La Liga wrap: Barca on song as Real stumble

Tito Vilanova's Barcelona fired a warning shot to champions Real Madrid with an emphatic 5-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.

 Talismanic forward Lionel Messi kicked off a scintillating start to the Vilanova era at Camp Nou with a brace inside 20 minutes after Carlos Puyol had opened the scoring.

 The win saw Barcelona immediately seize the initiative at the top of La Liga after Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw with Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu.

 Puyol headed Barca in front on four minutes and Messi scored a pair of clinical poacher's goals minutes after Chory Castro had restored parity for Sociedad.

 Pedro added the fourth just before half-time and the perfect start was complete when striker David Villa scored the fifth on his return to the side from a broken leg.

 Vilanova was not the only debutant for Barca, as Jordi Alba, the 14 million euro signing from Valencia, was handed a start at left-back. Earlier, Real Madrid were less than convincing as they began the defence of their crown.

 Gonzalo Higuain, who was preferred to strike partner Karim Benzema, justified Jose Mourinho's selection, scoring 10 minutes in after exquisitely controlling Angel Di Maria's clipped ball. Real were then guilty of sitting back, with Jonas equalising for Valencia with a header three minutes before the break.

 The home side were unable to regain their advantage in a tepid second half and were forced to settle for a point in front of a disgruntled crowd. Real Betis squandered a three-goal lead before going on to seal an enthralling 5-3 win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

 The visitors strolled to a 3-0 lead thanks to calm finishes from Jorge Molina, Ruben Castro and Benat Extebarria but were called into action again when Oscar de Marcos and a double from Mikel San Jose in the second half levelled the scores for Bilbao.

 Substitutes Jose Canas and Pozuelo combined to make it 4-3 as Pozuelo slotted home, and with Bilbao's defence ripped open, Molina sealed the win with a delightful chip over the goalkeeper. Atletico Madrid picked up a point at Levante in a 1-1 draw thanks to Arda Turan's stunning strike from distance.

 El Zhar had given Levante a fifth-minute lead from the edge of the area but points were shared following Turan's 22nd-minute effort, despite Atletico dominating possession for much of the match.

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Real Madrid 1-1 Valencia: Below-par Blancos held at home in La liga Opener

Real Madrid were less than convincing as they begun the defence of their La Liga crown with a 1-1 draw against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu.

 Things began promisingly for the reigning champions as Gonzalo Higuain, who was picked ahead of Karim Benzema, put them ahead after just 10 minutes.

 But they soon became guilty of sitting back and failing to make their ball retention count and shortly before the break Jonas resotred parity.

 Los Blancos were unable to regain their advantage in the second half and thus had to settle for a point in front of disgruntled and frustrated home supporters.

 Madrid signalled their intent to score an early goal with an intense start that saw both Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo take shots from long-range.

 Neither managed to work Diego Alves but it did not take much longer for Los Blancos to find the net. Di Maria clipped the ball up to Higuain, who had sprung the offside trap, and the striker controlled the ball exquisitely.

 Yet after seeing his initial and follow-up efforts saved by the keeper the third time proved a charm as he rifled a volley into the back of the net with just 10 minutes on the clock.

 Following the goal Jose Mourinho's men played a far more patient game but despite controlling possession, opportunities to find the net were sparse as Valencia sat deep.

 With 25 minutes played Xabi Alonso narrowly missed the target with a powerful attempt from wide on the left that lacked the whip to bend in at the far post.

 But patience soon turned to complacency for the hosts and Los Che capitalised by netting an equaliser three minutes before the break. Iker Casillas failed to clear Tino Costa's fantastic delivery and Jonas duly headed the ball into the vacated goal.

 The keeper did however succeed in injuring Pepe who was subsequently withdrawn at half time.

 Madrid began the second half as they did the first and after eight second-half minutes they missed a great chance to regain the lead. Mesut Ozil fed Di Maria but the winger failed to hit the target from a central position inside the box. The game became absurdly stale with neither side offering much in the attacking department.

 Mourinho was the first coach to change things around as he replaced Lass with Karim Benzema on the hour mark. It seemed to galvanise his side and six minutes later they almost scored their second of the night.

 A great centre from Di Maria found Alves out of position but Higuain's header rattled the bar before being cleared away.

