Tello scores goal in victory over Real Sociedad (Photo: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Lionel Messi scored one and assisted another as Barcelona successfully fought off their San Sebastian rivals in a freezing, sub-zero encounter at the Camp Nou.

Pep Guardiola rolled out the reserves for this one, choosing to rest key starters ahead of his team's Copa del Rey semi final clash with Valencia on Wednesday.

Italia es el rey, cuando menos en el arco, donde Gianluigi Buffon ha sido clasificado como el mejor guardavallas del siglo XXI por la Federación Internacional de Historia y Estadística del Futbol. Buffon se impuso sólo por dos unidades al español Iker Casillas (197), siendo el rubro decisivo el lugar que ocuparon en el "top 20″ de las votaciones en el 2012.

Messi shows frustration in draw against Villarreal (Photo: REUTERS/Heino Kalis)

Barcelona saw their La Liga title aspirations take a serious hit after suffering a goalless draw against Villarreal at El Madrigal on Saturday night.

Another road game, another setback.

It has been the same story all year long; with Barca now having dropped 13 points in league play away from the Camp Nou this season.

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes says that his side cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to successfully defend their La Liga title this season.

Barca were held to a 0-0 draw against Villarreal on Saturday, a result that now leaves them seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid, who recorded a 3-1 win over Real Zaragoza at the weekend.

FC Barcelona could have handed over the Liga title to Real Madrid unofficially after drawing away at 17th placed Villareal. The lead at the top of the summit is seven points which could be too much for our boys to climb. Already with a very depleted side, we weren't helped by Guardiola's decision making all night.

Messi scores another hat trick in victory over Malaga (Photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images)

An inspired three-goal performance from Lionel Messi saw Barcelona defeat Malaga 4-1 at La Rosaleda, keeping the Catalans within striking distance of Real Madrid in the race for the La Liga title.

Real Madrid bounced back from their midweek Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona with a comeback 4-1 victory over 10-man Athletic Bilbao that kept them five points clear at the top of the Primera Division.

In-form Athletic had threatened to add to Madrid's misery following their 2-1 home loss to Barca in the first leg of their cup quarter-final tie when Fernando Llorente gave them an early lead.

Lionel Messi scored his first away hat-trick of the season to give Barca a comfortable 4-1 victory over Malaga. The match wasn't as comfortable as the score-line suggest. In the first half Malaga had some serious chances and ended as 1-0. Rondon scored the consolation goal for Malaga.

The Manchester United goalkeeper seems set to undergo eye surgery in the summer, just after the end of the English Premiership campaign and just before Spain's Olympic football participation begins.

The goalkeeper is unlikely to be called up by Spain for the 2012 UEFA European Championships.

Abidal fires the winning blast to defeat Real Madrid (Photo: REUTERS/Susana Vera)

Barcelona mounted a second half comeback to defeat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, extracting a measure of vengeance for their defeat in last year's Copa del Rey Final at the hands of their eternal rivals.

Here we go again.

The world's top rivalry takes center stage when Real Madrid hosts Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals (4 p.m., GOLTV/ESPN3.com), the first of two meetings in a week's time that will determine which club advances to the semifinals.

Borussia Dortmund has one of the world's up-and-coming stars in its grasp, and the defending Bundesliga champions aren't planning on letting him go.

Dortmund plans to keep 19-year-old playmaker Mario Goetze for at least another season despite major transfer interest, the club's sporting director said to German media.

The FIFA back "International Football Federation of History & Statistics" ( IFFHS ) has released its calculations & list for the "Best Goalkeeper in World Football". REAL MADRID CF & Spanish International IKER CASILLAS has been chosen & thus gains his 4th recognition from the IFHHS. On the list FC BARCELONA goalie VICTOR VALDES comes in 3rd placed.

Stephen Ireland wouldn't dare forget to bring his snakeskin pants to Ronaldinho's next pyjama party...would he?

If you think this is good, just wait.

It gets better.

Saturday

- We offered our steamiest congrats to Barcelona's Victor Valdes, who received the Catalan Athlete of the year award.

Yes indeed. That's Cesc Fabregas in his panties. And Victor Valdes on the toilet? Images via totalbarca.

Even if you'd managed to remain unaware that Barcelona had flown to Japan to take part in the FIFA World Club Championship, the news that David Villa broke his leg in the semi-final vs.

