France beats Croatia 4-2 to win 2018 FIFA World Cup
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Monday, July 16, 2018
Yesterday, France defeated Croatia 4–2 in the final of 2018 FIFA Football World Cup to win the tournament for the second time. French teenager Kylian Mbappé became the second teenager to score in a FIFA World Cup final after Pelé did in 1958’s tournament.
Croatia dominated the ball possession, having almost twice as much as France. In the sixth minute, French defender Samuel Umtiti won a free kick in the defensive half. In the 17th minute, Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozović committed a foul and the referee awarded France a freekick. Mario Mandžukić ended up scoring an own goal from Antoine Griezmann’s assist, giving France an early lead. Domagoj Vida and Ivan Rakitić tried to equalise for Croatia, later, but their attempts were either blocked or went wide. In the 27th minute, French defensive midfielder N’Golo Kanté was shown a yellow card for a bad foul. A minute later, Ivan Perišić scored a left-footed shot from Vida’s assist, equalising for Croatia. The sides were not tied to 1–1 score for long. In the 35th minute, the referee awarded France a penalty kick, after confirming with the video assistant referee. Ivan Perišić had a handball in the penalty area. Greizmann scored from the penalty, putting the ball in the left corner and sending Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subašić in the opposite direction. Frenchman Lucas Hernández was booked by the referee in the 41st minute. The first half ended with France leading 2–1.
In the second half, Griezmann missed a chance to score from Olivier Giroud’s assist. France made their first substitution in the 55th minute, as N’Golo Kanté was replaced by Steven N’Zonzi. Just before the one-hour mark, Paul Pogba had a shot towards goal but was blocked and Pogba collected the ball, and on the second attempt, the French midfielder scored from the left-footed shot, doubling the lead for France. Kylian Mbappé scored the fourth goal in the 65th minute, from Hernández’s assist. With this goal, Mbappé became the second teenager to score in a FIFA World Cup final. In the 69th minute, Mandžukić scored the second goal for Croatia, intercepting French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris‘ pass. However, Croatia could not catch up the two-goal difference, and the match ended 4–2, as France won their second FIFA World Cup.
French coach Didier Deschamps became only the third person to win the FIFA football World Cup as a player and a coach. As a player, Deschamps won the World Cup in 1998, when he was the captain of the French team. Two years ago, the Deschamps-led French team ended up as the losing side in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, 1–0 against Portugal in the extra-time.
After the match, Croatia’s coach Zlatko Dalić said, “I congratulate France on their title […] I have to congratulate my players, it was maybe the best game we played in these championships; we controlled the match but we conceded. Against such a strong side as France, you must not make mistakes. We are a bit sad but we have to be proud as well for what we’ve done.”
Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitić said, “We were the better team in the first half, we were attacking, but we were unlucky tonight. They scored four goals from their three shots on goal. But I congratulate France, they deserved it.”
Tournament top scorer Harry Kane won the Adidas Golden Boot award. The English striker scored six goals in the entire tournament. Belgium’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois won the Adidas Golden Glove award. Croatia’s captain Luka Modrić won the Adidas Golden Ball prize.
