Football: Barca made to sweat for draw by impressive Bilbao

BILBAO - La Liga leaders Barcelona handed Real Madrid more hope in the title race as they drew 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, only avoiding defeat thanks to some outstanding saves by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The Germany keeper twice thwarted forward Inaki Williams and kept out a stinging drive from Markel Susaeta in an intense and entertaining game in which the champions came under heavy pressure throughout.

Barca top the standings with 51 points after 23 games, six ahead of a resurgent Real Madrid.

With Lionel Messi hampered by a recent thigh problem and influential left back Jordi Alba suspended, Barca were far from their usual best, creating few clear opportunities and ending the game defending deep as Bilbao continued to attack.

The impressive hosts were left frustrated by the sending off of Oscar de Marcos in added time for a second yellow card, but there was barely any time left for Barca to take advantage and they had to settle for a second straight league stalemate after last week's 2-2 draw at home to Valencia.

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde was still upbeat about his side's position in the title race, even though in the last nine days they have dropped four points.

"We come out of this week just like the last, we are still top, and if my calculations are not wrong, we'll be top next week," he told a news conference.

"This is a long season and we have to be top at the end of it."

INTENSE START

The home side, hurting after a limp defeat by local rivals Real Sociedad in their last outing and with a heaving San Mames stadium willing them on, made an intense start and took the game to the champions.

Ter Stegen was first called into action by a long-range strike from Susaeta, the German flying towards the top right corner to tip the ball over the bar with his left hand.

He then stood form to keep out an overhead kick from Raul Garcia and was alert in the second half, instinctively throwing an arm into the air to pat away a close range shot from Williams and later stretching to catch a shot from the forward.

Messi, who began Wednesday's 1-1 draw at home to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on the bench, was Barca's most dangerous outlet despite his obvious fitness issues.

He came closest to scoring for the visitors, sending a loose ball on to the top of the crossbar after Bilbao keeper Iago Herrerin fumbled on the edge of the area.

"Leo is fine, he played feeling 100 percent, we may have had difficulties, but the fact he played means he was ready," added Valverde, after his assistant Jon Aspiazu had said before the game that the Argentine was not yet fully fit.

Barca enjoyed more control in the second half after homegrown midfielder Carles Alena replaced an erratic Arturo Vidal but tired as the game progressed.

Bilbao looked far likelier to break the deadlock in the closing stages, but were repeatedly shut out by the intimidating presence of the impressive Ter Stegen.

"We had the clearer chances, we had more shots and more corners and if anyone came closer to winning the game it was us," said Athletic coach Gaizka Garitano, whose side moved up to 13th in the standings.

(Reporting by Richard Martin, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Ken Ferris)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LA LIGA: Barca stay clear at the top, Atletico draw again

BARCELONA - Lionel Messi scored his 12th league goal of the season but Barcelona had to rely on exceptional saves from Marc-Andre ter Stegen as they rode their luck to win 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and stay four points clear at the top of La Liga.

Valencia posted a record start to a season as they battled to a 2-1 win at lowly Alaves for a sixth consecutive win while Atletico Madrid's inconsistent run continued as they drew 1-1 at home to Villarreal.

The Catalans lead the standings on 28 points, four clear of Valencia and eight above champions Real Madrid, who visit Girona on Sunday. Atletico are fourth with 20 points.

Barca withstood an early onslaught from their coach Ernesto Valverde's former side and German international Ter Stegen made two big saves to thwart veteran striker Aritz Aduriz.

With the game still goalless Messi missed a gilt-edged chance after dancing through the Bilbao defence, striking the near post with the goal gaping, but he made amends by breaking the deadlock in the 36th minute.

In the second half Athletic forward Inigo Cordoba whistled a shot over the bar and Aduriz was denied twice more by the commanding Ter Stegen, while Raul Garcia headed against the woodwork for the persistent hosts.

Brazilian midfielder Paulinho added a barely deserved second goal for Barca in stoppage time, tapping a parried shot from Luis Suarez into an empty net as Athletic were outnumbered on the counter-attack.

"We struggled a lot, especially in the second half," Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets told reporters.

"We were better in the first half and they took more risks after the break so they had more chances but in the end we have continued with our spectacular start and we won at a very difficult ground."

Simone Zaza opened the scoring for Valencia at Alaves in the 34th minute for Marcelino's high-flying side to grab his ninth strike of the campaign and score for the sixth game in a row.

EXCELLENT RUN

Their excellent run came under threat when veteran defender Alexis Ruano headed the hosts level soon after halftime.

Former Valencia loanee Munir El Haddadi nearly put Alaves in front but was denied by Brazilian goalkeeper Neto, and the visitors restored their lead in the 66th minute when Spain forward Rodrigo Moreno converted from the penalty spot, making it seven wins and three draws for Valencia.

"If you had told me when I took over in May that we would be in this position I wouldn't have believed it," Marcelino told reporters.

"We never imagined having this many points and being unbeaten after 10 games, especially when we saw the fixture list. We're in a situation we couldn't have predicted but which we deserve to be in."

In Madrid, Villarreal striker Carlos Bacca's towering header from a corner cancelled out Angel Correa's brilliant opener and boos rang around the Wanda Metropolitano stadium after another disappointing result from Diego Simeone's side, who have won one of their last seven games in all competitions.

