Tag: La Liga

VALENCIA: Antoine Griezmann’s stellar goal in the second half helped Atletico Madrid beat Valencia 1-0 to surge in La Liga standings following their crushing defeat by Getafe in the last game.  

Atletico made a promising start and unleashed a vigorous attack against the opponent as Joao Felix nearly hit the post but Mamardashvili sprawled on the right corner to save for Valencia.

The referee slapped Valencia with a red card before halftime as Thierry Correia brought down Alvaro Morata but a VAR review upheld the foul and only granted a yellow.

Atletico continued the attack in the second half and finally took a lead in the 66th minute when Griezmann shot the ball from the area into the bottom left corner after a slight deviation with no chance for Mamardashvili to stop it.

The home side failed to equalize the lead in the remaining time taking Atletico to the sixth position in the standings after the narrow win.

Meanwhile, Athletic Club clinched a comprehensive win over the home side, Cadiz, by 4-0 in the earlier game on Monday thanks to Gorka Guruzeta’s brace with Inaki Williams and Alejandro Remiro scoring a goal apiece.

With the win, Athletic Club held off Villareal to take the fourth spot with Real Madrid running on top at the end of match day three of the ongoing season.

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SPAIN: Celta Vigo have clinched their first triumph of the ongoing La Liga 2022-23 season as skipper Iago Aspas struck and powered the side to an away victory at Girona, while Real Betis thumped Osasuna 1-0 to maintain their unbeaten run.

The two sides went hard at each other in the first half and apparently got a chance to secure the breakthrough but failed to make it count.

Celta Vigo skipper Aspas then made no mistake and took just a few minutes and arrowed home to hand his side a much-needed lead that lasted till the final whistle.

The rest of the match followed a tense battle between the two teams and a series of substitutions but it all went in vain as the scoreboard remained intact at 1-0 despite the extra time.

In another match, however, Real Betis carried their domination over Osasuna and enhanced their unbeaten run over the latter to nine matches with a home 1-0 victory on Friday.

Betis are currently undefeated after three games in the ongoing La Liga season and lead the standings by nine points, followed by Villarreal and Real Madrid, who each have six points, and are in second and third place, respectively.

The visiting side posed the majority of scoring threats in the early stages of the game before Los Verdiblancos star Borja Iglesias struck in the 34th minute to put Betis in front.

Betis sought to build on their lead in the second half, but German Pezzella’s late red card thwarted their chances and had to settle for a 1-0 victory over Osasuna.

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GIRONA: The home side Girona tasted their first victory of the ongoing La Liga 2022-23 season as they stunned Getafe 3-1 on Monday.

Former Major League Soccer top-scorer Taty Castellanos, who is playing for a one-season loan from New York City FC, netted his first La Liga goal to put Girona up front with a 3-0 lead in the 64th minute.

The home side had a brilliant start to the match as Cristhian Stuani invaded Getafe’s defence and netted the first goal for his side in the ongoing season. Stuani found it hard to sneak through the defence, however, a sloppy effort from the goalkeeper handed him the desired outcome.

The second half of the match got off to a dramatic start as Getafe defender Domingos Duarte netted an own goal to enhance the hosts’ command.

Getafe striker Enes Unal, whose strike in the 56th minute was turned down by the referee after a video review, struck a consolation goal in the 73rd minute when his side was already trailed by three goals.

The two sides remained indulged in a tense battle in the closing minutes but the scoreboard remained intact despite the extra time.

Getafe lost to Atletico Madrid 3-0 at home to start the season, while Girona suffered a 1-0 loss to Valencia.

The victory over Getafe, however, resulted in Girona rising to the eighth position, while Getafe sank to the bottom with two straight defeats.

Meanwhile, in another match, Elche midfielder Alex Collado struck in the 30th minute to trump Almeria Umar Sadiq’s strike in the 23rd as the two sides finished at a 1-1 draw to share the points.

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

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VIGO: Defending champions Real Madrid continued their title defence in style as they cruised to a comprehensive win over Celta Vigo 4-1 on Saturday in La Liga’s second week of the season.

Karim Benzema scored the opening goal of the game on a penalty before Iago Aspas equalized for the home side, but then Madrid upped the ante and drifted the game away from Celta Vigo’s reach.

With goals from Luka Modric, Federico Valverde, and Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid earned its second victory of the season and signalled the intention to continue its domination over the title.

In the absence of Toni Kroos and Casemiro, with the latter transferred to Machester United for £70 million, Modric remained phenomenal as he gave Madrid the lead with a signature curling shot just before halftime, and he later set up Vinicius Junior with a brilliant pass to make it 3-1 after the break.

