Football

Xavi begins Barcelona reign with hard-fought victory over Espanyol

 

Barcelona Legend Xavi Hernandez started his reign as the coach of the side with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Espanyol on Saturday night in the La Liga.

Xavi was appointed as the new Barcelona coach after the sacking of Ronald Koeman earlier in the month as the Club brought the former midfielder in from Al Sadd in Qatar.

His first game came against a difficult Espanyol side at the Camp Nou but Memphis Depay’s penalty close to halftime was enough to secure all three points for Barcelona.

However, the focus will now be on Xavi’s performance on his first UEFA Champions League game as manager of the club against Benfica at the Camp Nou in the week.

Barcelona are second in the group behind Bayern Munich with six points, two above Benfica in third.

Earlier on Saturday, Atletico Madrid showed champions resilience as they snatched all three points with a late goal from Brazilian defender Felipe in the 87th minute against Osasuna.

The win puts them in fourth with 26 points from 13 games played while Barcelona moved into sixth with 20 points from 13 games played.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid were comfortable in their win against Granada on Sunday evening with a 4-1 scoreline.

Madrid took the lead through Marco Asensio in the nineteenth minute before Nacho made it two few minutes later. Luis Suarez pulled one back in the 34th minute but Vinicius Jnr and Ferland Mendy’s second half goals sealed the victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

Both Madrid clubs will now turn their attentions to the UEFA Champions League during the week, where Real Madrid will hope to boost their chances of moving into the next round with a tie against Sheriff Tiraspol who defeated them in a shock 2-1 loss at the Bernabeau in the first leg while Atletico Madrid will face AC Milan.

 

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Champions League, World Cup and many more.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

Maguire’s late header rescues point for 10-man Manchester United

Manchester United will have Harry Maguire's late equalizer to thank for helping them grab a… Read More

October 4, 2024

Pacquiao nominated for boxing hall of fame induction

Legendary Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao has been nominated for induction into the International Boxing Hall… Read More

October 4, 2024

La Liga: Real Madrid confirms Militao injury, reveals plan to bring back Gutierrez

Real Madrid confirmed that Eder Militao was out injured after it was confirmed Thursday that… Read More

October 4, 2024

Trump, Selby, Allen, and Higgins through to next round as qualifying rounds kickoff

Judd Trump, Mark Allen, Mark Selby, and John Higgins were among the star names to… Read More

October 4, 2024

Europa League: Perfect Tottenham remain on course after vital win in Hungary

Tottenham made it two wins from two in the Europa League, earning a 2-1 win… Read More

October 4, 2024

Conference League: Chelsea win six-goal thriller against Gent

Chelsea recorded another victory in the UEFA Conference League as they eased past Gent with… Read More

October 4, 2024