Barcelona win La Liga 2018/19

[giri26]

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spain’s top flight soccer division La Liga announced on Tuesday a landmark deal with Facebook which will allow viewers in the Indian sub-continent to watch every game over the next three seasons for free on the social network.

A statement from La Liga said all 380 league matches for the new season, which begins on Friday, would be available to viewers in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

“We are really happy to be on a free to air service in such an important territory as the Indian sub-continent,” Alfredo Bermejo, La Liga’s head of digital strategy, told Reuters ahead of the announcement.

“One of our goals for the last two years has been to offer content to the widest audience possible, so partnering with free platforms like Facebook, which has 270 million users in India, is key to us.”

Facebook and La Liga declined to give financial details of the deal which sees the social network giant unseat Sony Pictures Network as the rights holder in the region.

Sony paid a reported $32 million for the right to broadcast La Liga between 2014 and 2018.

Facebook began venturing into sports streaming in 2017 by broadcasting weekly Major League Baseball games and earlier this month agreed a deal with broadcaster Eleven Sports to show one La Liga and one Serie A game per week on its platform.

The deal with La Liga is the latest statement of the growing interest of tech groups in showing sports in order to keep young viewers on their platforms.

Earlier this year Amazon won rights to show 20 English Premier League matches a season from 2019 in Britain.

Peter Hutton, Facebook’s Director of Global Live Sports, however, described the deal with La Liga as an experiment, saying that while the company has other agreements in the works, he ruled out an immediate land grab of rights deals in sport.

“Were looking at a few other deals that are quite close to completion but this is not about going out and buying a huge amount of content worldwide,” he told Reuters.

NO ADVERTS

“We’re looking at specific rights in specific markets and to try to learn from data from those experiences and work out what the next step is. If you rush into too many deals at once, you can’t do it properly.”

Facebook’s monitoring system will prevent against leakage, ensuring only viewers inside the Indian sub-continent will be able to watch the games on its platform.

The games will initially be shown without any adverts, although Hutton said Facebook is doing trials in advertising on live content in the United States which may be replicated on its La Liga coverage at a later date.

“This is one deal, it’s not something that is a big threat to the broadcast world,” added Hutton, a former CEO of Eurosport who was hired by Facebook in May to oversee its live sports operation.

“We have rights to work with broadcasters and we may bring in partners to make sure the experience is right. What’s clear about this is that 380 games will be available on Facebook, then we’ll keep our options open as to how we spread that content out so people can see it in as many ways as possible.”

The deal with Facebook is the latest and most significant step in La Liga’s expansion strategy in India, which began with the opening of an office in New Delhi in September 2016.

Facebook has 348 million users in the Indian sub-continent, while figures provided by La Liga show a rise of 2.2 million users in the league’s social network platforms in the last year.

“We have grown our presence in India a lot and we have pretty strong numbers in this territory,” added Jose Antonio Cachaza, La Liga’s country manager for India.

“This is the first step for us, we’re excited to see it and we want make it as successful as possible so we can unlock other territories around the world.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...air-deal-with-facebook-in-india-idUSKBN1KY29Y

 

[Suleiman]

I thought this was about that Ligma nonsense at first.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Sony paid a reported $32 million for the right to broadcast La Liga between 2014 and 2018.

Now that's some deal This is nothing. The guy who negotiated that deal has my respect.

 

[Kroll]

La Liga players 'outraged' over deal to play match in the United States

Footballers in Spain have not ruled out strike action over a plan to stage a top-flight league match in the United States, says the players' union.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and Barcelona vice-captain Sergio Busquets were among the high-profile players to attend a meeting on Wednesday to discuss their "concern" over the issue.

La Liga agreed a 15-year deal with US media company Relevent on Friday.

The players' union - the AFE - says its members were not consulted by La Liga.

Players from all of the La Liga sides met in Madrid on Wednesday to discuss the issue with AFE president David Aganzo.

Among those in attendance were Ramos and Real Madrid team-mate Nacho, Barcelona duo Busquets and Sergi Roberto, Leo Baptistao from Espanyol, Bruno from Villarreal, and Atletico Madrid players Koke and Juanfran.

Aganzo said: "The problem is the lack of common sense, a schedule where only the export of soccer benefits - nobody counts on the fans.

"We need to fix it with the bosses. The captains are outraged, they're against it, they are unanimous.

"It does not make sense. We are talking about an agreement that has a validity of 15 years without consulting the players."

On the possibility of strike action, he added: "We will try not to reach that extreme but we are willing to go to the end if necessary."

Aganzo said the players would meet again in September.

Asked last week when the US-based match would take place, and whether it would be a regular fixture, La Liga told BBC Sport it "cannot confirm the teams, match, date or season".

The AFE said players "do not understand the unilateral decisions", adding: "La Liga is distancing the fans of the players, something that harms the show and the essence of football."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45269974

 

[gkb101277867]

Yet here in europe where these leagues are based we have to pay hundreds of pounds to watch these games on tv. Completely unfair. Its close to 1000 pounds a year if you wish to legally watch European league football in the UK. You need both a bt sport and sky sports subscription. Ridiculous

 

[Major]

Yet here in europe where these leagues are based we have to pay hundreds of pounds to watch these games on tv. Completely unfair. Its close to 1000 pounds a year if you wish to legally watch European league football in the UK. You need both a bt sport and sky sports subscription. Ridiculous

dont worry. Now its up to us desis to air those streams over to you guys.

