Messi suspended for 4 games

FIFA has handed a four match ban to Lionel Messi after the star player was found guilty of abusing the linesman in Argentina's match against Chile.

Messi scored the only goal of the match against Chile

Lionel Messi, who scored the winner against Chile in a must win match was not so good with his mouth as the player was found speaking cuss words to the linesman.
The incident reportedly came to light after the video did rounds and FIFA was considered to take a strict action against this.

The news came today that the Argentine has been handed a 4 match ban means he won't be available for the matches against Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru.

Messi has proved to be the Talisman for his team in CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifier as stats clearly show how poor his team has fared in his absence.

With the absence of Messi, Argentina will face a difficult task in the upcoming matches as their World Cup dream looks bleak at the moment.

Nevertheless, the AFA will appeal to FIFA to reconsider the punishment as the nation's World Cup qualifications dream is hugely dependent on him.

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

Steven Gerrard picks his choice of greatest player of all time.

Steven Gerrard who called time on his footballing career today, has picked his choice as who he thinks is the 'greatest player of all time.'

Gerrard has played with and against some great players to have ever graced the game. Speaking his mind out he picks Lionel Messi as the best ever.

Gerrard has made his choice very clear and also explains why he feels so.

“He’s an incredible footballer,” he said on BT Sport, watching Messi score a brace against Celtic in the Champions League to give Barca a 2-0 victory.

“I think the best ever. The best there will ever be. It’s just an absolute pleasure to watch him.”

Leo Messi has undoubtedly earned this status after performing at the top level in every single season.

His rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo is inevitable. And this generation football fans would feel very grateful that the two players have played in this generation.

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

Honours even at the Emirates, FC Bayern shocked in Russia and other Champions league results

Matchday 5 had some real drama and some brilliant matches. Some great comebacks and some shock defeats.

Group A

Arsenal vs PSG

Arsenal and PSG were fighting for the top spot in group. Both have not lost any match in group stage this season and gave it all out for a win at Emirates.

PSG started the game on the front foot and it took them just 17 minutes to grab the opener, a nice build up saw Thiago Motta finding Blaise Matuidi on the left, who ran into the box and squared it for Edinson Cavani at the far post, who poked the ball home.

Arsenal struggled to get hold of possession for the major part of the first half but somehow managed to earn a penalty after Olivier Giroud robbed Krychowiak off possession just outside the box and found Mesut Ozil, who played a brilliant reverse pass to Alexis Sanchez on the right, Krychowiak came sliding in after Alexis cut inside and just clipped his right foot. The referee pointed to the spot and Olivier Giroud leveled the score at the stroke of halftime.

In the 2nd half Arsenal looked completely a different team, sustaining continuous pressure on PSG and thus found their reward on the hour mark, when Carl Jenkinson, teed up by Sanchez, fired a cross in the box from the right and Marquinhos clearance ricochetoff shin's of Marco Veratti for an own goal.

PSG didn't hold back and the substitute Hatem Ben Arfa proved to be the culprit for Arsenal. His corner found Lucas Moura free on the far side, who was left unmarked and he sent his header towards goal which took a subtle touch off Alex Iwobi's head and went away from Ospina. Arsenal paid back for the own goal with an own goal thus leveling the score again.

Both managers threw everything to grab a winner but it ended all square at the Emirates and PSG lead Arsenal at top of the table with one matchday left.

In another group A match, Basel and Ludogorets played out a 0-0 draw in Bulgaria. The fight for a place in Europa league is still on.

Group B

The most trickiest group as 3 teams are in contention for the top two places.

SSC NAPOLI vs DYNAMO KYIV

The hosts were left frustrated by the Ukrainian side. After having so many chances, they had only themselves to blame as lack of sharpness in the final third cost them two points. Napoli are still top of the group but they would be really upset as they could have wrapped the group as table toppers.

They face Benfica away on last matchday.

BESIKTAS vs BENFICA

The most incredible match of the night as Besiktas came from three goal deficit to earn a point. Benfica scored three goals in the first 30 minutes of the match and had plenty of other chances but Besiktas rallied in the second half and Vincent Aboubakar leveled the score in the 89th minute to snatch a point and Benfica would really have been kicking themselves as they blew away a three goal lead and the chance to advance to knockout stages.

Group C

Celtic vs Barcelona

Two Lionel Messi goals on either side of the half helped Barcelona win in Glasgow and thus advancing to knockout stages while securing top spot in the Group.

Neymar assisted the first goal as it was a vintage Barcelona build up and Lionel Messi finished it.
In the 2nd half Suarez was brought down in the box and Lionel Messi stepped up to grab his second of the night and thus sealing all three points and top spot in the Group.
Leo Messi is the top scorer in group stages this season with 9 goals in 4 matches he has started. He is chasing Cristiano Ronaldo's record of most goals in Group stages. 

Borussia Monchengladbach vs Manchester City

Pep Guardiola's side last game in Champions league saw them defeat Barcelona at the Etihad.
City could have challenged Barcelona for the top spot but they only managed a draw against a sturdy Gladbach defense.

