El Clásico - It ended all square at the Camp Nou

Sergio Ramos cancelled Luis Suarez opener in the dying moments and rescued a point for Real Madrid.

With this draw Real Madrid increased their winning run to 33 games and maintain six points lead over 2nd placed Barcelona.

The match had all the drama. An early penalty shout by Real Madrid denied by the referee, niggling fouls by both the teams, some nervy moments and of course the two headed goals.

As it all happened, both teams dominated either half of the game and in the end the draw was an apt result.

Real Madrid had fair number of chances in the first half and could have gone up but somehow it remained nil nil.

Barcelona took the lead under 10 minutes into the second half through Luis Suarez after Varane fouled Neymar on the left flank, after the goal they had 3-4 chances gone begging and ultimately paid the price, when Luka Modric's delivery found Sergio Ramos header who saved the day for Los Blancos.

Messi has now gone 6 Clásicos without finding the back of the net. He had a chance in this game but he dragged his shot wide. 

Barcelona needed a win to revitalize their dull season, however for Real Madrid it's job done as they would be happy to leave away with a point.

The draw keeps Los Blancos on top of the table and their streak intact.

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

12 hours to the biggest game in club football- 12 facts to know

With the biggest game just 12 hours away. Read 12 facts about the El Clásico which every enthusiast should know.

Some records are in the sight for both teams and it will be a treat for football fans all around the world to witness them being broken or created tonight.

Barcelona have lost just three of the last 13 Clásicos they have played at home in all competitions (W7 D3). 

Real Madrid have won five of their last nine games aganst Barça in all competitions (L4), including their last trip to Camp Nou (1-2). 

Zinedine Zidane could become the first Real Madrid manager to enjoy consecutive wins in Clásicos at Camp Nou since Miguel Muñoz in 1965 (four in all competitions). 

Should Barcelona win this game, it would be their 50th victory over Real Madrid at home in La Liga.

No Barcelona manager has ever lost two Clásicos in a row at home. 

Barcelona and Real Madrid have not drawn a game without scoring and conceding in La Liga since November 2002, the worst La Liga season for the Culés in the 21ST century (6th).

Messi has gone five games without scoring against Real Madrid in all competitions, his worst such run in El Clásico. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored ten of Real Madrid’s last 16 goals at Camp Nou in all competitions.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored all five Real Madrid goals in his last two league games (one hat-trick and one brace).

Benzema has assisted more goals than any other current Real Madrid player in all competition Clásicos (5), with three of them scored by Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Zidane have gone 25 games in a row without a defeat in La Liga (W22 D3), with his team scoring in all of them (an average of three goals per game).

27 points after the opening 13 league games is the worst start for Barcelona since 2007/08 (also 27), when they finished the season in third place.

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

Leo Messi to leave Barcelona?

This will hurt Barcelona fans. If reports are to be believed, Lionel Messi has refused to sign a contract extension and will see out his current deal which ends in 2018 before deciding his future.
Madrid based sports daily Marca, claims that Leo Messi communicated his decision to the club mid-july when he was on a vacation with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo and two children, Thiago and Mateo.


The tax evasion case reportedly being said as one of the reasons behind this decision. Messi is unhappy as he is being pursuit by the tax authorities in Spain. Barcelona still remain optimistic though, on renewing the 29 years old contract.
Messi was sentenced to 21 months of prison after found guilty by the Spanish tax authorities.
Messi along with his father Jorge Messi were accused of using tax havens in Uruguay and Belize to hide more than ￡3m earnings.

Messi reaches court with his father Jorge Messi. Credits Mirror

Barca president Josep Bartomeu recently sealed contract extensions of a number of players like Sergio Busquets, Neymar Jr., and Javier Mascherano.

Andrés Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic, Marc-André Ter Stegen, Luis Suarez are yet to put pen to paper as they are also hoping for new improved deals.

Bartomeu claimed that he is not worried about Lionel Messi's future and said he will begin negotiations with the 5 times Ballon d'Or winner in January.

"We will have negotiations with Messi in a next couple of months," he told The Telegraph.

Former Barcelona and current Manchester City manager had not kept secret of his admiration for Messi, admitting that he would be the first one to approach if Leo Messi available.

Guardiola said in an interview in October, "I never called Messi. I never called Neymar, Suarez, Iniesta, Busquets, I didn't call anybody," ahead of Manchester City's game with Barcelona.

"In the case of Leo, I really want him to play and finish his career here[at Barcelona]. But maybe he will think, OK I want to go play somewhere else' because maybe his kids want to speak English or live a different experience, like has happened to many of us,"

"Maybe it could happen, but if he decides to go and it happens, there would be a list of seven or eight clubs who would want to sign him, and it would be down to him. Messi will decide where to go."

The reigning La Liga champions are currently on 2nd behind rivals Real Madrid. The next El Clasico is on 3rd December at Camp Nou.

Source

1. Mirror
2. The Telegraph

©sportskafun.blogspot.com