 

[Major]

I thought this was about that Ligma nonsense at first.

hasn't that died down?
:ligma


Btw, by having these leagues being air for free, wont the company face losses?

 

[aloo paratha]

I thought this was about that Ligma nonsense at first.

What`s Ligma??

JK

 

[KingKhanWC]

Yet here in europe where these leagues are based we have to pay hundreds of pounds to watch these games on tv. Completely unfair. Its close to 1000 pounds a year if you wish to legally watch European league football in the UK. You need both a bt sport and sky sports subscription. Ridiculous

I think Bt Sport has also lost rights for Serie A. We do pay a lot for sport esp like mylself who is a fan of boxing.

They want to promote their leagues which makes sense using social media as the audience will be huge.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gareth Bale's goalscoring form continues!<br><br>Real Madrid have cruised to victory in La Liga.<br><br>Report: <a href="https://t.co/3iNhrUGCe0">https://t.co/3iNhrUGCe0</a> <a href="https://t.co/0IPLEhGXB8">pic.twitter.com/0IPLEhGXB8</a></p>— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1035994256635293697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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[shebimalik]

Messi against Huesca

 

[shebimalik]

 

[Varun]

La Liga: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez score twice as Barcelona hammer Huesca 8-2; Real Betis edge local rivals Sevilla

Barcelona: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored twice each as La Liga champions Barcelona turned on the style to hammer Huesca 8-2 on Sunday while Real Betis ended a 12-year wait for a home victory over local rivals Sevilla by winning the local derby 1-0.

Valencia are still without a win this season after being held to a 2-2 draw at neighbours Levante and Alaves came from behind to beat visiting Espanyol.

Top-flight debutants Huesca took a shock early lead in their first league visit to the Nou Camp when Colombian forward Cucho Hernandez deflected the ball in from point-blank range but Messi soon dampened the celebrations of the visiting supporters by cannoning a shot in off the post to level.

An own goal from Jorge Pulido gave Barca the lead and Suarez extended their lead by scoring for the first time in five games in all competitions after the video assistant referee (VAR) overturned an offside call from the linesman.

Huesca’s Alex Gallar pulled one back before halftime to make it 3-2 but any hope of a revival from the visitors was soon killed off by three Barca goals in 11 minutes from Ousmane Dembele, Ivan Rakitic and another strike from Messi.

Jordi Alba capped a brilliant performance to score the seventh after setting up two of the earlier goals, while Suarez added number eight with a penalty in stoppage time as Messi turned down the chance to complete a hat-trick.

The thrashing lifted Barca above Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings on goal difference after three games.

“We were sleeping at the start of the game but their goal helped wake us up and we reacted well,” Suarez said.

“It’s good to be top of the league before the international break, but the best thing about this win is seeing how well we played.”

Biggest win

Barca also put eight goals past Huesca in their last meeting at the Nou Camp in the Copa del Rey in an 8-1 win in 2014, while this was their biggest win in the league since thumping Deportivo La Coruna 8-0 away from home in April, 2016.

Joaquin, 37, became the oldest scorer in a Seville top-flight derby when he rose to head home at the near post in the 79th minute, shortly after the visitors had had midfielder Roque Mesa sent off for two bookings.

Betis went into the derby under pressure after taking only a point from their first two games and made an intense start as Cristian Tello and Loren went close to scoring while Sergio Canales had a goal ruled out for offside.

Sevilla nearly scored through Franco Vazquez and Gabriel Mercado but handed their rivals an extra man advantage when Mesa was booked for fouling goalkeeper Pau Lopez, and Joaquin took full advantage to the delight of the 60,000 supporters inside the packed Benito Villamarin stadium.

“This was the dream derby, even though I’ve played in many of them, this is what I dreamed of,” said Joaquin, who is in his second spell at boyhood club Betis.

“Scoring in front of my fans, I couldn’t have asked for more.”

https://www.firstpost.com/sports/la...-betis-edge-local-rivals-sevilla-5101421.html

 

[Darkrai]

Barcelona look good. Hopefully this time around we will show more intent in champions league.

 

[MoJoJoJo]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Two goals in three second-half minutes ensured Barcelona maintained their 100% start to the La Liga season as they saw off Real Sociedad. <br><br>More: <a href="https://t.co/oxrCWxfmnT">https://t.co/oxrCWxfmnT</a> <a href="https://t.co/DIdHMH5KkR">pic.twitter.com/DIdHMH5KkR</a></p>— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1041021327275175936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Darkrai]

I don't like how Velverde starts Reberto as a mid-fielder when he has players like Vidal, Arthur, and Coutinho. Barca might lose in CL because of Velverde's tactics.

