LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Frederic Veseli, a Swiss Under-17 defender, says he is “very happy” to be joining Manchester United, which pinched him from rival Manchester City. He moves onto the team’s reserve side initially.
Veseli, 19, went to Manchester City in 2008 from Lausanne Sport. He made his name in 2009 when he captained the Swiss team to the Under 17s World Cup championship.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Fifa has threatened Switzerland with expulsion from all Fifa events unless the Swiss Football Association punish FC Sion in the long confrontation over the Valaisan team playing unregistered players. The Sion chairman Christian Constantin responded in his own inimitable style by threatening to sue Sepp Blatter, the Valaisan head of Fifa. Unless the Swiss Federation react by 13 January 2012 the Swiss participation in the Champions League, as well as the national youth and senior matches, will be suspended, as will all the Swiss referees. FC Basel would be the first to suffer as they would be barred from playing in the Champions League match against Bayern Munich and would be replaced by Manchester United in the competition.
On the field Barcelona confirmed their place at the top by winning the Club World Championship by beating Brazilian team Santos 4-0 in Tokyo. In the Premier League Manchester city beat Arsenal 1-0 to regain their first place, ahead of Man United, 0-2 winners at QPR. Spurs are third after a 1-0 win over Sunderland. Chelsea fell back after a 1-1 draw at Wigan.
Links to other sites: TSR, Premier League, Guardian
BASEL, SWITZERLAND – FC Basel scored a famous victory when they beat the stars of Manchester United 2-1 in the final game of the group stage of the Champions League 7 December. Basel are now in the knock-out stage while Manchester United join their Man City neighbours in the Europa League.
Arsenal and Chelsea are the only Premier League teams to reach the final 16.
Man United started well, with Nani repeatedly find his way past the Basel defence. Basel scored on almost their only attack when Streller took advantage of a United mix up, where Nemanja Vadic felled his fellow defender Chris Smalling, to take the lead. United fought back with ten shots on target in the first half but never managed to really dominate the game.
Wayne Rooney managed to mess up the best chance, when clear in the goalmouth. Alex Frei scored in the 84th minute to leave Basel two goals clear. Phil Jones pulled one back in the final minute of regular time, but United could not perform another miracle. Benfica won the group with Basel second and Man United third.
In Group A Bayern Munich qualified despite losing their final game against Man City 2-0 but City were still knocked out as Naples won against Villa Real. Real Madrid won 0-3 at Ajax despite fielding a reserve team. Lyon managed to qualify with a 1-7 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb.
Link: UEFA
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira : there will probably never be another footballer quite like him. Named, like his brothers, after a Greek philosopher Socrates was Brazil’s captain, a medical doctor, political activist, heavy drinker, smoker, a self proclaimed anti-athlete and a fan of Ché Guevara. The Brazilian icon died of intestinal infection, 4 December, aged 57. The tall, bearded midfield was an integral part in the Brazilian team of the early 1980s, playing with a languid style that disguised his ability to suddenly turn a game.
On the field the Premier League continued in a familiar vein with Manchester City storming past Norwich 5-1 and Man United staying second with a 0-1 win at Aston Villa. For some interesting details on the financing of Man City visit The Swiss Ramble blog. The two Manchester teams are drawn to play each other in the FA Cup. Chelsea were fortunate not to have Luiz sent off early on but then went on to win 0-3 at Newcastle.
In the Swiss Super League Basel beat Lucerne to extend their lead at the top. Servette lost 0-1 t0 Zurich. Real Madrid won 0-3 against sporting Gijon while Barcelona beat Levante 5-0.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
CHESTER, ENGLAND – The Wales manager, 42-year-old Gary Speed, was found hanged at his home in Chester on Sunday morning 27 November. Speed played a record 85 times for Wales. He also played 315 times for Leeds and also represented Everton, Newcastle, Bolton and Sheffield United.
In the Premier League games the two Manchester teams drew their games to retain the top two spots. Man United were held 1-1 by Newcastle while City held on with ten men to secure a 1-1 draw at Liverpool. Chelsea beat Wolves 3-0 and Spurs won away at West Brom.
