Tag Archives: La Liga.

Lifestyle

Manchester United prepare to take on Tottenham after dismal league campaign

Maravi Post Reporter

Manchester United have the chance to salvage something from a historically bad league campaign on Wednesday when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final in Bilbao.

Despite languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table with a mammoth record 17 defeats, the ‘Red Devils’ remain unbeaten in Europe and progressed to the final with a 7-1 aggregate demolition of La Liga outfit of Athletic Bilbao.

That win means Ruben Amorim’s side now have a chance to now secure Champions League football for next season via the back door of winning the Europa League – despite the dismal league campaign.

Defender Harry Maguire, who has once again become an integral part of Ruben Amorim’s system despite an up-and-down few years with the club, says the players will ‘give everything’ in a huge match for the club. “Of course, it’s a big game,” said the defender, speaking ahead of the final. “We know it’s such a big game for everyone, the fans, after such a disappointing season for the club. But we believe in ourselves, we believe that we can beat anybody on our day.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham captain Son Hueng-min spoke of his desire to make history by winning his first major European final with the club when Spurs face Manchester United for the Europa League on Wednesday.

Son, who will be entering the last year of his contract next season, is determined to get his first and only trophy since joining the club in 2015.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/15/45/52/01/ED_PYR_1545521_20250520190446.mp4
Lifestyle

Barcelona celebrates La Liga title with victory parade

Maravi Post Reporter

FC Barcelona celebrates its historic season with a massive street procession through the streets of the city.

FC Barcelona’s triumphant return after clinching the Spanish league title was marked by a celebration through the streets of the Catalan capital.

Thousands of fans gathered, chanting slogans like “Champion, Champion, Champion, oe, oe, oe!” and playfully teasing their archrivals with cries of “Jump, jump, jump – if you don’t jump, you’re a Madridista!” as players waved from an open-top bus.

Some 670 thousands fans lined the streets to welcome their newly crowned champions home after defeating their nemesis Real Madrid. 

Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal scored the decisive goal to clinch Barcelona’s 28th league title in a 2-0 victory at crosstown rival Espanyol on Thursday, to confirm Barca’s dominance.

Barcelona secured this landmark 28th league title after impressive victories in the Spanish Cup and Super Cup.

It’s double wins at home for Barca who have also reached the Champions League semi-finals in an stellar first season for German coach Hansi Flick.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/15/12/95/07/ED_PYR_1512957_20250517070915.mp4
Lifestyle

Barcelona stuns Madrid in title race

Maravi Post Reporter

Hundreds of Barcelona supporters celebrated Sunday at Las Ramblas as their team rallied to beat Real Madrid 4-3 despite Kylian Mbappé hat trick to move closer to La Liga title Sunday. Barcelona took a huge step to securing the Spanish league title with a 4-3 win over second-placed rival in a mesmerizing “Clasico” and opened a seven-point lead with three matches remaining.

Raphinha scored twice, and Lamine Yamal and Eric García added a goal each for Barcelona, which trailed 2-0 after Mbappé scored in the fifth and 14th minutes at Montjuic stadium. The hosts evened the match just over the half-hour mark, and went on to lead 4-2 at halftime in a sensational recovery. Mbappé completed his hat trick in the 70th but Madrid wasn’t able to come back in a likely fatal blow to its hopes of successfully defending its title.

Mbappé became the league’s leading scorer with 27 goals, two more than Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who did not start on Sunday. The Catalan club has won every match against Madrid this season. It had already won 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the first league match in October, 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, and 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final last month.

The result, which virtually ends Madrid’s hopes of finishing the season with a title, adds pressure on coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is rumored to be leaving the club to take over Brazi’s national team. Former Madrid player Xabi Alonso, who recently announced he is leaving Bayern Leverkusen is widely expected to be Madrid’s next coach.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/64/48/03/ED_PYR_1464483_20250512050457.mp4
Lifestyle

Barca Face Inter in UCL Semi

Maravi Post Reporter

Fresh from their Copa del Rey heroics, there is another title on the line for Barcelona. Hansi Flick’s men beat their arch rivals Real Madrid 3-2 in Sunday’s final to get their first trophy of what could be a momentous treble for the German in his first season in charge of the club.

Barca are also the overwhelming favourites to pip Real to the La Liga crown with the Catalan club four points clear with five games remaining.

But attentions for now have turned to their fight for a sixth Champions League title as they prepare to host Inter Milan in the first leg of their semi-final.

Visitors Inter conceded just one goal in the inaugural group phase of the competition and are likely to need that defensive solidity when they face the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha – the two standout attackers for Barca with striker Robert Lewandowski sidelined through injury.

The winners will face either Arsenal or PSG in the final in Munich on May 31.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/13/55/84/07/ED_PYR_1355847_20250429130544.mp4
Malawi, Regional, Sports

Real Madrid player Benzema wins 2022 Ballon D’Or, sweeping aside Sadio Mane, teammate Thibaut

Chisomo Phiri
Benzema shines

PARIS-(MaraviPos)-Karim Benzema of Real Madrid has been named the 2022 Ballon D’Or winner after an awesome season in which he won the Champions League and La Liga.

Benzema won the award ahead of teammate Thibaut Courtois at an event that took place on Monday October 17,2022 at the Theatre Chatelet in Paris.

He was the clear favorite to take home the illustrious award even before the ceremony.

The Madrid striker had the best chance of being named the world’s finest footballer because one of the innovations of this year’s Ballon d’Or was that journalists voted based on the player’s previous season’s performance rather than what he had displayed during the calendar year (as has been the case since the first edition).

Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to witness Karim Benzema’s triumph at the award show.

Note that Ronaldo has five Ballon d’Or to his name, four with Real Madrid (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017) and one with Manchester United in 2008.

He is two Ballon d’Or away from his career rival Lionel Messi, who has a record seven.

As for Benzema, he had to beat the likes of Sadio Mane of Bayern Munich, Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, and Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona to win his first Ballon d’Or.

Benzema, who is a striker for Real Madrid of La Liga and the France national team, was born on December 19, 1987, in France.

He is a professional football player.

Benzema is a playmaker and prolific attacker who is well-known for his finishing and playmaking.

He is frequently recognized as one of the greatest strikers of all time.

He is the leading assist maker and second-highest goal scorer for Real Madrid all-time.

Benzema changed from a false nine to a lone striker in the wake of Ronaldo’s departure in 2018.

He was named to the La Liga Team of the Season in 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22, received the league’s Best Player award in 2019-20 and 2021-22, and also took home the Pichichi Trophy in 2021-22, all of which considerably elevated his reputation inside the Real Madrid club.

In addition to leading the team in goals and receiving Player of the Season honors, his outstanding career-high performances during Real Madrid’s victory in the 2021–22 Champions League have been recognized as one of the best individual campaigns in the competition’s history.

With Real Madrid, Benzema has amassed 23 trophies, including five Champions League titles, two Copa del Reys, and four La Liga championships.