Spanish Primera Division (La Liga) Recap 11 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog
Below is a recap of all the La Liga matches on February 11, 2012.
Racing Santander 0-0 Atletico Madrid
Racing moves out of the relegation zone Atletico Madrid are up to 6th place. It was a physical
match with four yellow cards given to each side.
Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra will face each other on the field for the first time since the
controversial racism charges against Suarez when Manchester United and Liverpool renew their
rivalry in today's marquee match-up.
Suarez will be key to the Reds chances of knocking off Manchester United in a vital match-up for
both teams.
By JOHN BOSCHINI
Liverpool must be getting tired of Manchester.
Kenny Dalglish and Co. face off against a Manchester side for the seventh time this season when
United and Liverpool clash in a match full of significance. Manchester United are trying to survive
a brutal run of fixtures and keep pace with their cross-town rivals.
Friday, February 10
2:30pm Wolfsburg vs Freiburg ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
3pm Spain vs USA (beach soccer) Fox Deportes
4pm El Salvador vs Mexico (beach soccer) Fox Deportes
7:15pm Boca Juniors vs Olimpo GolTV
7:15pm Lanús vs San Lorenzo TyCSports
8pm Atlético Nacional vs Boyacá Chicó TV Colombia
9:10pm Morelia vs Santos Laguna Fox Deportes, Azteca America
9:45pm Universidad Guadalajara vs León GolTV
Saturday, February 11
7:45pm Manchester United vs Liverpool ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
9am Auxerre vs Lorient Fox Soccer 2Go
9am Evian TG vs Olympique Marseille Fox Soccer 2Go
9am Olympique Lyon vs Caen Fox Soccer 2Go
9am Montpellier vs Ajaccio Fox Soccer 2Go
9am Valenciennes vs Nancy Fox Soccer 2Go
9:30am Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen GolTV
9:30am Bayern München vs Kaiserslautern ESPN3
10am Everton vs Chelsea FSC, Fox Deportes
10am Sunderland vs Arsenal Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Blackburn Rovers vs Queens Park Rangers Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Bolton vs Wigan Athletic Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Fulham vs Stoke City Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Swansea City vs Norwich City Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Peterborough United vs West Ham United Fox Soccer 2Go
12pm Udinese vs Milan Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Deportes, RAI Internazionale, ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2Go
12pm Racing Santander vs Atlético Madrid ESPN3
12:20pm Blackpool vs Portsmouth Fox Soccer 2Go
12:30pm Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United FSC
1pm Brest vs Dijon Fox Soccer 2Go
2pm Osasuna vs Barcelona GolTV
2pm Ghana vs Mali (Africa Cup of Nations 3rd Place Match) Al Jazeera Sports USA
2pm Cobresal vs Colo Colo TV Chile
2:45pm Cagliari vs Palermo FSC, Fox Deportes, RAI Internazionale
3pm USA v New Zealand USsoccer.
Mirandes, the giant killing third division Liga club bowed out beaten by Athletic Bilbao, 6-2,
in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey (8-3 aggregate). Fernando Llorente showed why he's on the
wishlist of some of the world's biggest clubs by scoring a brace. Athletic also got goals from Iker
Muniain, Markel Susaeta and defender Jon Aurtenetxe.
Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oscar de Marcos insists his side will show Mirandes total respect on
Tuesday night as the two clubs clash in the Copa del Rey semi-final.
Athletic, whose record of 23 Copa titles is second only to Barcelona (25), are favourites
heading into the semi-final second leg after earning a 2-1 lead from last week's first meeting at
Mirandes' Anduva stadium.
Two goals from Fernando Llorente has given Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 first-leg advantage in their
Copa del Rey semi-final against giant-killers Mirandes, and seriously dented the Cinderella dreams
of the third division team.
Llorente scored twice in the first half to seemingly put Athletic firmly in control of this
tie.
You can argue that everything Barca does these days is being scrutinized or subject to unfair
criticism. But it's hard to deny the club's latest tribute to a journalist who passed away and
spent his life reporting on the club. That's affectionate dedication for you!
