Brilliant Isco leads Spain show of dominance over Italy

MADRID - Two brilliant strikes from Isco and a late goal from Alvaro Morata gave Spain a spectacular 3-0 win over Italy, their nearest challengers in Group G, to move into the driving seat for automatic qualification to the 2018 World Cup.

Real Madrid attacking midfielder Isco, who was deployed in a "false nine" position as a deep-lying striker, curled a free kick beyond the reach of veteran Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to put Spain ahead in the 13th minute.


Isco then received the ball on the edge of the area and danced past a defender before cracking a low shot into the near bottom corner which again proved too quick for Buffon five minutes before halftime.

Substitute Morata crafted a superb counter-attack with Sergio Ramos to start and finish the move for the third goal which he slotted past former Juventus team mate Buffon 13 minutes from time, rounding off Spain's best performance against Italy since their 4-0 win in the Euro 2012 final.

"I'm very satisfied with the players' response since I've been here, their mentality and commitment is excellent. Perfection doesn't exist, but we played a great game tonight," Spain coach Julen Lopetegui told reporters.

"You can always improve but it's hard to ask how today. We understood the importance of the game, and we have to thank the fans for how they created an atmosphere like the ones we've seen in Paris and Wembley. We felt their presence."

Spain top Group G on 19 points, three ahead of Italy and seven clear of Albania, who beat basement side Liechtenstein 2-0 on Saturday while Macedonia pulled off a surprise 1-0 victory at Israel.

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The continued absence of top scorer Diego Costa and the explosive form of Marco Asensio compelled Lopetegui to imitate his predecessor Vicente del Bosque and play without a recognised striker, a move which paid off to perfection.

Italy, shorn of influential defender Giorgio Chiellini and fielding four forwards which left little presence in midfield, lacked the intensity needed to counter Spain’s passing machine.

Isco may have given Spain their firepower but they created chances from all areas, with Dani Carvajal, Gerard Pique and Ramos all not far from scoring in the first half, while Italy’s only effort was a header from Andrea Belotti which David de Gea saved.

"Today there was a huge difference between the two teams' level of quality and fitness, and when you consider those differences there's no point talking about the result," said Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura.

The coach would not criticise his captain Buffon for his slow reaction to Isco's free-kick, and said Spain were a far more experienced side than his.

"Many of Spain's players have played in three Champions League finals, there's hardly anyone in our team on that level."

Isco further delighted the 85,000 supporters in his home stadium with an outrageous nutmeg through the legs of Marco Verratti in the second half which nearly lead to Carvajal scoring.

The third goal came from ever reliable substitute Morata, who was denied a second late on by the offside flag.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)

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UEFA Super Cup: Real Madrid outclasses Man United

A delightful goal by Isco proved the difference as Real Madrid survived a Manchester United fightback to win 2-1 and lift the UEFA Super Cup in the Macedonian capital of Skopje early Wednesday morning.

Casemiro put the reigning European champions in front on 24 minutes on a steamy summer's night in the Balkans and Isco doubled their lead seven minutes into the second half after a one-two with Gareth Bale.

The gulf in class between Madrid -- for whom Cristiano Ronaldo appeared as a late substitute -- and Europa League winners United that Jose Mourinho had feared was all too evident and it looked like the Spaniards would go on to win by a wider margin.

But Romelu Lukaku pulled one back just past the hour, marking his competitive debut for United with a goal and sparking a big improvement from the Premier League club in the final stages.

It was to no avail, with Zinedine Zidane's side winning this trophy for the second year running and the fourth time overall. It is the eighth time in nine years that a Spanish club has won the Super Cup.

Bale handed start

While Ronaldo started on the bench for Madrid having only commenced pre-season training at the weekend, Bale was included in the line-up.

United boss Mourinho caused a stir on Monday when he claimed he would make a bid to take the Welshman to Old Trafford if he were not a starter at the Philip II Arena.

