Sevilla Outnumbers Fiorentina

Sevilla came out with a comfortable and well deserved 3-0 voctory in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Sevilla right back Alex Vidal was the star performer as he bagged to golas in the night. The convincing victory would give them more confidence in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals.

image courtesy : theguardian.com

The first chance of the game came for Fiorentna when Joaquin found Mario Gomes who made a perfect run but his shot was bashed over the crossbar. Fiorentina were the side with possession and chancesa in the opening minutes but Sevilla recovered and came back quickly and it turned out into a goal too. In the 17^th minute Vitolo ran down the left and squares to Bacca who calmly passes to Vidal who rifled it into the corner to make it 1-0. Sergio made a fine save to deny Mohammed Salah from point blank range. Sevilla played really well for the remaining minutes of the first half but they couldn’t find their second goal.

The second hald was underway and  Joaquin was fouled  dangerously from a dangerous position. But the free kick resulted in nothing. The second goal came in the 52^nd minute when Sevilla stole possession in midfield and gave it Aleix Vidal who coolly finished it into the near post

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In the 75^th minute Bacca came off for Gameiro and it made immediate impact as he scored after just 26 seconds after he came on to the pitch. Tremoulinas darted down the left and cut back to Vidal who changed direction to Gameiro and he colly tapped in from close range to make it 3-0

Nothing much happened after that and Sevilla go with a 3-0 advantage to the second leg

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Barcelona beat Bayern Munich with Some Messi Magic

Barcelona took their revenge on Bayern Munich, after Barcelona lost to them a couple of years back, with a massive 3-0 victory in the first leg of the semifinals.

Messi was again the star of the match as he turned on his magic to beat Bayern and German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

image courtesy : espnfc.com

Pep Guardiola before the match said that it is impossible to close down Messi even with the best defenders in the world and it was true as Messi humiliated the Bayern Munich defense with some magic for both the goals. In the end Bayern Munich had most of possession but it was Barcelona who had more shots on goal. The first and biggest chance of the game fell to Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez as he races for the ball and Bayer Munich defense couldn’t catch up with him but in the end his shot was saved brilliantly from Manuel Neuer. Then the chance fell to Bayern Munich as Thomas Muller fires in a low cross across the face of goal and Robert Lewandowski couldn’t hit the sweet spot and it went out for a goal kick. There was nothing much in particular till the first half whistle and there was nothing to split the two sides in terms of possession as Bayern Munich had 51% and Barcelona had 49% of the possession.

The first yellow card of the game fell for Brazilian defender Daniel Alves who fouled Robert Lewndowski just outside the box. Xabi Alonso took the resulting free-kick and it deflected out of the wall and went out for a corner kick. The second booking of the night and the first for Bayern came to Benatia for a foul on Andres Iniesta. The next chance came to Barcelona as Messi powerful shot lacked swerve and it went straight into the hands of Manuel Neuer. Moments later Manuel Neuer showed a moment of brilliance as he raced off his line to clear the ball out of Neymar’s path who was through on goal. Neymar had another chance but his shot was high and far from any impact.  Gerard Pique picked the next yellow card for a foul on Robert Lewandowski. Moments later Neymar received a yellow card for a foul on Thomas Muller.

Messi broke the deadlock in the 77^th minute after he picked out a pass from Dani Alves from the right flank cut inside and fire a low shot to the near post from outside the box and the ball ended up in the back of the net.  In the meanwhile Bayern have brought on Mario Gotze who was the scorer of the decisive goal in the final of the world cup this year.

In the 80^th minute Barca doubled their advantage and Messi was again on the score-sheet. Ivan Rakitic found Messi inside the box and Messi dribbling past Jerome Boateng and chipping the ball past Manuel Neuer. Brilliant goal from Messi that. Suarez was again through on goal but he fired his shot high and wide under pressure in the 84^th minute. Marc Bartra came on for Javier Macherano who was brilliant in defense who put amazing last ditch tackles and linked up well with teammates. Bayern never looked like scoring after that eventhough they held possession. They were really missing crafty Arjen Robben and powerful Franck Ribery.

 In the 94^th minute the third and final goal came from Neymar as he found himself clear of defense and he easily slotted past a helpless Manuel Neuer.

