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Atletico Madrid vs FC Barcelona: Champions’ Courage wins out (1-2)

Jordi Clos

Barça celebrated their latest league title with a well earned win at the Vicente Callderon, where the league’s third placed team and finalist in next week’s Cup final received the Champions with a guard of honour. After a pretty placid first half, Atletico went ahead, FC Barcelona switched to a three man defence and–reduced to 10 men by an injury to Messi – went for the jugular, scoring twice and showing all the pride and bravery that has helped to make them the league champions once again.

May 13, 2013 12:13 AM

Three Catalan champions at the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix

Margalida Vidal Barceló

Catalan rider Dani Pedrosa won the MotoGP race at Jerez Circuit last Sunday, leaving behind him outstanding rookie Marc Márquez and the current World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The two Spanish riders were responsible for the confrontation of the day, as their motorbikes collided on the final corner, recently named after Lorenzo, where Márquez stole his second position. The Moto2 category also finished with a Catalan victory led by Esteve Rabat, as well as Moto3, with Maverick Viñales at the top of the podium.

May 9, 2013 07:29 PM

FC Barcelona vs Real Betis: Champions' fightback! (4-2)

Roger Bogunyà

Two goals from Messi set up the fightback against Betis to leave Barça just two points off the Spanish League title. Tito Vilanova’s side came back from1-2 down at the break to beat Betis 4-2. Villa and the superb Messi, who had started on the bench – turned the result round to beat a brave Betis. The win means Barça are 11 points ahead of second place Real Madrid, with just four games remaining, Mourinho’s side play against Malaga on Wednesday in a game brought forward because of their involvement in the Spanish Cup final and if they fail to win, Barça will be champions.

May 6, 2013 01:34 PM

FC Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich: Barça's farewell to Wembley (0-3)

Roger Bogunyà

Barça failed to make it to the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley this month – it’ll be an all German affair between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Bayern confirmed on Wednesday night their place at the final, finishing 7-0 winners on aggregate after beating Barça 0-3 at the Camp Nou. Without the injured Leo Messi, Tito Vilanova’s side went for the fight back, but a Robben goal at the start of the second half ruined their hopes and settled the tie, with two more goals coming before the end - an own goal by Piqué and another from Müller- to confirm the first ever all-German Champions League final.

May 2, 2013 03:57 AM

Tito Vilanova: "We can never give up on a tie especially when we have 90 minutes to play at home"

Anna Segura

The FC Barcelona Manager believes that his players need to go into tomorrow's match against Bayern Munich with cool heads: “we have to play a good game and be the better team, then the goals will come”. “We have to hold our heads high if we are eliminated, we cannot give up; we need to make our fans proud”, he said. “We have to be ourselves and try to play a good game of football. We need to score goals through our style of play”, Vilanova added. “If we are going to mount a comeback we need our fans at the Camp Nou”, he concluded.

April 30, 2013 09:21 PM

Rafael Nadal wins the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell defeating Nicolás Almagro (6-4, 6-3) in an all-Spanish final

Marc Ferragut / Laura Barrio Aguilar

Nadal has won the 61st Conde de Godó Trophy in front of his home crowd in the Reial Club de Tennis Barcelona for the eighth time. Despite a poor start, the Mallorcan beat Nicolás Almagro in two sets: 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 32 minutes. The tournament was conditioned by the rain during the whole week and the final itself was almost suspended. Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares won in the doubles final against Robert Lindstedt and Daniel Nestor. It’s the eighth time that Nadal has won the Conde de Godó Trophy, an ATP World Series 500 tournament.

April 29, 2013 10:11 PM

Athletic Bilbao vs FC Barcelona: Barça will have to wait for the Spanish League title (2-2)

Roger Bogunyà

A last minute equaliser from Ander Herrera means FC Barcelona could not be mathematically proclaimed champions on Saturday evening. Barça’s last ever game in San Mames will be remembered as a real epic battle, played in the rain at a typically high tempo and with plenty of goals and chances. Susaeta opened the scoring in the first half and nearly got the second with a shot that rattled the woodwork. Barça turned the score around after the break when Messi came off the bench and in a three minute flurry the Argentinean and Alexis made it 1-2 and seemed to have ensured the points until Ander’s last minute effort.

April 28, 2013 04:02 PM

FC Barcelona Manager Tito Vilanova feeling stronger every day

CNA

Barça Manager gave his first official press conference since he returned to Barcelona from New York, where he received treatment for his illness. “There were problems due to the distance. But in New York, my day to day life was generally good, and I was able to keep in contact with the team thanks to new technologies”, he said. “If ever I get two days off, I don’t know what to do. This job is no burden to me and the doctors told me that the best thing I could do was to work”, he explained.

April 26, 2013 08:53 PM

Barça Regal beats Panathinaikos Athens 64-53 and classifies for Euroleague Basketball Final Four

CNA / Guido Cengiarotti

Barça Regal has beaten Panathinaikos 64-53 to classify for the Euroleague Final Four, to be played next May in London. The Catalans dominated the game from start to finish thanks to the leadership of Juan Carlos Navarro who scored 15 points. After a thrilling 5-game quarter-final series, Barça will try to win its third Euroleague title and faces Real Madrid in the semi-finals. The four previous games were very tight with each team winning one game at home until this last game, in which the Palau Blaugrana home factor was the key to the local win.

April 26, 2013 03:49 PM

Bayern Munich vs. FC Barcelona: Bayern impose their will (4-0)

Jordi Clos

The German Champions’ physical superiority helped them brush aside Barça in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final played in Munich. Heynckes’ team came into the game on a great run of form and they continued that with a powerful performance against a Barça side who looked duller both physically and mentally, with Messi failing to live up to his normal stellar standards, but who dominated possession and can consider themselves unlucky to be on the end of such a big defeat.

April 24, 2013 02:55 AM

Bayern Munich vs FC Barcelona: Clash of European titans

Roger Bogunyà

Bayern and Barça meet on Tuesday in the Champions League semi final first leg in Munich (20.45 CET). It’s Spring’s Catalan national day, Sant Jordi, people are flocking on the streets to buy books and roses for those they love, and in the evening they will sit down together to enjoy one of the greatest games of the year. All four of the last Champions League finals have included one or other of these two clubs, FC Barcelona or Bayern. Barça won the title in 2009 and 2011, while Bayern finished runners-up in 2010 and 2012. And after they were drawn together in the semi finals this year, we already know for sure that one or other will be back in the final at Wembley next month.

April 23, 2013 07:38 PM

61st Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell starts with Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Thomas Berdych on the court

Marc Ferragut

The Barcelona tennis tournament known as the Conde de Godó Trophy is an ATP World Tour 500 event and one of the most important on the clay court circuit. From April 20th to the 28th the top 10 players Nadal, Ferrer and Berdych will meet in the Catalan capital. Nicolás Almagro, Juan Mónaco or rising stars like Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori are also on the list. Marcel Granollers and Marc López will compete in the doubles tournament on the clay of the Real Club de Tennis Barcelona.

April 22, 2013 05:57 PM

Read the latest sports news, updates, and analysis from Catalonia, including professional football sides FC Barcelona, Espanyol, Girona, as well as Barça Femení and their team of global superstars including Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí, as well as major events taking place here like the America’s Cup sailing race, the Vuelta a España cycling Grand Tour, and off-field issues like Barcelona’s Negreira referee payments case and the development of the Camp Nou.