July 15, 2018 1800 MSK (UTC+0300) |
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France | 4–2 | Croatia | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia Attendance: 78,011 Referee: ![]() |
Mario Mandžukić ![]() Antoine Griezmann ![]() Paul Pogba ![]() Kylian Mbappé ![]() N’Golo Kanté ![]() Lucas Hernández ![]() N’Golo Kanté ![]() Steven N’Zonzi ![]() Blaise Matuidi ![]() Corentin Tolisso ![]() Olivier Giroud ![]() Nabil Fekir ![]() |
2–1 (HT) | Ivan Perišić ![]() Mario Mandžukić ![]() Šime Vrsaljko ![]() Ante Rebić ![]() Andrej Kramarić ![]() Ivan Strinić ![]() Marko Pjaca ![]() |
Related news
- “Ronaldo-less Portugal beats France 1-0; wins Euro ’16” — Wikinews, July 12, 2016
Sources
- Adrien Gingold and Vjekoslav Paun. “2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – Matches – France – Croatia” — FIFA, July 15, 2018
- Phil McNulty. “World Cup 2018: France beat Croatia 4-2 in World Cup final” — BBC Sport, July 15, 2018
- FIFA. “France v Croatia – 2018 FIFA World Cup FINAL – HIGHLIGHTS” — YouTube, July 15, 2018
June 16, 2016
UEFA Euro 2016, day 4 and 5 match review
UEFA Euro 2016, day 4 and 5 match review
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Thursday, June 16, 2016
On Monday, day four of UEFA Euro 2016, Spain defeated Czech Republic 1–0; Republic of Ireland drew to Sweden 1–1 and Belgium faced a 2–0 defeat against Italy. On Tuesday, Hungary stunned Austria in a 2–0 win and Portugal and Iceland shared the spoils with 1–1.
Contents
Day four[]
Group D — Spain 1–0 Czech Republic[]
Sergio Ramos lead the defending champions as David de Gea was guarding the net. Only one player was booked in the entire match — David Limberský recieved a yellow card in the 61th minute. Though Spain had a string ball possession and 91% passing accuracy, they were unable to score till the 87th minute when defender Gerard Piqué scored from Iniesta‘s cross, and thus winning it for Spain. David Silva played his 100th match for the La Roja.
Group E — Republic of Ireland 1–1 Sweden[]
Irish midfielder Wes Hoolahan scored minutes after the second half begun, upsetting Zlatan Ibrahimović lead the Swedish team, but later, in the 71st minute, Sweden equalised when Ciaran Clark scored an own goal, resulting in a 1–1 draw.
Group E — Belgium 0–2 Italy[]
Italians had never lost to Belgium in 34 years, and in this match Emanuele Giaccherini‘s goal in the first half, and Graziano Pellè‘s goal moments before final whistle allowed this custom to follow even though the Belgian side had greater ball possession and passing accuracy.
Day five[]
Group D — Austria 0–2 Hungary[]
The Hungarians defeated tenmen Austria as Austrian defender Aleksandar Dragović picked up two yellow cards in the 33rd and the 66th minute when he was sent off. Ádám Szalai‘s goal in the 62nd minute and Zoltán Stieber‘s goal in the 87th minute earned them three points as they sit on the top of the table.
Group D — Portugal 1–1 Iceland[]
As Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal, he equalled record of Luís Figo ‘s 127 international caps for the nation. Nani‘s goal in the 31st minute gave Portuguese a 1–0 lead. But later, in the 50th minute, Birkir Bjarnason scored from a volley, and the match ended in a draw. Portugal had 925 passing accuracy and led the ball possession.
