the 84^th minute to close the match at 4-2.

Meanwhile, Osasuna defeated Valencia (2-1) at their home ground Mestalla Stadium to deny them second spot in the La Liga points table.

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Girona jump to second position in La Liga table after sinking Sevilla

SEVILLE: Girona rocketed to the second position in the La Liga 2023-24 points table, after thumping home-side Sevilla 2-1 to register their second win in the ongoing La Liga season at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Saturday.

The home side started the game on high with an early missed attempt by Lucas Ocampos, however, Girona quickly took things under control with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box by Yangel Herrera in the 15th minute.

Sevilla, however, kept challenging Girona’s defence and made several attempts but all in vain until Nemanja Gudelj finally hit the centre of the net minutes before half-time to level the scores.

Girona did not wait too long, as Arnau Martínez assisted Aleix García to give visitors the match-winning advantage in the 55th minute.

Sevilla’s Ivan Rakitic scored an equalizer four minutes later, however, it was ruled out after a VAR review further adding to the frustrations of the home side.

Sevilla fought hard till the end looking to equalize but Girona held their ground to deny any goal, keeping their lead intact to finish the game at 2-1.

In another match played at Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes, Granada edged Mallorca 3-2 to register their first win in the ongoing La Liga season.

Both teams kicked off this match looking for their first win in the season, however, home-side Gernada quickly gained the lead in the eleventh minute as Miguel Ángel Rubio scored thanks to a cross by José Callejón.

The visitors scored the equalizer in the 37th minute courtesy of Abdón Prats to close the first half at 1-1. The home side, however, made a resounding comeback in the first minute of the second half to get the lead back.

They further extended their lead with a penalty by Myrto Uzuni in the 69th minute after Cyle Larin was shown a yellow card for handball.

Mallorca made several attempts and consequently scored their second goal by Samú Costa in the 87th minute before the final whistle announced victory for the home side.

Meanwhile, in another La Liga fixture, Almeria scored a late equalizer in the extra-time over Cadiz to settle for a 1-1 stalemate.

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Pedri, Torres’ late goals help Barcelona edge Cadiz in La Liga

Pedri and Ferran Torres scored late goals to help defending champions Barcelona register their first victory in the 2023-24 La Liga season, as they edged Cadiz 2-0 on Sunday.

After a controversial drawn game against Getafe in their season-opener, Barcelona stepped into Montjuic -Barcelona’s new home as Camp Nou undergoes renovation-, looking for their first win in the ongoing season of La Liga, without their star winger Raphinha and coach Xavi.

Barcelona coach Xavi was banned for two games after being handed a red card for his touchline behaviour against Getafe, while Raphinha also received a red card for elbowing an opponent in the first half.

Cadiz, on the other hand, entered the match with the momentum gained from their 1-0 win over Alaves in their season-opener. However, they also missed their midfielder Gonzalo Escalante, who received a red card in the previous game.

Barcelona dominated the game from the first whistle and had a chance in the 28th minute when 16-year-old Lamine Yamal’s attempt was denied by a brilliant save by the Cadiz goalkeeper. The first half ended in a stalemate.

Barcelona made several attempts in the second half but to no avail, until Pedri finally gave the home side a much-needed lead at the 81-minute mark. Ferran Torres then replaced Lamine Yamal in the 85^th minute and scored in the extra time to close the match at 2-0.

In another La Liga fixture, Girona defeated Getafe 3-0 to jump to the third position in the points table with a superior goal difference.

Girona started the game strongly with a goal in the 12^th minute as Yangel Herrera scored off a header to give the advantage to the home side.

The first half closed at 1-0, however, Girona riding high on the momentum gained in the first half, came stronger in the second half.

Girona forward, Cristhian Stuani showed his brilliance and scored a brace in ten minutes to give Girona a decisive 3-0 lead, which remained intact until the final whistle.

Girona will now face Sevilla on August 27, while defending champions Barcelona will face Villarreal on the same day.

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Barcelona start La Liga title defence with ill-tempered Getafe stalemate

Reigning La Liga champions Barcelona kicked off their title defence with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Getafe on Sunday, with both sides reduced to 10 men in a bad-tempered clash.

Barcelona’s winger Rapinha was sent off the field for a foul elbow tackle in the first half while Getafe’s Jaime Mata was dismissed for two yellow cards early in the second.

In addition to that, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was also sent out for touchline squabbles as his side pushed for a late winner but, like last season, began their La Liga campaign goalless.

Xavi handed debuts to their recent summer signings — Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu — in Barcelona’s one of the most uncomfortable away trips of the season.

