Tag: La Liga

Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb found out how hard it is to score on Thibaut Courtois

Whichever form of football you play, it’s not easy to score on the Real Madrid keeper

Dallas Cowboys stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb got their shot at taking penalties against Thibaut Courtois and as it turns out, it was not easy!

The Cowboys were in Southern California as their training camp kicked off, and they visited with Real Madrid while the La Liga champions were on their preseason tour of the U.S.

The star Cowboys duo were tasked with something that isn’t easy even for pro soccer players: beating Courtois from the spot.

Despite a lack of soccer fundamentals, Prescott and Lamb still had the requisite athleticism to at least kick the ball hard toward the goal. Courtois, though, was equal to the task, producing a host of saves.

The Cowboys duo can now say they know firsthand what Liverpool found out the hard way in the Champions League final.

Lamb did manage to get one past Courtois, who could only watch as the wide receiver’s penalty went flying into the top corner.

Watch Prescott and Lamb take penalties vs. Courtois

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Yunus Musah, finally playing centrally at Valencia, is poised for breakthrough year

“It has to be my year,” the USMNT midfielder said.

Yunus Musah appears to be a locked-in starter at central midfield for the U.S. national team heading into this year’s World Cup but at the club level, Musah has barely featured for Valencia in the middle of the field.

Until now.

Under new Valencia head coach Gennaro Gattuso, Musah has been playing central midfield in the preseason after being used mostly out wide during his first two seasons with the La Liga club.

That change has Musah optimistic that 2022-23 could be a major breakthrough season for club and country.

“I like to play in the middle, it is a position where I have played since I was young,” Musah told Plaza Deportiva. “When I came up to the first team I played on the wing and I had to take advantage of the opportunity and do my best. At Valencia, they have not yet seen me in the middle.”

Asked if he feels central midfield is his best position, the 19-year-old responded: “I think so, I think I can show my quality there and I hope to.”

WATCH: La Liga is live on ESPN+!  Get ESPN+

Musah has made 61 total appearances for Valencia over the past two seasons, starting around half of those games. It’s an impressive track record for a player who is still a teenager, but his stellar displays for the USMNT this summer show he is still capable of more.

“It has to be my year,” Musah said. “I’ve been with the team for two years and I want to keep improving, I want to do very well in La Liga, help the team as much as possible and I know I have to improve in goals and assists. Being able to start in this team is something very important to me.”

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Adiós Taty: NYCFC loans Golden Boot winner to Girona FC

Castellanos scored 53 goals and added 19 assists during his time with the MLS Cup champions

New York City FC has announced that Valentín “Taty” Castellanos has been loaned to La Liga side Girona FC through June 2023.

Castellanos, last year’s MLS Golden Boot winner, has been publicly aiming for a European move for months and has now been sent to another team within the City Football Group family.

“I came to New York City four years ago and this experience has been everything I could have wanted. It was here where I grew up and took my game to the next level. MLS is a strong and extremely competitive league with fantastic quality,” Castellanos said in a NYCFC statement.

“While it is difficult to leave this club, I strongly believe that this is the right time for me to move to Europe which has always been a personal dream of mine. I feel confident and ready for a new challenge. I would like to thank NYCFC and Girona FC for giving me this opportunity and for finding a way for me to continue my journey and prove myself.”

Girona was promoted to La Liga after winning last season’s promotion playoffs in the Segunda División.

Castellanos won the 2021 MLS Golden Boot by scoring 19 regular-season goals, and then added three more in the postseason as NYCFC clinched an MLS Cup title.

This season, Castellanos again tops the league’s scoring charts with 13 goals.

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Memphis Depay stole an Inter Miami player’s soul on live television

The Dutchman simply made his defender disappear

Barcelona beat Inter Miami 6-0 on Tuesday night in a pretty standard “European power destroys MLS team in a friendly its coach said it would be the biggest game in team history” affair.

The game may not live long in the memory but, unfortunately for Inter Miami defender Damion Lowe, there was one moment that may endure.

With Inter already down four goals in the second half, Memphis Depay picked up the ball with Lowe on his back and simply made him disappear. The Dutchman’s turn sent Lowe completely in the wrong direction, freeing him up to score easily for Barcelona’s fifth of the night.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Gavi and Ousmane Dembele also scored as Barcelona began its U.S. tour with an easy win. The Blaugrana will also play Real Madrid, Juventus and the New York Red Bulls during their preseason tour of the U.S.