June 13, 2016 15:00 (UTC+2) |
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Spain | 1–0 | Czech Republic | Stadium Municipal, Tolouse Referee: ![]() |
Gerard Piqué ![]() |
0–0 (HT) | David Limberský ![]() |
June 13, 2016 18:00 (UTC+2) |
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Republic of Ireland | 1–1 | Sweden | Stade de France, Saint-Denis Referee: ![]() |
Wes Hoolahan ![]() James McCarthy ![]() Glenn Whelan ![]() |
0–0 (HT) | Ciaran Clark ![]() Victor Lindelöf ![]() |
June 13, 2016 21:00 (UTC+2) |
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Belgium | 0–2 | Italy | Stade de Gerland, Lyon Referee: ![]() |
Jan Vertonghen ![]() |
0–1 (HT) | Emanuele Giaccherini ![]() Graziano Pellè‘ ![]() Giorgio Chiellini ![]() Éder ![]() Leonardo Bonucci ![]() Thiago Motta ![]() |
June 14, 2016 21:00 (UTC+2) |
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Portugal | 1–1 | Iceland | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne Referee: ![]() |
Nani ![]() |
1–0 (HT) | Birkir Bjarnason ![]() ![]() Alfreð Finnbogason ![]() |
Related news[]
- “UEFA Euro 2016, day 3: Turkey-Croatia, Poland-Northern Ireland, Germany-Ukraine” — Wikinews, June 15, 2016
Sources[]
- “UEFA EURO 2016 – Portugal-Iceland” — UEFA, June 14, 2016
- “Live Scores – UEFA EURO 2016: Portugal – Iceland” — FIFA, June 14, 2016
- “UEFA EURO 2016 – Austria-Hungary” — UEFA, June 14, 2016
- “Live Scores – UEFA EURO 2016: Austria – Hungary” — FIFA, June 14, 2016
- “UEFA EURO 2016 – Belgium-Italy” — UEFA, June 13, 2016
- “Live Scores – UEFA EURO 2016: Belgium – Italy” — FIFA, June 13, 2016
- “UEFA EURO 2016 – Republic of Ireland-Sweden” — UEFA, June 13, 2016
- “Live Scores – UEFA EURO 2016: Republic of Ireland – Sweden” — FIFA, June 13, 2016
- “UEFA EURO 2016 – Republic of Sweden-Czech Republic” — UEFA, June 13, 2016
- “Live Scores – UEFA EURO 2016: Sweden – Czech Republic” — FIFA, June 13, 2016
May 19, 2016
Sevilla wins third consecutive Europa League title, beating Liverpool 3-1
Sevilla wins third consecutive Europa League title, beating Liverpool 3-1
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Yesterday, Spanish football club Sevilla FC defeated English football club Liverpool F.C. in the 2016 UEFA Europa League Final at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland. In doing so, Sevilla defended their title and claimed their third consecutive title under manager Unai Emery. Sevilla have lifted the trophy five times — in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Logo of UEFA Europa League.
Image: UEFA Europa League.
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It was obvious the first goal of Sevilla had a big influence on our own game. In this moment we lost faith in our style of play. | ![]() |
—Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool F.C. manager |
Liverpool started the brighter of the two teams in the opening half. For the match overall they had 72% ball possession and had six shots on target. But The Reds committed nineteen fouls in the match while the Spanish side committed just nine. Sevilla’s goalkeeper David Soria kept Liverpool at bay as he saved shots from Liverpool’s Emre Can shortly before the ten-minute mark. Sevilla defender Daniel Carriço cleared a goal-bound effort off the line from Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge. Sturridge tested Soria a while later, but the goalkeeper blocked successfully. In the 35th minute Sturridge collected a pass from Brazillian Philippe Coutinho and curled the ball with the outside of his left foot to give Liverpool the lead. Liverpool had a chance to extend their lead before the half-time break through Adam Lallana, but Sevilla defender Daniel Carriço blocked his attempt. Liverpool ended the first-half with a 1–0 lead.
Sevilla’s Kevin Gameiro levelled the score in the 46th minute from Mariano Ferreira‘s cross. Sevilla took the lead in the 64th minute through their captain, Coke, who shot beyond Liverpool’s goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to score. Six minutes later Sevilla extended their lead when Coke pounced on a loose ball in the box to ensure Sevilla claimed their third consecutive UEFA Europa League title.
After the match, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in a press conference said “It was obvious the first goal of Sevilla had a big influence on our own game. In this moment we lost faith in our style of play. We changed from passing simply and quickly to complicated. We lost our formation, so it was not compact anymore”.