In La Liga Real Madrid moved further ahead as they beat Atlético 4-0 while rivals Barcelona suffered a rare defeat at Getafe.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – The Champions League saw FC Basel travelling to Old Trafford to take on the might of Manchester United, unbeaten this season after winning the Premier League last season, 27 September.
United took a two goal lead in the first half with a brace of goals by Welbeck, both created by Ryan Giggs. Basel struck back with three goals, by Alex and Fabian Frei.
The Swiss champions were deprived of a famous win by a late equaliser by Ashley Young in the 90th minute so the game ended 3-3. In the other games Benfica beat Otelul Galati 0-1, Bayern Munich beat Manchester City 2-0, Naples beat Villarreal 2-0 and Real Madrid beat Ajax 3-0.
Man City manager later said that Carlos Tevez would never play for him again after the Argentine striker refused to come on as a substitute in the second half.
STOKE, ENGLAND – Manchester United lost their perfect start to the season but stayed top of the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Stoke, 24 September. They still lead their Man City neighbours on goal difference but the slip up will give a little hope to Basel FC which will be travelling to Old Trafford for their European Champions League match on Tuesday evening. They will be without star striker Wayne Rooney who is suffering a strained hamstring. Man City won 2-0 against Everton while Chelsea won 4-1 against Swansea to stay third. fernando Torres sored again but was sent off for a dangerous tackle. Arsenal avoided disaster with a 3-0 win over Bolton which kept Arsene Wenger’s men off the bottom.
Barcelona and Real Madrid both thrashed their opponents in La Liga. The Swiss local derby between Geneva Servette and Lausanne ended in a dull 0-0 draw. Sion and Neuchatel Xamax continue to make more news off the field than on it.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
International sports, football
Old Trafford,Manchester(GenevaLunch) - Manchester United wrapped up the season with an entertaining 4-2 win over Blackpool to end at the top of the Premier League, with a nine point lead over Chelsea, 22 May. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich punished coach Carlo Ancelotti with the sack and the club are now searching for yet another person willing to trade enormous wealth for limited job security. Manchester City ended just behind Chelsea on goal difference with Arsenal taking the other Champions League spot. Man United take on the mighty Barcelona in the final at Wembley, 28 May.
West Ham, Blackpool and Birmingham were relegated in an afternoon when five teams were fighting to avoid the two remaining relegation spots. Wigan escaped the drop thanks to a 0-1 win at Stoke.
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International sports, football
Wembley, London (GenevaLunch) - For once the Reds and the Blues of Manchester each had something to celebrate on Saturday 14 May. Sir Alec Ferguson’s United won their 19th League title to pass the previous record held by Liverpool. Wayne Rooney scored with a penalty 17 minutes from time to give United a 1-1 draw against Blackburn and thus gained the point needed to guarantee the title. Man City’s expensively acquired team picked up their first trophy since 1976 when they edged past Stoke 1-0 in the FA Cup final. United’s win is a tribute to the ability of their manager to combine mature and youthful talent and to cope with the modern style of squad management in a way that seems beyond many of his younger rivals. The City triumph more a sign of the power of money as the hundreds of millions spent on the team bought some glory. In other games Chelsea were held 2-2 by Newcastle and Arsenal lost at home against AstonVilla. West Ham are relegated after losing a two goal advantage to go down 2-3 to Wigan and have parted from their manager, Avram Grant. The other two relegation spots could go to Wigan, Blackpool, Birmingham, Wolves or Blackburn when the final showdown takes place on Sunday 22 May.
Rangers won their third succesive Scottish Premier League when they beat Kilmarnock 1-5.
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International sports, football
Wembley, London (GenevaLunch) - Manchester City won their FA Cup semi-final with Man United 1-0 at Wembley, 16 April. The shame of losing to their neighbours might be lessened by Arsenal slipping up again by drawing 1-1 at home to Liverpool and probably blowing their last chance to challenge for the Premier League. Both teams scored with penalties in extra-time, with the Liverpool equaliser coming in the 102nd minute. In the other sem-final Stoke City blew Bolton away with a 5-0 thrashing.