The Catalans had failed to score in their last three visits to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez and Getafe got in Barcelona’s faces right away.

Damin Suarez barged former Manchester City midfielder Gundogan in the chest among other four tackles.

Raphinha, who was targeted on multiple occasions, eventually snapped, flinging an elbow into Gaston Alvarez’s head, which resulted in him receiving a red card.

Barcelona failed to make a breakthrough and will have to play catch-up after rivals Real Madrid pulled ahead with a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

In another La Liga fixture, Real Betis snatched a late win over Villarreal, courtesy of Willian Jose’s stoppage-time strike.

Ayoze Perez put the visitors ahead after fine work by Luis Henrique, but Jorge Cuenca pulled Villarreal level before Jose’s late winner.

Last Copa del Rey’s runners-up Osasuna won 2-0 at Celta Vigo, inflicting defeat on the Galicians in veteran manager Rafa Benitez’s first game at the helm.

The defending champions next face Cadiz on Sunday while their traditional rivals Real Madrid will take on Almeria a day earlier.

READ: Rayo Vallecano crush Almeria in La Liga opener as Valencia prevail

Rayo Vallecano crush Almeria in La Liga opener as Valencia prevail

Home side Rayo Vallecano scripted a flying start to their La Liga 2023-24 campaign with a dominating 2-0 win over Almeria while Valencia edged Europa League champions Sevilla 2-1.

Valencia, who avoided being relegated by a mere two points in the previous La Liga season, started their campaign on a high against momentum-filled Sevilla and soon got their reward at the hour mark when thanks to Mouctar Diakhaby.

Guinea international defender Diakhaby produced an exceptional finish after good work by Portuguese teammate Andre Almeida.

Valencia’s lead however shortlived as Sevilla pulled one back nine minutes later, courtesy of Morocco’s forward Youssef En-Nesyri, who headed in at the far post from a well-calculated cross by Suso.

Valencia’s Javi Guerra then left the home crowd stunned when he fired an 88-minute match-winner, pounding on the brilliant opportunity set up by Hugo Duro.

Notably, home side Sevilla was a man down for the last 10 minutes of their fixture against Valencia after Frenchman Loic Bade was given a red card for shirt pulling.

Click to watch La Liga 2023-24 Live on ARY ZAP

In the La Liga 2023-24 curtain raiser, hosts Rayo Vallecano handed a 2-0 thrashing to Almeria.

Randy Nteka starred in scripting a perfect start to Rayo Vallecano’s campaign as he scored one goal and helped produce another.

Midfielder Isi Palazon opened the scoring for Rayo Vallecano in the 20th minute after Almeria defender Edgar González fouled Nteka in the area when the two were squabbling over a ball.

Nteka, who spent the second part of the previous La Liga season on loan at Elche, converted his second penalty kick eight minutes later after Almeria’s Sergio Akieme used his arm to stop a cross from him in the penalty area.

It is worth mentioning here that defending champions Barcelona will kick off their campaign against Getafe on Sunday while former champions Real Madrid will take on Athletic Club on Saturday.

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A Sports HD, ARY ZAP to broadcast La Liga season 2023-24

KARACHI: ARY Digital Network has once again announced an exciting update for sports lovers in Pakistan as the La Liga season 2023-24 will be broadcasted live on Pakistan’s first HD sports channel A Sports HD and ARY ZAP.

After successfully broadcasting the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and the previous edition of La Liga, A Sports HD and ARY ZAP will air the next edition of the Spanish league.

Notably, ARY Digital Network successfully secured the rights to the next two La Liga seasons in August last year.

Viewers in Pakistan can watch the event live on A Sports or stream it through the ARY ZAP application.

Administered by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, it is contested by 20 teams, with the three lowest-placed teams at the end of each season being relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top two teams and a play-off winner in that division.

La Liga has been the top league in Europe in each of the seven years from 2013 to 2019 (calculated using accumulated figures from five preceding seasons) and has led Europe for 22 of the 60 ranked years up to 2019, more than any other country.

La Liga Season 2023-24 will commence on August 12.

La Liga will embark with the home side Almeria taking on Rayo Vallecano in the curtain raiser at Power Horse Stadium on August 11. Whereas, Barcelona will be competing in the event to defend their title.

Known for promoting sports in the country, Mr Salman Iqbal- who also owns Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings- has the honour of launching Pakistan’s first HD sports channel A-Sports in October 2021.

A-Sports has previously aired ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and 2022, PSL Season 2022 and 2023, major bilateral series of the Pakistan cricket team, Formula 1 Grand Prix Season 2022-23, SA20, Major League Cricket, FairBreak Invitational, Karachi Open Squash Championship among other major sports events.

Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel also airs the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL).

ARY ZAP, the popular app owned by ARY Digital Network, recently, live-streamed the five-match ODI and T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand, earlier in April-May.

Real Madrid with Benzema void to fill as La Liga returns

Real Madrid begin life after Karim Benzema looking to wrest back the Spanish title from Barcelona as the La Liga season kicks off this weekend, seemingly content to play the waiting game for Kylian Mbappe.

Karim Benzema, the reigning Ballon d’Or, swapped the Santiago Bernabeu for Saudi Arabia in June after 14 seasons in Madrid, where he is second on the club’s all-time goalscoring list with 354 — trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo.

In a bid to bridge the 10-point gap that separated them from Barcelona last season, Madrid splashed out 103 million euros ($112 million) on England international Jude Bellingham and swooped for Turkish prodigy Arda Guler.

But Mbappe, who has scored 212 goals in 260 games for Paris Saint-Germain, is the player they have long targeted.

After missing out on the France captain last year as he agreed a new deal to stay in Paris, Madrid again appear the likely destination for Mbappe, who is locked in a contract dispute with PSG.

Mbappe is training with PSG’s reserves and has been told he must sign a new contract if he wants to remain with the French champions this term.

PSG are thought to suspect that Kylian Mbappe has already struck a deal to join the Spanish giants for free in June 2024, but Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has been reluctant to broach the subject publicly.

Mbappe “is a player who is not at Madrid,” Ancelotti said last month. “To talk about players who are not here, it doesn’t seem right to me.”

While Madrid weigh up a late bid for the exiled Mbappe before this transfer window shuts, Vinicius Junior is set to become the focal point of the attack after inheriting the number seven shirt worn by Ronaldo, Raul and Emilio Butragueno.

Ancelotti plans to experiment with a system that exploits the attacking potential of Bellingham and Guler, with veteran striker also Joselu making a surprise return to his former club.

The 33-year-old journeyman, who played twice for Madrid in 2011, finished as the top-scoring Spaniard with 16 goals for Espanyol in the last La Liga season.

“For me, the squad has improved,” said Ancelotti. “We have lost a player who has been fundamental for years in Karim… a club legend. But we have a very young group that we are convinced will give us a lot of satisfaction.”

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has questioned whether he has enough depth for the upcoming season after a relatively quiet summer. That concern is even greater with the club unable as yet to register their new arrivals.

A year ago, the Catalan club’s board sold off various assets to raise enough money to comply with spending restrictions imposed on the club, but that didn’t stop them luring a raft of new signings including Robert Lewandowski.

Twelve months on, Barcelona have continued their recent policy of hiring experienced players at zero transfer cost, albeit fewer, bringing in Manchester City’s treble-winning captain Ilkay Gundogan.

They toyed with the idea of re-signing Lionel Messi, but the club’s perilous financial situation effectively ruled out a reunion and the Argentine instead moved to Inter Miami.

Centre-back Inigo Martinez has arrived from Athletic Bilbao, with Oriol Romeu returning to his boyhood club as what Barcelona hope will be a low-price replacement for Sergio Busquets.

The loss of the influential Busquets, who joined Messi and Jordi Alba in Miami this summer, is one of Xavi’s greatest worries.

“A player who has been so important for us, on and off the pitch… we have to find a very important player to replace Busquets,” Xavi said in May.

“We have to find this piece, if we want to compete well.”

French winger Ousmane Dembele is also poised to leave Barcelona after receiving an offer from PSG.

Atletico Madrid finished third last La Liga season, just a point behind their city rivals after a vastly improved second half, and hope a reinforced defence can strengthen their title prospects.

Cesar Azpilicueta signed from Chelsea, with Turkey’s Caglar Soyuncu arriving from Leicester and left-back Javi Galan moving from Celta Vigo.

Joao Felix, the club’s record signing in 2019, is not viewed as part of coach Diego Simeone’s plans following his return from an unsuccessful loan at Chelsea, and is expected to be offloaded.

Real Sociedad, who qualified for the Champions League, have brought in Portugal forward Andre Silva on loan following the retirement of Spain great David Silva after a serious knee injury suffered during pre-season.

Villarreal, fifth last term, are set for a rebuild after losing Nicolas Jackson and Pau Torres to the Premier League, and Samuel Chukwueze to AC Milan.

Granada are back in the top flight after securing promotion at the first attempt along with play-off winners Alaves, with Las Palmas returning after a five-year absence.

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