Ronaldo scores as Real Madrid beat Las Palmas 3-1

EFT Report, Madrid: Real Madrid cruised to an easy 3-1 victory at home over struggling Las Palmas to ensure they will remain top of the La Liga at the end of the 10th round of matches.

Although players such as Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos were injured and a muscle strain suffered by Keylor Navas saw Kiko Casilla make his debut in goal, Real Madrid were way too strong for the recently promoted side on Saturday, who had kicked off second from bottom of the table, reports Xinhua.

Isco opened the scoring after just four minutes after being set up by Casimiro in acres of space in the right hand channel and 10 minutes later Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the lead after more sloppy defending allowed him a free header eight yards out.

Had it not been for Las Palmas keeper Javi Varas who produced fine saves to deny Luka Modric and Isco, Real Madrid would increased the margin. Hernan scored a surprise header from a corner to get Las Palmas into the match seven minutes from half time.

That only served to wake Madrid from their slumber and Jese Rodriguez re-established their two-goal advantage when he cut inside and beat Varas with a curling shot into the far corner of the net.

Rafael Benitez made a change at half time replacing Luka Modric with Lucas Vazquez, possibly with an eye on Tuesday's Champions League game against Paris Saint Germain.

Indeed Real Madrid's second half display showed they clearly had an eye on that key game as they sat further back with defenders Marcelo and Danilo sitting much deeper than in the first period.

Ronaldo pulled a shot wide, while Casilla saved a Jose William free kick for Las Palmas, but on the whole it was a wholly forgettable second half where the standout moment was the league debut of 18-year-old Borja Majoral for Real Madrid with three minutes remaining.

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Neymar, Suarez score as Barcelona beat Getafe 2-0

EFT Report, Barcelona: FC Barcelona kept pace with leaders Real Madrid with a 2-0 win over Getafe, to remain even on points in La Liga thanks to the deft play of Sergi Roberto in two assists that set up goals by Neymar and Luis Suarez.

At times Getafe, as the local team, made it a tough fight for Barcelona, but at minute 39 everything changed - Neymar stole the ball from Getafe centre-back Santiago Vergini and put the Catalans on the offensive on Saturday, reports Efe. 

Soon afterwards Sergi Roberto sent a back-heeled pass to Luis Suarez who chipped it into the net, giving Barcelona a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Luis Enrique's team came out more relaxed for the second half and it seemed smooth sailing from then on. Getafe dropped its conservative defensiveness and went all-out to score, but paid dearly for the effort.

The holes opening in the defence were good news for someone like Neymar, who came on to score the second and final goal of the match, following another skillful assist from Roberto, at the 58th minute for a 2-0 win.

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Neymar's four goals help Barca beat Rayo 5-2

Madrid, Oct 18 (IANS) Brazilian striker Neymar was FC Barcelona's hero as the Catalan side defeated Rayo Vallecano 5-2 in a game that highlighted their firepower.

Barca had scored six goals in each of their last two home matches against Rayo and should have been 2-0 ahead inside the first 10 minutes during the match on Saturday, Xinhua reported.

In the first chance Rakitic broke the offside trap to see how the keeper saved well with his foot, while Suarez also saw Tono's foot deny him when totally unmarked in the middle of the penalty area.

They were to prove expensive misses as Javi Guerra put Rayo ahead from close range as Barca failed to deal with a short corner on 15 minutes.

The lead only lasted six minutes after Diego Llorente brought down Neymar, who picked himself up to score from the penalty spot.

He then turned Nacho inside out to draw another penalty in the 32nd minute, before again stepping up to again to stroke the ball past Tono.

The Rayo keeper then did well to save from Sergio Roberto shortly afterwards, before Neymar went down under another challenge Nacho only for the referee to wave play on.

At the other end Neymar was guilty of passing when he should have shot when through on goal, but he finished his hat-trick in the 69th minute after Tono could only parry a powerful Suarez shot.

He netted his fourth of the night after Busquets put Suarez through for him to again tee up the Brazilian and then turned provider to return the favour for Suarez.

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Ronaldo overtakes Raul as Real's leading goalscorer

EFT Report, Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo overtook Raul as Real Madrid's record scorer when he found the net with a trademark long-range piledriver in Saturday's La Liga game at home to Levante for his 324th goal for the Spanish club.