Barcelona drew their first of a series of four showdowns with Real Madrid1-1 and are well ahead in La Liga. Their next meeting will be in the final of the Copa del Rey followed by European Champions League semi-finals.
Links to other sites: Premier League, The Sun, Guardian
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City of Manchester Stadium, England (GenevaLunch) - Manchester United took another step towards the Premier League title when they came back from 2-0 down at West Ham to win 2-4, 2 April. The Hammers scored from two penalties in the first half but Wayne Rooney replied with a hat-trick in the second half, only to spoil the headlines by swearing in his celebration – much to the apparent shock of the British tabloid press.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all slipped back to leave Man United with a seven-point lead at the top of the table. Man City enjoyed their Sunday romp against Sunderland, winning 5-0 to move past Chelsea into third place.
Barcelona also moved away from their rivals as they beat Villareal 0-1 and then saw Real Madrid lose at home to Gijon. That game ended an amazing 151 unbeaten home record for coach José Maurinho: a sequence that goes back nine years and includes seasons at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Barcelona are now eight points ahead in La Liga.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
International sports, football
Old Trafford, Manchester (GenevaLunch) - Arsenal were knocked out of their third Cup in two weeks as they lost 2-0 to Manchester United on Saturday 12 March in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. They also lost their Swiss international defender Johan Djourou to an injury (suspected dislocated shoulder) that might put him out for the rest of the season. Djourou played for Geneva club Etoile Carouge until he joined the Arsenal Academy as a 16 years old but his career has been plagued by injuries ever since. Arsenal are still second in the Premier League, behind Manchester United but the lack of depth in the squad looks like it might halt their progress. Man United will meet Man City in the semi-finals, while the other match will see Bolton Wanderers take on Stoke. Both games will be at Wembley, on 17th and 18th April. Man City edged past Reading 1-0 while Stoke beat West Ham to reach their first semi-final since 1972.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
International sports, football
Stamford Bridge, London (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton, 20 February and face the possibility of ending the season not merely with no trophies but failing to qualify for next year’s Champions League. Everton equalised in the final minutes of extra time after a dull goal-less 90 minutes followed by a Frank Lampard strike put Chelsea ahead. In the penalty shoot-out Nicolas Anelka and Ashley Cole missed for Chelsea, allowing Phil Neville to make the winning strike. Manchester United put up a lacklustre performance that was just enough to get past lowly Crawley Town 1-0. Man City were more impressive as they powered past Notts County 5-0. Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Leighton Orient and now need to win the replay at the Emirates Stadium to face Manchester United in the quarter-finals at Old Trafford.Celtic thumped Rangers 3-0 in Scotland.
Real Madrid’s coach José Mourinho extended his own special record of 148 home league games without a loss, and Real Madrid’s home wins run to twelve games, with a 2-0 defeat of Levante.
Claudio Ranieri has resigned as coach of Roma after wasting a 0-3 lead to lose 4-3 at Genoa, and a 2-3 loss against Shaktar Donetsk in the Champions League. Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti might soon be available to take over.
International sports, football
Old Trafford, Manchester (GenevaLunch) - Manchester United star Wayne Rooney was far from his best for most of the game against the noisy neighbours, Manchester City, 12 February. He ran around with little purpose and repeatedly lost the ball but that will all be forgiven with the endless replays of what might be the goal of the season, a magnificent overhead bicycle kick to win 2-1. The goal opened up a seven point lead at the top of the Premier League but this was reduced to four points when Arsenal won 2-0 against Wolves to confirm their second place. Man City are third while Spurs beat Sunderland 1-2 to move fourth. Chelsea might reclaim this spot when they travel to Fulham on Monday, 14 February.