May 18, 2016 20:45 local time (18:45 UTC) |
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Liverpool F.C. | 1–3 | Sevilla FC | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland Attendance: 34,429 Referee: ![]() |
Daniel Sturidge ![]() Dejan Lovren ![]() Martin Škrtel ![]() Divock Origi ![]() Nathaniel Clyne ![]() |
(1–0) HT | Kevin Gamiero ![]() Coke ![]() Vitolo ![]() Éver Banega ![]() Adil Rami ![]() Mariano Ferreira ![]() |
Sources[]
- “Sevilla FC” — UEFA, May 19, 2016 (Date of access)
- James Carroll. “Jürgen Klopp on Liverpool’s Europa League final defeat” — Liverpool F.C., May 19, 2016
- “Sevilla make it three in row at Liverpool’s expense” — UEFA Europa League, May 18, 2016
- Andy Hunter. “Coke double shakes Liverpool as Sevilla hit back to win Europa League final” — The Guardian, May 18, 2016
May 7, 2016
Real Madrid edge Manchester City to reach fourteenth European Cup Final
Real Madrid edge Manchester City to reach fourteenth European Cup Final
Saturday, May 7, 2016
On Wednesday, Spanish football club Real Madrid C.F. narrowly beat English club Manchester City 1–0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
The first leg, played on April 26 at the Manchester Stadium in Manchester, ended 0–0. This was Manchester City’s first ever appearance at the semi-final stage of the competition. Real Madrid reached the semi-final stage for the 27th time in their history, and have taken part in more semi-finals than any other side.
Manchester City held firm in the opening minutes, but City captain Vincent Kompany was substituted after going down with an injury, and Real went ahead ten minutes later when Gareth Bale‘s cross deflected off City’s Brazilian midfielder Fernando, and past keeper Joe Hart in the 20th minute for an own goal. Both teams had shots that hit the woodwork during the game. For the majority of the match, Real created the most threat going forward. Joe Hart kept City in the game during the second half as he came up with crucial saves to deny Luka Modrić and Cristiano Ronaldo. City had a chance to snatch a late equaliser through Sergio Agüero, but the Argentine’s shot flew over the goal and onto the top of the net.
In the end Los Blancos celebrated at the final whistle as they held onto their lead from the first half. Real Madrid are now through to their fourteenth European Cup final where they are to face local rivals Atlético Madrid — whom they faced in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final — on May 28, in Milan.
May 4, 2016 | |||
Real Madrid C.F. | 1–0 | Manchester City | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid Attendance: 78,300 Referee: ![]() |
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(1–0) HT (agg. 1–0) |
Sources[]
- “The eleventh European Cup will be played for at the San Siro” — Real Madrid, May 5, 2016
- “Madrid edge past City to reach final” — UEFA Champions League, May 4, 2016
- Scott Murray. “Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League Semi-final Live” — The Guardian, May 4, 2016
- Sid Lowe. “Madrid given another derby day as Real match Atlético in Champions League” — The Guardian, May 4, 2016
- “The only team to have reached the last six Champions League semi-finals” — Real Madrid, April 25, 2016
May 6, 2016
Real Madrid edge Manchester City to reach 14th European Cup Final
Real Madrid edge Manchester City to reach 14th European Cup Final
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Friday, May 6, 2016
On Wednesday, Spanish football club Real Madrid C.F. narrowly beat English club Manchester City 1–0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
The first leg, played on April 26 at the Manchester Stadium in Manchester, ended 0–0. This was Manchester City’s first ever appearance at the semi-final stage of the competition. Real Madrid reached the semi-final stage for the 27th time in their history, and have taken part in more semi-finals than any other side.
Manchester City held firm in the opening minutes, but City captain Vincent Kompany was substituted after going down with an injury, and Real went ahead ten minutes later when Gareth Bale‘s cross deflected off City’s Brazilian midfielder Fernando, and past keeper Joe Hart in the 20th minute for an own goal. Both teams had shots that hit the woodwork during the game. For the majority of the match, Real created the most threat going forward. Joe Hart kept City in the game during the second half as he came up with crucial saves to deny Luka Modrić and Cristiano Ronaldo. City had a chance to snatch a late equaliser through Sergio Agüero, but the Argentine’s shot flew over the goal and onto the top of the net.
In the end Los Blancos celebrated at the final whistle as they held onto their lead from the first half. Real Madrid are now through to their fourteenth European Cup final where they are to face local rivals Atlético Madrid — whom they faced in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final — on May 28, in Milan.
