FOOTBALL
La Liga: Aubameyang hat-trick sinks Valencia
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick as Barcelona condemned Valencia to a disappointing 4-1 defeat at Mestalla.
The stadium has been a happy hunting ground for the Gabon international, having scored a hat-trick in his previous match there in Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Valencia at the Europa League semifinals in 2019.
The win kept Barcelona in the top four for the third successive week.
The Catalonians currently have 42 points under their belt, same as Atletico Madrid, but they have a match in hand and a superior goal difference than Diego Simeone’s side.
Winless luckless Valencia
Valencia are still winless in the league in 2022, and the defeat pushed them to the 12th position with 30 points.
The pressure on Jose Bordalas was already piling up, and getting thrashed at home by an in-transition Barca side will not help his case.
The home side started with a high press to force the Barcelona backline into making mistakes.
They did find the net on two occasions, but none of those stood.
Marc Andre ter Stegen could not keep hold of a Jose Gaya cross and conceded a hilarious own goal, but the German shot-stopper was relieved when the offside flag went up.
Later, Carlos Soler saw the VAR chalking off his goal as the ball went out of play during the build-up.
Ruthless finishing by Barcelona
Throughout this season, poor finishing has cost Barcelona, but they were exceptionally clinical in front of goal yesterday.
They had scored from all three of their on-target shots, as Barcelona finished the first half with a 3-0 lead.
Aubameyang skillfully drove a Jordi Alba long ball into the net to score his first goal since October.
Alba released Ousmane Dembele later on. The former BVB forward set up Frankie de Jong for a tap-in.
The third came through a beautifully coordinated move and Aubameyang, once again, applied the finishing touch.
Valencia show some fight
Valencia did not let their shoulder drop, however, and came out in the second half as a rejuvenated force.
Carlos Soler pulled one back with a brilliant header early in the half, boosting the hosts’ hopes for a comeback.
But Barca regained their three-goal cushion as Pedri’s long-range effort took a deflection off Aubameyang’s back and flew into the top corner of the Valencia net.
Valencia refused to back down and tested Ter Stegan multiple times. The 29-year-old pulled off some good saves to keep the score unchanged.
FOOTBALL
‘They have to be favourites’ – Liverpool ‘perfect’ in Champions League
Liverpool’s impeccable start to the season has made them strong contenders for the Champions League. After securing a place in the knockout rounds with a win over Girona, they’ve maintained a perfect European record.
Rio Ferdinand praised their momentum, highlighting their position as favorites based on form, though he cautioned that freshness, particularly for key players like Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah, will be crucial. Stephen Warnock echoed this sentiment, noting that Liverpool is a formidable opponent in both the Premier League and Champions League.
FOOTBALL
WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football
Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.
Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.
Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –
🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”
(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.
Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo
On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.
With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.
FOOTBALL
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee
England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.
In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.
Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.
Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC
— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024
“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.
“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.
We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti
“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”
“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”
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