Tag: La Liga

MADRID: Antoine Griezmann put up a stellar performance to take Atletico Madrid back on the winning track as they claimed a commanding 3-0 win over Real Valladolid in La Liga on Saturday. 

Griezamann, Alvaro Morata and Mario Hermoso scored first-half goals to earn points for Atletico just for the second time in their last seven league matches.

With a fifth straight defeat, Vallodolid, however, entered the unwanted relegation zone as they slipped to the 18th place after Sevilla went one point ahead of them following a 1-0 victory over Cadiz.

Atletico, on the other hand, jumps to the fourth and are 10 points behind table-toppers Barcelona, who still have two games in hand.

At Metropolitano, the home side took the commanding position early on, striking all three of their goals in a 10-minute span.

Griezmann set up the opener with a flick for Morata to score in the 18th minute, before getting on the scoresheet himself with a brilliantly executed backheel goal.

The Frenchman played a part in the third goal as well, finding Hermoso with a free-kick. Hermoso’s 28th-minute header was blocked by Valladolid goalkeeper Jordi Masip but the rebound landed back at his feet and the Atletico defender found the net.

Earlier, Espanyol beat Real Betis 1-0 thanks to the decider scored by Martin Braithwaite in the 43rd minute.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad earned a dominant 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano with a strike each from Alexander Sorioth and Ander Barrenetxea.

READ: Plooy propels Super Kings to thrilling win over Sunrisers in SA20

CADIZ: Elche’s Ezequiel Ponce struck in the 81st minute to end his side’s five-match losing streak with a 1-1 draw against Cadiz in the ongoing La Liga 2022/23.

Cadiz were in complete control of the game when Brian Ocampo struck the opener in just the seventh minute.

Following the early deficit, Elche responded with some close calls but Jeremias Ledesma blocked them to keep the hosts in the lead.

Ponce then finally dodged the Cadiz defences and fired in an equalizer in the 81st minute, which powered the side to hold home side Cadiz for a 1-1 draw.

A thrilling draw against Cadiz was their first after five successive defeats while their winless streak extended to 17 matches.

Elche also remained the only team which yet to taste triumph after fellow strugglers Cadiz ended the winning drought with a victory over Valencia.

Despite forcing the draw, Elche continued to stay at rock bottom with a mere five points, while Cadiz moved to 18th place.

READ: Markram’s all-round brilliance propel Eastern Cape to sink Cape Town 

SAB SEBASTIAN: Real Sociedad claimed their fourth win in a row to make their way into the top three in the La Liga table as they defeated Athletic Club 3-1 at Anoeta Stadium on Saturday.

The home side dominated their Basque rivals as Alexander Sorioth, Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal scored a goal each to earn points for the Sociedad.

Real Sociedad, after last night’s win, claimed the third spot in La Liga, three points behind second-placed Real Madrid while Barcelona are six points ahead of them at the top.

Sorioth opened the scoring in the 25th minute before Kubo doubled the lead 12 minutes later, however, Oihan Sancet brought the equation to 2-1 before the first half.

Sociedad regained the two-goal cushion with a penalty in the second half as Oyarzabal netted the ball from the spot in the 62nd minute.

Earlier, Osasuna edged past Mallorca thanks to the winner scored by Aimar Oroz early in the second half.

Meanwhile, Girona came from behind to seal a thrilling win over Sevilla with a late decider from Yangel Herrera.

Herrera struck the winner in the 88th minute after Cristhian Stuani grounded Sevilla’s first-half lead given by Tiangay Nanzou in the 13th minute.

However, in another fixture on Saturday, Isi Palazon earned vital points for Rayo Vallecano with a 66th-minute winner as they beat Valladolid 1-0.

READ: Shweta stars as India hammer South Africa in U19 Women’s T20 WC

BARCELONA: Celta Vigo’s substitute Jorgen Larsen struck in the 68th minute to draw 1-1 level for his side against Villarreal in the ongoing La Liga 2022/23 but the latter edged into the Champions League.

Villarreal were in complete control of the game when Gerard Moreno struck the opener in just the 15th minute.