Watch Depay’s filthy turn and finish

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La Liga announces complete 2022-23 schedule

Details include a big ol’ World Cup break coming earlier than we’re used to

La Liga announced its full 2022-23 schedule on Thursday, with the draw being conducted at the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)’s headquarters.

League giants Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off on October 16, in the ninth round of fixtures, at the Bernabeu, with the Camp Nou hosting the second meeting on March 19, 2023.

Due to the World Cup, La Liga will take a lengthy mid-season break, with with 14th round of fixtures on the weekend of November 9 seeing the league stop for nearly seven weeks before picking back up on December 31. Normally, the Spanish league season takes its winter break in mid-December, and generally doesn’t resume until mid-January.

This means La Liga will start the upcoming season earlier and end it later, with the opening weekend coming up on August 14, and the season ending the weekend of June 4.

The opening set of matches will include one Madrid derby, with Getafe hosting Atlético Madrid. Real Madrid will be at promoted Almería, while Barcelona will host Rayo Vallecano.

The RFEF announcement also noted when Spain’s biggest non-Clásico derbies are, specifically highlighting Seville (between Sevilla and Real Betís), Madrid (Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid), Barcelona (Barça vs. Espanyol), and the Basque Country (Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad).

The full list of matches can be found here.

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Héctor Bellerín really wants to go back to Real Betis, 1990

The defender played well, won a trophy and grew a luxurious mullet/mustache combination during his time on loan

Héctor Bellerín had a really great time on loan at Real Betis.

Bellerín played at Arsenal for seven seasons before he departed for his native Spain ahead of the 2021-22 season. At Betis, the 27-year-old made 32 total appearances, helped the team win the Copa del Rey, and also grew a luxurious mullet/mustache combination that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the early 90s.

Seriously, this is beautiful.

(Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images)

Though Bellerín is set to return to Arsenal after his season-long loan expires, he has made it very clear that he would like to be sent straight back to Seville as soon as possible.

“I have always shown that I feel really at home here and I want to be here, but it is not that simple,” he said in a recent interview with Betis TV.

“Right now the situation is that I have to go back [to Arsenal]. I have spoken to both clubs, made my thoughts clear and from there we have two months in which we will try to make the best deal for all three parties.

“I have always said it, I made an effort to come here and I am willing to do anything to have this continue to be my home because I am happy.”

Bellerín sends a message through new tattoo

If Arsenal didn’t get Bellerín’s message clearly enough through his interview, the right back also sent another message through a new tattoo.

Bellerín was given some new ink on the pitch at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, which he called “my favorite place.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CeCMC9eDUMo/

The tattoo reads: “In this game, the person who has the best time wins.”

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Con lágrimas en los ojos se despidió Xavi Hernández del Al Saad

Nunca es fácil dejar atrás un trabajo que rindió tantos frutos.

El Barcelona y el Al Saad cumplieron su promesa. Xavi Hernández oficialmente se despidió del club qatarí, para tomar las riendas de los culés después de que Ronald Koeman fuera destituido la semana pasada.

Aunque Hernández había compartido previamente que su sueño era regresar al Barcelona como técnico, la despedida del Al Saad no fue sencilla.

El español sumó siete títulos en dos temporadas y media con los de Qatar, por lo que dejar atrás al equipo lo llevó a una emotiva despedida que llevó a Xavi hasta las lágrimas.

Nunca es fácil dejar atrás un trabajo que rindió tantos frutos. Sin embargo, el futuro en España brilla para Xavi y los culés están ansiosos de verlo en acción y poner orden en el club.

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Lainez y Guardado están avisados; Hécotor Herrera planea darles con todo

Herrera repartirá hasta patadas si es necesario en el encuentro de este fin de semana entre el Atlético de Madrid y el Ral Betis.

La verdad es que entre mexicanos en el extranjero hay una alianza especial que se mantiene sin importar al equipo que vayan a dar. Sin embargo, al momento de enfrentarse en la cancha, ese nacionalismo se olvida y lo que importa es el club que cada uno representa.

Eso lo dejó muy claro Héctor Herrera quien, aunque confirma que tiene una buena relación con Diego Lainez y Andrés Guardado, no temió advertirles a sus compatriotas que repartirá hasta patadas si es necesario en el encuentro de este fin de semana entre el Atlético de Madrid y el Ral Betis.