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Eighth goal for Lionel Messi this season - set up by <a href="https://twitter.com/kingarturo23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kingarturo23</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/GironaFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GironaFC</a>'s resistance is broken, and they trail 1-0 to <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBarcelona</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaLiga?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaLiga</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BarcaGirona?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BarcaGirona</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PureFootball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PureFootball</a><br><br>Subscribe here - <a href="https://t.co/YbI6T6O8MU">https://t.co/YbI6T6O8MU</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z9Suh6vIxx">pic.twitter.com/Z9Suh6vIxx</a></p>— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElevenSports_UK/status/1043940785312403457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Varun]

La Liga Roundup: Barcelona stunned by last-place Leganes, Real Madrid go down 3-0 against Sevilla

First it was Barcelona. Then Real Madrid. Both Spanish league leaders were stunned Wednesday, with Barcelona losing 2-1 at last-place Leganes and Madrid falling 3-0 at Sevilla, marking the first time since 2015 that they lost on the same day. The thrilling night also was marked by Pablo Fornals’ beautiful goal from about 45 meters (50yards) away in Villarreal’s 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao, and by Valencia’s winless streak being extended to seven matches after a draw against Celta Vigo.

Barcelona’s loss came as Lionel Messi made his 700th appearance with the club, including 55 unofficial games. It was the second consecutive setback for the defending champions. “We lost five points in three days,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “It’s difficult to explain.”

The Spanish powerhouses have 13 points each after six rounds, two points in front of Atletico Madrid, which defeated Huesca 3-0 Tuesday for its second straight league win. Real Madrid and Atletico play the city derby at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Saturday.

Alaves could join Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of the standings if it wins its home match against Getafe on Thursday.

BARCELONA’S DEBACLE

Messi’s celebration of his milestone match with the Catalan club was marred by a Leganes team which had only one point from its first five league games and was coming off three straight losses. The club from Madrid’s suburbs had never earned a point against Barcelona in its three seasons in the first division.

The 53rd-minute winner at Butarque Stadium was scored by Oscar Rodriguez, a former member of Real Madrid’s youth teams who is on loan with Leganes. It came after a bad mistake by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, who gave the ball away while trying to clear it from inside the area. Nabil El Zhar had scored the host’s first goal a minute earlier to offset Philippe Coutinho’s first-half opener for Barcelona, which has conceded seven goals in its first six matches.

Luis Suarez started the match on the bench and couldn’t do much when he was brought on in the second half to try to reverse the team’s disadvantage. Messi has 58 fewer matches than Andres Iniesta with Barcelona. Xavi Hernandez holds the club record with 869 games.

MADRID’S FALL

Real Madrid entered the match at Sevilla with a chance to take sole possession of first place for the first time this season, but it didn’t take long before it found itself in a deep hole. Portugal forward Andre Silva scored in the 17th and 21st minutes to take his league-leading tally to six goals, and Wissam Ben Yedder added another in the 39th to leave Sevilla in control at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

“It’s simple, we gave it away in the first half,” Madrid midfielder Casemiro said. “Then it was impossible to come back.” Luka Modric’s goal early in the second half was called off after a video review showed he was offside. Madrid’s only previous setback in the league this season had been a draw at Athletic Bilbao in the fourth round.

Marcelo appeared to injure a muscle midway through the second half but coach Julen Lopetegui had already made all three substitutions. Sevilla has won three in a row in all competitions, outscoring its opponents 14-3. It moved three points behind Madrid and Barcelona in the league.

“Sevilla was better and deserved to win,” Lopetegui said. “We didn’t start the way we wanted and paid for it by conceding two quick goals.”

LONG-RANGE STRIKE

Fornals scored one of the goals of the season with his amazing strike in Villarreal’s rout of Athletic. After a clearance by Villarreal’s defense in the 65th, Fornals picked up the loose ball a few meters in front of the mid-circle and fired it over Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon, who couldn’t get back in time to make a save.

The goal opened the scoring at San Mames Stadium and Villarreal went on to score twice again for its second win in three matches. It was the first league loss for Athletic, which was coming off three straight draws.

VALENCIA’S MISERY

Valencia couldn’t put an end to its early struggles, conceding late in a 1-1 home draw against Celta Vigo to remain winless. Iago Aspas scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute at Mestalla Stadium after Michy Batshuayi had given the host the lead in the 25th. The only other winless team in the league is promoted Valladolid, which hosts Levante on Thursday.

Valencia is yet to win in seven matches in all competitions this season.

https://indianexpress.com/article/s...l-madrid-go-down-3-0-against-sevilla-5376426/

 

[Abdullah719]

Rayo Vallecano 2-2 Espanyol
Real Sociedad 0-1 Valencia
Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Clib
Eibar 1-3 Sevilla
Real Madrid 0-0 Atletico Madrid
Huesca 1-1 Girona
Villareal 0-1 Real Valladolid
Levante 2-1 Deportivo Alaves

 

[Hasan123]

Barcelona,Real Madrid,and Athletico have all dropped points in games that they should be winning. Quality of La Liga is better than people think.

 

[Abdullah719]

 

[giri26]

I don't look at the LaLiga table - Sevilla coach Machin

Sevilla head coach Pablo Machin said he does not look at the LaLiga table despite his side topping the standings ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid after eight rounds.

Machin's Sevilla surprisingly lead LaLiga going into the October international break having taken 16 points under their new coach.

Sunday's 2-1 win at home to Celta Vigo – secured by goals from Pablo Sarabia and Wissam Ben Yedder – saw Sevilla move into top spot.

And with Barca only able to draw 1-1 at Valencia later in the day, Sevilla stay top ahead of hosting the champions on October 20.