Gladbach took the lead in 23rd minute through Raffael after mounting early pressure on City's defence.
City equalized after a brilliant play through David Silva in the first half stoppage time.

2nd half saw both teams receiving Red Cards for poor challenges. First Lars Stindl of Gladbach barged into Otamendi and saw red, then minutes later Fernandinho pulled Raffael off the ball and was shown red. Though City protested for their red card as they thought it was harsh.
Both teams shared the spoils in the end and Manchester City with the draw went through to knockout stages behind Barcelona.

Group D

FC Rostov vs FC Bayern 

The biggest upset of the matchday 5 happened in Russia when the mighty Bayern lost 3-2 to FC Rostov.

Rostov produced a brave performance against the 5 times European champions. Althiugh Bayern went ahead through Douglas Costa when Renato Sanches ran into the box past defenders and fired a shot, the goalkeeper saved it but a horrible clearance from Rostov send the ball in the path of Costa who launched a thumping strike into the goal. FC Rostov equalized just 8 minutes later when Costa misplaced a pass and Poloz pounced on it and he send the ball to Sardar Azmoun who showed brilliant composure inside the box , taking advantage of Boateng's slip and send the ball past Bayern goalkeeper.

In the 48th minute a controversial penalty decision was given when Rostov's Noboa goes down under a challenge from Boateng, replay showed he got the part of the ball but referee didn't hesitate in pointing to the spot and Poloz buried the chance to give FC Rostov the lead.
Bayern stored parity just 2 minutes later, after a good link-up play between Renato Sanches and Ribery, who then teed up Bernat to finish home. It was blistering strike into the ceiling of the goal from the left-back.

Rostov continued their confident play and earned a free kick in the 64th minute. The free kick specialist of the team, Christian Noboa, took the charge and sent the ball around the wall and into the goal. It was a stunning strike from the specialist.

Home crowd got behind their team as it was deafening atmosphere in the stadium.
Rostov were leading the match and hold their nerves in the dying moments to beat Bayern.
It was their first ever champions league win and it would go down as the most memorable night in the club's history.

Bayern will now finish second in the group behind Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid vs PSV Eindhoven

Atletico Madrid were the only team to have a 100% record in this season's champion league and they capped it with another comfortable win against the Dutch club.

Atletico won 2-0 on the night with goals from Kevin Gameiro assisted by Griezmann and Antoine Griezmann. Both goals were scored in the 2nd half.
Griezmann was the man of the match for his one assist and a goal.

The win saw Atletico Madrid topped the group with one game to spare.

This is how the matchday 5 unfolded and 12 teams have already qualified for the knockouts while remaining 4 positions will be fulfilled on the last matchday.
Some groups are still waiting for their table toppers as the last matchday will surely be an exciting one.

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

Results - World Cup Qualifiers

CONMEBOL - 1st Round

Argentina vs Colombia (3-0)

After failing to win their last 4 qualification games, it was a must win game for Argentina. 

Lionel Messi was hands down Man of the Match as with the help of his 1 goal and 2 assists, Argentina registered a comfortable win.

Messi was in different color. He opened the scoring with a stunning free-kick in the 10th minute which got into the back of the net off the underside of the bar. No chance for the keeper to stop that. 

He was a constant threat to Colombia. In the 23rd minute he set up another for Lucas Pratto, the later was given a nod ahead of Gonzalo Higuain and he justified his selection by heading a gorgeous cross from Messi into the goal. 

Messi made several other chances and he was the architect again, he caught Murillo in possession and made a run into the area and squared it for former Real Madrid man, Angel Di Maria, who put it into the empty net. 

It was given the fact that Argentina have never lost a World Cup qualifying match at home against Colombia and Colombia have never scored in a qualifying match in Argentina, conceding five.

With this win Argentina climbs above Colombia to 5th position with 19 points in 12 matches.

Peru vs Brazil (0-2)

In-form Brazil were up against Peru, who won their last match against Paraguay. Brazil also came into this match on the back of a 5 match winning streak and had they not win this game they would still be at the top of the table. 

First half was goalless with Peru coming the closest to score, hitting the post through Andre Carrillo. 

In the 58th minute Brazil got the breakthrough when young Gabriel Jesus hammered the ball home after poor defensive display from Peru. 

Brazil with their commanding display were more likely to score another goal as Peru were struggling. Neymar hit the crossbar in the 77th minute after collecting the pass from Coutinho on the left, he pushed the ball onto his right and launched a ferocious effort that rattled the post.

Brazil got their 2nd goal of the game just minutes later. Again Peru failed to clear the ball and Gabriel Jesus wasted no time in setting Renato Augusto who finished the scoring. 

Gabriel Jesus recorded one assist to go with his goal. 

Brazil are top of the pile with 27 points in 12 matches, 4 ahead of 2nd placed Uruguay. 

Chile vs Uruguay (3-1)

News was there that Arsene Wenger did not like when Alexis Sanchez was named in the squad as he had an injury and is a key man for Arsenal. 