The Portugal captain collected the ball around five metres outside the penalty area in the 30th minute of the game at Real's Bernabeu stadium before taking a couple of steps and then smashing a shot into the net to put Real 2-0 ahead.

Ronaldo, 30, needed a mere 310 matches across seven seasons to overtake Raul's tally of 323 goals, amassed in 741 games over 16 years.

Alfredo Di Stefano is the only other Real player to get past the 300 mark, netting 308 goals in 396 matches over 11 seasons.

Ronaldo's goals are spread across La Liga (231), the Champions League (67), the King's Cup (21), the Spanish Super Cup (3) and the European Super Cup (2).

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Pique, Sergio, Alba, Bartra back for Barca training

EFT Report, Barcelona: Four Spanish international footballers -- Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Marc Bartra and Sergio Busquets -- have returned to Barcelona's training session in preparation for next Saturday's La Liga clash against Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou stadium.

After German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen returned for training on Tuesday, Wednesday witnessed the return of the four internationals to re-join their colleagues after helping Spain to secure qualification for the Euro 2016 finals in France, Efe reported.

Head coach Luis Enrique led a training session of the team, with the first team players joined in their workout by Barcelona B's Gerard Gumbau, Sergi Samper, Juan Camara and Aitor Cantalapiedra.

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Ronaldo receives record fourth Golden Boot

EFT Report, Madrid: Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo received his record fourth Golden Boot award on Tuesday after becoming the highest scorer in Europe's domestic leagues last season.

No other player has won it four times in the game's history.

Ronaldo netted 48 goals in 35 La Liga matches last season. It was his third Golden Boot playing for Spanish giants Real Madrid. His other award was for English side Manchester United in 2007-08.

The 30-year-old was accompanied at the awards ceremony by his mother and his son. Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez, club president Florentino Perez also graced the event.

Ronaldo recently became Madrid’s all-time leading scorer, overtaking legend Raul Gonzalez with 324 goals, marca.com reported on Tuesday.

Ronaldo was ecstatic to have won the award for the fourth time and promised to fight for more.

“I want to thank everyone who has come today, the Portuguese ambassador, my manager, my president, those from Real Madrid and the fans."

“This is a beautiful moment in my sporting life. To receive the fourth Golden Shoe is an honour and a privilege. This trophy is very important for me and I have to thank my teammates and everyone who has helped me."

“It’s a special moment but I’m not satisfied. I want to be more. I want the fifth and the sixth if it’s possible. I know it is difficult," he added.

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Neymar happy with life in Barcelona

EFT Report, Barcelona: FC Barcelona striker Neymar says he has calmed down from his former 'wild-child' attitude.

"I've changed the way I play and the way that I live my life," he said on Saturday, adding that Barcelona has helped him change his life for the better.

The Brazilian striker is in his third year at the club, although he did produce a surprise in the summer when he admitted holding talks with Manchester United, although he insisted that the English club did not make him an offer, Xinhua reported.

The 23-year-old, who has already made 100 appearances for the club, felt that his first season with Barcelona under coach Tata Martino was tough. He struggled for form as they lost the title to Atletico Madridin.

"It was difficult because of injuries and then we lost the league in the last game of the season," he admitted.

Things improved last year with the arrival of Luis Enrique and Luis Suarez, who formed an attacking trio with Neymar and Lionel Messi, which helped lead Barcelona to a domestic and European treble.

"We had a great season," said Neymar, adding that he, Messi and Suarez had a "friendly relationship" which has "surprised many who thought we would not get on".

He agreed that the start to this season, which has already seen Barcelona lose against Celta de Vigo and Sevilla, as well as lose the Spanish Supercup to Athletic Club Bilbao, has not gone as smoothly.

"It has been difficult so far and it looks as if we have to do more that we have in the past to get the better of our rivals," said the striker, who remains optimistic.

"We are good enough to win the Champions League again," he assured.

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CR7 Scores 500th Career Goal; Whats Next!!

EFT Report: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro better known to the footballing world as Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 500th professional goal during Real Madrid’s 2-0 Champions League victory over minnow Swedish side Malmo on Wednesday.

The 6 ft 1 in Portuguese superstar has now drawn level with Spain legend Raul as Los Blancos' all-time record goalscorer with 323 goals in all competitions from just 308 games spanning over seventh season.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo has so far enjoyed spectacular success as a player with Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United and Real Madrid. The 30-year-old’s best calendar year was in 2013, when he was named the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or winner following an impressive 69 goals.

