Tag: Real Madrid

LaLiga weekend brings new record for Barcelona and mixed feelings for Torres and Isco

Mumbai: Barcelona set another record and took a further step towards the 2017/18 title in a LaLiga weekend which also brought bittersweet moments for Fernando Torres of Atletico Madrid and Isco of Real Madrid.

LaLiga leaders Barca were pushed all the way by Valencia at the Camp Nou on Saturday, but Brazil star Philippe Coutinho assisted goals for teammates Luis Suarez and Samuel Umtiti, and Dani Parejo’s penalty was not enough Los Che. A 39th consecutive game unbeaten saw the Blaugrana set a new all-time LaLiga record – and they now have an 11 point lead with just five games remaining.

Atletico remain second, with Sunday afternoon’s 3-0 victory at home to Levante seeing Diego Simeone’s side into the Champions League for a sixth consecutive year. Angel Correa and Antoine Griezmann put the Rojiblancos in charge, before soon to depart fans’ hero ‘El Niño’

Torres entered as a substitute and netted his 100th career LaLiga goal.

Madrid jumped over Valencia into fourth spot by winning 2-1 at Malaga on Sunday evening, with Isco man of the match against his hometown club. The Malaga-born playmaker pointedly did not celebrate after curling in a 25 yard free kick, or when later setting up the second for teammate Casemiro. Diego Rolan’s injury time strike was not much consolation for the bottom side.

The weekend began Friday, with Real Betis taking a firm hold of fifth place thanks to Joaquin Sanchez producing one of the assists of the season. The 36 year old Verdiblanco captain carried the ball at pace from his own half before playing in Loren Moron for the only goal at Girona.

Sixth placed Villarreal went 2-0 up at Sevilla on Saturday afternoon through Daniel Raba’s header and Carlos Bacca’s goal against his old club. But the seventh placed Andalusians hit back through Nolito’s volley and Steven N’Zonzi’s long ranger as both clubs remained in likely Europa League spots.

Celta Vigo’s European qualification chances took a blow as they lost 1-0 at Leganes on Saturday afternoon, with Miguel Angel Guerrero converting Nabil El Zhar’s cross. Alaves’ Swedish striker John Guidetti’s low strike after just four minutes decided Sunday lunchtime’s Basque derbi at Eibar. Later that day, Uruguayan defender Damian Suarez’s 35 yard free kick secured the three points as Getafe beat Espanyol to climb into the top half.

In the relegation battle, Deportivo La Coruna gave themselves hope after Clarence Seedorf’s side edged a five goal thriller at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday evening, with Depor captain Adrian Lopez scoring twice for a second consecutive game. Las Palmas’ chances of survival were hit by a 0-1 loss at home to Real Sociedad, with winger Mikel Oyarzabal netting.

A midweek round of LaLiga games begins Tuesday with Deportivo hosting Sevilla, leaders Barcelona at Celta and Leganes visiting Villarreal that same evening. Wednesday sees Athletic Club coming to Madrid’s Bernabeu, Valencia at home to Getafe, and Espanyol against Eibar at Cornella el-Prat.

Thursday brings Atletico’s Griezmann back at his former club Real Sociedad, Girona at Alaves, Levante aiming to move closer to safety at home to Malaga, and Las Palmas really needing a win at Betis

April 16, 2018
Barcelona closer to LaLiga title, Ronaldo closer to Messi in Pichichi top scorers’ race

MUMBAI: Lionel Messi’s 25th LaLiga goal of the season kept Barcelona on track for the 2017/18 LaLiga title, during a weekend which also saw Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo make up ground in the ‘pichichi’ top scorers’ race with a four goal ‘poker’.

Messi’s strike in Barca’s 2-0 victory over Athletic Club on Sunday afternoon means the Argentine has now scored at least 25 goals in each of the last nine LaLiga seasons. Paco Alcacer was also on the scoresheet at the Camp Nou as the blaugrana side moved another step closer to a first ever entire LaLiga season unbeaten.

Barca are now 11 points clear at the top of the table, after second placed Atletico Madrid lost 2-1 at Villarreal on Sunday afternoon. Atletico lead thanks to Antoine Griezmann’s first half penalty, but a late double from Turkey international Enes Unal turned the game around completely.

Real Madrid remain third after a 6-3 win at home to Girona on Sunday evening, with Ronaldo scoring four times to move to 22 goals in LaLiga this term – 18 of which have come in his last nine outings. Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez and Gareth Bale also netted, while Girona kept battling back via Cristhian Stuani [two] and Juanpe headers at set-pieces.

Valencia retain their hold on fourth spot after a 3-1 home win over Alaves at Mestalla, a fifth victory in six LaLiga games for Los Che, who had in form strike pair Simone Zaza and Rodrigo Moreno on the scoresheet.