Santos - FC Barcelona0:4 (0:3)
FechaSede / EstadioHoraAsistencia
18 diciembre 2011 Yokohama / International Stadium Yokohama19:3068166Goles marcadosLionel MESSI (BAR) 17', XAVI (BAR) 24', Cesc FABREGAS (BAR) 45', Lionel MESSI (BAR) 82'Santos
[1] RAFAEL CABRAL (GK) [2] EDU DRACENA (C) [3] LEO [4] DANILO (-31') [5] AROUCA [6] DURVAL [7] HENRIQUE [9] BORGES (-79') [10] GANSO (-83') [11] NEYMAR [14] BRUNO RODRIGO En el banquillo [12] ARANHA (GK) [23] VLADIMIR (GK) [8] ELANO (+31') [13] BRUNO AGUIAR [15] ANDERSON CARVALHO [16] VINICIUS [17] FELIPE ANDERSON [18] IBSON (+83') [19] ALAN KARDEC (+79') [20] Wason RENTERIA [21] PARA [22] DIOGO Entrenador Muricy RAMALHO (BRA)
FC Barcelona[1] Victor VALDES (GK) [2] DANI ALVES [3] Gerard PIQUE (-56') [4] Cesc FABREGAS [5] Carles PUYOL (C) (-85') [6] XAVI [8] Andres INIESTA [10] Lionel MESSI [11] THIAGO (-79') [16] Sergio BUSQUETS [22] Eric ABIDAL
En el banquillo [13] PINTO (GK) [25] Oier OLAZABAL (GK) [7] David VILLA [A] [9] Alexis SANCHEZ [14] Javier MASCHERANO (+56') [15] Seydou KEITA [17] PEDRO (+79') [18] Jonathan DOS SANTOS [19] MAXWELL [21] ADRIANO [24] Andreu FONTAS (+85') [27] Isaac CUENCA Entrenador Pep GUARDIOLA (ESP)
Amonestaciones
Gerard PIQUE (BAR) 39'
, Javier MASCHERANO (BAR) 71'
, GANSO (SAN) 73'
, EDU DRACENA (SAN) 74'
Expulsiones
Cuerpo arbitral del partido
ÁrbitroRavshan IRMATOV (UZB) Assistant Referee 1Abdukhamidullo RASULOV (UZB) Cuarto ÁrbitroYuichi NISHIMURA (JPN) Assistant Referee 2Bakhadyr KOCHKAROV (KGZ) Quinto ÁrbitroToru SAGARA (JPN)
Santos (BRA )EstadísticasFC Barcelona (ESP)8Disparos163Remates a puerta90Goles413Faltas cometidas1311Faltas recibidas132Saques de esquina41Tiros libres ejecutados (al arco)10 / 0Lanzamientos penales (Goles/Remates)0 / 00Fueras de juego60Goles en propia meta02Tarjetas amarillas20Segunda tarjeta amarilla y tarjeta roja00Tarjetas rojas018Tiempo real de juego4529%Posesión del balón71% Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

photo credit: prettyfriendshipThanks to Cesc Fabregas, Xavi and, of course, Lionel Messi Barcelona won the World Club Cup at a canter. Santos, arguably the best team in South America at the moment, were disposed of as though they were an irritant to Barcelona. This Barcelona side take no prisoners.

Barcelona won the FIFA Club World Cup for the second time in three years on Sunday with a commanding victory over Brazilian side Santos.Lionel Messi scored twice to cap a brilliant performance and Cesc Fabregas and Xavi also got on the scoresheet in a one-sided contest in Yokohama.

Barcelona, who were without striker David Villa after he broke the shinbone in his left leg in their 4-0 semi-final victory over Al-Sadd.

This must be what football journos mean when they say a team 'jubilates' after winning. Image Credit: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki.

Missed any important action this weekend? Well, firstly you should be ashamed of yourselves, as we slaved over a hot Weekend Preview post so that wouldn't happen.

Second, why don't you just pop to the off-licence, purchase a bottle of their finest champers and Fed-Ex it to Kickette HQ by way of apology?

By Chris Wright

The 'Anti-Gouge Mourinho 3000′ blew a fuse part-way through the second half

Barcelona made an inauspicious start to the first league 'El Clasico' match of the season, conceding the fastest goal in the history of the fixture when Karim Benzema capitalised on Victor Valdes' immense cock-up after just 23 seconds, but fought back to take the honours at the Bernabeu, end Real Madrid's 15-match unbeaten streak and replace Los Blancos at the summit of La Liga courtesy of goals from Alexis Sanchez, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas his tenth goal in 11 starts for Barca.

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola is refusing to read too much into a 3-1 derby success over arch-rivals Real Madrid, with the title still up for grabs.

The reigning Primera Liga champions returned to the top of the table on Saturday as they picked up three priceless points at Santiago Bernabeu.

Jose Mourinho believes the outcome of Saturday's Clasico could have been different had Real Madrid not wasted some glorious opportunities.

Karim Benzema fired them in front after Victor Valdes scuffed a clearance and the Barca defence were unable to clear their lines. Real had chances to double their lead during an end-to-end opening half-an-hour, with Cristiano Ronaldo uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal.

Write off Barcelona at your peril: The European champions show their worth at the Santiago Bernabeu - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Saturday's El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid lived up to all expectations; there was passion, spell-bounding skill and goals the only thing missing was the heavily anticipated Madrid victory.

