The Sports Bhalla

This is the matchup that would basically decided the winner of the La Liga season title. Two-time defending champions Barcelona playing at home against league leaders Real Madrid. You come to expect the highest levels of play when these two meet, and this game was no different. Madrid’s defensive strategy really paid off, holding Barca and more importantly Messi in check for most of the game, not really allowing them to get into a rhythm. Madrid’s first goal was a result of mishandling of the ball by both Victor Valdez and Carlos Puyol, whereas Alexis Sanchez’s for Barca came off of a few rebounds. The game winner by Ronaldo was beautifully set up by Ozil, almost assuring Madrid the La Liga title. It seemed Barca was more focused on their upcoming 2nd leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals with Chelsea, but nonetheless they had opportunities and came up short. 

This week kicked off the major clay court events for the ATP Tour in Monte Carlo. To no one’s surprise, the final was between the top 2 players in the world, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic and his family are going through a tough time right now with the passing of his grandfather on Thursday. Nadal ended up winning 6-3, 6-1; Djokovic looked emotionally drained, saying so himself, but gave credit where it was due, as Nadal did take it to him, finally beating him in final after losing the last 11 or 12. Nadal has actually won this event for the seventh consecutive year now, showing that he is still the king of clay. 

There are some highlights of both events below.