TheNewsGuru

Tag: valencia

  • Valencia shock Real Madrid with 95th-minute winner

    Valencia shock Real Madrid with 95th-minute winner

    Hugo Duro’s injury-time winner for Valencia stunned Real Madrid as the hosts lost ground in the La Liga title race.

    With the clock showing 95 minutes, Rafa Mir put in a sublime cross which Hugo Duro headed home from close range.

    Mouctar Diakhaby had opened the scoring for Valencia when he rose highest to head home Andre Almeida’s cross.

    It was a blow for Madrid who had passed up a big chance minutes earlier when Vinicius Jr’s penalty was easily saved by goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili after Cesar Tarrega was judged to have fouled Kylian Mbappe in the box.

    Shortly after the break, Vinicius atoned for his penalty miss, sending an effort high into the roof of the net to equalise.

    Mbappe stabbed an effort just wide but was unable to find the target in a frustrating afternoon for the French striker and his side.

    The result means Los Blancos remain three points behind leaders Barcelona, who play Real Betis later on Saturday.

    Madrid have missed five penalties this season in all competitions (11 scored from 16), their highest tally of failures in a single campaign since at least 2013-14.

    With Thibaut Courtois out with a muscle injury and Andriy Lunin suffering discomfort in his leg during the win over Leganes, 19-year-old Fran Gonzalez became the youngest goalkeeper to make their Madrid debut in La Liga since Iker Casillas did so aged 18 years 115 days in September 1999.

    For Valencia, it is a momentous win and the first time they have been victorious at the Bernabeu since 2008.

    Carlo Ancelotti’s side travel to Emirates Stadium on Tuesday to face Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

    BBC

  • La Liga: Vinicius Jnr sees red as Valencia beat Real Madrid 1-0 at Mestalla stadium

    La Liga: Vinicius Jnr sees red as Valencia beat Real Madrid 1-0 at Mestalla stadium

    Valencia on Sunday defeated Real Madrid at the Mestalla stadium courtesy of Diego López right footed shot from the right side of the six-yard box.

    Real Madrid’s season is virtually over, even though there are still three more games to go.

    Real Madrid Winger, Vinicius Jnr was red carded in the 96th minute of the encounter  for a violent tackle on a Valencia player.

    Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to Manchester City in the UCL and a follow up loss to Valencia has put an end to a very inconsistent season by the Los Blancos.

    Valencia are fighting to avoid relegation and while their odds of staying in La Liga are now higher than they’ve been in recent months, they still have their backs against the wall and will try to be the aggressors in Mestalla.

    The result pushed Madrid down the log on 3rd position while Atletico Marid replaced them on second position with a point difference between.

    On the other hand Valencia moved to 13th position five points clear of the relegation zone.

    There are still three games to be played before the end of the La Liga season.

     

  • Roman Abramovich bidding to buy La Liga club

    Roman Abramovich bidding to buy La Liga club

    Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is planning a bid for La Liga club Valencia.

    Abramovich confirmed last month that he was selling the Blues but there is now a suggestion that he may re-enter football immediately with a hope of buying the struggling La Liga club, amid reports that Singaporean businessman Peter Lim has put Valencia up for sale. That is according to Miguel Zorio, who is a rival bidder for Los Che.

    Chelsea are desperate to secure a new owner amid a budget crisis, with their funds dictated by the British government in the wake of the UK sanctions imposed on Abramovich due to his alleged links to Russia president Vladimir Putin.

    Zorio, a Spanish businessman who is attempting to buy Valencia with an €248m (£207.8m) bid, alleges that the club’s current owner, Peter Lim, has claimed that he has also received an offer from Abramovich.

    There has now been a claim from Zorio that Lim has attempted to sell the club to Abramovich and has accused the current Valencia owner of leaking the news to the media. Zorio has suggested that the Russian oligarch is the other major contender to buy the club.

    Plaza Deportiva report a letter from Zorio as stating: “Peter Lim has tried to sell the club in London for €250million and has not succeeded. Lately, he has leaked to international media that he has two purchase offers, mine and that of the Russian oligarch of Chelsea. And from here, I tell him that either he puts €50m every year to compensate for the losses he generates or he sells to us. Whether he likes it or not.”