In the Swiss Super League FC Basel moved top, ahead of Lucerne and Zurich. Basel beat St Gall 3-0 while Zurich lost at Young Boys 4-2 and Grasshoppers and Thun played out a 0-0 draw. In La Liga the winning streak of 18 games by Barcelona finally ended with a 1-1 draw at Gijon. Barcelona play Arsenal in London on Wednesday in the pick of the games for the European Champions League. Real Madrid beat Espanyol 0-1 despite having their goalkeeper sent off after only two minutes.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian, TSR.
International sports, football
Villa Park, Birmingham, GenevaLunch - Darren Bent earned the first installment of his £24 million transfer fee from Sunderland when he scored the goal that allowed Aston Villa to beat Manchester City 1-0, Saturday 22 January. He also did a favour to Manchester United, although the Reds did not look like they needed much help as they smashed the other Birmingham team 5-0 with a hat-trick by Dimitar Berbatov.
Man United now top the Premier League by two points from Arsenal, and have a game in hand over their main rival teams. The Gunners strolled past Wigan 3-0, with Robin van Persie scoring all three goals. despite missing a penalty.
At the other end West Ham are still bottom despite drawing 2-2 at Everton, while Wolves lost 0-3 at home to give Liverpool their first League win since the return of Kenny Dalglish.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
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Stamford Bridge, London (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea slipped up in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Aston Villa that featured three goals in the final 10 minutes. Chelsea came back from a goal down with two quick goals by Didier Drogba and captain John Terry only to concede a late equalizer that leaves them in fifth place in the Premier League, 2 January. The top two places are held by the Manchester clubs, with United ahead on goal difference and also having two games in hand. Man United won 1-2 at West Brom while City beat Blackpool 1-0. Arsenal put on a fine display to beat Birmingham 0-3 and stay third with Spurs next after a 1-0 victory over Fulham. Liverpool came from a goal down to beat Bolton 2-1 and offer a life-line to embatttled managerRoy Hodgson.
Celtic scored a 0-2 win at Rangers in the Scottish Premier League Old Firm clash. Barcelona stay five points clear of Real Madrid after beating Levante 2-1.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
International sports, football
St Andrew’s Stadium, Birmingham (GenevaLunch) - Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw at St Andrew’s, 28 December, when Birmingham City striker Lee Bowyer scored a late equaliser when a possible foul, a clear handball and marginal off-side decision all went the way of the home team. The result was still enough to push United back to the top of the Premier League, ahead of Man City on goal difference. Manchester City swept Aston Villa away 4-0 with a hat-trick by Mario Balotelli, including two penalties. Arsenal are third after outplaying Chelsea 3-1 to end a series of five successive losses to their London rivals. Spurs are fourth, ahead of Chelsea, after a 2-0 win over Newcastle.
Links to other sites: Premier League, The Sun
International sports, football
Old Trafford, Manchester (GenevaLunch) - Manchester United moved back to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Arsenal.The goal was scored by with a looping header from Park Ji-Sung. Wayne Rooney later sent a penalty way over the crossbar. Man United are now two points clear of Arsenal and local rivals Manchester City. They also have a game in hand after their match against Blackpool was postponed by the weather. In the weekend games Chelsea drew 1-1 at Spurs, with Didier Drogba scoring a goal and then missing a penalty. Newcastle beat Liverpool 3-1 while Manchester City won 1-3 at West Ham. Carlos Tevez has had his request for a tranfer from City rejected. Blackburn beat Bolton 2-1 and the losing manager, Sam Allardyce was sacked as punishment.
Links to other sites: Premier League,Guardian
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Anfield Road, Liverpool (GenevaLunch) - Liverpool moved into the top half of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over leaders Chelsea just a few weeks after they were in the relegation places. Roy Hodgson’s men, with Fernando Torres back in striking form, cut Chelsea’s lead in the championship to just two points. Manchester United were rather lucky to beat Wolves 2-1, with both goals coming from their Korean ball of energy Park Ji-sung, in the final minutes of each half. They lost Owen Hargreaves after just five minutes of his long awaited return from injury as he limped off with a hamstring injury. Wayne Rooney is off for a week’s rehabilitation at the Nike training centre in Portland, Oregon, partly to get him away from the attention of the British press. Arsenal slipped back to 15 points behind the leaders with a 0-1 defeat to Newcastle. Manchester City are fourth after a 0-2 win at West Bromwich Albion.