Bayern couldn’t find away goals but it’s not like they cannot do it as they already did it to Porto.

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Juventus Stun Real Madrid in Champions League Semi Final 1st Leg

Juventus were victorius over the Champions league holders Real Madrid on Tuesday after a 2-1 victory.

Real Madrid was stunned by Italian champions Juventus in the Champions League semi- final in the Juventus Stadium, Turin. Alvaro Morata opened the scoring before Cristiano Ronaldo equalized for Real Madrid and Carlos Tevez scored from the spot after the break. Juventus very well deserved the victory as they took advantage of a lackluster Real Madrid midfield.

image courtesy : eurosport.com

 

The first goal came around the tenth minute when Carlos Tevez was unmarked and he fired a shot at goal and eventhough it was saved well by Iker Casillas, Morata was waiting inside the box for a tap in.

After the goal Real Madrid played well with passing moves and crosses and it paid off in the 27^th minute when Carvajal provided a ball to James Rodriguez inside the box and the Colombian lobbed the ball towards unmarked Cristiano Ronaldo who was unmarked and he headed in to give Real Madrid the equalizer and an important away goal.

 Real Madrid played well till the break. They had a glorious opportunity when Isco played a ball into the box and James’s diving header went off the bar.

After the break Juventus were on fire passing the ball well in midfield and providing quality balls into the box and the breakthrough came in the second half in a Juventus counter. All Real Madrid players were up for a set piece and a clearance away fell into the feet of Carlos Tevez and only Carvajal was there in front of him. Carvajal did well to contain Tevez and in the end he made a clumsy and unwanted challenge on Tevez and the referee pointed towards the spot. Carlos Tevez made it 2-1 to Juventus after his penalty went in.

Ramos’s form in midfield for the last couple of matches was not found in this game as his passing were not accurate and long balls were often given away. Bale got little touches on the ball that he didn’t have even a single effort on goal.

But Real Madrid have a vital away goal in their favor and it may come in handy in the second leg which takes place next Wednesday.

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Alexis Sanchez Stars as Arsenal Win

Arsenal is looking for their best premier league finish in ten years after they beat Hull City in a 3-1 win at the KC stadium. Arsenal could finish second if they win all their remaining matches as they are level with Manchester City on third place with 70 points but are behind on goal difference with a game in hand.  If the Gunners finish second it will be their best finish in the premier league in ten years.

image courtesy : espnfc.com

Arsenal’s talisman Alexis Sanchez was again the best man on the pitch as he scored a first half brace either side of Aaron Ramsey’s deflected goal. All of Arsenal’s three goals came in the first half and Hull’s consolation goal came from Meyler in the 56^th minute.

Arsenal dominated most of the first half in terms of possession and shots. The first chance came when Sanchez cut past a defender and took a shot from 20 yards out but his shot was saved by 40 year old Hull City goal keeper Harper. The first goal came in the 28^th minute when Alexis Sanchez was fouled by Jake Livermore in a dangerous area and Sanchez made the most of it by scoring from the resulting free kick with the help of a deflection from Michael Dawson’s head.  Five Minutes later in the 33^rd minute Santi Cazorla’s brilliant long ball was controlled superbly by Aaron Ramsey inside the box and fired his shot which took a big deflection off Robbie Brady’s leg and went past helpless goal keeper Harper.

Hull City were struggling for possession and shots and it got even worse on the verge of half time as Hull midfielder Tom Huddlestone lost possession in the center circle and Arsenal made the most of it by counter attacking. Mesut Ozil stretched the ball towards Aaron Ramsey and he delivered a great through ball towards Alexis Sanchez who was making a fine run through the middle and he scored past Harper after going around him with ease. Hull city only had two chances in the first half with shots from Dame N’Doye and a header from Aluko. Arsenal in the meanwhile had plenty of chances and without goal keeper Harper it would have been 4-0 in the first half if he hadn't come off his line to save from an Alexis Sanchez chip.

It was in the 56^th minute when Hull City finally scored a goal; a wonderful cross by Ahmed Elmohamady and an even more wonderful header finish from Stephen Quinn to the top-right corner from the centre of the box which left Ospina helpless. Arsenal was awarded a free kick just outside the box when Wilshere (who came in for Ramsey) was hacked down by Dawson. Sanchez took the free kick hoping to score a hat-trick but in vain. The ball didn't go past the wall. The match ended with Arsenal with full control and bagging 3 points.