Following the early deficit, Celta responded with some close calls but Pepe Reina blocked them to keep the visitors in the lead.

Celta’s greatest effort came just before halftime but the 40-year-old goalkeeper closed fast to block Iago Aspas’ shot and put it wide.

Villarreal then looked to double their lead in the second half but José Morales clipped the crossbar. However, briefly, after that Celta finally managed to fire in the equalizer in the 68th minute off Larsen.

Larsen’s second-half goal marked his first for Celta in 13 games since joining the side in the summer.

Meanwhile, despite missing the opportunity to claim a victory, Villarreal earned the qualification for the Champions League as they claimed a point that they needed to stay in fourth place.

READ: Man Utd replaces Ronaldo with Weghorst on loan

BILBAO: Osasuna held Athletic Club in a nil-nil draw at home to deny them a Champions League stand after failing to move Real Betis from fourth place in LaLiga table.

In the last game of matchday 16 on Monday, Athletic Club and Osasuna tied without goals at Nuevo San Mames.

Despite numerous chances, none of the teams was able to pierce into the rival’s defence after a 90-minute of high-paced action.

Athletic Club’s Nico Williams failed to capitalize on two very clear opportunities in the closing minutes, leaving Osasuna happy with their first point after two successive defeats.

Osasuna lost to Barcelona 2-1 and Real Sociedad by 2-0 in their last two encounters.

With the draw, the visiting side jumped a spot to the eighth position with 24 points.

Meanwhile, Barcelona has a three-point advantage over Real Madrid at the top of the standings. Real Sociedad is third, nine points behind the Catalan giants after 16 matches.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: France captain Lloris retires from international football

MADRID: Ousmane Dembele scored the winner to take Barcelona three points clear at the top of LaLiga after defeating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in a tense game on Sunday.

Xavi Hernandez’s side went out to make a statement victory at Metropolitano following reigning champions Real Madrid’s shock 2-1 defeat against Villareal on Saturday.

The visitors started on high as Dembele earned the lead the in the 22nd minute with a side-foot finish off Gavi’s assist.

Atletico built up the pressure from then onwards but could not find an equalizer till the last as Antoine Griezmann’s effort was cleared off the line by Ronald Araujo in the added time.

The match ended with an ill-tempered affair between Ferran Torres and Stefan Savic with both getting red cards for the scuffle.

Barcelona solidified its position at the top with 41 points, three points ahead of second-placed Madrid after last night’s win.

Earlier David Silva produced a stellar to aid third-place Real Sociedad thump Almeria 2-0, while Real Betis climbed to fourth following a thrilling 2-1 win at Rayo Vallecano.

Meanwhile, beleaguered Sevilla claimed their first league win since October 15, lifting them out of the relegation zone with a late 2-1 victory over Getafe at home.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: Bracewell replaces injured Henry in New Zealand squad for Pakistan ODIs

VILLAREAL: Real Madrid missed a chance to go back to the top of the La Liga table after a shocking 1-2 defeat against Villareal on Saturday. 

The defending champions suffered their second loss of the season after an assist and goal from Villareal striker Gerard Moreno at El Madrigal, keeping table toppers Barcelona ahead in the title race.

The hosts opened the scoring through Yeremy Pino just after the break but a dubious handball call allowed Real Madrid to level in the 60th minute with Karim Benzema hitting the penalty,

But, the lead was restored quickly after David Alba handled Juan Foyth in the penalty area and Moreno fired home from the spot to secure points for Villareal, who climbs up to fifth after winning their third consecutive league game.

Madrid remain second, tie on 38 points with Barcelona who visit fourth-placed Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Despite an unwanted result, Benzema became the joint sixth all-time goal scorer’s in the top Spanish League as he levelled Real legend Alfredo di Stefano’s 227 La Liga goals.

In another Saturday fixture, Mallorca sealed a thrilling 1-0 win over Valladolid, thanks to Abdon Prats’s late decider in stoppage time.

Meanwhile, Girona held Espanyol, who denies Barcelona victory last week in the Catalan derby, to a 2-2 draw after a tense game at RCDE stadium.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: South Africa hold out for rare draw to deny Australia series sweep

ELCHE: Veteran striker Iago Aspas’ fifth-minute goal was enough to power Celta Vigo to run through the winless Elche and ended their eight-match losing streak in the ongoing LaLiga 2022/23.