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Messi to return in less than two months

EFT Report, Buenos Aires: Argentina football team doctor Donato Villani said he is confident that injured Barcelona star Lionel Messi will return to action in less than two months.

Messi is set to miss the next seven-to-eight weeks after suffering a tear in the internal collateral ligament of his left knee in Barcelona's 2-1 win over Las Palmas on Saturday.

"For years I've known Leo and I have no doubt that he will be ready in the shortest possible time of the injury, perhaps before that period of six-to-eight weeks," Villani was quoted as saying by ole.com on Sunday.

The 28-year-old's injury is a blow for both Barca and Argentina but Villani believes the Argentina national team captain will return quicker than expected.

"He gets mad when he cannot play. The desire to play again and the will to heal can influence. There is a break in need of surgery. It heals with rest as a first step and then kinesiology," Villani said.

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La Liga: Celta Vigo stun Barca 4-1; Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1

EFT Report, London: Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas scored a brace to help his side thump defending champions Barcelona 4-1 in the La Liga clash.

The Spaniard struck clinical finishes in either half before Manuel Nolito opened the scoring for Celta in the 26th minute against a substandard Barcelona side, the Guardian reported.

Although Neymar pulled one back for Barca after 80 minutes, the Celta substitute John Guidetti extended the score line three minutes later.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid edged past Athletic Bilbao 2-1 to go on top of the table, thanks to Karim Benzema's brace.

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Messi helps Barca to 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid

EFT Report, Madrid: Argentine superstar Lionel Messi came on as a second-half substitute and led defending champion FC Barcelona to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory here on Saturday over Atletico Madrid in Spanish-league action.

Messi started the match on the bench after missing training on Friday to accompany his girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo, who gave birth on Friday to their second son, but the 30 minutes he was on the field were enough to tilt the match in the Catalan club's favour.

As expected, the two sides employed the same tactics as in previous matches, with Barca dominating ball possession and the Colchoneros seeking opportunities to counter-attack.

The first half was all Barcelona, with Atletico barely entering the visitors' half of the field and only keeping the game scoreless thanks in part to help from the crossbar, which denied a golden scoring opportunity from Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.

Atletico, however, finally got its attacking game in gear at the start of the second half, with Fernando Torres receiving a perfect pass from Portuguese midfielder Tiago Mendes and finishing past German net minder Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the 51st minute.

The fans at Vicente Calderon Stadium erupted, but their joy was fleeting. Just four minutes later, Neymar executed a spectacular free kick that curled into the upper-left corner of the goal past a helpless Jan Oblak to knot the match at 1-1.

Barcelona then got another huge boost at the match's one-hour mark when Messi came on for Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic and immediately made his presence felt by making a superb pass to Neymar, whose shot appeared to be blocked by Uruguayan defender Diego Godin's hand.

No penalty was called, but there was still time left for Messi to work his magic.

In the 77th minute he finished off a patented Barcelona-type goal, dinking a shot past Oblak after being set up by a delicate touch pass by Suarez.

With the win, Barcelona grabbed sole possession of first place in La Liga with nine points, two ahead of Real Madrid.

Celta Vigo and Eibar, however, will both have a chance to move into a tie for first when they take on Las Palmas and Malaga, respectively, on Sunday. 

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Toni Kroos to be Unveiled at Bernabeu today; Signs 6-Yr Deal

EFT Report: World Cup winner Toni Kroos will be unveiled at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium today (July 17) after the German completed his £24million move to Real Madrid from Bayern Munich. Kroos’s Bayern contract was due to expire next summer and the 24-year-old has reportedly penned a 6-year deal at the Bernabeu.

Toni Kroos

The exciting German midfielder has a CV that would impress anybody to his name with 3 Bundesliga titles, 1 Champions League, 3 German Cup, 2 German Supercups and add to that the recent concluded FIFA World Cup.

Welcome to La Liga….....Toni Kross!

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Alexis Sanchez Officially a Gunners Now; Signs 4-Year Deal Worth £140,000-per-week

EFT Report: Alexis Sanchez has become Arsenal’s first big signing this season after the 25-year-old sealed his big £30 million move from FC Barcelona. The Chile superstar has completed a medical and agreed a 4-year contract worth up to £140,000-per-week putting him on a par with current top earner at Emirates, Mesut Ozil.

