Villa heaps praise on Simeone's Atletico 'warriors'

David Villa heaped praise on Atletico Madrid's "warriors" and coach Diego Simeone after they claimed their first La Liga title in 18 years on Saturday.

Atleti got the point they required with a 1-1 draw at Barcelona, with Diego Godin's header enough to deny the home side the win which would have seen them defend the title based on their head-to-head record.

It is a remarkable achievement for Atletico, whose budget is a fraction of those enjoyed by Barca and Real Madrid, and Villa believes a great work ethic – and the brilliance of Simeone – proved vital.

He told Canal Plus: "Cholo [Simeone] is everything here. He is the courage, he is the reflection. With his knowledge and a lot of warriors, we have achieved.

"I'm very happy to have put the icing on this successful season."

Atleti's hopes hung in the balance after Alexis Sanchez put Barca in front after 34 minutes until Godin’s towering header at the start of the second half proved enough for the visitors.

Former Barca striker Villa added: "This match was a reflection of the year. We gave all we had. We had everything against us today, with two injuries [to Diego Costa and Arda Turan], but we learned how to react.

"We have been better than our rivals in the Liga.

"The last 10 minutes of the first half showed this. Another team, against Barcelona, in their stadium would have collapsed, but not us."

Next up for Atletico is the Champions League final against city rivals Real in a week’s time.

"We have to celebrate this Liga title, there is time to prepare for the final. There is still the desire to keep going," said Villa.

Breaking News: Martino confirms Barca exit

Tata Martino has apologized to the Camp Nou faithfuls and has also confirmed that he will be leaving Barcelona this summer. More to follow.....

Barcelona fans hail champions Atletico

Barcelona's supporters were quick to acclaim Atletico Madrid's achievement in winning the Liga title on Saturday - but were not that impressed with their own team's efforts.

On the final whistle, and having witnessed Atletico fight out a 1-1 draw which preserved their three-point lead at the top of the table, the Blaugrana fans broke out in spontaneous applause.

It was quickly recognised by Atleti boss Diego Simeone, who in turn waved his thanks before later remarking: "It was one of the nicest things in football. Barca fans, players and coaches showed they have class."

The same Barca fans were not so generous towards their own team, however, with whistles pouring down from the stands at full-time.

A win would have been enough for the Catalans to retain the title and it looked on the cards when Alexis Sanchez smashed in a 34th-minute opener.

But the visitors were rewarded for a strong start to the second half when Diego Godin powered in a header from a right-wing corner.

Atleti held off some concerted Barca pressure in the final 20 minutes to claim their first Liga title since 1995-96 and become the first team outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid to win the league since Valencia in 2004.

Iniesta: Barcelona have failed

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta admitted his side have failed this season after Atletico Madrid clinched the Spanish title in dramatic fashion at Camp Nou.

Diego Simeone's side sealed a 1-1 draw in a thrilling showdown on Sunday, with Diego Godin's header ensuring they finish three points clear of last season's champions in the table.

Barca led for the first 50 minutes thanks to Alexis Sanchez's stunning strike but were unable to find a winner and Iniesta believes they paid the price for failing to take their chances.

"It was a sad end. We had it until the end. We have to congratulate Atletico. They are deserving champions," he told Canal Plus.

"We have failed, as a group. We had chances until the last match, like them. Atletico have been better, and are champions. There is nothing to say."

Speculation has persisted this week over the future of coach Gerardo Martino, with Luis Enrique - widely reported as a prime candidate to take over at Camp Nou - stepping down from his post at Celta Vigo.

Iniesta, however, insists Barca cannot look for excuses after surrendering their domestic crown.

"It hasn't affected us, thinking about other things these last weeks. It's talk for talking. It hurts losing this league, nothing more," he added.

Atletico Madrid crowned champions of La Liga

Atletico Madrid have been crowned champions of La Liga following a dramatic draw in the final fixture against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Barcelona needed a win to claim the title, while a draw was enough for Atletico as Diego Simeone's side went into the game with a three-point lead over Gerardo Martino's men.

Atleti were hit with a double blow early on as first Diego Costa and then Arda Turan limped off with injuries, but the Rojiblancos continued to compete in an evenly disputed first half.

But almost out of nothing, Alexis Sanchez blasted Barca into the lead with a fierce angled drive after 33 minutes.

Atletico started the second half with a bang, however, and after David Villa had hit the post, Diego Godin headed home from a corner to make it 1-1 after 49 minutes.

Lionel Messi had the ball in the net later in the half, but the Argentine's strike was correctly ruled out for offside and Atletico held on to claim La Liga by a three-point margin - their first title since 1996.

Sevilla Win Europa League Title

Two penalty saves from Beto saw Sevilla claim the UEFA Europa League title 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after 120 minutes of action against Benfica finished goalless.

The first 45 was a cagey affair with very few chances in front of goal as both teams set their stalls up in defence and looked to hit on the counter-attack.

This made for a rather dull opening stanza with chances on goal being few and far between.

The first significant action in the match came in the 24th minute when Miralem Sulejmani had to leave the field injured and was replaced by Andre Almeida for Benfica.

The first dangerous shot on goal only came in the 37th minute when Alberto Moreno broke down the right for Sevilla before cutting inside to shoot with his left foot, but his effort was well-saved by the keeper.

Benfica finished the half the stronger of the two sides and probably should have opened the scoring in first half injury time.

Maximiliano Pereira connected a left-wing cross with a fierce volley which was superbly saved at close range by Beto. The loose ball then fell to Rodrigo, but the keeper was up quickly to deny him as well.

The half ended 0-0.