The rock-bottom Elche continued to struggle in the ongoing season of the Spanish league as they remain the only team without a win after 16 league matches.

Elche’s defeat came following an unwanted start to the year 2023 as the side relegated from the Copa del Rey courtesy of a 1-0 loss at the hands of third-division club Ceuta.

Newly-appointed coach Pablo Machín also failed to turn the fortune in the bottom-ranked Elche’s favour as he sustained his third defeat after taking the charge. His first match was a 2-0 loss at Atlético Madrid before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Celta Vigo, which got the match-winner in just the fifth minute off Aspas, ended their eight-match losing streak, while their last triumph was in October against Real Betis. It also had been eliminated in the Copa del Rey midweek.

The triumph over Elche lifted Celta Vigo to 16th spot, three points clear of the relegation zone.

On the other hand, Cadiz also enjoyed a similar outcome in their match at Valencia as the side ended a three-match losing streak with a 1-0 triumph over the hosts and moved out of the relegation zone.

Cadiz, however, found their match-winner in the ninth minute when Ruben Alcaraz struck from just outside the box off Ruben Sobrino’s astounding assist having carried the ball all the way through before firing a perfect pass.

READ: Pakistan Women’s cricket team departs for Australia 

BARCELONA: Marcos Alonso went from hero to zero as Espanyol held toppers Barcelona to a 1-1 draw on Saturday yet the Catalan giants still claimed the top spot on goal difference.

Referee Antonio Matue Lahoz, however, took the centre stage he handed out fifteen yellow cards and two red cards in the game at Camp Nou.

After Alonso gave Barcelona an early lead Lahoz sprang into action and before the break, he booked four players besides awarding Espanyol a penalty in the second half, which Joselu converted to equalize for his side.

Jordi Alba was laid off in the final half after getting two yellow cards inside four minutes for his protests to Mateu Lahoz and two minutes later Esoanyol’s Vinicius Souza was also brandished a red card by the Spanish referee.

In minute 81, he awarded Souza’s team-mate, Leandro Cabrera, a red card after adjudging that the defender had deliberately hit a boot on Robert Lewandowski’s head but a VAR review forced him to change the decision.

While Xavi’s men were clearly unhappy with the chaotic referring decisions, Lahoz, however, used his card once more, booking Barca’s manager and Raphinha, for protesting his decisions.

Meanwhile, in another Saturday fixture, Real Sociedad sank visitors Osasuna 2-0, thanks to Brais Mendez and Alexander Sorioth’s goals in each half.

Villareal, however, edged past Valencia 2-1 with help of a late decider by Juan Foyth in the last fixture of the day.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: No more flat surface, bouncy pitch prepared to help pacers in second Test

MADRID: Karim Benzema shrugged off his World Cup misery with two late goals that powered Real Madrid to thump Valladolid 2-0 on Friday to take over the top spot in LaLiga standings.

Ballon d’Or winner Benzema was initially named in the French squad for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar but an untimely thigh injury amid training forced the striker to withdraw hours before the commencement of the opening game.

Benzema then decided to hang his boots from international football, following the conclusion of the mega event in which France endured a frustrating defeat in the final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

In his first La Liga fixture after the World Cup however, the French striker scored his first goal in the competition since October 19 when Real Madrid defeated Elche.

However, it took him 83 minutes to score his first goal of the game, which came from a penalty that was granted after Javi Sanchez was fouled for handball.

Benzema then soon made it double when he scored from a pass by French compatriot Eduardo Camavinga to add further to the misery of 10-men Valladolid, courtesy of a red card for Sergio Leon.

Following the victory, Real Madrid claimed the top spot in the league’s standings one point clear of second-placed Barcelona, who, however, can reclaim the top position on Saturday when they take on city rivals Espanyol.

Meanwhile, the other two La Liga fixtures between Sevilla and Celta Vigo and Almeria versus Cadiz ended in a one-all draw.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: Two Pakistanis included as Wisden unveils men’s ODI team of 2022