Despite the presence of £75 million ($97 million) signing Lukaku up front, with Paul Pogba behind, United gave the impression that they could do with some extra inspiration in the final third.

Having missed much of last season's run-in due to injury, Bale is fit again, but it was Casemiro who emerged as the unlikely main threat going forward for Real in the first half.

The Brazilian midfielder almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute, getting in front of Matteo Darmian to head a Toni Kroos corner against the bar from six yards.

And the breakthrough came just past the midway point in the first half as Dani Carvajal was afforded the time to flight a ball over Victor Lindelof -- another United debutant -- for Casemiro to stretch and volley past David de Gea.

De Gea, formerly a Madrid transfer target, then needed to intervene to save from a Karim Benzema snap-shot that followed a driving run into the area by Luka Modric, as Zidane's side were restricted to a one-goal lead at the break.

Mourinho sent on Marcus Rashford for Jesse Lingard at the start of the second half, yet it was at the other end that the chances kept coming.

De Gea repelled a Kroos piledriver but there was nothing he could do to stop Isco making it 2-0 in the 52nd minute.

Surrounded by red shirts just inside the area to the left, Isco escaped their attentions by playing a one-two with Bale before coolly finishing past De Gea.

Bale then struck the bar, and all this was going on without Ronaldo, who appeared from the bench to warm-up, raising hysteric cheers from the sizeable number of locals with sympathies for the Spanish side.

United had a mountain to climb and were not helped when Lukaku blazed over after Keylor Navas pushed a Pogba header out into his path.

Lukaku did not make the same mistake twice, converting the rebound when a Nemanja Matic drive was not convincingly dealt with by Navas, but the 'keeper redeemed himself with a vital late save to deny Rashford.

And Real, with Ronaldo on for the closing stages, held on.

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Ronaldo fires Real to first title since 2012 with win at Malaga

BARCELONA - Real Madrid ended a five-year wait to win La Liga on Sunday as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema secured a 2-0 win at Malaga which clinched a 33rd league triumph.

Barcelona fought back from two goals down to beat Eibar 4-2 but the result could not stop Real from lifting the trophy.

Real finished the campaign on 93 points, three clear of last year's champions Barca.

‎Zinedine Zidane's men only needed a draw to wrap up the title in their final game of the season and raced into the lead when Ronaldo latched onto a through ball from Isco to round Carlos Kameni. That goal ensured Real scored in every league game this season.

Malaga had nothing to play for but made a fist of the game and it took a fine save from Keylor Navas to prevent former Barca player Sandro Ramirez levelling from a freekick later in the first half and the striker also came close from a header.

Real also wasted chances to stretch their lead before Benzema bundled the ball in on the rebound in the 55th minute after Kameni had saved from Sergio Ramos following a corner.

"Just as throughout the season we did it in the end with hard work and by fighting," Zidane told reporters.

"With the type of squad we have we only have to think about working, it's been a very hard fought league win, difficult at some moments, but after 38 games there's no better feeling than being at the top."

There was a brief moment of concern when Ronaldo needed treatment after falling awkwardly from a challenge but the Portuguese, who scored for the fifth time in three league games, was able to finish the game, easing Madrid's anxieties before the Champions League final against Juventus on June 3.

The result secured Real a sixth straight league win since going down 3-2 to Barca in April.

Barca fell two goals behind in their final game of the season against Eibar as Japanese forward Takashi Inui scored either side of the break with two thumping finishes in off the crossbar although the Catalans fought back to win 4-2 with the help of a double from the league's top scorer Lionel Messi.

"The game was a demonstration of what the team has been like in the last few years. We never give up, although we couldn't finish the year how we wanted to," said Barca coach Luis Enrique.

"We weren't consistent enough throughout the season, especially in home games, and in the end we've paid for that."

The Catalans had missed a slew of chances before then and had a goal ruled out but they got a lucky break when Eibar defender David Junca inadvertently sent a loose ball into his own net after Neymar had hit the post.

