Updated Jan 26, 2011 7:21 PM ET BARCELONA, Spain (AP)
Karim Benzema led Real Madrid to a 1-0 win at Sevilla before Barcelona rolled over Almeria 5-0 in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. Benzema, the much-questioned France striker, answered his critics with a valuable away goal in the 17th minute of the first-leg match at Sanchez Pizjuan stadium. Benzema gathered the ball inside the Sevilla half, dribbled into the area and shook off two defenders before beating goalkeeper Andres Palop with a low right-footed strike. Defending champion Sevilla nearly equalized just before halftime when Madrid defender Raul Albiol slowed Luis Fabiano's goalbound shot and eventually kept it out of goal. However, TV replays suggested the ball may have crossed the line.
The tense atmosphere boiled over toward the end when Madrid keeper Iker Casillas was hit in the head by what appeared to be a plastic bottle thrown from the stands. "We have taken away a positive result, but Sevilla is a good team and the second leg will be wide open," Casillas said. Madrid returns to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for next week's return leg looking to secure a place in the final, where biggest rival Barcelona will likely await after another dominating performance. Lionel Messi scored a double and David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez added goals in the opening 31 minutes. Substitute Seydou Keita completed the rout in the 89th to leave Almeria with little hope after suffering a second straight lopsided defeat to the Spanish champion. Record 25-time champion Barcelona and 17-time winner Madrid are on course to meet in the April 20 final, which comes just three days after the pair meet in a crucial league match. In Seville, days of goading provided a charged atmosphere as Sevilla pressed forward early but Benzema's class put the visitors in control. The striker's second game-winning goal in two games came after a week when his teammates and coach Jose Mourinho demanded more from the Frenchman. Madrid brought Emmanuel Adebayor from Manchester City on loan on Tuesday to fill in for the injured Gonzalo Higuain, but Benzema showed he will be an asset to Madrid down the stretch after his individual effort. Benzema raced over to the sidelines to celebrate his goal with coach Jose Mourinho, who is steering the Spanish giant toward its first cup final since 2004. Its last victory came in 1993. Sevilla looked to equalize with long balls to forwards Frederic Kanoute and Luis Fabiano, who came close with a header at the half-hour mark.
Sevilla looked to have equalized when Kanoute put Luis Fabiano through the defense but the linesman ruled Albiol kept the Brazil striker's shot from completely crossing the goal line. "Almost crossing the line is not the same as crossing the line," Casillas said. A physical second half ensued as both teams looked to score, but Sevilla grew exacerbated as its attack failed to threaten Casillas' goal and Madrid owned the few chances there were. Mesut Oezil somehow failed to make it 2-0 after gathering Cristiano Ronaldo's miss inside the box with Palop out of position but Sevilla defender Alexis Ruano deflected the ball wide of the open net. "We could have scored another goal, but the (result) is good," said Cristiano Ronaldo. Substitute Alvaro Negredo missed a shot in the dying stages for Sevilla, which has not beaten Madrid in a two-legged domestic cup series since 1955. Madrid has won the four series since then, including the 1962 final. Barcelona looked ready to repeat its 8-0 demolition of Almeria from earlier this season at the Camp Nou stadium. Messi got the rout moving in the 10th minute with a trademark left-footed strike from the edge of the area that goalkeeper Esteban Andres got a hand to but could not keep out. Villa doubled the lead a minute later after receiving a pass from Xavi Hernandez and picking his spot just inside the far post. Messi capped a counterattack in the 16th with another left-footed strike for his 35th goal overall and eighth brace in all competitions this season. Pedro headed in Xavi's free kick in the 31st for his 18th goal of the campaign before Keita capped the Catalan club's fifth 5-0 win of the season in the 88th. Barcelona won its last domestic cup two years ago. The return legs are played on Feb. 2.
New Real Madrid striker Emmanuel Adebayor has passed a routine medical and is available for the Spanish club's next league game. Madrid acquired Adebayor on Tuesday on-loan for the remainder of the season from Manchester City. Madrid head of medical services Carlos Diez says the 26-year-old Togo striker "is in perfect condition to be available to the team, he's a physical marvel." Adebayor will not feature in Madrid's Copa del Rey first-leg semifinal against Sevilla on Wednesday. He should be available for Sunday's league match at Osasuna. Adebayor fills a gap in attack for coach Jose Mourinho, who was in need of a forward with Gonzalo Higuain injured and Karim Benzema failing to convince in the Argentina striker's absence.
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no need for hostility, lads. it's clear the chosen one is certainly a polarizing figure. really, though, you're both right. he plays an ugly, boring game. and he's also a proven winner. every single place he goes, in fact. let's not get into the state he leaves them in when he departs on a moments notice. but wherever he goes, he wins while he's there. i like him because he's interesting, but i can see why he has his haters.
This is the beginning of the exodus of BIG direct players to RM, the kind of players who will play JM's boring defensive, long-ball-into-penalty-area type of game. The current RM players like to play real soccer and JM hates that.