Atletico were dominant and finally broke through in the 61st minute when Correa expertly controlled a pass from Antoine Griezmann and squeezed the ball inside the near post, but 20 minutes later Bacca outjumped Atletico's goalkeeper Jan Oblak to level.

"This was our best performance of the last few games, the point doesn't feel like much but I know the players are growing," Simeone said.

"If we keep playing like this we'll be closer to where we want to be."

(Reporting by Richard Martin,; Editing by Ed Osmond)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

FOOTBALL: Barca beat 10-man Atletico, Bayern edge Benfica

Suarez double sees Barca recover to beat 10-man Atletico

Richard Martin, Reuters

Barcelona's Luis Suarez netted twice for a 2-1 win over 10-man Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg on Tuesday after the visitors' Fernando Torres opened the scoring and was later sent off.

After a flurry of chances for the home side, Suarez levelled from close range in the 63rd minute and then headed the winner in the 74th, giving the European champions the edge before next week's second leg at the Vicente Calderon.

Atletico got off to the ideal start when Torres fired Koke's pass through the legs of keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen after 25 minutes but 10 minutes later he was dismissed for a second booking as they suffered a seventh straight loss to Barca.

"We are still alive in the tie," Atletico coach Simeone said. "They had a chance to score another goal with an extra man and they didn't, so that gives us hope and belief. The second leg is going to be a great game."

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Bayern edge resolute Benfica with early Vidal goal

Reuters

Bayern Munich will take a slender lead into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Benfica after Arturo Vidal's early goal earned a 1-0 win over the resolute Portuguese side on Tuesday.

Benfica, aiming to reach the European Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990, have conceded 13 goals in their three previous visits to Bayern and must have feared the worst when Vidal headed home after two minutes.

But the floodgates failed to open after that as the visiting defence stood firm on a frustrating evening for the hosts who beat Benfica's arch-rivals Porto 6-1 at home at the same stage of the competition last season.

Five-times European champions Bayern had also found goals easy to come by in the Champions League this season, blasting 18 in their previous four home matches, but came up against some dogged defending as they pushed to extend their advantage.

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U.S. women's soccer star Wambach pleads innocent to drunk driving charge

Dan Whitcomb, Reuters

Former U.S. women's soccer star Abby Wambach pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to driving under the influence of alcohol and was given permission by an Oregon judge to travel out of the state for work reasons, prosecutors said.

Wambach, who helped lead the U.S. women's team to the 2015 World Cup title and retired as the world's leading international goal-scorer, was arrested late Saturday night in Portland.

Portland Police said Wambach, 35, had run a red light in her 2014 Range Rover and was taken to Multnomah County Jail on charges of driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test. She was later released on her own recognizance.

Wambach, who retired from soccer in October, was not in court for the arraignment and her not guilty plea was entered by a defense lawyer, Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Susan O'Connor said.

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Real must be wary of Wolfsburg, says Zidane

Reuters

Real Madrid know they cannot rest on their laurels after beating Barcelona and must beware a VfL Wolfsburg transformation in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final, first leg, said coach Zinedine Zidane.

The Frenchman, who took over in January from Rafael Benitez, said the Germans may have been going through a rough patch in the Bundesliga in recent weeks but they will be tough opponents at this stage of the competition.

"It will be a complicated match, very difficult," he told reporters. "A team transforms itself at this stage and even if they have problems in the league this is the Champions League. The players know it, the club knows it."

"The are physically very fit. They are quick in attack."

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Rangers return to elite after four-year exile

Reuters

Rangers ended a four-year exile from the Scottish Premiership when they beat Dumbarton 1-0 with a second-half goal by James Tavernier to clinch the Championship title and automatic promotion at Ibrox Stadium on Tuesday.

The victory means they will be back among the elite next season after being demoted to the lowest, fourth-tier of the Scottish League for financial irregularities in 2012 which left the Glasgow club 134 million pounds ($190.24 million) in debt.

The club was liquidated and reformed since when Rangers, who have won a world record 54 domestic league titles, have climbed back to the top flight with three promotions in four years, including claiming the one automatic place this season.

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Infantino "dismayed" after name found in Panama Papers

Brian Homewood, Reuters
Recently-elected FIFA president Gianni Infantino was "dismayed that his integrity was being doubted" in media reports about a contract he signed several years ago, the global soccer body said in a statement on Tuesday.

The reports from multiple news organisations, citing leaked documents, said Infantino had signed off on a contract with two Argentine businessman, Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, who were later indicted in the United States.

Reuters could not determine if the contract Infantino signed was related to the conduct underlying the indictments.

The reports said Infantino, at the time an official with European soccer body UEFA, signed a contract with the pair for the broadcast rights to Europe's elite Champions League club competition in South America.

The pair, who owned an Argentine company called Cross Trading, then allegedly sold the rights for a price almost three times higher to Teleamazonas, a broadcaster in Ecuador, the reports said.

Reuters, which has not seen the documents, was unable to confirm this.

"I am dismayed and will not accept that my integrity is being doubted by certain areas of the media, especially given that UEFA has already disclosed in detail all facts regarding these contracts," Infantino said in a FIFA statement.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com