Glasgow Celtic scored a record 9-0 while thrashing Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League. The game featured two hat-tricks, three penalties and two red cards. Real Madrid and Barcelona both won to keep the top two spots in La Liga.
Links to other sites: Premier League, The Sun
Fifa investigating undercover journalists vote scam scandal
International sports, football
Update 18 October 06:05 Blackpool, England (GenevaLunch) - Blackpool failed to manage another giant-killing as they lost 2-3 at home to a Manchester City under the driving leadership of Carlos Tevez. The referee also seemed to favour the visiting multi-millionaires. Liverpool discovered that it takes more than a new owner to bring back the winning ways: they now share the bottom of the Premier League after being beaten by local rivals Everton. Chelsea still top the League, but by only a two-point lead after a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa. Manchester United threw away a two goal lead against West Brom, including a goalkeeping blunder by Van der Sar, to end 2-2.
Wayne Rooney was on the substitutes bench for most of the match and there is speculation that his falling out with manager Alex Ferguson might mean a parting of the ways.
International sports, football
City of Manchester Stadium, (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea lost their first game of the season when they went down to Manchester City in the battle of the billionaires. Carlos Tevez scored the only goal of the game. Manchester United failed to make the most of their chance to move within a single point of the champions when they could only manage a 2-2 draw at Bolton. A disappointing Wayne Rooney was substituted after an hour. Aresenal lost, going down 2-3 at home to West Brom. Liverpool managed a draw that just keeps them out of the bottom four.
Real Madrid were held to a 0-0 draw at Levante and slipped to third place behind Valencia and Barcelona.
Geneva Servette lost their second division game to local rivals Lausanne 1-2. Lucerne head Basel in the Swiss Super League after beating Saint-Gall 1-2.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian,
International sports, football
Stadium of Light, Sunderland (GenevaLunch)- Sunderland provided the big surprise of the third weekend of the Premier League with a last minute winner against Manchester City. Chelsea continued their winning ways with a 2-0 over Stoke City. The London team tops the Premier League with a two point advantage over Arsenal and Manchester United as well as a huge advantage in goal difference, having scored 14 without conceding a single one. Man United beat West Ham 3-0 with Wayne Rooney scoring his first goal for 13 games thanks to a penalty. Arsenal won 1-2 at Wigan but their local rivals Spurs lost at home against Wigan, 0-1.
Links to other sites: Premier League, BBC, Guardian
City of Manchester Stadium (GenevaLunch) - Tottenham Hotspurs scored a vital away win at Manchester City to qualify for the vital fourth Premier League place amongst the elite European Champions League teams next season. The high spending Manchester City will have to settle for a place in the Europa Cup. Spurs were deserving winners, with a late goal from Peter Crouch providing the 0-1 victory in a game where they had the better organisation and more chances, 5 May. Manchester United’s noisy neighbours will have to wait at least another season to compete with the top European clubs.
Inter Milan won the Italian Cup with a 1-0 over A S Roma to claim the first part of a potential treble. They lead Roma in the Serie A championship and are in the finals of the European Champions League against Bayern Munich. The match was an ill-tempered affair after accusations that Roma’s arch rivals Lazio had allowed Inter to win their last Serie A game in order to stop Roma from taking the title.
Links to other sites: Guardian, Premier league
Stamford Bridge, London (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea shot back to the top of the Premier League with a thumping 7-0 win over Stoke. They are one point ahead of Manchester United with only two games left to play. Salomon Kalou scored a hat-trick while Frank Lampard added two more for the Blues. Man United briefly returned to the top of the table on Saturday, 25 April, when they beat Spurs 3-1, but Chelsea are again favourites once again. Their next game is a tough trip to Liverpool, Sunday 2 May while Man United go to Sunderland. Their final games will be home against Wigan and Stoke. Arsenal against Man City ended 0-0. The big match to determine the fourth place, which gives a place in the European Champions League, will be Man City against Spurs, 5 May.