“Siempre es especial enfrentar a tus compañeros de Selección y más quienes son. Más Andrés, que es capitán. Tenemos muy bonita amistad. Y Dieguito, que es joven, va llegando a la Selección y tengo una buena relación con él. Los aprecio a los dos. Obviamente quiero ganar, y si tengo que pegarle una patada al que sea, le voy a pegar una patada al que sea”, detalló Herrera. “[Estoy] contento de poderlos enfrentar. Da orgullo, competir al máximo nivel y el domingo tendremos un partido importante ante el Betis”.

El futuro de Herrera

El contrato de Herrera con el Atlético está por expirar, por lo que el mexicano deberá buscar alternativas en su carrera.

El ex jugador del Pachuca compartió que tanto él como su familia están contentos en Madrid. Sin embargo, saben que habrá cambios y buscarán lo que sea mejor para todos.

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“Volveré, volveré”: la promesa de Sergio Ramos al Real Madrid

“No os digo adiós, os digo hasta pronto, porque volver (sic), volveré”, advirtió el jugador.

Este jueves Sergio Ramos se despidió del Real Madrid, a través de un acto oficial ante la prensa, organizado por el club. En sus palabras, fue evidente que el capitán del equipo no estaba listo para partir.

Pero podría ser que su despedida sea temporal. Al menos eso dejó bien claro a través del mensaje de despedida que publicó en su cuenta de Twitter.

“No os digo adiós, os digo hasta pronto, porque volver (sic), volveré”, advirtió el jugador.

Además, Ramos reiteró el enorme agradecimiento que siente tanto por el club como por los compañeros, quienes se volvieron en su familia, que lo acompañaron a lo largo de los últimos 16 años.

Esto fue lo que publicó:

Además de su mensaje de despedida, el futbolista compartió una imagen que retrata muy bien su paso por el club y los 22 triunfos que juntos alcanzaron. De hecho, solo un jugador del Madrid supera los títulos del defensor central, Paco Gento, quien tiene 24.

La afición sigue dolida con la despedida y, como Ramos, parecen no estar listos para soltar. Sin embargo, esto ya está echado a andar y no hay vuelta atrás.

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La Liga española al fin es número uno en algo: en pérdida de tiempo

Ser el número uno en algo es una aspiración que compartimos tanto personas como instituciones. Sin embargo, obtener el primer lugar no siempre resulta algo positivo, todo depende de cuál es el reconocimiento. La Liga de España se ha llevado el …

Ser el número uno en algo es una aspiración que compartimos tanto personas como instituciones. Sin embargo, obtener el primer lugar no siempre resulta algo positivo, todo depende de cuál es el reconocimiento.

La Liga de España se ha llevado el primer lugar y no es precisamente por algo que deba sentirse ogullosa.

En el último Clásico español, donde el Real Madrid se impuso sobre el Barcelona en un 2-1, entre los jugadores culé, incluyendo a Piqué, estuvo el reclamo de que los 4 minutos de tiempo extra estaban lejos de ser suficientes. Durante el partido, alegaron, se perdió mucho más tiempo que eso.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNgEJLiHKYt/

Resulta que no fue un reclamo de malos perdedores, sino que tienen razón. De acuerdo con estadísticas donde se analizaron a 5 ligas europeas, la de España es la que menor número de minutos reales juega.

Según lo cita Telemundo Deportes, en España el promedio de juego efectivo de sus equipos es de 52 minutos y 56 segundos. Esto significa que nos estamos perdiendo de más de 37 minutos de acción que se pierden en faltas, córners, saques de banda, sustituciones, protestas y celebraciones.

Claro que estos números varían entre un equipo y otro. Los equipos que más faltas y fallas tienen, pierden mucho más tiempo. Por ejemplo el Getafe solo alcanza a jugar 47 minutos y 20 segundos. ¡Apenas medio partido!

Entre los que más juegan está el Barcelona, con casi 60 minutos reales, y el Real Madrid con casi 58 minutos.

Así que no es tu imaginación, casi medio partido no estás viendo el balón rodar por el campo.

Respecto a los demás equipos que forman parte de la estadística, la Ligue 1 de Francia juega 56 minutos de tiempo real; la Premier League británica alcanza 56 minutos y 24 segundos; la Bundesliga alemana 56:35 y la Serie A italiana, que es la que más minutos reales de juego suma tiene una media de juego de 57 minutos jugados.

Foto de portada Ruben Albarran / PRESSINPHOTO

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