FC Barcelona bid farewell to this year's Champions League dream (1-0) | FC Barcelona
Barça’s dream of a Lisbon final came to an end at the Vicente Calderon tonight, when a combative Atletico Madrid beat them 1-0. The hosts’ early goal and their whirlwind start really set Barça back, but Martino’s side fought their way back into the game and had their chances to draw level. However, Simeone’s side stood firm and Barça bowed out of the Champions League.
Gerardo Martino: "The players were brave" | FC Barcelona
Gerardo Martino commented in his post-match press conference that his men "were brave. We were brave in that we tried to play like Barça have for the past decade. Playing like this is brave." When asked about the game against Atlético, Martino said that "the flow of the game was what they (Atlético) were looking for" and "it’s not that we didn’t match their intensity, it’s that we were unable to string 4-5 passes together like we wanted to."
Dani Alves: "We tried everything possible to fight back" | FC Barcelona
Dani Alves said this Wednesday that "it was a very tough day for us" and he added that "we played against a team that has been playing like this for a while and we have to congratulate them. They bet on this style of play and it worked out. They leave the pitch dry, they slow the pace of the game down and they look to get in behind you and hit you on the counter attack."
Zubizarreta: "Football is unpredictable" | FC Barcelona
Andoni Zubizarreta congratulated Atlético Madrid after they defeated FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The director of football admitted that the Madrid-based side were the better team, especially in the first 20 minutes of the match. "The team had character, they wanted to play and they had chances."
Barcelona can rescue season, despite Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid - The Independent
Barcelona's Champions League reverse at the hands of Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid on Wednesday is a heavy blow but they can still rescue their season by winning La Liga and the King's Cup. Barca retain a realistic chance of avenging the 2-1 aggregate defeat to Atletico in their Champions League quarter-final by overhauling the league leaders and claiming a fifth domestic title in six years.
Fear and loathing in Catalonia as FIFA ban provokes Barca paranoia | Eurosport
A conspiracy burns in Barcelona. The big banner unfurled before Barca’s game v Betis bemoaned and blamed others. And no, the conspiracy wasn't to get as many words beginning with 'B' into the first sentence. Barca paid for the giant 40m x 40m banner showing a huddle of young players with the words 'Don't Touch The Masia' - the club's famed youth academy.
Barcelona ready to let Jose Pinto leave in the summer | Sky Sports
Sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta told El Mundo Deportivo: "Our conversations with Pinto have been clear and transparent. "We are continuing to work knowing what situation we are in, but things change every week and we are ready for anything. "When one has a plan, one must remember that life has a way of taking many twists and turns.
FC Barcelona gains more than 20 million followers on social networks in 2014 | FC Barcelona
In just over three months of the current year, FC Barcelona has gained 20.6 million new followers on social networks, some 210,000 a day, which shows that the worldwide passion for the club is as strong as ever. In 2014, FC Barcelona has continued to consolidate its leadership in world sport after ending last year with 110 million fans on its different channels.
Thibaut Courtois would not face Chelsea in Champions League semifinals, Atletico president enrique Cerezo confirms - ESPN FC
"The problem is whether Courtois can play if we get Chelsea in the draw," he said. "There is something in the contract. For him to play we would have to pay a large quantity of money, a figure we cannot pay." UEFA rules prevent players being barred from featuring against other clubs, but European football's governing body cannot stop such clauses being inserted into loan agreements.
Former Valencia chief arrested over plot to kidnap successor | Eurosport
Soler was in charge of Los Che for four years between 2004 and 2008, before Vicente Soriano took over the running of the Mestalla outfit. And according to Las Provincias, the 58-year-old businessman has been detained by police after reportedly hiring a professional to kidnap Soriano.