Portsmouth, Burnley and Hull are relegated.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
White Hart Lane, London (GenevaLunch) - The battle for the top spot in the Premier League was thrown wide open as Chelsea put on a dismal display to lose 2-1 at Spurs. Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale scored for Tottenham in the first half while Frank Lampard hit back with a goal in the 90th minute for Chelsea. The Blues, previously looking like they already had the title in their grasp, could easily have lost by more and also had captain John Terry sent off.
Manchester United were on top for much of their derby game with in-form Manchester City but it was not till the last minute of added time that veteran Paul Scholes headed in the only goal of the game. Chelsea now lead by just one point with three games left to play. Arsenal are in third place while Spurs moved past Man City to take the vital fourth place which earns entry into the European Champions League. The key game for this will be 5 May when Spurs go to Man City. Chelsea have a game to play against Liverpool while Man United will face Spurs. Another big game is 24 April when Arsenal host Man City.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
Madrid, Spain (GenevaLunch) - Barcelona trimphed against arch rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu stadium. They won 0-2 with goals from Lionel Messi and Pedro, both set up by beautiful passes from Xavi. Barcelona showed they are currently the best team in the world, but the Spanish press concentrated on the way Lionel Messi had completely outclassed Cristiano Ronaldo, the Euro 94 million signing from Manchester United.
Back in the Premier League Man United slipped again on Sunday 11 April when they could only manage a 0-0 draw at Blackburn.
Stamford Bridge, London(GenevaLunch) - Chelsea thrashed the normally solid Aston Villa 7-1 with four goals by Frank Lampard to briefly head the Premier League. Manchester United were away at Bolton in the late game on Saturday and won 0-4, with Dimitar Berbatov scoring two goals. Both the winning teams succeeded without playing their leading strikers of the season: Didier Drogba was rested for Chelsea while Wayne Rooney is suffering from a foot injury and is being saved for Tuesday’s Champions League match with Bayern Munich. The key Premiership clash will be on 3rd April when Chelsea are away to Manchester United.
Old Trafford, Manchester, England (GenevaLunch) - Wayne Rooney and striking partner Dimitar Berbatov put on a display of class Sunday 14 March to beat Fulham 3-0. Man United returned to the top of the Premier League, two points clear of Chelsea but the Blues have a game in hand. Didier Drogba scored twice as Chelsea won 4-1 against West Ham. Arsenal are in third place after a 1-2 victory at Hull. The fight for the vital fourth place features Spurs and Man City with Liverpool drifting down to sixth place.
Stamford Bridge, London (GenevaLunch) – Chelsea fell apart in the second half of a bizarre match against Manchester City which featured two penalties, one for each side, and two players being sent off, both from Chelsea. The first big moment was a non-event, when Wayne Bridge refused to shake hands with John Terry. The next 40 minutes were tedious, with Chelsea having most of the play but making few chances. Frank Lampard put Chelsea ahead after a neat pass from Joe Cole.
Carlos Tevez then managed to make idiots of the Chelsea defence, latching on to a clearance from Wayne Bridge he shot past John Terry and then mis-hit a shot past Henrique Hilario, the aptly named Chelsea goalkeeper.
Stamford Bridge, London (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea took back the leadership of the Premier League as Didier Drogba scored twice to beat their local rivals 2-0. It was the second consecutive loss for the Gunners, following on the 3-0 loss to Manchester United last weekend. Man United briefly topped the table after crushing Portsmouth 5-0 with the help of two or three own goals by the unfortunate visitors, currently on the brink of bankruptcy. Liverpool won their deby match against Everton 1-0 to reclaim 4th place while Spurs played out a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa and Man City lost at Hull.
Barcelona maintained a five point lead in La Liga after beating Getafe 2-1 while arch rivals Real Madrid won 3-0 against RCD Espanyol.
Links to other sites: Premier League, La Liga