When Karim Benzema scored the opener for Real Madrid inside the first minute, some assumed it was going to be a long night for Barcelona's players and the club's supporters. However, the Catalans eventually turned the result around in another painful defeat for outspoken coach Jose Mourinho who, as expected, pretended the loss was not damaging.

Barcelona came from 1-0 down to win 3-1 against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to goals by Alexis Sanchez, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas. Pep Guardiola's men suffered a massive shock early on when they went a goal down after 22 seconds after Karim Benzema seized on Victor Valdes' mistake. Still, the champions fought [.

Barcelona came from 1-0 down to win 3-1 against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to goals by Alexis Sanchez, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas. Pep Guardiola's men suffered a massive shock early on when they went a goal down after 22 seconds after Karim Benzema seized on Victor Valdes' mistake. Still, the champions fought [.

FC Barcelona got the league back on track with a thrilling 1-3 comeback win at Santiago Bernebeu. The match started with a disaster as far as Barca were concerened. We went a goal down in the very first minute following a horrendous mistake by Valdes. But this match was about whether Barca's grit and they dig deep and produced a brilliant comeback.

Real Madrid got off to the perfect start with a goal after just 22 seconds from Karim Benzema who took advantage of a terrible mistake from Victor Valdes in the Barcelona goal, however Barcelona again showed their class to come from behind to win the El Clasico 3-1 with goals from Alexis Sanchez,Xavi via a massive deflection off Marcelo and a wonderful diving header from Cesc Fabregas.

szólj hozzá: Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona

There are fewer joys in the world than the spectacle of seeing Barca coming to the Santiago Bernabeu and beat the crap out of Jose Mourinho's brownshirts. Which they proceeded to do summarily in the first edition of this year's El Clasico.

Real is considered favorites to win La Liga and the Champions League this season but they need to solve the riddle that Barca poses them.

A finely chiselled and beautifully honed conductor of electricity and heat. And the LFP Award for best goalkeeper. Image via totalbarca.

After a busy week that saw Cesc Fabregas crumble under the intense pressure of our whining, a reveal of the strange bathing predilections of the Portuguese NT and a few choice players sharing what they don't want for Christmas, we are pleased to finally be able to bring you some proper football news.

By Chris Wright

Don't know if you heard, but Kevin-Prince Boateng scored a bit of a belter at the San Siro last night, exploding past Eric Abidal with a couple of brilliant touches before cracking a shot past Victor Valdes at his near post.

His celebration wasn't particularly shabby either.

Brazilian company Penalty are working on developing a new soccer cleat for 2012 with the help of Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes, the new VV1 with a QR code printed on the side of the boot.

It was October 20, 2004, when Milan welcomed FC Barcelona to the San Siro on match-day three of the Champions League. Much like today, both teams were clearly the best two in their group. Much like today Barcelona sat in first position, Milan were in second. And much like will be today, the team that [.

Barcelona's Victor Valdes clearly missed his plane-seating partner Iniesta more than he had originally imagined! /Photo credit : Ines Garcia (gracias!)

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Liverpool legend Phil Neal won an astonishing 4 European Cups as a player at Anfield, and he played alongside some fantastic goalkeepers, including Ray Clemence and Bruce Grobbelaar. Clearly, he knows a good keeper when he sees one, and Pepe Reina is no exception.
Speaking on LFC TV, Neal paid a glowing tribute to Liverpool's shot-stopper:
"He's the best goalkeeper in the Premiership, and for Spain.

In name it's only a friendly but when any world champion rolls up to Wembley everybody watching can be sure it will be anything but. Spain, FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship winners, are rightly considered the best team in contemporary international football. Some even consider this Spanish side to be the best international team that has ever played the game.

Spain are the bookies' favourite to claim the Euro 2012 title held in Poland and Ukraine but do they deserve to be in this position?
They are undoubtedly the best team in the world and have a respectable history in terms of awards. The Spanish last claimed the European title back in the Euro 2008 where they beat the German powerhouses 1-0 after a goal from the unstoppable Fernando Torres in the 33rd minute.

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina says in-form David Silva is the latest example of a Spanish player benefiting from playing in the Premier League, and reckons compatriot Juan Mata will follow suit.
Reina, 29, has established himself as one of Europe's best goalkeepers since arriving at Anfield in 2005 and the former Villarreal No.

L'Hospitalet vs FC Barcelona in Copa del Rey

Wenesday's Copa del Rey match away at L'Hospitalet, Victor Valdes' hometown, could be an game for youngsters Rafinha, Deofoleu and Sergi Roberto to shine. With the absences of Alexis, Messi, Alves, Mascherano, Cuenca and Thiago due to international duty, Guardiola will be looking to give minutes to La Masia's newest jewels.

Fabregas goal not enough for win against Bilbao (Photo: REUTERS/Felix Ordonez)

It was one for the ages, as Barcelona and Atletic Bilbao battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw under torrential rain in Spain's Basque Country.

Despite the gloomy conditions and sodden pitch, Barca were able to quickly settle into their grove, stringing together passes and creating chances.