May 4, 2016 | |||
Real Madrid C.F. | 1–0 | Manchester City | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid Attendance: 78,300 Referee: ![]() |
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(1–0) HT (agg. 1–0) |
Sources[]
- “The eleventh European Cup will be played for at the San Siro” — Real Madrid, May 5, 2016
- “Madrid edge past City to reach final” — UEFA Champions League, May 4, 2016
- Scott Murray. “Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League Semi-final Live” — The Guardian, May 4, 2016
- Sid Lowe. “Madrid given another derby day as Real match Atlético in Champions League” — The Guardian, May 4, 2016
- “The only team to have reached the last six Champions League semi-finals” — Real Madrid, April 25, 2016
May 3, 2016
Atlético through to Champions League Final courtesy of Griezmann\’s away goal
Atlético through to Champions League Final courtesy of Griezmann’s away goal
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Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Today, Spanish football club Atlético Madrid progressed to the UEFA Champions League Final after defeating German giants Bayern Munich 2–2 on aggregate in the second leg of their semi-final clash at the Allianz Arena. Atlético won the reverse fixture at the Vicente Calderón 1–0 on April 27 through a sublime individual goal from Saúl Ñíguez.

Antoine Griezmann scored a goal in the 54th minute which helped the visitors advance to the UEFA Champions League Final
Image: MartinTallavignes2.0.
Rojiblancos conceded a goal in the 31st minute after the ball deflected off José María Giménez from a Xabi Alonso‘s free kick. Soon afterwards Giménez was yellow carded for impeding Javi Martínez in the box, resulting in a penalty. Thomas Müller stepped up but Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak managed to keep it out. Early in the second half, Frenchman Antoine Griezmann scored a crucial away goal. Bayern took the lead in the 71st minute through Robert Lewandowski finishing off a move from close range after Arturo Vidal‘s initial header. Bayern’s Martínez then fouled Fernando Torres, giving away a penalty which was saved by Neuer. Bayern kept their pressure up on Atlético until the final whistle as they looked for another goal to take the game to extra time, but it wasn’t to be for Pep Guardiola as his side were eliminated by Spanish opposition for the third consecutive season.
Atlético made the most of their inferior 33% possession and fewer shots on goal to confirm their place in the Champions League Final for the second time in three seasons. Diego Simeone‘s squad will face the winner between Real Madrid and Manchester City on May 28 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy in the UEFA Champions League Final.
May 3, 2016 | |||
Bayern Munich | 2–1 | Atlético Madrid | Allianz Arena, Munich Attendance: 70,000 Referee: ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
(1–0) HT (agg. 2–2) |
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Sources[]
- UEFA Champions League. “Determined Atlético hold firm to oust Bayern” — UEFA Champions League, May 3, 2016
- David Hytner. “Antoine Griezmann fires Atlético Madrid into final at Bayern Munich’s expense” — The Guardian, May 3, 2016
- “Bayern Munich 2-1 Atletico Madrid (agg 2-2): Simeone’s men book another final” — Goal.com, May 3, 2016
February 24, 2016
Messi scores twice against Čech, Bayern draw against Juventus in Champions League Last 16
Messi scores twice against Čech, Bayern draw against Juventus in Champions League Last 16
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Yesterday, in the Last 16 round of the UEFA Champions League 2015–2016, Spanish football club FC Barcelona defeated London-based club Arsenal F.C. 2–0 — Lionel Messi scoring both of those at the Emirates Stadium. Munich-based club Bayern Munich were held to a 2–2 draw against Italian club Juventus FC in the Juventus Stadium.

UEFA Champions League logo.
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Barcelona is a great team[…] We put a lot of energy in the game and technically we were very average. | ![]() |
—Arsène Wenger |
At London, Barcelona had a greater ball possession against The Gunners. The match saw two yellow cards. Unbeaten in their last 32 games, Barça were not able to net goals for more than an hour. Arsène Wenger’s team Arsenal held the defending champions, and it took 49 minutes for the Catalonians to have one shot on target. In the 71st minute, Barcelona won the ball and began counter-attacking, where Messi–Suárez–Neymar, the MSN trio, broke the deadlock as the Argentine Messi scored his first goal against Czech goalkeeper Petr Čech.