Last week prior to the club's normal press conference, first-team players Xavi, Puyol, Valdés
and Iniesta along with Pep Guardiola observed a silent tribute to Dani Montesinos, who formerly
worked for Spanish TV and Barca TV.
Arsenal's season hasn't gone quite according to plan, but a win today against Aston VIlla in FA
Cup Fourth Round action could help ease some of the pressure being faced by Arsene Wenger these
days.
Wenger has been roundly criticized since the Gunners' loss to Manchester United last week, but a
win today might help ease some of that backlash.
Despite the nonsense about some other matchup in the Copa del Rey right now can't quite remember
the names of those rather insignificant teams at the moment the real story is not east, not west,
but down. Way down in the third division. Mirandes, a humble little club in the north of Spain,
knocked off their third yes, third La Liga opponent to get to the Copa del Rey.
Espanyol extended their unbeaten run to five league games and moved into fifth place in La Liga
thanks to a comfortable 3-0 win over Granada. The hosts started brightly and took the lead when
Raul Baena headed in from Thievy Bifouma's flick-on after 26 minutes.
Espanyol doubled their advantage just before half-time as Allan Nyom was harshly penalised for a
trip on Vladimir Weiss and Joan Verdu slotted home the penalty.
Landon Donovan is coming off an outstanding match in Everton's 1-1 draw vs. Aston Villa last
week, and he will look to post an even better performance against struggling Blackburn today.
Donovan will look to jump-start an offense that has has its share of struggles, but an offense
that could have a field day against struggling Rovers.
Photo by ISIphotos.com
For the U.S. men's and women's national teams, it's a big weekend.
The women kick off their qualifying campaign for the 2012 Olympics Friday night in Canada, going
up against the Dominican Republic. Just a couple of days later, Pia Sundhage's charges are at it
again, facing Guatemala and hoping to secure maximum points before a final group showdown with
Mexico.
Wow what a comeback!! Espanyol scored three goals in four minutes to snatch a dramatic 3-2
comeback win at home to third-tier Mirandes in a King's Cup quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.
Mirandes have been the Cinderella team of this years tournament, having already knocked out La
Liga sides Villarreal and Racing Santander in the early rounds.
One emerging problem with the "benefactor model" of club ownership is "what happens next?"
Blackburn Rovers have struggled with this problem since their 1990s benefactor, steel magnate Jack
Walker, died in 2000. And current owners Venky's are not, yet anyway, the solution. Walker, who
famously took Rovers to/bought the 1995 Premier League title, made some post-benefactor plans,
forming the "Jack Walker Settlement" (JWS), a trust based in the Jersey tax haven, where he lived
from 1974, when his riches attracted taxes which the great benefactor was.
Real Madrid set up a potential Copa Del Rey quarter-final against FC Barcelona after a 1-0
victory against Málaga earned the Whites a 4-2 aggregate win.
It was a tense night as Malaga only needed a 1-0 victory in order to advance on the away goals
rule. In a very tactical first half the best chance fell to Sergio Ramos, whose header right before
half-time just missed the target.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a small article selecting the best eleven in Europe who wear the
number thirteen shirt. I thought I'd look into this subject further and I believe that if you take
the top five leagues in Europe (Spain, Italy, Germany, France and England) that the highest number
you can make an eleven from (you need a goalkeeper remember) is 33.
Santos Laguna and Tigres enter today's Mexican Apertura Final second leg with championship
aspirations and 90 minutes to try and lift a trophy.
Tigres posted a 1-0 victory in Torreon in the first leg, and will be favored to hold that lead
at home, but Santos Laguna does boast the firepower to reverse that scoreline.
REAL MADRID
• Real Madrid, líder de la Liga BBVA, ha ganado los últimos 15 partidos consecutivos en todas
las competencias en las que ha participado, igualando su récord histórico de 41 años.
• El Madrid no ha perdido puntos en más de dos meses y medio: su último tropiezo fue un empate
en cero frente al Racing Santander el 21 de Septiembre de este mismo año.
