Barcelona boss Xavi believes his side answered their critics with their emphatic 3-0 win over Villarreal in LaLiga, stating that they had to react after their mixed recent form.
The Blaugrana ran rampant in a seven-minute stretch just after the half-hour mark, as Robert Lewandowski seized a quickfire double and Ansu Fati added a third at Camp Nou.
Victory means Barca trail league leaders Real Madrid by three points after defeat in El Clasico over the weekend, but also snaps a two-game winless streak to get them back on top.
With just one win in their previous four before Thursday s win, Xavi acknowledged his side needed to answer their critics, and was delighted that they did so in such impressive fashion.
We played a great game, he stated. It was our tu…
Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Sao Paolo starlet Lucas Piazon but will have to wait nine months to welcome him to Stamford Bridge.
Piazon, 17, cannot complete his transfer to the English Premier League until his 18th birthday, but Chelsea are confident the attacking midfielder will sign a long-term deal once he arrives in January. The player has signed a pre-contract agreement and is expected to join us in January 2012 on a long-term deal, a statement said on Chelsea s website.Piazon has yet to play for Sao Paolo but has been in terrific form at the South American Under-17 Championships with Brazil s youth team.He first came to attention at the Under-15 Championships in 2009, where he finished on top of the goal-scorers table with 10 strikes for Brazil.Reports suggest Chels…
The Football Association has delayed its decision on the charges against Championship side Queens Park Rangers over the transfer of Alejandro Faurlin.
The club was charged for allegedly breaching third-party ownership rules over the Argentine s transfer in 2009, and a verdict in the case was expected by Friday.
But the FA have announced they need more time to reach a verdict.
It was originally indicated that the decision of the commission on the charges and on any sanction, if appropriate, would be announced by 4pm (BST) on Friday May 6, 2011, if possible, a statement from the FA read.
This will not now happen. A decision will be made and announced as soon as possible thereafter.
QPR have denied the accusations levelled against them, and rele…
Villarreal have picked up more points in La Liga than Real Madrid since December.
Villarreal enjoyed a 3-0 win at home to Levante on Sunday evening, courtesy of goals from Leo Baptistao, Samu Castillejo and Adrian, and the La Liga victory further strengthened their pursuit for a top-four finish.
Currently occupying the last Champions League spot in the table, El Submarino Amarillos are breathing down the neck of third-placed Real Madrid, and have actually picked up more points since December 2015 than that of Los Blancos. So could they leapfrog the underachieving Spanish giants come May?
Villarreal not in the top-four by accident
Only Barcelona boast a longer unbeaten run in the division this season, and the Catalans are the only team to pick up more poi…
South Korea s nemesis Asamoah Gyan scored and Jordan Ayew struck a hat-trick as Ghana defeated the Asian nation 4-0 in Miami on Monday.
Ayew s first two goals were split by Gyan s strike in the shadows of half-time, as the 28-year-old Ghanaian skipper continued his record of scoring in every match between the Africans and South Korea.
In the 89th minute, Ayew completed his hat-trick with a volley from Albert Adomah s cross.
The friendly at Sun Life Stadium was the fourth meeting between the two countries and Gyan notched his fifth goal against South Korea as Ghana ended a two-game losing streak in their final fixture before the FIFA World Cup.
Ayew, who came on for Abdul Majeed Waris in just the sixth minute, put Ghana ahead five minutes later with a deflected st…