News Archive

Match round-up - First Division, Day 1

A great start for the newly promoted sides, Osasuna and Alavés picking up more than respectable away draws earlier in the weekend, and Leganés beating Celta 0-1 on Monday evening. The “Pepineros” (literally “cucumber growers”) were playing their first ever match in the top flight, the sole representatives of the south of Madrid after Rayo and Getafe were relegated last season. However led by team captain Mantovani (sporting a weird blue haircut!) they were not overawed by their opponents, and Adrián Marín and Guerrero both brought good saves out of Sergio Alvarez in the first half. Iago Aspas felt himself hard done by however when he had a strike ruled out for a non-existent offside before the break, and the ex Liverpool striker was closed down by Serantes when Wass put him through just a minute after the restart. But Alberto came close at the other end, and with a quarter of an hour to go Víctor Díaz poked a shot past the keeper after Machís headed on Timor’s cross following a short corner. A dream start for Asier Garitano’s side, only spoilt in part by a red card for Timor for coming on to the pitch to argue with an opponent after he had been substituted.

Later in the evening there was another surprise, Las Palmas winning 2-4 at Valencia to end the first round of games in the Champions League spots. The Ches went in front early on when Santi Mina headed in a Dani Parejo corner, but Livaja headed the equalizer from Michel Macedo’s centre a few minutes later, and midway through the first half Jonathan Viera converted a penalty against his old club after Cancelo tripped Dani Castellano in the area. The Canary Islanders went further ahead soon afterwards when flamboyant new signing Kevin-Prince Boateng steered another header past Mat Ryan, but after that the locals came back, Santi Mina netting his second of the evening after a corner came back to him. Medrán, Mina and Cancelo all tested Javi Varas either side of half time, and Paco Alcácer fired a long shot against the crossbar. However there was no way through, and Livaja delivered the sucker punch on a quick counter-attack with a couple of minutes left on the clock. (22.08.16)

Real Madrid responded to Barcelona’s victory with a big win themselves on Sunday, Zidane’s side beating Real Sociedad 0-3 to start the season in second spot. Gareth Bale headed the opener from a Dani Carvajal cross with less than two minutes gone, and Rulli had to save from Kroos and Morata later on in the first half. Illarramendi had the best chance for the hosts in reply, although he chose to centre rather than shoot when free on goal, and with five minutes to go to the break Marco Asensio added a second for the visitors, the youngster calmly controlling a long ball from Varane before lifting a shot over the advancing keeper. After the restart Rulli had to save from Morata, Kovacic and James, and Kroos volleyed a shot against the crossbar. Marcelo did well to get back and block an effort from Oyarzabal later on, but with the game coming to an end Bale ran on to a James through ball to round the keeper and wrap things up.

Atlético Madrid faltered though, a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Alavés leaving them already two points adrift of their rivals. Simeone’s side totally dominated the match, but for once they were unable to take advantage of any of their twenty corners, normally a sure source of goals. Tiago, Koke and Gameiro all had shots saved by Fernando Pacheco, Gabi and Gameiro fired shots wide, and Carrasco hit the post shortly before the break. And after the interval Pacheco saved again from Godín and Gameiro, and Fernando Torres hit the upright again. Gameiro appeared to have won it for the locals at last when he converted a hotly disputed penalty in time added on after Torres was fouled by Laguardia on the edge of (outside of?) the area, but visiting team captain Manu García fired home the equalizer just seconds before the final whistle. “El Glorioso” are back in the big time!

