Author: Vishwajit Sawant
Barcelona took a significant step towards their 27th La Liga title with a 1-0 win over Atlético de Madrid at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
Barça haven’t scored in their last three games and Atlético have won six of their last six. Griezmann created the first dangerous moment. Taking advantage of a mistake by Busquets on the edge of the box, he hit the post.
But Atlético Madrid’s impressive 13-game unbeaten run in the league has come to an end. Just before half-time, Torres scored on the counter-attack after a long pass from Rapinha. That was enough to secure the win and increase Barça’s lead at the top of the standings to 11 points over second-placed Real Madrid with just eight games remaining.
The win also dealt a blow to Atlético’s hopes of catching up with the top two, keeping them in third place on 60 points. With Barça showing no signs of slowing down, it seems likely that they will maintain their lead and win the title in the coming weeks.
After the match, Torres praised the team’s performance and the support of the fans.“The team worked well, the fans supported us and we won, that’s what matters,” Torres told Movistar Plus. “This win gives us a lot of confidence in attack. Atlético were on a good run and in good shape, which makes this win even more important for us.”
Napoli snatch victory from Juventus
Author: Serg Atrahov
In the central match of the 31st round of the Italian Serie A in Turin, Juventus caught up with Napoli, the current league leaders. The Italian Olympic Committee’s College of Sporting Guarantees recently handed Juve back 15 points. They were removed from the team due to a case of “fictitious capital gain”. The Court of Appeal is currently reviewing the case. If proven guilty, the points will be withdrawn again. In this case, Turintsy moved up to third place in the standings. Psychologically, it was good. But it was no longer realistic to catch up with the leaders – the accumulation before the game was 16 points. So the main incentive was prestige.
In the first half, the teams scored four shots. But the visitors never hit the target. The hosts forced Meret into the game three times. Milik had the real chance to open the scoring. In the 19th minute, he jumped up and hit a header across the goalkeeper’s box. Although the ball bounced on the pitch, the blow wasn’t strong and went straight into the goalkeeper’s hands.
In the second half, Napoli took the initiative. Having beaten Cuadrado, he shot from the corner of the penalty area at the far post, and Schensny was on hand. In the 63rd minute, the Juve players blocked the Georgian’s shot and Osimhen’s rebound. It turned out that the Nigerian was just warming up. In the 70th minute, he faked a shot near the post. In the 71st minute, after a corner, he headed dangerously into Schensny’s hands.
Without losing a goal in their own net, Juventus ran at their opponents. Rugani hit the ball just over the bar. Milik – rebound against the post. In the 80th minute, Di Maria ran out of his own half, passed several defenders and scored! But the referee watched the replay via the VAR system and disallowed the goal – right at the start of the attack, the Argentinian’s teammates committed a foul, stealing the ball.
The referee added six minutes. They became the hottest minutes. In the 91st minute, Vlahovich finished off Chiesa’s pass, but the goal was disallowed again. The Italian lost the ball forward, giving away a pass. In the 93rd minute, Szczesny again saved Osimen’s rebound, but the attack continued and, twenty seconds later, Raspadori closed down Elmaz’s cross – 1:0. For Juventus, this is their third consecutive defeat in the league.
With seven games to go, Napoli are 17 points clear of second-placed Lazio.
Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti : “Gwinning an important match at the end of the season against an opponent like this is a symbol of a successful season. But let’s not rush into champagne. We’re not champions yet. I congratulated my team on a good game. It wasn’t easy, because a few days ago we flew out of the quarter-finals of the Champions League. When I look back on my career, it wasn’t an “easy first-class trip”, but a ride! And winning the championship will be the reward for all the sacrifices I’ve made over the years.”
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri: “It’s a shame to lose a game like this. We played well, but we lost concentration and conceded a stupid goal. You can’t leave your opponent alone in the penalty area in the 93rd minute. Although two of our goals were disallowed, I have no complaints about the referees’ work. Napoli are a strong team and deservedly won the title. And we’ll definitely be fighting for the Scudetto next season. And this season we’re going to try to finish in the top four. And don’t forget, we’re still in the Europa League and in the Italian Cup we’ve reached the semi-finals.“