With all eyes focused on Casemiro’s replacement, Aurelien Tchouameni showed strength as his forward strides propelled Real Madrid’s fourth goal, finished off by Fede Valverde.

Meanwhile, in other matches of the day, Osasuna thump Cadiz 2-0 in a home game while Real Betis edged past the home side Mallorca 2-1 with Borja Igleasis scoring twice after being awarded penalties.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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CATALONIA: Rayo Vallecano strikers Isi Palazon and Pathe Ciss struck in the first and second half respectively to bolster their side to beat Espanyol 2-0 in a heated La Liga clash on Friday as both sides ended with 10 men each.

After holding the strong Barcelona for a goalless draw in their opening match of the La Liga 2022-23 campaign, Rayo Vallecano tasted their first defeat as they outclassed Espanyol 2-0 to secure the top spot in the standings.

Rayo’s encounter got off to an unfavourable start when defender Florian Lejeune was sent off after getting his second yellow card in two minutes.

Later at the half-hour mark, the two sides squared off in terms of their fielders as Espanyol defender Sergio Gomez received a red card for a rough tackle.

Spanish striker Palazon scored in the 40th minute to give Rayo an early 1-0 lead and bolstered the side to finish the first half on a high.

A few minutes into the second half, the Senegalese midfielder Ciss struck from the corner to propel Rayo to a dominating 2-0 lead that lasted till the final whistle.

Iraola added veteran Radamel Falcao as a late replacement, and although being active, he was twice flagged for offside. Whereas, Espanyol was denied a consolation goal in the closing minutes as Javier Prado hit the post.

Meanwhile, in another match, Real Valladolid failed to taste a much-awaited victory over Sevilla as the promoted side had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Valladolid, which last defeated Sevilla 10 years ago, were looking solid to run away with an anticipated victory when Anuar Mohamed Tuhami netted the ball in the 80th minute.

Karim Rekik, however, stunned Valladolid as he cut their celebrations six minutes later with an astounding equalizer and powered his side to hold on for a draw.

After Sevilla’s season-opening loss against Osasuna by a score of 2-1 and Valladolid’s defeat by Villarreal by a score of 3-0, the outcome earned both teams their first point of the year.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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SEVILLE: Juanmi starred with double strikes as Real Betis sweep Elche 3-0 in the final game of the opening week of La Liga season 2022/23, here on Monday.

The home side looked in complete control of their opponents after Elche were left short of a man as John Nwankwo was handed a red card early in the game.

Borja Iglesias scored the opening goal of the match in the 26th minute after a brilliant assist from Nabil Fekir. Iglesias guided the ball into the bottom right corner to give his side a 1-0 lead.

Juanmi then doubled the lead six minutes before half-time after he received a deep pass from William Carvalho and finished exquisitely with the right foot into the bottom left corner.

Betis continued to dominate Elche in the second half and tested Elche’s defence a few times before Juanmi finally scored his second in the 60th minute to give his side a comprehensive 3-0 lead.

With the conclusion of the first week’s game, Villarreal stays at top of the La Liga standings followed by Athletico Madrid at second while Real Betis in the third. Real Madrid are placed fourth while Barcelona secured the 11th position as they finish on a draw in their first game.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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GETAFE: Atletico Madrid start their La Liga 2022-23 campaign on a winning note as Alvaro Morata and Antonie Griezmann shone to bolster the side to beat the home side Getafe 3-0 on Monday.

Morate led the charge for Atletico as he scored the opening goal in the 15th minute to set the tone for the match.

The home side then remained on the back foot till the first half, however, halted Atletico to enhance their lead as Getafe’s defence thwarted several attempts to keep the scoreboard intact.

The home side seemed to have found the opportunity to net the equalizer in the 41st minute as Getafe got the ball on the right-hand flank and the cross came in for Borja Mayoral, whose strike bounced on a little too much; forcing the ball to hit the crossbar.

The home side then again found a vital opportunity in the opening minutes of the second half as Enes Unal found space and ran with the ball on the left with no Atletico defenders near him. The Turkish footballer, however, failed to net the ball as it sailed over the post.

Following the missed opportunity, Getafe then lost the ball in the key area and Joao Felix made a near-perfect assist to Morata, who made no mistake to make the ball rest in the net to enhance Atletico’s lead to 2-0 in the 59th minute.

Coming in as a substitute in the 62nd minute, Griezmann took a few minutes to make his presence felt as he dodged the Getafe’s defences to net the third goal from around the box to make it 3-0 for Atletico.

Meanwhile, in another match of the day, Athletic Club and Mallorca held each others’ strikers as the two teams started their campaigns with a goalless draw.

