Ramos: Messi pressured ref

Sergio Ramos claims Lionel Messi ‘put pressure on the referee in the tunnel’ during Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Barcelona in the Clasico.
“It was a good match for us to show that we wanted to beat the champions,” the defender said after the game.
“We had a very good match overall, from the first minute to the last. We got a draw, we would’ve liked to end their unbeaten run, but we prepared for the [Champions League] Final in the right way.
“Not kicking the ball out when Suarez was down? Whenever someone is down and you think it can be serious, you put the ball out out of respect.
“However, knowing his style and the way he is, he was trying to waste time. With all due respect to Barcelona, ​​ I didn’t touch him at all.
“Controversy? For that, there are referees who specialise in it. Messi? He put some pressure on [the ref] in the tunnel.
“I don’t know if the cameras picked it up and I don’t know whether it made [the ref] give them decisions in the second half.
“That’s football and everything has to be left on the pitch. As long as it doesn’t hurt you, you have to maintain that respect.
“Pique-Nacho in the tunnel? As Spaniards, we have a lot of respect for each other. Iniesta? We’ll see the same in China in a few years.”

Iniesta: Nothing like this Clasico!

Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta was grateful for his Clasico send-off against Real Madrid on Sunday, admitting ‘it was a game like no other’ in his career.
“The celebrations were a bit off-the-cuff, but it was our first game as champions and we wanted to celebrate it some way,” the midfielder told Movistar+ Partidazo after the 2-2 draw.
“We’ll now wait for the last League match to be able to end the season and celebrate it fully.
“What I’ll take away from this game? All of it, the luck of being able to play in another Clasico, the build-up to it, the match itself. It was a game like no other.
“Sergi Roberto’s red? We took a step forward in trying not to lose this game. Now we can celebrate the League title and that’s what makes us happy.”

Clasico the last VAR straw

After Sunday’s Clasico descended into farce, Daryl Hammond believes video assistant referees can’t come quickly enough in La Liga…

The Clasico is known around the globe for great players, great goals and also great controversy. Whether it’s the brawls, full-hearted tackles, diving antics or even Jose Mourinho’s eye-gouging, there are tough encounters on and off the field – and a need for equally-tough referees to manage these volatile situations.

Sadly, there wasn’t one to be found at Camp Nou on Sunday as Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernández let the match get out of hand, with no less than eight yellow cards being dished out, as well as one red and plenty of scuffles.

The players didn’t help, but the fact remains that the Canarian lost control. Yet what was more egregious were the errors he and his assistants made, which influenced the course of the match.

The biggest mistake lay with Barcelona’s second goal against Real Madrid, when Hernandez Hernandez allowed Luis Suarez to repeatedly kick Raphael Varane in his attempts to win possession. If that wasn’t bad enough, he failed to spot the blatant trip on Marcelo by Jordi Alba in the box.

Even worse was Gareth Bale’s studs-up challenge on Samuel Umtiti right in front of the linesman going unpunished and Luis Suarez’ goal being wrongly ruled out for a non-existent offside on Ivan Rakitic. With such poor decisions in world football’s biggest derby, video assistant referees (VAR) surely can’t come soon enough.

In a League where millions ride on millimetres, there’s an incentive to get things right. The system, which will be used at this summer’s World Cup is due to be implemented in La Liga next season. For a League that still unashamedly turns its nose up at goal-line technology, it’s a big step forward. 

A staple in the German, Italian and Portuguese top flights, its efficacy depends on whom you speak to and in which country. For many in England, its sporadic use in the historic and coveted FA Cup has been haphazard at best.

Things have been a bit smoother in Germany and Italy, even if some will still find fault in that statement, but Spain’s late implementation gives them an advantage; a chance to learn from the mistakes of others and eliminate the lengthy delays and confusion for fans and players alike. 

It now seems primitive for a top European League to be without goal-line technology, yet La Liga chief Javier Tebas has so far been unwilling to cough up the 4m necessary to implement a FIFA-approved system.

Instead, he wants to kill two birds with one stone, hoping VAR can also solve goal-line disputes; that it can be the silver bullet to avoiding controversies like those witnessed on Sunday. 

There are numerous examples of VAR being wrongly interpreted on reflection, but La Liga referees have gained notoriety for their poor officiating and Hernandez Hernandez’s performance in Catalonia did little to dispel that.

Spain shouldn’t be left any further behind in the football technological revolution, and VAR is a step in the right direction. But until flaws are addressed and the standard of officiating improves, it’s just a step and little more than that.