 The effect soon dissipated though as Los Blancos lacked urgency to find a winner and it was not until the 82nd minute that they tested Alves. An extremely quiet Ronaldo drilled a cross into the area but Benzema's ferocious strike was parried away by the Valencia stopper.

 Mourinho's men were unable to find the net again as the two sides shared the spoils on the opening weekend of La Liga. They will need to be far more clinical when they face Barcelona in the Super Cup in midweek.

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Chelsea target Hulk keen on Premier League switch

Porto forward Hulk admits that he is keen on a move to either the Premier League or La Liga, citing them as the biggest leagues in the world.

 The 26-year-old, who has scored an impressive 52 goals in 96 league appearances for the Portuguese giants, has been linked with a number of club this summer including Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

 After representing Brazil at the Olympic Games, the forward has turned his attention back to domestic football and has listed England as one of his preferred destinations. "I have left a door open for being transferred to another league," Hulk told reporters.

 "I have preference for playing in the Premier League or the Spanish Liga, because they are the two leagues that are the most seen all over the world.

 "I didn't talk too much with my agent about the chance of being transferred, because I have been on duty with the Brazilian national team at the Olympics.

 "This could be the time for me to move. I would feel comfortable with moving clubs and the English league is one that appeals to me."

 With a release clause of £78 million [€100m], it would appear that only the biggest clubs stand a chance of securing highly rated Brazilian, and the striker admitted that discussions will take place with his agent at the beginning of next week.

 "I am going to talk about my future from Monday," he stated. "My future is in the hands of God."

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Chelsea and Arsenal target opts for Russia move

Rubin Kazan have announced the signing of striker Salomon Rondon from La Liga side Malaga.

 Rondon, 22, has agreed a four-year contract with Rubin Kazan, with the club confirming the deal on their official website on Sunday.

 The Qatari-owned Malaga are in financial difficulty, and the sale of the Venezuela international, who had been linked with Tottenham,Chelsea and Arsenal is expected to be followed by Santi Cazorla's exit.

 Cazorla, 27, is said to be on the brink of completing a move to Arsenal, as Malaga undergo the process of "internal restructuring".

 Italian midfielder Enzo Maresca was interviewed post Malaga's 2-0 loss to Juventus on Saturday, and reflected on the potential departure of coach Manuel Pellegrini, whose future is also the subject of conjecture.

 "He is fundamental for us, just as Cazorla and Rondon were fundamental and who have had to be sold," Maresca said.

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Cristiano Ronaldo is a great human player but Messi is a Martian, claims Basile

While he acknowledged the Real Madrid ace's footballing ability, the veteran trainer described his compatriot as from another planet, and thus cannot be compared to his peers.

 The 68-year-old believes that while the Real Madrid forward is a great player in his own right, the Argentine's is presently in a league of his own and cannot be measured against other footballers. "You cannot compare anyone to Messi.

 Cristiano Ronaldo is a great human player, but Messi is a Martian. He can run with the ball at an even higher speed than without the ball," Basile stated to Radio 9. "It's as if he's playing another sport. It's nearly impossible to do the things he does at that speed.

 He just keeps getting better and is always improving." Basile also had his say on whether Pele or Diego Maradona was a better player, but struggled to give a definitive answer.

 "Pele was an absolute monster and had a fantastic physique," he added. "Maradona was another genius and better in tight spaces.

 Diego was the team's leader, whereas Pele was more of an individual player."

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Barcelona agree €14m deal for spain star

Barcelona have announced on their official website that they have agreed a fee with Valencia for the signing of Jordi Alba. 

 The Blaugrana had long been linked with a move for the left-back, and are now one step closer to completing the deal after negotiating a €14 million fee. 

 Alba will undergo a medical next week, and sign a five-year deal upon successful completion of his physical examination. 

Barcelona announce that today an agreement with Valencia has been reached for the transfer of Jordi Alba, pending a medical examination. 

The player will undergo in Barcelona next week," an official statement reads. "The cost of the transfer will be €14m and the player will sign a contract for the next five seasons. 

Alba, 23, is a product of the Barcelona youth academy, but failed to break into the first team at Camp Nou and left the club in 2005. 

 He will now return to his boyhood outfit after spells with Cornella, Gimnastic and Valencia.

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Atletico rule out Falcao sale

Atletico Madrid have ruled out the possibility of forward Radamel Falcao leaving the Vicente Calderon in the upcoming transfer window. 