I had some account trouble a couple of months ago. I hadn't signed on to post in a few months (still read them though) and when i tried they wanted to verify my account and they wanted a cellphone #. I said eff that and starting using this one.
Anyways, I never thought i would see Ade going to RM. He should be honored and needs to give Jm a bj for taking him from the
City bench to the RM reserves, even more that he might get some pt with them.
Hell, the Ade move is working out already..
Benz scored the game winner last Sunday and he scored the game winner today.
Nothing like cut throat competition huh!
3L9... what's up, i did for a while before the big wigs blocked me
anti... thank you, still loving life i bet, the way barca is playing
jnesjdG... I don't remember you, did u change your handle?
Updated Jan 26, 2011 7:21 PM ET BARCELONA, Spain (AP)
Karim Benzema led Real Madrid to a 1-0 win at Sevilla before Barcelona rolled over Almeria 5-0 in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. Benzema, the much-questioned France striker, answered his critics with a valuable away goal in the 17th minute of the first-leg match at Sanchez Pizjuan stadium. Benzema gathered the ball inside the Sevilla half, dribbled into the area and shook off two defenders before beating goalkeeper Andres Palop with a low right-footed strike. Defending champion Sevilla nearly equalized just before halftime when Madrid defender Raul Albiol slowed Luis Fabiano's goalbound shot and eventually kept it out of goal. However, TV replays suggested the ball may have crossed the line.
The tense atmosphere boiled over toward the end when Madrid keeper Iker Casillas was hit in the head by what appeared to be a plastic bottle thrown from the stands. "We have taken away a positive result, but Sevilla is a good team and the second leg will be wide open," Casillas said. Madrid returns to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for next week's return leg looking to secure a place in the final, where biggest rival Barcelona will likely await after another dominating performance. Lionel Messi scored a double and David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez added goals in the opening 31 minutes. Substitute Seydou Keita completed the rout in the 89th to leave Almeria with little hope after suffering a second straight lopsided defeat to the Spanish champion. Record 25-time champion Barcelona and 17-time winner Madrid are on course to meet in the April 20 final, which comes just three days after the pair meet in a crucial league match. In Seville, days of goading provided a charged atmosphere as Sevilla pressed forward early but Benzema's class put the visitors in control. The striker's second game-winning goal in two games came after a week when his teammates and coach Jose Mourinho demanded more from the Frenchman. Madrid brought Emmanuel Adebayor from Manchester City on loan on Tuesday to fill in for the injured Gonzalo Higuain, but Benzema showed he will be an asset to Madrid down the stretch after his individual effort. Benzema raced over to the sidelines to celebrate his goal with coach Jose Mourinho, who is steering the Spanish giant toward its first cup final since 2004. Its last victory came in 1993. Sevilla looked to equalize with long balls to forwards Frederic Kanoute and Luis Fabiano, who came close with a header at the half-hour mark.
Sevilla looked to have equalized when Kanoute put Luis Fabiano through the defense but the linesman ruled Albiol kept the Brazil striker's shot from completely crossing the goal line. "Almost crossing the line is not the same as crossing the line," Casillas said. A physical second half ensued as both teams looked to score, but Sevilla grew exacerbated as its attack failed to threaten Casillas' goal and Madrid owned the few chances there were. Mesut Oezil somehow failed to make it 2-0 after gathering Cristiano Ronaldo's miss inside the box with Palop out of position but Sevilla defender Alexis Ruano deflected the ball wide of the open net. "We could have scored another goal, but the (result) is good," said Cristiano Ronaldo. Substitute Alvaro Negredo missed a shot in the dying stages for Sevilla, which has not beaten Madrid in a two-legged domestic cup series since 1955. Madrid has won the four series since then, including the 1962 final. Barcelona looked ready to repeat its 8-0 demolition of Almeria from earlier this season at the Camp Nou stadium. Messi got the rout moving in the 10th minute with a trademark left-footed strike from the edge of the area that goalkeeper Esteban Andres got a hand to but could not keep out. Villa doubled the lead a minute later after receiving a pass from Xavi Hernandez and picking his spot just inside the far post. Messi capped a counterattack in the 16th with another left-footed strike for his 35th goal overall and eighth brace in all competitions this season. Pedro headed in Xavi's free kick in the 31st for his 18th goal of the campaign before Keita capped the Catalan club's fifth 5-0 win of the season in the 88th. Barcelona won its last domestic cup two years ago. The return legs are played on Feb. 2.
Updated Jan 26, 2011 7:51 AM ET Ruud van Nistelrooy says he will leave Hamburg at the end of the season because the Bundesliga club blocked his transfer to Real Madrid. The Netherlands striker says "I'll go to another club" after Hamburg denied him a "romantic" return to Spain and a chance to work with Madrid coach Jose Mourinho. The 34-year-old Van Nistelrooy played three seasons in Madrid, winning two league titles. He says in Wednesday's Marca newspaper that Madrid offered Hamburg ?2 million ($2.75 million) plus a friendly match, but the German club told him they "couldn't sell me, they need me." With Van Nistelrooy unavailable, Madrid instead signed Emmanuel Adebayor from Manchester City on loan until June.