In the 83rd minute, Mathieu Flamini who was just subbed in brought the Argentine down in the penalty area and the visitors won a penalty. Messi scored his second of the night leaving the English side facing an uphill battle. Arsenal have been eliminated in the Last 16 round five consecutive times. After the match, Wenger told BT Sport “Barcelona is a great team[…] We put a lot of energy in the game and technically we were very average.”
Barcelona in their last 33 unbeaten games have netted 100 goals. Arsenal are to play the second leg at Camp Nou on March 16.
In the other fixture of the night, between Bayern Munich and Juventus, the Germans had better ball possession. Thomas Müller and Arjen Robben put the visitors 2–0 up, netting in the 43rd and the 55th minute respectively. But after the hour mark, Paulo Dybala and Stefano Sturaro brought Juventus level by scoring in the 63rdand the 76th minutes, and the first leg finished in a 2–2 draw. The match saw four bookings, three for the visitors.
Juventus continued their unbeaten streak of now seventeen home matches in European competition since defeat in 2013 against Bayern Munich.
Sources[]
- James Masters. “Champions League: Lionel Messi strikes as Barcelona beats Arsenal” — CNN, February 23, 2016
- “Magical Messi casts spell over Arsenal in Barça win” — UEFA, February 23, 2016
- “Juventus fightback frustrates Bayern” — UEFA, February 23, 2016
February 23, 2016
Messi scores twice against Čech, Bayern held for 2-2 draw against Juventus in UEFA Champions League Last 16
Messi scores twice against Čech, Bayern held for 2-2 draw against Juventus in UEFA Champions League Last 16
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Tuesday, February 23, 2016
On Monday, in the Last 16 round of the UEFA Champions League 2015–2016, Spanish football club FC Barcelona defeated London-based club Arsenal F.C. 2–0 — Lionel Messi scoring both of those at the Emirates Stadium. Munich based club Bayern Munich were held for a 2–2 draw against Italian club Juventus FC in the Juventus Stadium.

UEFA Champions League logo.
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Barcelona is a great team, We put a lot of energy in the game and technically we were very average. | ![]() |
—Arsène Wenger |
At London, Barcelona had a greater ball possession against The Gunners. The match saw two yellow cards. Unbeaten in their last 32 games, Barça was not able to net goals for more than an hour. Arsène Wenger’s team held the defending champions, and it took 49 minutes for the Catalonians to have one shot on target. In the 71st minute, Barcelona won the ball and began counter-attacking, where Messi—Suárez—Neymar, the MSN trio, broke the deadlock as the Argentine Messi scored his first goal against Czech goalkeeper Petr Čech.
In the 83rd minute, Mathieu Flamini who was just subbed in brought the Argentine down in the penalty area and the visitors won a penalty. Messi scored second of the night leaving the English side in an uphill battle. Arsenal has been eliminated for five consecutive times in the Last 16. After the match, Wenger told BT Sport “Barcelona is a great team, We put a lot of energy in the game and technically we were very average.”
Barcelona in their last 33 unbeaten games has netted more than 100 goals. Arsenal is to play the second leg at Camp Nou on March 16.
In he other fixture of the night, Bayern Munich and Juventus, the Germans had better ball possession. Thomas Müller and Arjen Robben opened the scoring and the visitors were 2–0 up netting in the 43rd and the 55th minute. But after the hour mark, Paulo Dybala and Stefano Sturaro scored the equaliser for Juventus in the 63rdand the 66th, and the first leg was held for a 2–2 draw, Munich having the benefit of the away goal. The match saw four bookings, three for the visitors.
