PREVIEW ISSUE FOUR – 24TH APRIL 2012 MADRID CLOSE IN REAL TAKE THE SPOILS IN THE EL CLASICO AND CLOSE IN ON THE SILVERWARE After a poor week for both sides in Europe, Real and Barca were desperate to grab a win against their biggest rivals on a dramatic, rain-lashed Saturday night at the Nou Camp. It was Real that grabbed the vital win and probably clinched the La Liga title. Los Merengues went ahead through German midfielders Sami Khedira and were comfortable for long periods, but Barca’s Chilean substitute Alexis Sánchez equalised with just 20 minutes remaining. Cristiano Ronaldo’s clinical strike just three minutes later settled the game with Madrid now seven points clear, with only four games remaining. Madrid coach José Mourinho named an very attacking team and his side began the better. Ronaldo’s early header from a corner brought a superb flying save from goalkeeper Víctor Valdés. His opposite number Iker Casillas was then quickly off his line when full-back Dani Alves dispossessed Sergio Ramos. The game was being played at a fearsome pace and French striker Karim Benzema brought the best out of Valdés again. Barca thought they had gone front when Alves had the ball in the net after a Cristian Tello run, but the youngster had been flagged offside. INSIDE THIS WEEK’S WFW Real’s brave start was rewarded when Pepe’s header from another corner was half- - RESULTS ROUND-UP ON ALL MAJOR stopped by Valdes and Khedira tackled an COMPETITIONS FROM AROUND THE hesitant Carles Puyol to push the ball into the WORLD net to put Madrid ahead. It was poor defending - NEWS FROM THE FUNERAL OF PIERMARIO which was so uncharacteristic from Pep MOROSINI Guardiola’s men. The game settled down from - SPOTLIGHT ON ... FC BASEL then on and Barca dominated possession, but - SCOUTING REPORT: DEDÉ like last Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge, they - FOOTBALL FATTIES: ANDRE SANTOS found it difficult to penetrate the visitors’ - MESSI STATS AND MUCH MORE... defence. Continued on page 3 1 CONTENTS WORLD FOOTBALL THIS WEEK Page 3-6 RESULTS ROUND-UP Page 7-25 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Page 7 UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE Page 8 ENGLAND Page 9-10 SPAIN Page 11 GERMANY Page 12 ITALY Page 13 FRANCE Page 14 HOLLAND Page 15 PORTUGAL Page 16 RUSSIA Page 17 SCOTLAND Page 18 COPA LIBERTADORES Page 19 ARGENTINA Page 20 BRAZIL Page 21 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Page 22 MEXICO Page 22 UNITED STATES Page 23 AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Page 24 AUSTRALIA Page 24 CHINA Page 25 JAPAN Page 25 SCOUTING REPORT: DEDE Page 26 Jürgen Klopp celebrates Borussia FOOTBALL FATTIES: ANDRE SANTOS Page 27 Dortmund’s Bundesliga title win on Saturday SPOTLIGHT ON FC BASEL Page 28 CREDITS Page 29 MESSI STATS * Top Barca goalscorer under Guardiola: Lionel Messi 201 goals - Pedro 54 – Samuel Eto'o, Xavi 36 – David Villa 32 – Thierry Henry 30 – Bojan 29 * Since the start of 2011 there have been nine El Clasico's: Two in La Liga, two in CL, three in Copa and two in Spanish Super Cup * In Saturday’s El Clasico, Messi touched the ball 58 times without a shot on goal. * Barca have won only one of seventeen home El Clasicos when they were losing at half-time. * Also on Saturday, Real Madrid ended Barcelona's unbeaten home streak of 54 official home matches in all competitions. * Messi was involved in ten goals during his seven official home games with Real Madrid: 6 goals and 4 assists. * For the 4th time in his career Messi has lost two consecutive (official) games with Barcelona. * Messi has never lost three consecutive (official) games with Barcelona. * Only 5 of 81 Liga games between Barca and Real Madrid in Camp Nou ended in a goalless draw (1940, 1973, 1975, 1989 & 2002). * Messi for Barcelona in 2012: 28 official games, 34 goals (21 home, 13 away). Brought to you by our friends at www.messistats.com. Follow them on twitter @messistats 2 WORLD FOOTBALL THIS WEEK HEADLINES REAL HAVE ONE HAND ON TITLE Continued from cover... Barca desperately tried to get back in the game before half-time, Lionel Messi’s reverse pass did put Xavi clear, but Casillas again sprang from his line to save. With Messi unable to influence the proceedings, the team went in for break 1-0. Madrid had the first opportunity of after the break as Ronaldo thought he had scored but again the linesman intervened. Thiago’s pass split the Madrid offside trap, only for the unexperienced Cristian Tello to blaze over. The visitors began to drop deeper and deeper but remained comfortable. Messi had a go from 20 yards, but the strong and impressive Sergio Ramos blocked. Xavi also drove wide from range. Guardiola called for Alexis Sánchez