Leganes again showed LaLiga’s impressive strength in depth, beating Champions League quarter-finalists Sevilla 2-1 at Butarque at Sunday lunchtime. The visitors’ Mexico international Miguel Layun scored his first LaLiga goal late on.

Real Betis are up to seventh in the LaLiga table after a 3-0 win at home to Espanyol on Saturday evening. Man of the match was Algeria international Ryad Boudebouz, who both scored and assisted in a LaLiga game for the first time.

Getafe climbed into the top half with a 2-1 comeback victory at Real Sociedad on Saturday evening. La Real announced on Sunday that B team coach Imanol Alguacil was being promoted to replace Eusebio Sacristan as first team boss for the rest of the season.

Paco Lopez became the first Levante coach to win both his first two LaLiga games in charge, with young Ghana striker Emmanuel Boateng hitting the winner in a 2-1 home victory over Eibar which gives his side a six point cushion over the bottom three.

The weekend’s big battle at the bottom finished 1-1 at Riazor, with Las Palmas playmaker Alen Halilovic’s fine solo goal putting his side ahead on just three minutes, but Deportivo La Coruna defender Raul Albentosa equalising with a header before half time.

Bottom team Malaga also gained a point with a 0-0 draw at home to Celta Vigo on Sunday afternoon. However the Andalusians now have a 12 point gap to safety, with just nine games remaining.

March 19, 2018
Sony Ten to broadcast El Clasico in 4 languages

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Sports Network will broadcast football’s biggest rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona dubbed as El Clasico in four languages across Sony Ten 1 and Sony Ten 2 channels for the first time.

The game will be played at the legendary Santiago Bernabeu stadium on 23 December and the telecast will be in English, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali with live coverage commencing at 4:30 pm. The world English feed will be on both Sony Ten 1 and 2 channels while the other three will be on Sony Ten 2.

SPSN’s programming initiatives also include the return of Football Extraaa, the live studio show presented by Marc Edwards and panellists like former Liverpool, Manchester City and Bolton defender Mark Seagraves, and current Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri, who is also the fourth highest active goal scorer in international football with 56 goals at present.

In addition to this, Football Extraaa will also feature other guest panellists via satellite link. Michel Salgado, former Real Madrid defender, winner of four LaLigas, two UEFA Champions League and one UEFA Super Cup will join the show live from Bernabeu stadium. Former Manchester United and Everton defender Phil Neville, the winner of six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and one UEFA Champions League will join the panellists from England. Joining Salgado and Neville live from New Delhi from the venue of the live screening will be the former Juventus, AC Milan and Barcelona defender Gianluc Zambrotta.

Also Read:

Sony changes LaLiga telecast time for India

ISL piggybacks on EPL’s popularity to gain viewership

December 23, 2017
SPN India to telecast Real Madrid vs Barcelona at 4:30 pm

MUMBAI: Less than two weeks to Christmas and Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) launches its “Christmas Comes Early” campaign as a build-up to the biggest football clash of the year, El Clasico.

On December 23, El Clasico, LaLiga’s biggest derby played between rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona at the legendary Santiago Bernabeu stadium, will be telecast live and exclusive on Sony TEN 1 and Sony TEN 2 channels at 4:30 PM.

SPSN has designed and launched the ‘Christmas comes Early’ promotional campaign that delivers the message that the biggest game in football, for the first time ever, will be telecast at 4:30 PM India time. The on-air campaign comprises two 30 second films that amplify the essence of El Clasico being telecast at a suitable India viewing time for football fans. And since the match takes place just two days before Christmas, the films showcase young children making a wish to Santa Claus to make El Clasico happen earlier as their creative vehicle.

FILM 1: PEMYANG’S WISH

Pemyang, a small girl in Shillong makes a wish to Santa to make the El Clasico derby happen early during her playtime, so she is able to watch her favourite player Messi, play against Ronaldo. Santa, in return, grants her wish saying that, “Christmas comes early this year, Real Madrid vs Barcelona, the greatest football match on Earth, El Clasico, will happen on Saturday,23 December, 4:30 PM, Live & Exclusive on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 2 & SonyLIV App.”

https://www.facebook.com/SPNSportsIndia/videos/1574078529344260/

FILM 2: JOJO V/S PINGU

Two friends – JoJo and Pingu, who live in different apartments in the same building, make a wish to Santa to make the El Clasico match happen early so they are able to watch the match together and see their favourite superstars Ronaldo & Messi, respectively, play against each other. Santa, in return, grants their wish saying that, “Christmas comes early this year, Real Madrid vs Barcelona, the greatest football match on Earth, El Clasico, will happen on Saturday, December 23, 4:30 PM, Live & Exclusive on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 2 & SonyLIV App.”

https://www.facebook.com/SPNSportsIndia/videos/1573393852746061/

SPN India president, sports and distribution business, Rajesh Kaul said, “For the first time, our network will telecast the biggest football game of the season between two of the most followed clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona at primetime that further promises to add to the growth of LaLiga in India. The Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo battle is one of the fiercest rivalry in modern day sports and last season of, the El Clasico was seen by over four million viewers making it the highest watched international club football game.”