Chelsea manager Andres Villas Boas is feeling the heat as his squad has delivered some
disappointing results this season, and if the Blues are going to turn things around, they'll have
to win in one of the tougher stadiums to visit in the English Premier League.
Newcastle has been one of the surprises of the season, and the Magpies won't be looking to do
Villas Boas any favors as they try to stay in the Top Four mix.
Photo by ISIPhotos.com
American soccer fans always love a chance to glimpse the future of the U.S. national team, and
this weekend will offer at least a few looks at some exciting prospects who could one day play a
role on the senior national team.
The U.S.
After the international break, La Liga resumes this weekend with a big match between league
leaders Real Madrid and third-place Valencia at the Estadio Mestalla.
Coming off guiding Portugal to Euro 2012, Cristiano Ronaldo will look to pick up where he left
off at league level, after smashing a hat-trick in Real's 7-1 belting of Osasuna on November 6.
The Major League Soccer playoffs will be in full swing today, taking center stage on a busy day
in the soccer world.
The headlining match of the day takes place at Red Bull Arena, where the New York Red Bulls take
on the Los Angeles Galaxy in the most star-studded playoff match in MLS history.
It may seem strange to see FC Barcelona tied atop the Spanish Premier League standings with
Levante, but Lionel Messi and Co. will have their chance to start pulling away from the upstarts by
beating fourth-place Sevilla in today's battle of La Liga unbeatens.
Barcelona is just one point ahead of familiar foe Real Madrid, but sitting two points back is
Sevilla, which will have hopes of springing an upset today.
Important events in the EPL #1. Image Credit: Getty Images.
We thought we'd liven up the Weekend Results with a cleverly concealed theme today. Keep your
eyes peeled as you browse, Kickettes, and see if anything pops out at you.
EPL
And #2. Imagine.
Posiciones La Liga 2011/2012 Fecha 8
Enlace
Ps. Equipo JJ G E P GA GP DF
Pts. 1 Barcelona 7 5 2 0 26 4 22 17 2 Levante 7 5 2 0 11 3 8 17 3 Real Madrid 7 5 1 1 24 6
18 16 4 Sevilla FC 7 4 3 0 8 4 4 15 5 Valencia 7 4 2 1 10 7 3 14 6 Málaga 7 4 1 2 10 7 3 13 7 Real
Betis 7 4 0 3 10 11 -1 12 8 Atlético Madrid 7 2 3 2 8 6 2 9 9 Real Zaragoza 7 2 3 2 9 13 -4 9 10
Espanyol 7 3 0 4 6 11 -5 9 11 Mallorca 7 2 2 3 6 8 -2 8 12 Real Sociedad 7 2 1 4 7 10 -3 7 13
Villarreal 7 1 4 2 7 11 -4 7 14 Osasuna 6 1 4 1 5 12 -7 7 15 Rayo Vallecano 7 1 3 3 6 11 -5 6 16
Athletic Bilbao 6 1 2 3 7 9 -2 5 17 Getafe 7 1 2 4 6 10 -4 5 18 Granada 7 1 2 4 2 8 -6 5 19 Racing
Santander 7 0 4 3 4 12 -8 4 20 Sporting Gijon 7 0 1 6 3 12 -9 1 Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas
de Fútbol
Messi sets Milestone in Barça Victory (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Who's afraid of the big bad Fifa virus? After a two week international hiatus, Barcelona
returned to action at the Camp Nou in emphatic fashion, dispatching Racing Santander 3-0 to claim
top spot in La Liga standings.
Barcelona stayed top of La Liga after a comfortable 3-0 win over Racing Santander with goals by
Xavi and a brace by Lionel Messi proving decisive. Elsewhere, Real Madrid scored an impressive 4-1
win over high-flying Real Betis with Gonzalo Higuain bagging a hat-trick. Pep Guardiola's men
produced a classy display at the Camp Nou [.