Juventus continued their unbeaten streak of now seventeen home matches in the European competition; they faced their last defeat in 2013 against the Bavarians.
Sources[]
- James Masters. “Champions League: Lionel Messi strikes as Barcelona beats Arsenal” — CNN, February 23, 2016
- “Magical Messi casts spell over Arsenal in Barça win” — UEFA, February 23, 2016
- “Juventus fightback frustrates Bayern” — UEFA, February 23, 2016
- February 23, 2016
February 15, 2016
Messi passes from penalty for Suárez\’s hat-trick as Barça beat Celta 6-1
Messi passes from penalty for Suárez’s hat-trick as Barça beat Celta 6-1
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Monday, February 15, 2016
Yesterday, Barcelona star Lionel Messi made a risky pass from the penalty spot to Luis Suárez, as Suárez completed his hat-trick against Celta Vigo, and Barça defeated them 6–1 in a La Liga match at Camp Nou. Suárez climbed to the top spot for the La Liga top scorer, scoring 23 goals, and FC Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 30 games in all competitions. Messi missed his chance of scoring his 300th goal of the Liga.

File photo of Luis Suárez who scored the hat-trick
Image: Lluís.
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You can take a penalty like that, it’s legal and there’s a Cruyff penalty we all know. | ![]() |
—Luis Enrique |
The match saw four yellow cards, all for the Celta Vigo players. A total of 23 fouls were committed during the match. The Blaugrana had eleven shots on target as compared to Vigo’s four. Gustavo Cabral was the first one to be booked in the game in the eleventh minute.
Messi opened the scoring for the Catalans in the 28th minute. Carles Planas was booked for a bad foul, and Messi won a free-kick, which he successfully converted into the goal, scoring his 299th goal in La Liga games. About ten minutes later, Jordi Alba brought down Swedish striker John Guidetti in the penalty area, and the visitors got a chance to equalise from penalty. Guidetti scored from the penalty spot making the score 1–1 before the half time. Hugo Mallo was booked in the 42nd minute. The first half ended 1–1 with three bookings in 45 minutes.
Messi, in the 59th mminute assisted Suárez via a through ball, as the Uruguayan scored the second goal and Barcelona were leading again. Two substitutions were made in the 61st minute for the home side. Aleix Vidal came for Dani Alves and Sergi Roberto was replaced by Ivan Rakitić. Celta made a change in the 65th minute as Marcelo Díaz was subbed-in for Pablo Hernández.
Neymar’s shot, in 75th minute was blocked by Alvares, assist from Messi, but Suárez netted his second of the night as Barcelona were 3–1 up. 78th minute saw two substitutions. Dejan Drazic replaced Guidetti, and Arda Turan came for Andrés Iniesta.
Josep Señé brought down Messi in the 81st minute in the penalty area, and Messi won a penalty kick. The Argentine passed from the spot, and Suárez completed his hat-trick. A similar type of goal was scored by the Dutch legend Johan Cyruff playing for Ajax AFC.
Rakitić scored the fifth goal in the 84th minute from a through ball assist from Suárez, just a minute later after Pape Cheikh was subbed off Daniel Wass. In the injury time, Neymar netted a goal, assist from Suárez as the MSN trio appeared on he scoresheet. The match ended 6–1.
After the match, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said “There will be those who like it and those who don’t.” “You can take a penalty like that, it’s legal and there’s a Cruyff penalty we all know.”
A similar penalty attempt was made by Thierry Henry for Arsenal F.C. in 2005 but it did not work out.