  • Anthony Martial breaks silence after Sevilla move

    Anthony Martial breaks silence after Sevilla move

    Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has broken his silence after completing his loan move to La Liga side Sevilla.

    The Frenchman, who has struggled for regular game time at Old Trafford this season, has joined the La Liga outfit on loan for the remainder of the season, with the two clubs reaching an agreement after extensive talks.

    Martial, who joined United from French club AS Monaco back in 2015, will be hoping to use his time in Spain to rediscover his true capabilities and hand Sevilla a boost in their pursuit of current La Liga table-toppers Real Madrid, who currently find themselves four points clear of Martial’s new employers.

    Following confirmation of his temporary switch to the Spanish giants, who are also still alive and kicking in the Europa League this season, Martial has taken to Instagram to react to the move, issuing a short three-word message.

    The Frenchman said: “New chapter @sevillafc.”

    Martial will be hoping that this new chapter can resurrect his career after a difficult period at Old Trafford, which recently saw interim manager Ralf Rangnick claim the striker had refused to travel for United’s recent clash at Aston Villa.

  • Valencia made us suffer – Pique

    Valencia made us suffer – Pique

    Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was delighted with their 3-2 win at Valencia.

    Two goals from Lionel Messi and another from Antoine Griezmann ensured the Catalans remained within two points of leaders Atletico Madrid.

    Pique said, “The knee’s fine, it was a small problem but nada. After the unexpected loss (against Granada) this was a very important game to keep fighting until the end.

    “We knew there would be no easy games. This means we are still in the fight for the title. To be there until the end is an achievement, that’s what we wanted at the start of the season, even more after the first half of the campaign. It was a similar game to Villarreal today, dominating, we had the chances … Valencia scored the first but the team was good, turned it around and we were able to control the game. A golazo from Soler meant we suffered a little at the end.”

    On the result, Pique also stated: “We would like to kill games off earlier … these are things that happen. We also have to analyse the goals. The problem is all the chances opponents have are going in, we have to analyse that.

    “Thursday was completely unexpected and the defeat damaged us, but winning at Villarreal and Valencia was complicated and gives us confidence. We’re still competing and if you look back six months that’s an achievement.”

  • Atletico Madrid sign midfielder Kondogbia from Valencia

    Atletico Madrid sign midfielder Kondogbia from Valencia

    Atletico Madrid have signed French midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia from Valencia for an undisclosed fee, both La Liga clubs said on Tuesday.

    The 27-year-old has signed a four-year contract with Atletico and replaces Thomas Partey, who joined Arsenal just before the transfer window closed.

    Arsenal had activated his 50-million-euro ($58.52 million) release clause.

    La Liga rules allow clubs who have lost a player after their release clause was triggered to sign another player within a month provided they play in Spain or are out of contract.

    “Atletico Madrid and Valencia CF have reached an agreement over the transfer of Geoffrey Kondogbia,” Atletico said in a statement.

    “The box-to-box footballer is a strong presence in midfield and contributes defensively and offensively,” the statement said.

    Kondogbia began his career with French Side Lens before moving to Sevilla and had an ugly confrontation with Atletico striker Diego Costa in a 2013 Copa del Rey tie.

    He later moved to AS Monaco and Inter Milan, joining Valencia on loan in 2017 before completing a permanent move the following year.

  • Manchester City sign Valencia winger on 5-year deal

    Manchester City sign Valencia winger on 5-year deal

    Manchester City announced on Tuesday they have signed Spanish winger Ferran Torres from Valencia, with the 20-year-old putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.

    Financial details were not disclosed by the English Premier League (EPL) clubside, but British media reported the transfer fee was 23 million euros (20.73 million pounds).

    Torres scored six goals and had eight assists for Valencia in all competitions last season as they came ninth in the Spanish La Liga.

    “I am so happy to be joining Manchester City. Every player wants to be involved in attacking teams and Manchester City are one of the most attacking in world football,” Torres told the club website.