Machin's side have collected eye-catching results including thumping Real Madrid 3-0 at home, but he is keeping his feet on the ground.

"We are positioning ourselves at the top of the table, we are effectively taking advantage of the opportunities we generate," Machin said after his side's fourth straight win.

"But we know that there will be moments of doubt, that they will get better because we know what we are capable of, if we continue like this we will be up in the table.

"But the season is super long and we must be calm, if you do not look at the table it does not give you vertigo."

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/news/i-dont-look-laliga-table-sevilla-coach-machin

 

[giri26]

Lionel Messi’s brilliant equaliser helps Barcelona to a 1-1 draw with Valencia

Lionel Messi helped to earn Barcelona a 1-1 draw at Valencia on Sunday, but not even his superb goal could stop the defending champions’ winless streak from reaching four games in the Spanish league.

Messi cancelled out Ezequiel Garay’s opener in the second minute with a goal in the 23rd that he conjured up while appearing hemmed in by two defenders.

Messi slipped a pass to Luis Suarez between the legs of Geoffrey Kondogbia, Suarez used one gentle touch to lay the ball back into Messi’s path and the Argentina forward scored with a left-footed strike from outside the area.

Barcelona’s most recent game had been an impressive 4-2 win over Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday, when Messi scored twice.

Barcelona, however, couldn’t end its poor league run. It previously drew 2-2 with Girona, lost 2-1 at Leganes and drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao.

The latest setback left Sevilla atop the standings after it beat 10-man Celta Vigo 2-1. Barcelona is one point behind, along with Atletico Madrid, which edged Real Betis 1-0.

Real Madrid is in fourth place after its 1-0 loss at Alaves on Saturday, when the European champions failed to score a goal for the fourth straight game overall.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/footba...a/news-story/02d969a395fa8d63a925eb34f4c9a917

 

[Abdullah719]

 

[Aman]

Probably wont get to watch Messi for a month

He had already bagged an assist and goal, looked set for one his masterclasses with 3+ goals, multiple assists and dribbles.

Man does everything, you need to watch to see how amazing he is. He's basically been Xavi, Iniesta and himself the last 3 years. The most complete player in history.

 

[Aman]

Barcelona,Real Madrid,and Athletico have all dropped points in games that they should be winning. Quality of La Liga is better than people think.

Of course, it's the best league in the world. It's just people who don't watch who don't understand this, having caught some of Serie A and Ligue 1 the last year, it's obvious there's a large gap in quality.

 

[Hasan123]

Of course, it's the best league in the world. It's just people who don't watch who don't understand this, having caught some of Serie A and Ligue 1 the last year, it's obvious there's a large gap in quality.

Premier league is the most competitive league in the world. But La Liga is competitive and has a lot of quality too.

Don't see much difference between the lower level PL teams and lower level Spanish league teams.

 

[Aman]

Quite excited to see how we fare without Messi, the players stepped up for Inter, hopefully they continue to do so as it doesn't look like he'll be back till after the next international break for the match against Atlético.

Premier league is the most competitive league in the world. But La Liga is competitive and has a lot of quality too.

Don't see much difference between the lower level PL teams and lower level Spanish league teams.

Fair enough.

 

[Aman]

5-1 win for Barca without Messi, if he had played it could have easily been something like 8-1 )

Madrid's defense was non existent and a lot of their players seem past it, Zidane and Ronaldo left at the right time, the signs for this drop were there last season when they lost the league by 17 points to a pretty average Barca side.

Suarez was immense this game, hope it isn't a once off and he's back to banging in goals.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Real Madrid have sacked head coach Julen Lopetegui.<br><br>Full story: <a href="https://t.co/imMDlKp5EW">https://t.co/imMDlKp5EW</a> <a href="https://t.co/dQfIDfacSQ">pic.twitter.com/dQfIDfacSQ</a></p>— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1056999947793584128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shaaik]

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

Santiago Solari's winning start as Real Madrid coach ended with a dismal defeat at Eibar as the Basque outfit claimed their first La Liga win over their opponents.

The Argentine was given the job on a permanent basis during the international break having won all four games since replacing the sacked Julen Lopetgui.

But Real looked a shadow of the side that earned Solari the best start of any manager in the club's history, with Gonzalo Escalante claiming an early opener for the hosts.

Sergi Enrich then doubled the lead for Eibar - in just their fifth season in the Spanish top flight - shortly after half-time, and former Middlesbrough striker Kike struck five minutes later to seal victory.

The result sent Jose Luis Mendilibar's side from 13th to seventh in the table, two points behind sixth-placed Real before Saturday's three other La Liga fixtures.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46323762

 

[Abdullah719]

 

[gazza619]

La Liga takes Spanish FA to court over battle to play Girona-Barcelona in Miami

La Liga has taken the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) to court in its fight to play Girona's home league game against Barcelona in Miami.

The RFEF is one of the bodies that needs to give approval for the game to go ahead on 26 January but has not yet provided an official response.

The Spanish top flight has filed a lawsuit with a civil court in Madrid to force the RFEF to approve the match.

A decision is expected around the middle of December.

"La Liga has taken a case to court in Madrid and expect a resolution in the coming days or weeks," a spokesperson for the league said.