February 14, 2016 | |||
FC Barcelona | 6–1 | Celta Vigo | Camp Nou, Barcelona Attendance: 72,580 Referee: ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
(1–1) HT | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
External links[]
- La Liga. “The penalty pass-and-goal by Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez” — YouTube, February 14, 2016 (Spanish)
Sources[]
- Jack Wilkinson. “Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez’s penalty defended by Barcelona coach Luis Enrique” — Sky Sports, February 15, 2016
- “Barcelona 6 – 1 Celta de Vigo” — Goal.com, February 14, 2016
- Jonathan Jurejko. “Barcelona 6 – 1 Celta Vigo” — BBC Sport, February 14, 2016
- February 15, 2016
Messi passes from penalty for Suárez\’s hat-trick as Barça beats Celta 6-1
Messi passes from penalty for Suárez’s hat-trick as Barça beats Celta 6-1
Monday, February 15, 2016
Yesterday, Barcelona football star Lionel Messi made a risky pass from the penalty spot to Luis Suárez, setting up the completion of a Suárez hat-trick against Celta Vigo, and Barça defeated them 6–1 in a La Liga match at Camp Nou. Suárez climbed to the top spot for La Liga this season, scoring 23 goals, and FC Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 30 games in all competitions. By passing to Suárez, Messi missed an opportunity to attempt his 300th goal in the Liga.

File photo of Luis Suárez who scored the hat-trick
Image: Lluís.
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You can take a penalty like that, it’s legal and there’s a Cruyff penalty we all know. | ![]() |
—Luis Enrique |
The match saw four yellow cards, all for the Celta Vigo players. Barça had eleven shots on target as compared to Vigo’s four. Gustavo Cabral was the first booked in the game in the eleventh minute.
Messi opened the scoring for the Catalans in the 28th minute. Carles Planas was booked for a bad foul, and Messi won a free-kick, which he successfully converted into the goal, scoring his 299th goal in La Liga games. About ten minutes later, Jordi Alba brought down Swedish striker John Guidetti in the penalty area, and the visitors got a chance to equalise from penalty. Guidetti scored from the penalty spot making the score 1–1 before the half time. Hugo Mallo was booked in the 42nd minute. The first half ended 1–1 with three bookings in 45 minutes.
Messi in the 59th mminute assisted Suárez via a through ball, as the Uruguayan scored the team’s second goal and Barcelona were leading again. Two substitutions were made in the 61st minute for the home side. Aleix Vidal came for Dani Alves and Sergi Roberto was replaced by Ivan Rakitić. Celta made a change in the 65th minute as Marcelo Díaz was subbed-in for Pablo Hernández.
Neymar’s shot in the 75th minute was blocked, assist from Messi, but Suárez netted his second of the night and Barcelona were 3–1 up. The 78th minute saw two substitutions. Dejan Drazic replaced Guidetti, and Arda Turan came for Andrés Iniesta.
Messi was fouled around the 81st minute in the penalty area, and won a penalty kick. The Argentine passed from the spot, and Suárez completed his hat-trick. A similar type of goal was scored by the Dutch legend Johan Cruyff playing for Ajax AFC in 1982.
Rakitić scored the fifth goal in the 84th minute from a through ball assist from Suárez, just a minute later after Pape Cheikh was subbed off Daniel Wass. In the injury time, Neymar netted a goal, assist from Suárez. The match ended 6–1.
After the match, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said “There will be those who like it and those who don’t […] You can take a penalty like that, it’s legal and there’s a Cruyff penalty we all know.”
A similar penalty attempt by Thierry Henry for Arsenal F.C. in 2005 did not work out.
February 14, 2016 | |||
FC Barcelona | 6–1 | Celta Vigo | Camp Nou, Barcelona Attendance: 72,580 Referee: ![]() |
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(1–1) HT | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
External links[]
- La Liga. “The penalty pass-and-goal by Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez” — YouTube, February 14, 2016 (Spanish)
Sources[]
- Jack Wilkinson. “Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez’s penalty defended by Barcelona coach Luis Enrique” — Sky Sports, February 15, 2016
- “Barcelona 6 – 1 Celta de Vigo” — Goal.com, February 14, 2016
- Jonathan Jurejko. “Barcelona 6 – 1 Celta Vigo” — BBC Sport, February 14, 2016
- “Barcelona 6 – 1 Celta de Vigo Live Commentary” — Goal.com, February 14, 2016
- February 15, 2016
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