Both sides received a number of chances to make the scoreboard move, however, found unable to seize the opportunity and put their side in command.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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ALMERIA: Reigning champions Real Madrid kicked off their La Liga season on a positive note as they edged past Almeria 2-1 in an away game, here on Sunday.

Real came out on top as David Alaba hit the winner in the 75th minute from a free-kick within seconds after coming off the bench.

Almeria went for a sublime start as former Manchester United striker Largie Ramazani scored the opening goal just six minutes into the game to put the hosts on a 1-0 lead.

Real upped the ante and launched a vigorous attack in a desperate quest to find an equalizer but goalkeeper Fernando Martinez thwarted the efforts on several occasions.

They nearly found one when Lucas Vazquez put the ball in the nets before half-time but it was denied for the offside call. Vazquez, however, scored in the 61st minute to level the lead.

Alaba substituted Ferland Mendy with 15 minutes left and smashed a stunning left-footed free kick to beat Fernando and give his side a decisive 2-1 lead.

Meanwhile, Valencia beat Girona 1-0 in a home game with Carlos Solar scoring the lone goal off a penalty just before the half time.

Real Sociedad defeated the home side, Cadiz, in another game on Sunday. Takefusa Kubo scored in the 24th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead in the game.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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SPAIN: Former champions Barcelona were off to a frustrating start to their La Liga 2022-23 campaign as the side remained unable taste the triumph as Rayo Vallecano held their nerves to force a draw.

In an enthralling contest, it seemed one-way traffic for Barca as the star-studded side had a series of chances and was testing Rayo’s defences in the early stages of the game.

The former champions seemed to have found success in the 12th minute as Robert Lewandowski netted the ball following an assist from Ousmane Dembele, which was, however, given a red flag by the linesman.

Xavi’s side, however, continued to test the defence of Rayo but found it tough to move the scoreboard into their favour despite having a plethora of chances but denied by the latter’s rearguard.

The second half followed the same pattern as Barcelona again failed to avail plenty of chances and open the scoring.

The frustration mounted for Xavi’s side in the 84th minute as the side was again denied a goal by the linesman as Franck Kessie smashed the ball into the post on the rebound. Things got even more frustrating for the side in the extra time as their captain Sergios Busquets walked off the field after being given a red card.

Busquets’ dismissal left Barcelona wide open in the midfield, and Rayo appeared to have taken advantage of the situation in the fifth minute of extra time when Marc-Andre Ter Stegen netted a ball that was later ruled offside, thus, denying a late breakthrough.

Earlier in the day, Villareal dominated Valladolid 3-0 at the back of Nikolas Jackson and Alex Baena.

Following a scoreless first half, Jackson started the scoring for Villareal in the early minutes of the second, which was subsequently expanded to 2-0 and eventually 3-0, thanks to back-to-back strikes from Maena in the 81st and 90th minutes, respectively.

In another match, Martinez’s side made an astounding comeback from 0-2 down to 2-2 as Joselu struck in the extra time to bolster Espanyol to secure a draw against Celta Vigo.

Iago Aspas scored in the final minutes of the first half to give Celta Vigo the lead, and Goncalo Paciencia scored in the 63rd minute to give the side a solid 2-0 lead.

Edu Expositio, however, kept Espanyol’s hopes alive as he responded within 10 minutes to cut Vigo’s lead to 2-1 before Joselu struck in the extra time to prevent his side from an opening defeat.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

Barcelona kick off La Liga season with a goalless draw

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PAMPLONA: Osasuna striker Aimar Oroz seized the opportunity as he successfully netted the ball in the penalty kick to propel Osasuna to stun Sevilla by 2-1 in the curtain-raiser of La Liga 2022-23.

The first match of this year’s La Liga season was off to a thrilling start as Ezequiel Avila wasted no time to hand his side an early lead.

The Argentine footballer sneaked through the defences of Sevilla in the ninth minute to mark an astonishing start of the 92nd edition of the Spanish league.

Osasuna’s early lead, however, remained brief as Rafa Mir netted the equalizer after a couple of minutes to cut the former side’s celebrations.

The two teams then remained locked in a tense battle until the end of the first half, with the scoreboard remaining at 1-1 until the 73rd minute, when Oroz pounced on the opportunity and successfully netted the ball in the 74th minute via a penalty to give his side a commanding lead that lasted until the final whistle.

Following this victory, Osasuna, which finished 10th in the last season, occupied the top spot, while last season’s fourth-ranked side Sevilla dropped down to the bottom.

Celta Ligo will now take on Espanyol, whereas, Valladolid will lock horns with Villareal in the remaining two matches on the opening day.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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