It is understood La Liga thinks the RFEF's role in bringing the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final to Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium on 9 December will strengthen its case, as it is a precedent for matches transcending country and regional borders.

The RFEF and Spanish players' union (AFE) have previously been vocal in their objections to the game.

AFE president David Aganzo has now said the match will not go ahead next year, but that it could be "possible" in the future.

La Liga agreed to play one game a season in the US as part of a 15-year deal with media company Relevent and Catalan neighbours Girona and Barcelona agreed to move their game to the Hard Rock Stadium.

In addition to the Spanish FA, the match also needs the approval of Fifa, US Soccer and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf).

La Liga has previously said it will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if Fifa blocks the move. Football's world governing body has not yet formally banned the proposal.

RFEF has refused to comment on the court case.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46400031

 

[Abdullah719]

 

[gazza619]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2 sensational free kicks from Messi again tonight. 10 in all in 2018. Ludicrously good. Anyone who watches a lot of football and has any understanding of the game knows he’s on a different planet to everyone else.</p>— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) <a href="https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/1071525440135839745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">| |<br><br>Lionel Messi's free kick gets better with every watch - so here it is from all available angles <br><br>Watch the second-half live || <a href="https://t.co/fPSma92loW">https://t.co/fPSma92loW</a> <a href="https://t.co/CAM65VbvKY">pic.twitter.com/CAM65VbvKY</a></p>— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElevenSports_UK/status/1071506458255261707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">| GOAL! | <br><br>He's done it again! <br><br>Lionel Messi has scored another free-kick, he is not human. <a href="https://t.co/JZxyI6CCXJ">pic.twitter.com/JZxyI6CCXJ</a></p>— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElevenSports_UK/status/1071513001386225664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The video you've been waiting for...<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EspanyolBar%C3%A7a?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EspanyolBarça</a> highlights, including TWO stunning Leo Messi free-kicks here! <a href="https://t.co/gIG7x5gNgY">pic.twitter.com/gIG7x5gNgY</a></p>— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaLigaEN/status/1071534663867486208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">fIFtH iN tHe BaLloN d'oR <a href="https://t.co/VfEoqgSDEi">pic.twitter.com/VfEoqgSDEi</a></p>— B/R Football (@brfootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1071535177984225280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick and created another two goals as Barcelona thrashed 10-man Levante to regain a three-point lead at the top of La Liga.

The champions were joined at the top by Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, who both claimed victories this weekend.

But Messi stole the show once he crossed for Luis Suarez's opener.

The Argentine converted two clinical finishes and popped home from close range, as well cutting the ball back for Gerard Pique's late fifth.

Levante had defender Erick Cabaco sent off with 14 minutes to go for a straight red card after he recklessly lunged in on French winger Ousmane Dembele.

The hosts started brightly with striker Emmanuel Boateng smashing a shot against the crossbar and the Ghanaian also came close with a low, drilled effort towards the near post which Marc-Andre ter Stegen had to stoop to keep out, before Messi's intervention.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46586286

 

[Zeeraq]

 

[gazza619]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

 

[The Viper]

 

[The Viper]

 

[The Viper]

Barcelona set to sign Kevin Prince Boateng on loan from Sassuolo

Former Portsmouth midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng is close to joining Barcelona on loan from Italian side Sassuolo.

Sky Sports News understands Barcelona will pay around £1.75m to borrow the 31-year-old for the rest of the season with an option to buy for £7m in the summer.

Sassuolo general director Giovanni Carnevali will fly to Barcelona later on Monday and a deal is expected to be finalised later this week.

Boateng only joined Sassuolo in the summer and has scored four goals in 13 Serie A outings, recently playing in a more advanced role.

His previous spell in La Liga was a successful one, Boateng scoring 10 goals in 28 appearances for Las Palmas in 2016-17 before leaving for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Boateng's Europe-hopping career has also seen him play for Hertha Berlin, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke, Tottenham, Portsmouth and Milan.

Barcelona have been looking to bolster their attacking options since allowing Munir El Haddadi to join Sevilla.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...gn-kevin-prince-boateng-on-loan-from-sassuolo

 

[MenInG]

Lionel Messi scored his 26th goal of the season as Barcelona re-established their five-point lead at the top of La Liga with victory over 10-man Girona.

Barca saw their lead cut by Atletico Madrid's win over Levante on Saturday, but eased past neighbours Girona.

Nelson Semedo swept home the opener on 10 minutes, while Messi dinked in a lovely finish the second half.

Girona defender Bernardo was dismissed for two yellow cards in a match which could have been played in Miami, USA.

Relive Barcelona's win over Girona
Champions Barca had support from La Liga for the contest to be staged at the Hard Rock Stadium, but withdrew the proposal in December after the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) and players' union (AFE) objected.

Ernesto Valverde's side could have had a more comfortable margin of victory, but Girona goalkeeper Bono saved efforts from Messi and Luis Suarez.

Home side Girona had plenty of chances of their own, but former Middlesbrough striker Cristhian Stuani could not find a way past Marc-Andre ter Stegen, being denied three times by the Germany international goalkeeper.

Barca face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, needing to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46926899

 

[The Viper]

 

[The Viper]

 

[MenInG]

Lionel Messi scored one penalty and missed another as Barcelona beat Real Valladolid to move seven points clear at the top of La Liga.