Player Ratings: Barcelona 2 - Real Madrid 2; 2018 La Liga

A heated encounter littered with controversy ends in a draw

El Clasico, a game unlike any other. This particular Clasico was heated. Not since the Pep vs Mourinho era had we seen such a tense contest. Through all the emotions, Hernandez Hernandez—the referee on the night—lost the plot (much like he did in last years Clasico). Despite the controversy, Madrid should have capitalized on their opportunities. It will feel like points lost, but an encouraging performance from many players heading into the final games of the season.

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Keylor Navas—9: The Costa Rican’s good run of form continued into the Clasico. Made two crucial saves on Messi when the Argentine was through on goal. Keylor came up big when his team needed him most.

Nacho—6.5: The former Canterano was solid defensively and stuck to his task. Had little impact on the offensive end of the pitch and was substituted for Lucas Vazquez to add more dynamism to the Madrid attack as they searched for a late winner.

Raphael Varane—8: Another solid performance from the Frenchman; cool and composed as always. Clearly was fouled by Luis Suarez before Lionel Messi tucked home his second goal.

Sergio Ramos—7: Barcelona and in particular Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi did all they could to unnerve the captain. The game was a fiery encounter with Ramos involved in many confrontations. Despite the tension, Ramos made some vital tackles and put in a decent defensive shift.

Marcelo—6: Goals have been leaking from Madrid’s left side of the pitch all season. In the last few bug encounters, Marcelo has not been the main culprit. Tonight would be different. Allowed Sergi Roberto to glide past him with ease and failed to track the runner with any sense of urgency. Jurgen Klopp will certainty take note. Improved in the second half as Madrid were on the attack and switched to a 3-5-2 late in the game.

Casemiro—8.5: Casemiro was back to his best in a three-man central midfield pairing. He was crucial in transition to stopping Barcelona’s attack and sticking to his “stop-gap” role. He won the ball seven times, and had two interceptions.

Modric—8: Great performance from Modric who was able to have a greater influence on the Madrid attack from a more central role as Gareth was placed on the right flank. Always does the dirty work and then becomes the maestro, orchestrating Madrid’s next attack. He and Kroos were fundamental to any success Madrid had on the night.

Kroos—8: A key driver in the Madrid attack. His impact on the first goal cannot be understated. Help start the play from Madrid’s box and then drove through the midfield laying the pass on to Ronaldo, and then overlapped the Portuguese to deliver a great left footed clipped cross to Benzema for Ronaldo to then latch on again and tuck home.

Bale—8.5: Relatively quiet first half where the Welshman had to put in a tremendous amount of defensive work to limit Jordi Alba’s influence. He was lucky not to be sent off for a bad foul on Umtiti. Took on the “alpha-male” role in the second half and scored a belter to equalize for Madrid. Proved once again that he can produce on both ends of the pitch.

Benzema—8.5: Intelligently nodded the ball across goal for Ronaldo to tuck home his goal; most strikers probably would have gone for goal. Combined well with his teammates and retained possession with his back to goal and under strong pressure from the likes of Pique and Umtiti. Rounding into his best form of the year in the final month of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo—8: Ronaldo was instrumental to the Madrid attack. At times, reverted back to his left winger role and gave countless headaches to Sergi Roberto and Pique. Took his goal superbly well, starting the play by coming in from the left, feeding Kroos with a back heel, and then made his way into the box by following the play and tucked home his goal. Unfortunately, had to be substituted at half after sustaining an ankle injury.

Substitutions:

Marco Asensio—7: The youngster had a moment of magic with his assist to Gareth Bale. Faked like he was looking one way and sliced the ball into Bale’s path which was the opposite direction. Was direct in his play and his role grew as the match wore on.

Lucas Vazquez—6: Came on for Nacho as Madrid switched to a 3-5-2 and looked to add more dynamism to their attack. Was lively, but failed to produce a meaningful impact.

Mateo Kovacic—7: Replaced Toni Kroos and was given ten minutes to try and salvage a win for Madrid. The Croatian had a brilliantly timed slide tackle on Messi to win back possession and helped provide urgency to the Madrid attack.

Manager:

Zinedine Zidane—6.5: It was a strange game with multiple phases. The first ten minutes, Madrid were awful. The midfield looked lethargic and late to challenges, while the defensive shape was all over the place. Tracking off the ball runners should have been Zidane’s number one priority after the Bayern matches, but yet again Madrid were caught out on the left flank. Though, in the latter stages of the first half saw Madrid dominate. They were cool and calm in possession and slung a couple of through balls which normally would have seen Cristiano score and the team go into half time by a one or two goal lead. A slow start to the second half and a kamikaze like attacking approach meant Barcelona and Messi could counter with ease. Zidane’s change to a 3-5-2 was smart and helped Madrid better control the game and mount more organized attacks.