As an extension to the on-air campaign, SPSN is launching a digital campaign with #ElClacisoIST. The campaign will see Santa engaging football enthusiasts through various digital contests on

Film Credits:

Agency: Indigenous Brands Creative Director: Promit Moulik

December 14, 2017
Sony changes LaLiga telecast time for India

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN), the official broadcaster of LaLiga, has scheduled the El Clasico match between arch rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona on 23 December 2017 at 5:30 pm to suit the timing of Indian viewers.

The live coverage of the game will begin at 4:30 pm on SONY TEN 1 and SONY TEN 2 channels. Recognising India’s potential as a footballing nation, LaLiga has also planned a special screening of the match at the NSIC Grounds, Okhla, in New Delhi supported by additional on-ground activations to engage football fans.

Football Extraaa will be broadcast directly from NSIC. It will not only showcase pre, mid and post-match analyses and expert insights from football guest panelists but also run a live contest in the studio where viewers can pose questions to the guests on Twitter and win merchandise.

SPN India president sports and distribution business Rajesh Kaul said, “Sony Pictures Sports Network and LaLiga have come together once again to serve football fans both on-ground and on-air in India and across the Indian subcontinent. Our commitment to Go-Beyond is demonstrated not only in broadcasting the El Clasico at primetime for fans in India but also giving them an on-ground experience of the live screening taking them closer to the game in Spain. Last season we telecast over 300 live games which is the highest number of games telecast in any European football league in a single season in India. The first El Clasico of season 2016-17 was the most viewed international league football game in India that season. We want to continue to drive the growth in viewership and our collaborative efforts for the first El Clasico of the season will further amplify its presence in India and expand our reach.”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas said, “This 23 December, the first El Clasico of the season will be played. A match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona always generates a tremendous amount of interest around the world. We want the many LaLiga fans in India to enjoy the match as if they were in the stadium. We are going to prepare an event so that more than 15,000 fans from India can be with us, enjoy the match, and experience LaLiga more closely. It will be an event for fans of both teams, and LaLiga in general, to engage with the best football match in the world. We are sure that it will be an unforgettable experience. It’s a great way to be closer to Indian fans.”

November 24, 2017
Former La Liga stars to attend live ‘EL Clasico’ telecast in India

MUMBAI: La Liga plans to host live screening of the Spanish football league match on 3 December in Mumbai and Delhi. The showpiece match “El Clasico” will be played between traditional rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

Former La Liga star Luis Garcia will attend the screening in New Delhi while Frederic Kanoute will be present at the Mumbai screening.

La Liga recently established its India office in New Delhi and will organise the event with the aim of popularising the league in India. Live screening of sporting events on a huge screen is popular in Europe, IANS reported.

On the telecast evening, there will be big screens, food and beverage stalls as well as fan engagement activities at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi and Khar Gymkhana in Mumbai.

La Liga president Javier Tebas stated in a release that their aim was to take La Liga across the world, and further establish the league as one that was global and inclusive. They feel that the most important way to grow was to be closer to their fans, and provide them with newer, more exciting experience.

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid were hugely popular in India, and they feel that they owe the passionate fans of the league, a chance to experience such an event. That was a big step, and what they believed would be a great start to their journey in India, Tebas added.

Garcia, who played for FC Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid in La Liga said it would be a great experience for him to watch El Clasico with the fans in India. He said he had seen the passion for football among the fans, and he felt that those were great initiatives to further grow La Liga in India.

Former Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute added that it would be his first visit to India, and he had heard a lot of great things about the popularity of La Liga in India. He said he was looking forward to meeting the fans and enjoying one of the biggest matches in world football.

November 26, 2016
Former La Liga stars to attend live ‘EL Clasico’ telecast in India

MUMBAI: La Liga plans to host live screening of the Spanish football league match on 3 December in Mumbai and Delhi. The showpiece match “El Clasico” will be played between traditional rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

Former La Liga star Luis Garcia will attend the screening in New Delhi while Frederic Kanoute will be present at the Mumbai screening.

La Liga recently established its India office in New Delhi and will organise the event with the aim of popularising the league in India. Live screening of sporting events on a huge screen is popular in Europe, IANS reported.

On the telecast evening, there will be big screens, food and beverage stalls as well as fan engagement activities at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi and Khar Gymkhana in Mumbai.