Messi scored his 30th goal of 2018-19 when he converted his first spot-kick after Michel had fouled Gerard Pique.

Barcelona were awarded a second penalty when substitute Philippe Coutinho was brought down by Kiko Olivas, but this time Jordi Masip saved Messi's strike.

Masip also made a number of saves to repeatedly deny Luis Suarez and Messi.

Relive Barcelona's win over Real Valladolid as it happened
The result leaves Barcelona seven points clear of Atletico Madrid, who won 1-0 at Rayo Vallecano earlier on Saturday.

Real Madrid are third, two points behind Atletico, and play their game in hand on Sunday when they entertain Girona at 11:00 GMT.

With Barcelona facing Lyon in the opening leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, manager Ernesto Valverde opted to have Suarez and Ivan Rakitic among the substitutes, with former Tottenham and Portsmouth man Kevin-Prince Boateng starting.

Boateng had a low shot saved by Masip, who was with Barcelona from 2008 to 2017, but the visitors themselves wasted a glorious chance when they failed to convert a four-on-two counter-attack with Nacho overhitting the cross.

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Within a minute of that Valladolid chance, Barcelona were ahead. Pique, playing his 300th La Liga match for the club, burst into the penalty area, Michel had his arms on his shoulders and Messi stepped up to convert the resulting penalty.

Sergi Guardiola, a player sacked by Barcelona in 2015 within a day of joining them after historical tweets critical of the team and the region were discovered, was part of the Valladolid side and had a chance early in the second half, but shot narrowly wide from 25 yards out.

But the hosts continued to produce good chances as Masip made a brilliant save to keep out Messi's volley and then denied substitute Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.

A quick passing move involving Suarez and Coutinho saw the latter brought down for Barcelona's second penalty, but Masip pushed away Messi's effort, which had been placed in the same position as the first.

Masip kept his side in it with another excellent save to deny Suarez, with Messi also shooting narrowly off target. However, despite a good performance from the visitors, they could not force an equaliser and they are now 15th, three points above the relegation zone.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47266784

 

[MenInG]

Real Madrid 1-2 Girona FT


Real Madrid missed the chance to go second in La Liga as Girona came from behind to record a surprise away win.

Casemiro powerfully headed in from Toni Kroos' deep cross from the right wing to give the hosts a first-half lead.

Cristhian Stuani's penalty made it 1-1 after Sergio Ramos' handball and Girona's Portu then hit the crossbar.

Portu netted the winner with a diving header after Anthony Lozano's shot had been parried, before Ramos was sent off in injury time for two yellow cards.

The defender had been booked when he conceded the penalty, and received a second caution when he attempted an overhead kick but caught Girona's Pedro Alcala.

The red card was the 19th of Ramos' career in La Liga, more than any other player in the Spanish top flight.

It was another controversial moment for the Real captain, who faces a Uefa investigation into whether he deliberately got booked late on in Wednesday's 2-1 win at Ajax in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie - to receive a suspension now and not later on in the competition.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47271467

 

[Aman]

Madrid drop points to give us some breathing space.

 

[shaaik]

Lionel Messi scored the 50th hat-trick of his career as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla and go 10 points clear at the top of La Liga.

In a masterclass from the Catalans' captain, he first equalised with a brilliant volley from 16 yards.

He levelled for a second time with a curling shot from the edge of the box.

Messi then chipped Tomas Vaclik for his third, his 36th goal in 35 games against Sevilla, before setting up Luis Suarez for an injury-time fourth.



https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47336146

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">| |<br><br>Lionel Messi scored his 50th career hat-trick today <br><br>Every single one of this goals is a beauty <a href="https://t.co/m8JEpelVTK">pic.twitter.com/m8JEpelVTK</a></p>— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElevenSports_UK/status/1099371592835125248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CLASICOS IN HISTORY: <br>Barcelona 96<br>Real Madrid 95<br>Barcelona are ahead for the first time in 87 years.</p>— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) <a href="https://twitter.com/sidlowe/status/1101961268943040512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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[MenInG]

Gareth Bale and Isco scored against Celta Vigo to give coach Zinedine Zidane a winning start on his return to Real Madrid.

Isco, out of favour under previous coach Santiago Solari, made it 1-0 when he tapped in striker Karim Benzema's low cross from close range.

And 13 minutes from time, Wales forward Bale scored Real's second when his low shot went in off the post.

Real are now two points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

All the action from the Bernabeu as it happened
Atletico play Athletic Bilbao at 17:30 GMT, while league leaders Barcelona travel to Real Betis on Sunday (19:45).

For Zidane and Real the rest of the season is about saving face after what has been, relatively speaking, a poor campaign for them.

When the former midfielder quit 10 months ago, he did so after helping Los Blancos win three successive Champions League titles and the La Liga crown.

It was a phenomenal achievement for the managerial rookie. The Spanish giants also owed a lot of that success to Cristiano Ronaldo, who has since left for Juventus.

The comedown has been severe. Two managers sacked - Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari - and the Club World Cup as the club's only piece of silverware, sums up this campaign.

The return of Zidane this week lifted the spirits of the fans, who on Saturday saw signs of the team who were so successful during his first stint.