    “Pep (Guardiola) encourages a really open, aggressive style, which I love, and he is a manager with a proven track record of improving players. To have him overseeing my development is a dream.”

    Torres joins Manchester City as a replacement for Germany winger Leroy Sane who moved to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich last month for 45 million euros plus add-ons.

    “He’s young and still developing, but his technical qualities are exactly what we are looking for in a winger,” Manchester City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain said of Torres.

    “He’s quick, direct, can create space with one movement and is capable of producing match-winning moments.”

    Manchester City have also been linked with a 41 million pounds (53.56 million dollars) move for Bournemouth central defender Nathan Ake.

    This is noteworthy as Guardiola looks to close the gap on Premier League champions Liverpool next season.

    Second-placed Manchester City finished 18 points adrift of the Anfield side but won the League Cup and are still in the UEFA Champions League.

    They lead Real Madrid 2-1 ahead of their last 16 second leg home match on Friday.

  • Valencia sack coach following back-to-back defeats

    Spanish La Liga clubside Valencia said on Monday they had sacked coach Albert Celades and appointed sporting director Voro until the end of the season.

    The team have picked up only four points in five matches since the season re-started after the COVID-19 hiatus, slipping way behind in contention for UEFA Champions League qualification.

    Back-to-back defeats by Eibar and Villarreal respectively left them eighth in the standings on 46 points, eight points behind fourth-placed Sevilla with six games remaining.

    Valencia appointed Celades last September after taking the surprising decision to dispense with Marcelino, who had led the club to successive top-four finishes.

    This had ended an 11-year wait for a major trophy, and Marcelino had guided them to win the Copa del Rey.

    Celades had never previously been a first team coach at club level.

    He had built his reputation as Spain’s under-21 coach and as an assistant to Julen Lopetegui with the Spain side and Real Madrid.

    Celades made a difficult start in losing his first game in charge 5-2 to FC Barcelona.

    But he improved his reputation by taking the team into the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, where they were eventually knocked out by Atalanta 8-4 on aggregate.

  • La Liga: Five Valencia players test positive for coronavirus

    La Liga: Five Valencia players test positive for coronavirus

    Five Valencia players and staff are “in good health” after testing positive for coronavirus, the club says.

    Valencia and Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay became the first La Liga player to announce a positive test earlier on Sunday.

    Later on Sunday, Valencia centre-back Eliaquim Mangala said he had tested positive and was self isolating.

    Spain is the second worst-hit country in Europe after Italy and is set to declare a national lockdown on Monday.

    Spain’s La Liga was suspended on Thursday after the Real Madrid squad went into quarantine.

    “It is clear I have started 2020 with bad luck,” Garay, 33, wrote on Instagram.

    “I am very well and must obey health authorities and stay isolated.”

  • Atalanta cruise to Champions League quarter-finals

    Atalanta cruise to Champions League quarter-finals

    Atalanta eased into the Champions League quarter-finals as Josip Ilicic hit four goals against Valencia, in the first match of the competition to be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak.

    The Italians arrived in Spain with a commanding 4-1 lead from the first leg of their last-16 tie and quickly added to their advantage inside an eerie Mestalla Stadium.

    With the chants of a large gathering of home supporters outside the ground clearly audible, Slovenia forward Ilicic converted a third-minute penalty for the Serie A side after he had been fouled by Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby.

    And while Kevin Gameiro capitalised on a defensive mix-up to tap in an equaliser for the hosts, Diakhaby’s handball allowed Ilicic to score his second spot-kick of the evening to put the visitors 6-2 up on aggregate.

    A second Gameiro goal, this time from a close-range header, levelled the score on the night before Ferran Torres’ lobbed effort put the La Liga side in front.

    However, Ilicic’s rasping left-foot drive from 20 yards restored Atalanta’s three-goal aggregate lead as he became the first Slovenian player to score a Champions League hat-trick.

    Ilicic’s fourth, a left-foot effort into the top left corner, rounded off an 8-4 aggregate win on a fine evening for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, who have now scored 28 goals in their last seven games and become the competition’s first debutants to reach the last eight since Leicester City in 2016-17.

    BBC