and almost immediately the Chilean equalised. Messi finally got free and a mazy run was unleashed on the Madrid defence. But Tello’s shot was saved by Casillas and the ball scrambled around before Alexis bundled it home for the vital equaliser. Many predicted Barcelona to romp for home but Madrid were not fazed by the goal and German Mesut Özil’s superb pass from deep sent Ronaldo running clear. One touch eliminated Valdes, the second sent the ball to the empty goal. Barca’s championship dreams were turning into nightmares, and Dani Alves appeared to get away with a stamp on Ronaldo as the tempers flared. Sergio Ramos made another superb clearance and Madrid’s first Primera División crown in four years now looks a certainty. Barcelona on the other hand, will now prepare to overturn their 1-0 Champions League semi-final deficit against Chelsea on Tuesday at the Camp Nou. Barca coach Pep Guardiola admitted afterwards his side’s chances of retaining the La Liga title had totally disappeared with Madrid seven points ahead with just four games to play. “I want to congratulate Madrid for their victory and for winning the league title,” said Guardiola. “We played well but it is never easy against Madrid. Our lack of cutting edge cost us. The players are down but now we have to concentrate on the Champions league, and beating Chelsea.” Guardiola caused controversy with his team selection, starting young winger Cristian Tello and experienced central defender Gerard Pique on the bench. He explained his decision afterwards: “Pique not playing? Only eleven players can play, I pick the players based on the system we want to play. Tello played a very good game tonight, both in attack and defence. It’s not easy to play as winger in this team.” Real manager Jose Mourinho again refused to appear at the post-match press conference, with his assistant Aitor Karanka claiming the triumph should hush Madrid’s detractors. “We knew what we were capable of doing,” he said. “Lots of people did not think much of our team. We have learned from our mistakes. The players sent a message - and have been doing so all season.” It was Real’s first success in eight clashed with Barca — four of them before Mourinho arrived from Inter Milan — it gives them a timely boost for their Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, when they will seek to upend a 2-1 deficit. “We have struck a very significant blow but it’s not yet decisive,” Real midfielder Xabi Alonso said in a post- match interview with Spanish television. “Of course it’s an important step towards the title but now we have to see it home, Cristiano’s goal, coming straight after they levelled, broke their stride and that was fundamental. We controlled the match perfectly. It was a great performance, a fantastic result and I am very happy. Now we have another key match on Wednesday.“ 3 THOUSANDS GATHER AT MOROSINI FUNERAL Bergamo came to a virtual standstill yesterday as thousands of mourners crowded the streets to attend the funeral of Piermario Morosini, the Italian footballer who collapsed on the pitch and died last week. Around 5,000 people stood outside the San Gregorio Barbarigo church in the city where the service was being held. Such was the interest in the service that a giant screen was set up outside the church so that mourners could follow it. Family, friends and team-mates were among the 500 people seated inside the church while fans of the local football team Atalanta draped their club flags on the steps outside. Flowers, club scarves, soccer boots and banners with messages such as "Ciao Moro, you will always be in our hearts" hung on the railings. The mourners applauded and touched Morosini's coffin as it was carried out of the church, draped in his number 25 red Livorno shirt. The Atalanta number 8 shirt he wore as a youth player at his home club was also put on the coffin as it was placed in a hearse. Fans lit flares and chanted. Morosini's fate contrasted with the recovery of Bolton "This has not only hit the family but the whole community and the whole of Italy," said Bergamo resident Gianpietro Foschi. Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest during An inquiry has been launched into whether there were delays in trying to an FA Cup match on March 17. He was clinically dead for 78 minutes and 15 save Morosini's life. Controversially, defibrillators were available but were not used. The inquiry is also looking into whether vital minutes were lost because a municipal defibrillator shocks were applied to restart his heart. As reported here in last police car blocked the entrance to the stadium, briefly preventing an ambulance week’s edition, he was discharged from hospital last Monday getting in.