Midfielder Isco, attacking full-back Marcelo, Bale and keeper Keylor Navas found themselves recalled to the starting XI and took part in a display that was not 'vintage Zidane era' but was an improvement on recent performances.

After Bale went close to scoring with a strike that came off the underside of the bar and Luka Modric had a goal disallowed for offside, Real finally broke Celta's final line of defence.

The sparkling Marco Asensio laid the ball into the path of Benzema on the left. The French forward then delivered a pinpoint cross for Isco, who converted from a yard.

It was 2-0 after great work from Marcelo. The Brazilian joined Bale in attack and fed a short pass to him in the area, with the Welshman drilling in a low shot off the woodwork and past keeper Ruben Blanco,

Bale, the recipient of jeers from the home support in recent matches, received a huge cheer from a packed Bernabeu. However, it remains to be seen if he has a future under Zidane with whom he has previously had a strained relationship.


https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47596302

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">| GOAL! | <br><br>MESSI HAS HIS HAT-TRICK <br><br>That finish is ridiculous, superlatives will never do this man justice. <a href="https://t.co/oiuUTuESf5">pic.twitter.com/oiuUTuESf5</a></p>— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElevenSports_UK/status/1107394521703333889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">| GOAL! | <br><br>Lionel Messi opens the scoring for Barcelona! <br><br>What a hit <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaLiga?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaLiga</a> <a href="https://t.co/T5Zzn18BYD">pic.twitter.com/T5Zzn18BYD</a></p>— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElevenSports_UK/status/1107373392284606465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are all allowed to our own opinions. If you don't think Lionel Messi is the best player in history, that is your opinion. But you are wrong. Just wrong.</p>— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyNemer/status/1107394408020889600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick of the highest quality as Barcelona avenged their defeat by Real Betis earlier in the season to move 10 points clear at the top of La Liga.

His first was a 20-yard free-kick before he converted Luis Suarez's backheel pass with a toe-poked strike.

The pick of the bunch was a clipped finish that went in off the bar.

Suarez scored a fine individual effort while Loren ***** grabbed Betis' only goal with a superb finish.

Of Messi's 33 hat-tricks in La Liga, this surely ranks as one of his finest.

After a cagey first 18 minutes, the 31-year-old broke the deadlock when his superb free-kick found keeper Pau Lopez's top-right corner.

Barca and Messi then punished their hosts, who beat them 4-3 at the Nou Camp in November, with a lightning-quick move. Suarez found his forward partner with a backheeled through-ball, that beat three Betis players, which was then turned in by the Argentine.

It was 3-0 after the break when Suarez, who missed two earlier chances, drove forward from 25 yards out before slotting past Lopez.

Substitute Loren pulled a goal back with a sidefoot strike past the reach of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, before Messi completed his hat-trick with a stunning effort that had the home support rise to their feet and applaud.

Barcelona now have 66 points from 28 games. They are 10 ahead of Atletico Madrid, with Real Madrid third with 54 points.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47605691

 

[MenInG]

Lionel Messi scored twice in the second half, including a chipped free-kick, as leaders Barcelona beat Espanyol to go 13 points clear at the top of La Liga.

Messi dinked his first goal from the edge of the box, with Espanyol defender Victor Sanchez failing to head clear as he ran back towards the goal-line.

The Argentine finished off a counter-attack late on to take his tally to 31 goals for the season.

Second-placed Atletico Madrid face Alaves later on Saturday (19:45 GMT).

Relive Barcelona's win over Espanyol
Messi has scored 22 goals in his last 15 La Liga games, while he has also surpassed 40 goals in a season for the 10th successive time.

He had been an injury doubt for the game after missing Argentina's friendly with Morocco in mid-week, but showed no ill-effects when he had Barca's first chance of the game, only to see his shot deflected over the crossbar.

Barca - who face Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals - dominated the first half, with Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez both going close to breaking the deadlock, and it wasn't until the second half that goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was first troubled, by Oscar Melendo.

Messi's opener saw Sanchez substituted by Espanyol soon after, before he sealed all three points by slotting home a Malcom cross.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47761062

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[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lionel Messi just scored a 'Panenka' free-kick for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Barcelona?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Barcelona</a>... <a href="https://t.co/OOg8gzV5H6">pic.twitter.com/OOg8gzV5H6</a></p>— Shamoon Hafez (@ShamoonHafez) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamoonHafez/status/1112034410554101760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

 

[kingusama92]

Messi is ridiculous in La Liga matches. Most of his time is spent toying with the opposition.

31 goals and 12 assists.

Second best player in each category has 18 goals (Suarez) and 9 assists (Jony).

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

Karim Benzema scored a dramatic late winner as Real Madrid came from behind to beat bottom side Huesca in a La Liga thriller.

French striker Benzema curled in a stunning finish in the 89th minute.

Real boss Zinedine Zidane started his son Luca, but the 20-year-old keeper was beaten after three minutes by Juan Camilo Hernandez's well-taken strike.

Isco and Dani Ceballos responded for Real before Xabier Etxeita levelled for 2-2, but Huesca could not hold on.

Real have won both their games since Zidane was reappointed as manager on 11 March and with nine games remaining they are third, 12 points behind league leaders Barcelona.

