Mbappé, Haaland shine in Champions League, Benzema injured
Read full article: Mbappé, Haaland shine in Champions League, Benzema injuredKylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland took their high-flying scoring acts into Europe as the Champions League returned, while last season’s standout star Karim Benzema limped off with an injury after less than 30 minutes.
Ronaldo in doubt for Messi's visit to Juventus
Read full article: Ronaldo in doubt for Messi's visit to JuventusSome talking points ahead of the second round of games in the Champions League:NO RONALDO VS. MESSI? The highly anticipated matchup of Cristiano Ronaldo against Lionel Messi likely won’t happen because Ronaldo has the coronavirus. Alvaro Morata replaced Ronaldo against Dynamo Kyiv last week and scored twice in a 2-0 win. Eden Hazard was added to the Madrid squad and could make his season debut after nursing a muscle injury. Diego Simeone's side was thrashed 4-0 by defending champion Bayern Munich and next hosts Salzburg in Group A on Tuesday.
Revamped Barcelona starts new season with spotlight on Messi
Read full article: Revamped Barcelona starts new season with spotlight on MessiBarcelona's Lionel Messi, centre, in action during the pre-season friendly soccer match between Barcelona and Girona at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)MADRID – Lionel Messi will be there when Barcelona starts its season on Sunday, just as he has been for the last two decades. After all, never before had Messi told the club that he wanted to leave, and never before had Messi been forced to stay. Some of those questions may start being answered on Sunday when Barcelona opens its Spanish league season against Villarreal at the Camp Nou. The result thrust Barcelona into one of its worst crises ever, and led Messi to make public his desire to leave.
Spanish league forced to deal with another star departing
Read full article: Spanish league forced to deal with another star departingBarcelona's Lionel Messi leaves the pitch after the the Champions League quarterfinal soccer match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in Lisbon, Portugal, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. The Spanish league is about to see another top player leave one of its clubs, all within a four-year span. The league wasnt hugely affected financially after Neymar left Barcelona or Ronaldo left Real Madrid. The league still benefited from Messis presence after Ronaldo left, but now it wouldn't have that same star power anymore. Since Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, Spain gained few top-notch players.
Real Madrid suffers shock defeat
Read full article: Real Madrid suffers shock defeat(CNN) - Real Madrid lost its first league game of the season as coach Zinedine Zidane's reboot of the club continues to malfunction. Lago Junior scored the game's only goal as Real Madrid was forced to play the closing stages with 10 men after Alvaro Odriozola was sent off for two bookable offenses. The away win comes days after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) postponed El Clasico -- the match Barcelona and Real Madrid later this month at the Camp Nou -- due to the ongoing protests. Keeping Juventus honest at the top of the league is Inter Milan, which beat Sassuolo 4-3 in an entertaining match. With just two games remaining, only goal difference separates the four teams at the top of the league.