Benfica started the second 45 the way they ended the first with Pereira playing Lima into space inside the box four minutes after the restart, but while his shot beat the keeper it was cleared off the goalline by a defender.

Sevilla were not going to sit back and had their first shot on goal in the second stanza in the 55th minute when Jose Antonio Reyes stung the fingertips of the Benfica goalie from 25-yards out.

Benfica took the ascendancy after that, but for all their possession they struggled to break down an organised looking Sevilla defence.

Consequently, Benfica had to shoot from long range and Lima came close to scoring in the 84th minute when his 25-yard shot was acrobatically tipped over the crossbar by Beto.

The game ended 0-0 after 90 minutes and went into extra time.

With both teams tiring in extra time the chances in front of goal were virtually non-existent.

The best chance of the additional half an hour fell to Bacca in the 101st minute when he broke behind the Benfica defence, but with just the keeper to beat he shot wide of goal from 14-yards out.

120 minutes ended goalless and the game entered the lottery of a penalty shoot-out.

Two penalty saves from Beto saw Sevilla claim the Europa League title 4-2 on penalties.

Ronaldo & Bale Should Be Fit For CL Final

Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, is hopeful that Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale will be fit to play in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

Both players have missed Real’s 2-0 La Liga defeat to Celta de Vigo.

Ronaldo has only completed two of Real’s last nine games in all competitions and is currently recovering from ‘muscular fatigue’ which saw him being substituted after just eight minutes against Valladolid last Wednesday.

"Ronaldo underwent treatment and is almost fully recovered," Ancelotti told media on Tuesday.

"We have a fortnight to prepare for the match and I think they'll be completely fit for the final. I think he'll be able to play against Espanyol (next Saturday).”

Bale missed the Valladolid game due to a ‘knock’, but the exact details haven’t been confirmed by the club.

The Welshman had travelled with the squad on Sunday, but Ancelotti decided not to risk him despite his side losing 2-0.

"(Bale) is not 100%," Ancelotti added.

"He got a knock, but I decided not to risk him, especially when I could have put him on. I wanted to avoid any problems."

Both players still have 10 days to recover and be ready for the Champions League final in Lisbon on May 24.

Enyeama: Eagles Will Soar In Brazil Celebrates Best African Player Award #30DaysToGo

Super Eagles vice captain and Lille Metropole of France shot stopper, Vincent Enyeama, has thanked Nigerians for the support he has received from them, which he said also made it possible for him to be named the best African Player in the French Ligue 1 this season.
Enyeama, who spoke from his France based said he was delighted that he was picked as Africa’s best player in France and has been totally enthralled by the huge support of Nigerians over the award, promising that he will not fail the country during Mundial 2014 in Brazil. #G

oSuperEagles  

Ji-sung Park retires from football

Former Manchester United midfielder Ji-sung Park has called time on his playing career at the age of 33 due to a persistent knee injury.

Park, who joined the Reds from PSV Eindhoven in 2005, played 205 times for United and scored 27 goals before departing to QPR in 2012. He finished his career this season with a loan spell back at PSV.

Here, we pay tribute to a player who became popular with the fans for his commitment to the Old Trafford cause… 

Sum him up It’s easy to overlook Ji’s technical and tactical nous when you consider the ground he covered in matches and the sheer hard work he was willing to put in. Yet all those attributes often made him the ideal counter-balance to Cristiano Ronaldo on the opposite flank of Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering side in the mid-to-late 2000s. Park was a versatile performer on either flank or when set on specific midfield missions.

Best game Arsenal will recall several troubled encounters with the Korean, who often caused them problems with his clever positional play, tactical knowhow and ceaseless running, but Ji’s man-marking job on Andrea Pirlo in 2010’s Champions League clash with AC Milan at San Siro stands out as the kind of selfless sacrifice he would make for the greater cause of the team. It was a characteristic he displayed regularly, rarely better than this.

Red remembered Commitment to the cause quickly garners favour among fans of any club, but Park rapidly endeared himself to supporters after moving from PSV in 2005 when, after a tireless Premier League debut against Everton, he was named Man of the Match. First impressions count, and for a player who became known as ‘Three-lung Park’, that was merely a sign of things to come.

What are your favourite memories of Ji-sung Park as a Red?

Ronaldo is Madrid's greatest ever, says Owen

Former England international Michael Owen believes Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest Real Madrid player of all time.
The Portugal international has been in sublime form this season and broke the record for most goals in one Champions League campaign with his double against Bayern Munich in midweek.
Owen - who played for Madrid in 2004-05 - is impressed with the prolific attacker's superb performances and even rates him ahead of Madrid icon Ferenc Puskas.
"I think the greatest Real Madrid player of all time is Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by Ferenc Puskas," Owen writes in his column for Sportlobster .
“Ronaldo equalled Puskas’ great record of 242 goals in fewer games.
"He was also the fastest Real Madrid player to score 100 goals and holds the record for most goals scored for Madrid in a season."
Owen also briefly looked back on his own time at the Santiago Bernabeu side and admitted that he was rather nervous upon his presentation to the press and fans.
"I didn’t have any doubts I would succeed once out on the famous pitch. I only had two concerns: What to do when a ball was tossed to me during the parade at the Santiago Bernabeu and where to sit in the dressing room.
“I was in a state of panic on the day of my unveiling. To learn a line or two in Spanish was bad enough, but I dreaded the ‘show pony’ part where you are expected to juggle the ball for the media. When the ball was tossed to me I volleyed it into the crowd to give the people, who had come to welcome me, something to cheer about.  Another ball was thrown to me so another supporter earned a memento from the day.
"There was no way I was going to attempt a trick and fail in front of the world’s media.”
Owen eventually left Madrid after just one season, scoring 14 goals in 36 La Liga appearances