Real Madrid lost against a resilient Athletic Bilbao side to allow Barcelona to take a one point lead at the top. A lone goal from Aduriz was enough for Bilbao to win three points and continue Real Madrid’s dismal run of form.
After a home draw against Villareal, Real Madrid had to triumph at the San Mames, to stay on top of the La Liga. But Real never hit top gear throughout the match with a lethargic performance lacking intensity. Bilbao’s 34-year-old striker, Aduriz, gave the home side a well deserved when struck in a beautiful header into the top-corner to score his 17th goal in all competitions.
Real had a sense of urgency to their play in the second half, but to no avail as Gorkha Iraizoz denied Ronaldo and Benzema with fine saves. Real’s best chance of the evening was an attempt from 50-yards, which struck the post, though one may argue the shot was a mishit. Ronaldo was unable to create any magic and 2015 so far has proved to be dismal season by his standards.
Following the loss of Real Madrid, Barcelona had the chance to go top of the table when lowly Rayo Vallecano visited the Camp Nou. And it didn’t take long for Barcelona to open the floodgates when Luis Suarez scored in the 6th minute after a defence-splitting pass by Xavi. Rayo were attacking ferociously and made the Barcelona defenders work but on the other side of the pitch, Rayo’s defence was seemingly invisible with Suarez and Messi missing numerous chances.
Photo: Manu Fernandez/AP
After half-time it was all Barcelona when Pique tucked the ball home in the 49th minute after a corner. Rayo made matters worse for themselves when Tito brought Suarez down in the box and subsequently was shown his second yellow-card. Messi stepped to take the penalty and hit a poor effort which ‘keeper Cristian Alvarez easily saved. But the referee ordered a retake of the penalty due to some encroachment and Messi didn’t miss the second time. Messi doubled his tally when he pounced on a rebound after a swift counter-attack. Messi scored his hat-trick when he pranced past the Rayo defence and around the goalkeeper to score his third of the game. In the 81st minute, Dani Alves made a brilliant tackle on Bueno in the box but the referee deemed it incorrect and gave the Brazilian his marching orders. The resulting penalty was slammed home and there was some consolation for Rayo. But Barcelona weren’t done, when Suarez hit his second after some clever play to score his 2nd of the match. Barcelona took full advantage of Real’s loss and went top of the table.
In the FA Cup, Liverpool had to contend with a draw against Championship-side Blackburn Rovers at Anfield after the visitors put in a fine defensive display to deny their high flying Premier League rivals. Martin Skrtel was stretchered off in the opening minutes after an awkward fall on the ground and that was the first blow of the game for Liverpool. The Reds dominated proceeding throughout the match but Blackburn threatened with some smart counter-attacks and earned a well deserved draw. The replay at Ewood Park is scheduled, under bizarre circumstances, almost a month later on April 7 or 8. The reason for this is because UEFA rules prevent domestic games to clash with Champions League or Europa League games. In another quarterfinal, Aston Villa booked their semifinal berths to Wembley after winning at home against West Brom.
Photo: Peter Byrne/PA
Meanwhile in Serie A, Filippo Inzhagi is on the verge of receiving the sack after a hellish display against Hellas Verona. The former AC Milan hitman, got his tactics all wrong, resulting in a 2-2 draw leaving his club 10th in the Serie A.
Tags: Athletic Bilbao Barcelona Blackburn liverpool Real Madrid