 The Colombian striker has been a huge hit in Spain since joining from Porto in 2011, scoring 36 goals in 50 appearances for the La Liga outfit. 

it was exclusively revealed that Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini had placed the 26-year-old at the top of his list of transfer targets after cooling his interest in Arsenal's Robin Van Persie. 

 However, Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Caminero has poured cold water on the speculation, insisting Falcao will remain at the club next season, despite the lure of Champions League football elsewhere. 

Falcao will remain at Atletico Madrid and any talk of an exit is misplaced. The club has very clear ideas on this, the official us. 

The striker will remain with us next season and we are not considering any other possibility."

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La liga promoted teams confirmed

Valladolid have been promoted to the Primera Division after a 2-1 aggregate win in their play-off with Alcorcon.

 Leading 1-0 from the first leg in Madrid on Wednesday, Valladolid were pegged back just before half-time when Fernando Sales headed the visitors level on aggregate. However, Javi Guerra, who had scored the winner at Santo Domingo earlier in the week, was on target again six minutes after the break to ensure a return to the top flight after a two-year absence.

 Miroslav Dukic's men had missed out on automatic promotion by just three points as they finished third behind Celta Vigo and champions Deportivo La Coruna, a full nine points ahead of Alcorcon in fourth.

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Barcelona offer Zubizarreta contract extension - report

Barcelona have reportedly offered sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta the opportunity to extend his stay at Camp Nou until 2016.

 The former Spain international's current contract is set to expire next season and, according to La Vanguardia, the Blaugrana have no intention of allowing against signing a new deal with the club.

 The paper claims that the Catalans are now desperate to restore some stability in the wake of Guardiola's exit and the subsequent appointment of his former right-hand man, Tito Vilanova, as his replacement. Consequently, Sandro Rosell has offered Zubizarreta a three-year extension that would ensure the continued presence of the legendary goalkeeper at Camp Nou up until the end of the Barca president's tenure.

 Zubizarreta, who was capped 126 times by Spain, succeeded Txiki Begiristain as the Blaugrana's sporting director in 2010.

 The former Barca shot-stopper initially signed a one-year contract with the club, but the option for a further two seasons was enacted by mutual agreement the following summer.

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Benzema not concerned by Higuain interest

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema says his team-mate Gonzalo Higuain has no intention of leaving the Santiago Bernabeu.

 The Argentina international has been strongly linked with a new challenge after featuring infrequently for Real during last season, making only 28 of his 52 competitive appearances as a starter. Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus have both been credited with an interest in the forward, with Javier Pastore publicly claiming that the French capital club had been in contact with his compatriot.

 However, Benzema insisted Higuain is going nowhere, telling AS: "Now he is with the Argentina national team and I hope that he will stay (at Real). "He has no intention to go, not to PSG or any other club.

 He must rest because he is a very important player for us." Turning his attentions to France's first match at Euro 2012 against England on Monday, Benzema is aware of the quality Roy Hodgson's men possess in their ranks, but warns that France have big plans for the competition.

 "We approach the Euros in the best possible shape," he said. "These are times of change for us. "The team is doing very well. Our goal is to reach the final and win it, that would be a dream, but first we have to go through the group stage. "England are a good team, but we do not fear anyone in particular. I really like Steven Gerrard and the way he understands the game.

 "We will have to move a lot on the field and not fall for their game, which will be very physical."

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Valencia resigned to losing Jordi Alba - report

Valencia are resigned to losing Jordi Alba in the summer transfer window as Barcelona continue to chase the impressive left-back, Sport reports.

Los Che were initially determined to hold onto the 23-year-old beyond the 2011-12 campaign, but have now supposedly accepted that the player's departure is inevitable, with sporting director Braulio Vazquez admitting Valencia are aware of the Blaugrana's desire to sign him.

"I suppose Barcelona want him because he's Catalan and plays on the left wing. We are obviously talking about an excellent player, and it's only normal that Barcelona are keen to sign him," Braulio Vazquez stated to Radio Galega.

The La Masia-trained star has a contract with Mauricio Pellegrino's side until the summer of 2013, but they are ready to him leave for a fee in the region of €15 million.

Barca have reportedly already agreed personal terms with the defender, but they have yet to table an official offer.

The Catalans are expected to open talks with the side who finished third in La Liga in the upcoming weeks, though, as they want to wrap up the transfer before the start of pre-season.

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