Photo by ISIPhotos.com
One of the oldest and fiercest rivals in European soccer resumes today as Manchester United
travels down the M6 to take on Liverpool (7:45am, ESPN2) in the latest installment of the North
West Derby.
Manchester United is currently in first place in the English Premier League, tied with
Manchester City, while Liverpool will try to crack the Top Four with a win.
The cartoon featured today on Sport.es right expresses the anxiety we Barca fans have about
International breaks. It's not like we lost so much after International breaks, but there is no
denial that a number of our lackluster performance came following the break. But this time around
we shouldn't have such thoughts crossing our mind as the cartoon say "We got Andres Iniesta - The
Anti FIFA Virus Guys".
Racing Santander's administrators have announced that the club has a total debt of almost
€48m, a figure over €10m in excess of the one presented when the Cantabrians applied to enter
bankruptcy in July.
The difference was explained by the fact that investment company Western Gulf Advisory (WGA),
owned by Indian businessman Ahsan Ali Syed who purchased the club in January, 2011, is shown
amongst the list of creditors as being owed €8.
The international break provides FC Barcelona time for Iniesta and Fabregas to recover (Photo:
David Ramos/Getty Images)
FIFA's infamous international breaks are dreaded by most club soccer fans, who think that they
kill the momentum of the league season and add extra weight on the legs of key players.
Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain was understandably delighted after making the most of a rare
recent start against Espanyol on Sunday by scoring a hat-trick in his side's 4-0 win
Since returning from a serious back injury in April, Higuain has been mainly used at a
substitute by Jose Mourinho with Karim Benzema being Mourinho's preferred choice up front.
It isn't often that a college soccer game headlines a day's action during the weekend, but
today's South Florida/West Virginia tilt has something for all.
Along with being two of the country's top teams, South Florida and West Virginia feature some of
the best pro prospects in the nation, with South Florida goalkeeper Chris Blais and West Virginia
centerback Eric Schoenle among the most highly-regarded prospects in college soccer.
No, Real Madrid is NOT in Crisis. We are merely in a slump. 5 dropped points over 2 games against
La Liga teams whose objective is to stave off relegation is proof of that. Maybe Jose Mourinho's
sarcastic remarks prior to the Levante game about just wanting to stay up were taken seriously by
the team: prompting them to play as if we were a team battling relegation.
La Liga heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid will want vast improvement when they host
Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano respectively on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho's Real in particular need to buck up their ideas if they are to end Barca's
three-year stranglehold on the title after dropping more points in an uninspiring 0-0 draw at
Racing Santander in midweek following a shock 1-0 defeat at Levante on Sunday.
Owen Hargreaves hadn't played more than six minutes of football in three years before scoring on
debut for City. How come if we stop doing something for five minutes, we need a refresher course?
Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe.
There are two types of men in this world that we'll never trust: those who don't drink and those
who have an unhealthy obsession with their hair products.
Cesc F bregas continued his free-scoring start to his FC Barcelona career with a second-half
equaliser as the champions twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Valencia.
An Éric Abidal own goal edged the Liga leaders ahead but the visitors swiftly levelled when
Pedro Rodríguez rifled in Lionel Messi's assist.
Valencia vs Barcelona 2-2 Highlights Goals Video 2011 Fabregas goal is a post from Soccer
Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Valencia vs Barcelona 2-2 Highlights Goals Video 2011 Fabregas goal is a post from Soccer Blogger.
Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Valencia vs Barcelona 2011 ( Valencia vs Barca 2011) Score and
result:- Valencia vs Barcelona 2-2 ( Abidal own goal, Hernandez/ Pedro, Fabregas) Estadio Mestalla-
La Liga- 22 September, 2011- 0 pm UK Cesc [.
Photo by Rick Osentoski/ISIphotos.com
Wednesday night represents a big night for MLS teams both in league and CONCACAF Champions
League play, but prior to that, a pretty intriguing mid-week slate of European matches takes center
stage.
In addition to Spanish powers Real Madrid and Barcelona being in action, some Americans Abroad
should take to the pitch as well.