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Napoli Wins Against AC Milan in Feisty Encounter

Napoli was victorious over Ac Milan which saw an early red card shown to Mattia de Sciglio and a penalty being saved. Victory for Napoli saw them closing in on a top three finish. It was a slacking performance from both teams in the first half and the opening minutes of the second half.

The main highlight of the game was AC Milan defender Mattia de Sciglio receiving a red card in the first minute after a clumsy challenge from behind on Hamsik inside the penalty area. The match got more interesting when Higuain Stepped up to take the spot kick and saw his shot being saved by former Real Madrid goal keeper Diego Lopez.

pic courtesy : goal.com

Napoli dominated possession in the first half but couldn’t penetrate through the AC Milan defense, Napoli saw many of their players taking heavy touches, poor finishing and mistimed volleys. AC Milan didn’t seem to be in their best form and they had touches on the ball very rarely in the game. The poor form continued in the second half but Napoli somehow found the break - through in the 70^th minute when Daniel Bonera’s pass found no one and Hamsik finished from close range past goal keeper Diego Lopez. Spectators didn't have to wait more for the remaining goals as the goals came in a gap of six minutes off the boots of Gonzalo Higuain and Manolo Gabbiadini. Both of the goals were nice strikes from close range.

The win was a huge boost for Napoli as they could finish third in the league after third placed Lazio drew with Atlanta. The win will also be a boost for Napoli for their upcoming Europa League semi-final against Dnipro.

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Chelsea Ensures Title After Triumph Over Crystal Palace

Chelsea ensured their first premier league title after five years in a nervy win over crystal palace. Eden Hazard was the scorer for the blues as they surpassed a strong and stubborn crystal palace defense.

Crystal Palace also had plenty of chances themselves in the first half but they weren’t able to beat Thibaut Courtois. The decisive goal came in the last minute of the first half when they (Chelsea) were awarded a penalty for a foul on PFA player of the year award winner Eden Hazard. Hazard himself stepped up to take the spot kick but he let himself down because his penalty was saved by a firm Speroni but to Chelsea’s relief Hazard recovered quickly and headed in the rebound. Puncheon had a wonderful chance but his effort was blocked by Chelsea defender John Terry. 

pic courtesy : theguardian.com

There were fewer chances in the second half but Chelsea defended well and created a few chances themselves. Didier Drogba did well to find space for a shot but his shot went just wide. Willian also produced a moment of magic when he cut past a couple of defenders but his effort went just wide. The last ten minutes were very nervy for Chelsea as they found Crystal Palace attack with a lot of aggression. But Crystal Palace never found the net and Chelsea emerged winners for the fifth time in premier league history.

There were cheers when the final whistle had blown and Chelsea players celebrated their victory in some style. Nemanja Matic was awarded the man of the match award for his brilliant display in midfield

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Manchester United Fall for Third Defeat in a Row

Manchester United lost for the third time in a row since 2001 as Liverpool cut their gap to just 4 points. Van Persie returned for the match but he was not in his best form on the pitch.

Great credit for West Brom as they had their defense well organized and clinch their 40^th point of the league and it sees them well above relegation zone.Even though Manchester United was awarded a penalty Van Persie failed to find the net because of a great save from Boaz Myhill.

pic courtesy : themalaysianinsider.com

The first half of the game was goalless but the deadlock broke midway through the second half when West Brom was awarded a free kick from 25 yards out. Chris Brunt stepped forward to take the free kick and he saw his shot, which was through on goal, deflect off teammate Olsson’s leg and go in to make it 1-0.

Van Persie had a number of chances but he failed to deliver as he had most of his shots off target. He had a glorious opportunity when Manchester United was awarded a penalty after a handball inside the box. Van Persie stepped up to take it instead of their frequent penalty taker Wayne Rooney and he found the penalty being saved by a brilliant Myhill save.

Manchester United dominated possession of the ball with 80% but failed to find the crosses and the finishing master-class they used to have early in the season. The loss will see Manchester United’s hopes of a Champions League spot fading away as Liverpool cruised to a 2-1 victory and are just 4 points behind them.  

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