Huesca made a dream start through Hernandez and the visitors should have been 2-0 ahead, but Ezequiel Avila lashed over from a promising position.

Spaniard Isco and Welshman Gareth Bale fell out of favour under former boss Santiago Solari, but both made telling contributions to Sunday's victory.

Isco tapped in the equaliser and it was Bale's sublime outside-of-the-foot pass which was nodded down by Benzema for Ceballos to tuck home.

But Etxeita levelled for the visitors and it looked like home side were going to drop two points when ex-Tottenham winger Bale spurned an excellent opportunity from close range, but Benzema secured victory in style.

Valencia moved above Sevilla into sixth place after beating their opponents 1-0 courtesy Dani Parejo's first-half penalty.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47767087

 

[shebimalik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">| |<br><br>Every single angle of Messi's goal. <br><br>The best free-kick taker of all time? <a href="https://t.co/KZilC2ebl3">pic.twitter.com/KZilC2ebl3</a></p>— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElevenSports_UK/status/1113195895246524416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Real Madrid suffered their ninth La Liga loss of the season and their first under the returning Zinedine Zidane after being outclassed by Valencia.

They have now lost as many league matches this term as in their previous two campaigns combined.

Goncalo Guedes side-footed in a finish for the hosts in the first half and Ezequiel Garay headed in the second.

Karim Benzema pulled a goal back in injury-time for Real, but there was no time remaining to claim a point.

Relive Valencia's victory over Real Madrid
Up until Frenchman Benzema's header in the 93rd minute, Real created very little and were second best throughout the match - their only effort of note was Toni Kroos' long-range strike in the first half, which was easily dealt with by goalkeeper Neto.

With eight games remaining, Real are in third place, 13 points behind league leaders Barcelona. Meanwhile, Valencia move up to fifth place, just one point behind Getafe in fourth.

After Portuguese winger Guedes opened the scoring in the first half, exchanging passes with Carlos Soler and converting a smart finish at the near post, the home side had numerous opportunities for a second.

Geoffrey Kondogbia scooped over from close range, former Bolton loanee Rodrigo twice curled wide and Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas saved well from Soler's breakaway run.

But Argentine defender Garay did double the advantage in the 83rd minute with a thumping header and although Benzema netted for the visitors, they were unable to emulate Barca's epic late comeback in their 4-4 draw against Villarreal on Tuesday.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47805035

 

[MenInG]

Real Madrid needed a late Karim Benzema strike to complete a comeback victory against Eibar in La Liga.

Real boss Zinedine Zidane had suffered his first defeat since returning to the club in a 2-1 loss at Valencia and saw his side go behind again when Marc Cardona struck after 39 minutes.

But Benzema levelled up in the second half, heading in Marco Asensio's cross.

And the Frenchman secured three points with another header 10 minutes from the end, converting Toni Kroos' delivery.

Benzema almost completed his hat-trick late on, striking the woodwork, but now has 26 goals in all competitions this season.

Real remain third in La Liga, 10 points behind leaders Barcelona, who face second-placed Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47835760

 

[MenInG]

 

[Abdullah719]

Barca 2-0 Atleti

 

[MenInG]

An under-strength Barcelona drew at La Liga's bottom club Huesca.

Barcelona rested Lionel Messi, one of six first-team regulars to miss the game, with Tuesday's Champions League game against Manchester United in mind.

Four players were handed their La Liga debuts for the runaway leaders in an uneventful game.

The closest either side came to scoring was when Malcom hit the post from a tight angle for Barca, who are nine points clear of Atletico Madrid.

Atletico beat Celta Vigo 2-0 later on Saturday, with Antoine Griezmann scoring the opener and then setting up Alvaro Morata for a second.

Captain Messi and Sergio Busquets were rested, Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique were banned, Ivan Rakitic was ill and Sergi Roberto was injured.

Defenders Jean-Clair Todibo, Jeison Murillo and Moussa Wague and midfielder Riqui Puig all made their first league appearances for the La Liga champions.

Ousmane Dembele made his comeback after a month out with a hamstring injury, with Kevin-Prince Boateng making only his third Barca appearance.

Barca host United at the Nou Camp on Tuesday, having won last week's quarter-final first leg 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to a Luke Shaw own goal.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47915810

 

[MenInG]

Getafe picked up a first La Liga point against illustrious neighbours Real Madrid since 2012 to boost their Champions League hopes.

The hosts moved back into fourth place - one spot behind Real - after Sevilla had briefly moved into the top four with a 5-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.

Getafe had the better chances to win with a Keylor Navas double save denying Jorge Molina and Jaime Mata.

Real striker Karim Benzema shot straight at Getafe keeper David Soria.

The French striker is Real's only goalscorer in April and has scored their past eight goals.

Real handed a first La Liga start to Brahim Diaz, in one of six changes from their 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, with Zinedine Zidane looking at his options for next season.

They had won their previous 10 matches against Getafe, a run going back to 2012.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48060480

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BARCELONA HAVE DONE IT! &#55356;&#57286; <a href="https://t.co/vVQN3cGZQu">https://t.co/vVQN3cGZQu</a> <a href="https://t.co/EPxqrFlcXG">pic.twitter.com/EPxqrFlcXG</a></p>— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1122237994335973376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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