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@bockrath16, WHAT?! Do you know where Ruud came from???? Contracts arent worthless, otherwise he would be gone. If you sign a contract act like a man and live up to it. Dont be pvssy and try to weasel out of it like a no-good slag. Ruud is a d-bag.
common don't ruud bash now......he wanted to play in madrid for a much bigger team, but hamburg denied him...how can u blame him..contracts are worthless in the mondern game anyway....
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! Apparently it is the same in Dutch as it is in English.
In other news, RVN has told his wife he is going to leave her after she blocked his "romantic" opportunity to nail his ex-girlfriend. She insists "he made a vow to me and I intend to ensure he will honor that commitment. You just can't simply break vows because something you think is better comes along. He's a douche."
If he didnt want to be at Hamburg he should have never signed there to begin. I wanted to see him go back to Madrid actually, but if the club doesn't want to sell you, then get over it - you signed a contract, honor it. I highly doubt Madrid will express interest in him during the summer, he's too old now.
Inter Milan beat Napoli 5-4 on penalties Wednesday to join AC Milan in the semifinals of the Italian Cup after its crosstwon rival beat Sampdoria 2-1. Napoli striker Ezequiel Lavezzi was the only player to miss in the shootout when he blasted the team's third kick over the bar, after the match had ended 0-0 after extra time. Fullback Cristian Chivu then scored the deciding penalty for Inter.
"It was a tough game and we really had to work hard," Inter captain Javier Zanetti said. "When you go to penalty kicks it comes down to luck and tonight we had luck on our side." Inter's Esteban Cambiasso had the best chance of the first half, but volleyed Maicon's cross at Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis from close range. Marek Hamsik went close twice in quick succession near the end of regulation. First Luca Castellazzi saved his shot, then Maicon cleared his follow up header off the line. Inter will meet the winner of the quarterfinal between Juventus and AS Roma on Thursday. Earlier, Wednesday, Alexandre Pato's two first-half goals secured the win for Milan. Stefano Guberti pulled a goal back for Sampdoria early in the second half, but the Genoa club was unable to break down Milan's defense for the equalizer. "We had a great game, especially in the first half," Milan defender Massimo Oddo said. "We made chances and took them. We knew Sampdoria would come back in the second half, but we managed to hold them out." Milan will meet Palermo in the semifinals. Netherlands pair Mark Van Bommel and Urby Emanuelson made starting debuts for Milan and lasted the full match. "I think they are two good buys," Oddo said. "They are experienced and add quality to the squad. "It is not easy to play so soon after arriving and Van Bommel had a different role to the one he had at Bayern Munich, but he did very well tonight." Milan opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Thiago Silva headed Robinho's corner into the path of Pato and the Brazilian hit a low shot past Angelo Da Costa. Pato then linked up with Emanuelson for his second of the match. Emanuelson slipped the ball to Pato on the edge of the area, he rounded Sampdoria defender Pietro Accardi and blasted past Da Costa. Guberti scored six minutes into the second half when he headed in Massimo Maccarone's cross.
Updated Jan 26, 2011 10:48 AM ET Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti has confirmed the club's interest in Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini. The Italy international, who arrived at the Genoa-based club from Fiorentina in 2009, has recently been linked with a move to the San Siro.
And Moratti admits the Nerazzurri are looking at securing the 26-year-old's signature before the transfer window closes next Monday. He said: "Pazzini is a player to look to with interest because he has great qualities. "We are considering the possibility of a deal but I don't know if we'll be able to do it." Sampdoria's president Riccardo Garrone says there is a chance Pazzini will make the move to Inter this month. "There are still four to five days left until the end of the market, we'll see," Garrone told Sport Mediaset. "For now I don't want to say any more." Meanwhile, Moratti refused to rule out a swoop for Cagliari forward Alessandro Matri, adding: "Even that is a good idea." But the Inter chief has poured cold water on speculation linking the club with Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez and Santos forward Paulo Henrique Ganso. "He's a very strong player but it's not a deal we can do now," said Moratti of Sanchez. "It can be a project for the future." He added: "Ganso? He costs too much."
Updated Jan 26, 2011 11:43 AM ET Switzerland international Valon Behrami has left West Ham to link up with Serie A club Fiorentina for an undislcosed fee.
The 25-year-old midfielder expressed his desire to leave the Hammers earlier this month and his wish has now been granted. The Hammers snapped up Behrami from Lazio in a £5million deal back in 2008, and he went on to score five goals in 63 appearances for the club. After impressing during his opening season at Upton Park, Behrami suffered a serious knee injury in March 2009 and was sidelined for more than six months. West Ham, currently bottom of the Premier League table, confirmed the player's departure on their official website. "Switzerland international Valon Behrami has joined Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee," the club said in a statement. "The club would like to thank Behrami for his contribution and wish him every success for the future."