Alexis Sanchez

Professor Arsene Wenger is hoping Sanchez will improve Arsenal’s attacking options, which is already crowded with talents like Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott.

'I’m so happy to be joining Arsenal, a club which has a great manager, a fantastic squad of players, huge support around the world and a great stadium in London,' said the 25-year-old, who scored 2 goals and had 1 assist in Chile’s FIFA World Cup campaign in Brazil.

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Messi to Become World's Highest-Paid Player Ahead of CR7; Set to Make £336,000-a-Week

EFT Report: The never ending comparison between Lionel Messi and rival Cristiano Ronaldo is set to continue, after his hat-trick in the 4-3 El Clasico win over Real Madrid the buzz around the Catalan giant is that the club is set to make the Argentine the world’s highest-paid player on the planet with a pay of more than £336,000-a-week, it was reported last year that CR7 makes £288,000-a-week.

Lionel Messi

'We all want Messi to be the best-paid player in the world and that is what we are working on,' said club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

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With a Pay of £288,000-a-Week; CR7 is World Highest-Paid Player

EFT Report, Bernabeu: After signing a new 5-year deal, Cristiano Ronaldo is now the highest paid player in the world with an annual earning of £15 million (£288,000-a-week) after tax and before bonuses over-taking Paris St-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The new deal will bind CR7 at Bernabeu till his 33rd birthday.

Cristiano Ronaldo

New Los Blancos signing Gareth Bale will be earning £8.3 million annually at Bernabeu.

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Kaka Back With AC Milan; Signs 2-Year Deal

EFT Report, Milan: Rossoneri has officially signed back one of their greatest-ever player Ricardo Kaka…....

Kaka

A statement published on AC Milan's official website on Monday morning confirmed a two-year contract for Kaka, who was preparing to fly to Italy at midday after Los Blancos finally sanctioned his demanding departure.

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Arsenal Offers £40 Million for Mesut Ozil

EFT Report, London: After the 1- 0 hard fought win over arch northern rivals Tottenham Hotspurs, things are surely looking bright (atleast for the time being) at Emirates. Arsenal has tabled an £40 million offer for Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil on the last day of the transfer window. The gifted Germany star was on the bench for Madrid’s 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Mesut Ozil

The London club are also willing to meet Ozil’s £180,000-a-week wage demands.

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After Fail Bids for Higuain, Suarez; Arsenal to Offer £40 Million for Madrid's Benzema

EFT Report, London: Wenger’s lack of buying power despite having £70 million to spend on new signings this summer has been hitting all the wrong headlines lately, the 3-0 win over Fenerbahce in their Champions League qualifying match should calm the storm abit. After fail bids to land top striker so far (namely Higuain, Suarez), Wenger is turning his eyes to Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.

Karim Benzema

According to sources, the north London club have held high-level discussions with regards for a move for the French striker and ready to table a £40 million offer for Benzema just before the September 2 transfer deadline.

With £70 million in the bag, buying the 25-year-old (still young) goal-scoring Benzema shouldn’t be a problem nor should be given a second thought. Come’ on Wenger time to spend some……!!

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Chelsea Rejects Barca £34.5 Million Bid for David Luiz

EFT Report, London: Chelsea FC have rejected Barcelona’s £34.5 million bid for its prize asset, Brazilian central defender David Luiz and reportedly told the Catalan club not to return with a second offer.

David Luiz

The offer was flatly rejected by Stamford Bridge boss Jose Mourinho saying that Luiz isn’t for sale at any price. European Champions Bayern Munich are also closely monitoring David Luiz and are willing to bid around the region of £40 million.

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Madrid to Offer £20 Million Plus Higuain For Suarez

EFT Report, London: Luis Suarez is surely one of the biggest catch in the footballing world this summer. In a big blow to the Gunners, Spanish giant Real Madrid are set to table a £20 million bid plus wantaway striker Gonzalo Higuain to English club Liverpool for Luis Suarez. This will surely tempt the English club stand despite Kop boss Brendan Rodgers insisting that Suarez is not for sell.

Luis Suarez 

This comes after reports that Arsene Wenger has been given the all clear by his board to make a £40 million offer for Luis Suarez.

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