Luis Suarez knocked in the equaliser in the 73rd minute after Messi had missed a penalty although the Argentine compensated by converting a second spotkick in the 75th and then rounded off the scoring in injury time.

Messi finished the season as top scorer in the league with 37 strikes, ahead of Suarez on 29 and Ronaldo on 25.

Also on Sunday Atletico Madrid said farewell to their beloved Vicente Calderon stadium in the most fitting manner with a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao thanks to a double by homegrown hero Fernando Torres on Sunday before they move to a new ground.

Atletico finished third with 78 points while Athletic missed out on sixth and a qualifying round spot in next season's Europa League to Basque rivals Real Sociedad, who snatched a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo with an added time leveller from striker Juanmi.

Athletic are seventh but can still earn a place in the Europa League if Barcelona win the King's Cup.

(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Ken Ferris and Pritha Sarkar)

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FOOTBALL: Real and Barca triumph again, Liverpool down Chelsea

Victorious Real, Barca pull clear at the top

Reuters

Real Madrid and Barcelona surged three points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday when Real beat promoted Las Palmas 3-1 at home and the champions won 2-0 at Getafe.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his eighth goal of the campaign, between strikes from Isco and Jese, in a comfortable win for a depleted Real at the Bernabeu, though they did concede at home for the first time this term in Spain's top flight.

At Getafe, Neymar stayed ahead of Ronaldo atop the scoring chart with his ninth, a superb volley to make it 2-0 after Luis Suarez hit his eighth of 2015-16 as the South American pair kept Barca motoring in the absence of injured talisman Lionel Messi.

Real and Barca each have 24 points from 10 matches, with Real ahead on goal difference.


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More misery for Mourinho, City and Arsenal win

Martyn Herman, Reuters

Jose Mourinho's future as Chelsea manager looked increasingly insecure after a 3-1 defeat by Liverpool on Saturday, Philippe Coutinho scoring twice at Stamford Bridge as the champions lost a sixth Premier League game in 11.

Chelsea's third home league reverse of the season left them in 15th place in the table with 11 points from 11 games -- the worst ever start to a season by the reigning champions.

They are already 14 points behind Manchester City who needed a last-gasp Yaya Toure penalty to beat Norwich City 2-1 and retain top spot on goal difference from Arsenal who won 3-0 at Swansea.

Toure's spot kick spared the blushes of City keeper Joe Hart who fumbled a routine catch to gift Norwich a late equaliser.

All Arsenal's goals came after the break as they made it five league wins in succession -- Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Joel Campbell all on target.

Leicester City are up to third thanks to a 3-2 victory at West Bromwich Albion where they trailed, with Jamie Vardy scoring for the eighth league match in a row.

Manchester United dropped to fourth after a 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace, their second successive goalless league draw.

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Dortmund close on Bayern with Reus double at Bremen

Karolos Grohmann, Reuters

Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus scored twice in a 3-1 victory at Werder Bremen on Saturday to put them within five points of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich while Borussia Moenchengladbach continued their sensational winning run with a 4-1 demolition of Hertha Berlin.

Reus, back in top form after an injury-hit start to the season, netted a double for the second consecutive week to take his league goal tally to seven.

Dortmund are in second place on 26 points, five behind Bayern, who dropped their first points of the season after 10 straight wins with a goalless draw at Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.

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Inter beat Roma to take top spot, Juve down Torino

Reuters

Inter Milan beat AS Roma 1-0 to replace them atop Serie A thanks to a Gary Medel strike while Juventus returned to winning ways with a last-gasp Juan Cuadrado goal securing a 2-1 triumph over local rivals Torino on Saturday.

Stevan Jovetic set up Medel who hit a low drive from outside the area after 31 minutes to give Inter the lead.

Roma's Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko missed chances and the visitors' miserable night continued when Miralem Pjanic handled after 73 minutes and was dismissed for a second yellow card.

The defeat ended Roma's five-game winning streak, leaving them in second place on 23 points, one behind Inter who recorded their seventh clean sheet of the campaign.

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