GIRLS BEACH

Fluminense arranca uma virada em cima do Vitória no Barradão

Na base da luta e perseverança, o Fluminense arrancou uma virada por 2 a 1 em cima do Vitória em pleno estádio do Barradão na tarde desse domingo. Nenhuma das duas equipes teriam muitos motivos para comemorar depois do que fizeram em campo em Salvador. Mas, o jogo muito fraco tecnicamente, com um exagero de erros das duas partes e poucos lances de gol, acabou ao menos dando um resultado importante para os cariocas.

Para os rubro-negros, o revés caiu como um balde de água fria, pois mantém o jejum de triunfos da equipe no Campeonato Brasileiro depois de quatro rodadas. Os comandados de Wagner Mancini são os penúltimos colocados na tabela de classificação, com apenas um ponto somado. Por outro lado, o tricolor salta para a sexta posição, com sete pontos.

A partida marcou a estreia de dois zagueiros, um de cada time. Aderllan, ex-São Paulo, compôs a zaga do Vitória, enquanto Nathan Ribeiro fez sua primeira apresentação pelo Fluminense depois de uma década jogando do Catar.

E se faltava inspiração para os atletas em campo, tudo ficou ainda pior com uma chuva torrencial que deu as caras logo após o início do confronto. Com o gramado encharcado, ninguém conseguia construir nada, com exceção a Jeferson, que pela direita era sempre a válvula de escape dos mandantes.

E foi justamente graças a uma jogada do lateral direito que Neilton pôde aproveitar descuido da defesa tricolor para estufar as redes de Júlio César com 20 minutos de partida.

Apesar do gol, o Vitória não aproveitou o bom momento. Recuado, a fim de apostar nos contra-ataques, os baianos deram campo ao Fluminense, que por sua vez não transformava o domínio em chances reais de gol.

A etapa final não mudou o panorama do confronto, que parecia mesmo caminhar para a primeira vitória do Leão nesse Campeonato Brasileiro diante da falta de eficiência dos jogadores em campo.

Sem inspiração no meio de campo e criatividade para chegar ao gol, restou ao Fluminense, então, a bola parada. E foi assim que o time de Abel Braga conseguiu a virada no Barradão.

Primeiro, aos 27, Pablo Dyego aproveitou tumulto dentro da área para empatar o jogo. Depois, já aos 40 minutos, Pedro subiu mais alto que todo mundo e garantiu, de cabeça, a vitória do Fluminense.

Pelo Brasileirão, na próxima rodada o Vitória encara o Vasco no próximo domingo, em São Januário. No dia seguinte, o Fluminense faz clássico no Engenhão com o Botafogo.
Antes disso, porém, as duas equipes têm duelos decisivos por outras competições. Na quarta, os cariocas visitam o Nacional Potosí pela Copa Sul-Americana, enquanto os baianos encaram o Corinthians, em Itaquera, pela Copa do Brasil.

FICHA TÉCNICA
VITÓRIA 1 X 1 FLUMINENSE

Local: Barradão, em Salvador (BA)
Data: 06 de maio de 2018, domingo
Horário: 16h (Brasília)
Árbitro: Rodrigo D´alonso Ferreira (SC-CBF)
Assistentes: Helton Nunes e Alex dos Santos (SC-CBF)
Cartões amarelos: Kanu, Rhayner (VIT); Jadson (FLU)
Público: 6.652 (pagantes), 7.030 (total)
Renda: R$ 66.159,50.

GOLS:
Vitória: Neilton, aos 20 minutos do 1T
Fluminense: Pablo Dyego, aos 27, e Gilberto, aos 40 minutos do 2T

VITÓRIA: Caíque, Jeferson, Kanu, Aderllan (Ramon) e Pedro Botelho; Uillian Correia, Rhayner; Neilton (Alex Baumjohann) e Wallyson; Yago (Luan) e Denílson
Técnico: Vagner Mancini

FLUMINENSE: Júlio César, Renato Chaves, Frasan e Nathan Ribeiro; Gilberto, Richard, Jadson (Robinho), Sornoza e Marlon; Marcos Júnior (Pablo Dyego) e Pedro (Dodi)
Técnico: Abel Braga

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