La Liga president Javier Tebas stated in a release that their aim was to take La Liga across the world, and further establish the league as one that was global and inclusive. They feel that the most important way to grow was to be closer to their fans, and provide them with newer, more exciting experience.

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid were hugely popular in India, and they feel that they owe the passionate fans of the league, a chance to experience such an event. That was a big step, and what they believed would be a great start to their journey in India, Tebas added.

Garcia, who played for FC Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid in La Liga said it would be a great experience for him to watch El Clasico with the fans in India. He said he had seen the passion for football among the fans, and he felt that those were great initiatives to further grow La Liga in India.

Former Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute added that it would be his first visit to India, and he had heard a lot of great things about the popularity of La Liga in India. He said he was looking forward to meeting the fans and enjoying one of the biggest matches in world football.

November 26, 2016
dittoTV brings live UEFA Champions League to Ten 1 HD viewers

MUMBAI: The widely followed UEFA Champions League 2016-17 is set to return on Ten 1 HD and football fanatics can also watch the action-packed matches live on dittoTV. The SVOD subscribers can tune into the channel at 12:15 am to catch the league.

The football league which kicked off this week will see 380 games spanned across nine months. The Champions League final will take place on 3 June.

The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Manchester City, PSG, Juventus and more get set to begin their course for European glory.

dittoTV business head Archana Anand said, ““Football is one of the most followed sports, especially among the younger audiences in the country. However, due to the late airing time of the Champions League matches, many football fans miss out on the action on TV. With dittoTV, viewers can tune in to Ten 1 HD on their smartphones, laptops or any internet-enabled devices and catch all the football action in real time. We are extremely excited to bring this event to viewers on our platform.”

The platform is available on Android and iOS platforms. The subscription charges for one month, three months, six months and one year are INR 20, INR 50, INR 90 and INR 170, respectively.

September 15, 2016
dittoTV brings live UEFA Champions League to Ten 1 HD viewers

MUMBAI: The widely followed UEFA Champions League 2016-17 is set to return on Ten 1 HD and football fanatics can also watch the action-packed matches live on dittoTV. The SVOD subscribers can tune into the channel at 12:15 am to catch the league.

The football league which kicked off this week will see 380 games spanned across nine months. The Champions League final will take place on 3 June.

The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Manchester City, PSG, Juventus and more get set to begin their course for European glory.

dittoTV business head Archana Anand said, ““Football is one of the most followed sports, especially among the younger audiences in the country. However, due to the late airing time of the Champions League matches, many football fans miss out on the action on TV. With dittoTV, viewers can tune in to Ten 1 HD on their smartphones, laptops or any internet-enabled devices and catch all the football action in real time. We are extremely excited to bring this event to viewers on our platform.”

The platform is available on Android and iOS platforms. The subscription charges for one month, three months, six months and one year are INR 20, INR 50, INR 90 and INR 170, respectively.

September 15, 2016
Real Madrid VS Barcelona, EPL matches, Which channel what time can India watch

MUMBAI: Delight for the football fans all over the world as International break has come to an end and the crucial stages of club football is all set to rock and roll again. The weekend has many important matches but none more important than the El-Clasico. Title run is all over for Real Madrid unless Barcelona puts up a dismal show in coming eight matches. The only respite for the biggest club of the world this league season would be a win over arched rivals Barcelona. On the other hand Barcelona, 11 points clear of second placed Athletico Madrid already have a hand on the trophy, but they have plenty to play for. They are unbeaten in their last 39 matches and certainly eyeing the 43 match record set by them between 2011 and 2012. Their statistics this season is P39 W30 D9 L0 F122 A23.

Indian fan can watch all the action in the stroke of midnight right at 12.00 AM (3 April 2016). The live telecast will be available on Sony Six and Sony ESPN.

Besides El-Clasico there are many other important matches set to be whistled across Europe. Guus Hiddink’s rejuvenated blue brigade Chelsea will take on bottom placed Aston Villa. The match will be available Live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD 2 from 5:15 PM IST. Surprisingly placed fourth and just a point above West Ham after starting the season as favorite Manchester City will be travelling to Bournemouth. This match kick starts at 7:30 PM IST and the live telecast will be available on Star Sports 1. Arsenal VS Watford match will too kick off at the same time and telecasting live will be Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD 2. The gunners will go all guns blazing against Watford to stay relevant in the title run and take revenge of the FA Cup defeat.

The match of the EPL this weekend is certainly Tottenham Hotspurs VS Liverpool. Placed ahead of Arsenal on the second slot Spurs has a few tough battle to see through in the coming weeks, and it all starts tonight. The match will be telecast live by Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD 2.

So will the unbeaten run come to an end will EPL see a new tide, will Arsenal have one more chance or is it all but decided. Saturday actions will certainly draw new lights, bring new hopes alive for football fans across the country.

April 2, 2016