Earlier in the day Sporting Gijón beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1, a good start for the Asturians who only just avoided relegation on the last day of last season. The early chances fell to the visitors, Aduríz slipping when through in front of Cuéllar, and the keeper managing to save a deflected shot from Williams. But Víctor Rodríguez went close a couple of times before the interval, and five minutes in to the second half another new signing Duje Cop got on the end of Burgui’s corner to volley home the opener. Just three minutes later Víctor Rodríguez made it two after Moi Gómez put him through, and Isma López had a chance to tie things up from the penalty spot after Bóveda brought down Burgui in the area. Iraizoz saved his spot kick however, and with four minutes left on the clock Viguera deflected a Williams shot in to the net to set up a nail-biting finish. (21.08.16)

Defending champions Barcelona got off to the best possible start with a thumping 6-2 victory over Betis on Saturday evening. Arda Turan opened the scoring in only the sixth minute from Jordi Alba’s cross, but that was quickly cancelled out by an impressive Rubén Castro free kick, the first goal that the Catalans had let in since last April. Messi rattled the crossbar on the half hour mark however, and a few minutes later he restored the lead with a shot from the edge of the area after picking up a short pass from Sergi Roberto. Luis Suárez added two more either side of half time, the first from Sergi Roberto’s cross, and the second after Turan and Messi combined to set him up. Two minutes later Messi helped himself to his second of the night, and the Argentinian forward brought a good save out of Adán before Suárez completed his hat-trick with a well struck free kick. Castro did score again for the visitors, somewhat spoiling Claudio Bravo’s last game between the sticks before moving on to Manchester City, but that was scant consolation for the Andalusians, who ended the day at the foot of the table.

Even more goals though in the match between Sevilla and Espanyol later in the evening, the Andalusians running out 6-4 winners in the end. The lead changed hands three times in the first half, Piatti putting the visitors ahead from Leo Baptistao’s cross in only the eighth minute. Roberto had had to make saves though from Vietto and Franco Vázquez, and headers from Sarabia and Vietto turned the scoreline in favour of the hosts. Hernán Pérez levelled it again however, and with a couple of minutes to go to half time Víctor Sánchez put the Catalans back in front with a low shot in to the bottom corner of the net. A minute or so later Vietto made it all square again following a corner, and after the restart Sevilla raced clear with strikes from new signings Vázquez, Ben Yedder and Kiyotake. Sergio Rico did well to keep out Baptistao soon afterwards, and Gerard Moreno completed the scoring, intercepting a poor pass from Kiyotake and turning Mercado inside out before shooting past the keeper, but that came too late to change the result.

The other match on Saturday between Granada and Villarreal ended 1-1, both teams happy to get off the mark on the opening weekend. The visitors were in the middle of a crucial Champions League qualifier, but even so they had the better chances in the first half, Ochoa having to close down Alexandre Pato when he got free on goal, and Roberto Soriano seeing his shot blocked. Soriano hit the post with a long shot after the interval, and soon afterwards Samu Castillejo put Fran escribá’s side ahead with a free kick which went in off the near post. But just four minutes later Ponce equalized after Javi Márquez crossed in following a short corner, and although Sansone headed against the crossbar later on, the scoreline remained unmoved. (20.08.16)

We’re back! La Liga returned on Friday night with two matches, Málaga and Osasuna kicking things off with a 1-1 draw. The locals had the better of the first half, Sandro coming up against Nauzet a couple of times and Ricca shooting just wide. Riera responded with a shot on the run which Kameni kept out, but some ten minutes in to the second half Juanpi latched on to a return pass from Jony to fire a shot past Nauzet and open the scoring. That appeared to have won it until five minutes from the end, when Riera tried to get on the end of Jaime Romero’s cross, and Fran Mérida poked the resulting loose ball past Kameni to give the newly promoted team their first point.

Both second division matches played on Friday also ended 1-1, and it looked as if the second game between Deportivo and Eibar was heading that way as well until Lucas Pérez converted a penalty near the end to make it 2-1 to the Galicians. Honours were fairly even in the first half, but soon after the restart Lux had to push a long shot from Bebé round the post, and from the resulting corner Ramís angled a header inside the keeper’s near post to give the visitors the lead. Soon afterwards Risego saved a Fajr free kick, and with twenty minutes to go Mosquera got on the end of a Pérez free kick to turn the ball in off the far post. Pérez felt himself hard done by when he was pulled up for a non-existent offside when free on goal, but with three minutes to go he fired the spot kick past the visiting keeper after Juncà brought him down in the area. (19.08.16)