Despite Wenger fears, he was named in the squad and also proved to be the difference among the two teams.

Uruguay opened the scoring with Edinson Cavani finding the back of the net in 17th minute. But Eduardo Vargas levelled the match on the stroke of half-time. It was Alexis' show in the second half as he put the hosts ahead on the hour-mark with a well struck volley and 16 minutes later scored his 2nd of the match to complete Chile win. 

Claudio Bravo gave away a penalty two minutes before time but he saved the effort by his former Barca teammate Luis Suarez and with this win Chile climbs to 4th position and within 3 points of 2nd placed Uruguay. 

Some other results :-

• Bolivia 1-0 Paraguay - Bolivia secured the win with an own goal from Gustavo Gomez.
• Ecuador 3-0 Venezuela - With all 3 goals scored in 2nd half, Ecuador is on 3rd position tied on points with Chile and ahead on goal difference.

AFC - 3rd Round

Group A

• South Korea vs Uzbekistan (2-1) - South Korea came from behind to defeat Uzbekistan at their home ground and move to 2nd place.

• China vs Qatar (0-0) - Bottom end teams play out a nil-nil draw.

• Syria vs Iran (0-0) - With this draw Iran remains at the top of the table one point ahead of South Korea with 11 points.

Group B

• Japan vs Saudi Arabia (2-1) - With the win over Saudi Arabia, Japan climbs above Australia and onto the 2nd position and tied on points with the table toppers Saudi Arabia. 

• Thailand vs Australia (2-2) -  The Socceroos were held for a draw and missed the chance to go top. They are currently 3rd with 9 points in 5 matches. 

• U.A.E. vs Iraq (2-0) - With this win U.A.E draw level on points with Australia. They also have 9 points in 5 matches.

So this is how the teams fared on the matchdays enroute 'Road to Russia'. 

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

El Clásico - The biggest football game in the World

"El Clasico" as the name suggests itself, means The Classic. It is the name given to the rivalry between the two biggest clubs in this world, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Termed as probably the biggest game in club football, it is one of the most viewed match in this world. 

These two top clubs from Spain, whenever they play, the world stops. They have the largest fanbase and are the most followed team at present. According to Forbes, these are world's two most valuable teams.

History says this rivalry has surpassed every limits. Lots of controversies, on and off the field, politics, transfers etc. You will come to know about some interesting facts as you read through.

First El Clasico In history 

The first ever El Clasico was played in 1902 on the home ground of Real Madrid. It was a club competition game and Barcelona were the winners, winning by a scoreline of 3-1. 

After this although they played against each other in several friendlies it was in February of 1929, when they first met in Spanish competition La Liga, this time at Barcelona's home ground. 

Los Blancos won the match 2-1.

Real Madrid leads the head to head battle win 93 wins to Barcelona's 90. The two are teams are also never relegated from La Liga since its inception in 1929.

CONTROVERSIES

Some major controversies which involved both the clubs are : 

• 1943 Copa del Generalisimo semi-finals - When Barcelona won the first leg 3-0. Real Madrid complained about the goals which referee allowed for Barcelona. Whilst home supporters whistled against Real Madrid for applying rough tactics and against referee for allowing them to. A campaign began in Madrid and Barcelona fans were banned from traveling to Madrid. Real Madrid beat Barcelona 11-1 in the second leg.  It was one of the most controversial match.

• Alfredo di Stefano Transfer - The rivalry reached new heights when both clubs tried to sign Di Stefano in 1950s. Both clubs claimed to own his registration but when intervened by the FIFA president, it was decided the teams will share the players in alternate seasons. But eventually Di Stefano moved to Real Madrid and became an integral part of the club's success in the 60s.

• Luis Figo Transfer - In 2000, when Luis Figo moved from Barcelona to Real Madrid, this was the transfer surrounded by a lot of politics and controversies. It led to a hate campaign against him when he visited Barcelona in Real Madrid shirt. Banners with "Judas", "Scum" and "Mercenary" were hung around the stadium.

These are some of the notable controversies. 

More details at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cl%C3%A1sico

Recent 

In recent years, this rivalry has been overviewed as the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and after signings of players like Luis Suarez, Neymar by Barcelona and Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema by Real Madrid, it has broadened as the rivalry between the two trios BBC vs MSN.

Some Stats 

Top Goal Scorers in El Clásico

It's been some time since Lionel Messi scored against Los Blancos but he leads the overall tally. 

Cristiano Ronaldo not so far behind though.

Head to Head

 League Matches

  Copa Del Rey Matches

  UEFA Champions League Matches

Spanish Super Cup Matches

Summary of all competitive matches 

Friendlies

Summary of all competitive matches

Next Match

Upcoming El Clasico is on 3rd December. Real Madrid currently is on top of the table while Barcelona is on 2nd.

Sources

•  http://www.elclasicolivestream.com/real-madrid-vs-barcelona-head-to-head-all-time-stats.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org

©sportskafun.blogspot.com