La Liga Sunday Highlights: Atletico Madrid downed by lowly Malaga

Atletico Madrid 0 - 2 Malaga

(0-1) 3' Duda, (0-2) 70' Javi Lopez

Perhaps they had one eye on their Copa del Rey Semi-final this week, or maybe they took a visit from lowly Malaga too lightly. Either way Atlético Madrid fell to a morale-sapping defeat at the hands of a team that started the day in the relegation zone. Duda hit the first early doors after a teasing cross from the right by Gamez, slipping the ball past De Gea from a tight angle. Atlético had plenty of possession but failed to create any sort of sustained danger and they were punished on 70 minutes when Javi Lopez struck the fatal second. The Copa del Rey and a late push for Europe represents all thats left for Atléticos season.

Sevilla 2 - 1 Valencia
(1-0) 21' Negredo, (2-0) 69' Negredo, (2-1) 90' Navarro

The battle for the Champions League spots ended with Sevilla earning the bragging rights, and closing the gap on Valencia to three points. They also hauled themselves about Mallorca to give a familiar feel to the top four. Negredo set them on the way with a tap-in following a flick on from a corner. His second was sumptuous, as Jesus Navas added another assist to his repertoire back-heeling to Negredo who then chipped Cesar from outside the box. David Villa was nowhere to be seen, as Valencia only really woke up after going two down. They got the goal which keeps their goal difference above Sevillas with a late Navarro header but they will be bitterly disappointed in letting a chance to stamp their authority on third place slip.

Villarreal 0 - 2 Osasuna
(0-1) 15' Juanfran, (0-2) 85' Juanfran

A shocking defensive display from Villarreal, summed up by the hapless Ángel Lopez, sealed Ernesto Valveredes fate as he was sacked shortly after the match. Osasuna hit the 'Yellow Submarine' with two breaks that both found former Real Madrid youth teamer Juanfran slotting past Diego Lopez. Camuñas and Monreal tore Villarreal apart down the left, as the home side offered little in attack and even less in defence. Camacho will be delighted with two away victories on the bounce as Osasuna seem to be saving themselves from their annual battle against the drop. For Villarreal the search begins for a new boss.

 

Xerez 2 - 1 Mallorca

(0-1) 23' Webo, (1-1) 52' Calvo, (2-1) 78' Calvo

Chapin went wild as Carlos Calvo scored two superb goals to give Xerez hope in their search of a miracle escape from the drop. Webo put Mallorca ahead as he planted an excellent diving header past the depairing Renan, and they had the chance to effectively kill off Xerezs hopes when Undiano Mallenco pointed to the spot after Aythami had been adjudged to have felled Aritz Aduriz in the area. The striker picked himself up to take the spotkick, but Renan produced a fantastic dive to repell his effort and the comeback was well and truely on. Xerez have struggled for goals this year, but Calvos first was an absolute scorcher. There appeared to be little on when he picked up the ball a full 30 yards out but he unleashed a rocket that flew past Arouate. The second was just as good as he danced his way into the box before slotting past the keeper. Can they really do it? Their next game against Bilbao away and their home match against Real Madrid in two weeks may give us a clue.

Tenerife 1 - 3 Real Zaragoza

(1-0) 48' Juanlu, (1-1) 76' Suazo (p), (1-2) 79' Colunga, (1-3) 82' Lafita

Tenerife were left to rue their lack of threat infront of goal as they only had a goal from Juanlu to show for their domiannt first 50 minutes. But Real Zaragoza only needed six minutes to smash three past Aragoneses and seal a invaluable three points away from home. The first two came from their new signings: Suazo finding the net from the spot after Arizmendi was tripped in the box, and Colunga dinking the ball over the keeper to mark a dream debut for 'Los Maños'. Lafita left the result in no doubt when he struck an angled beauty from way out, as the battle against the drop took a new twist.

Real Valladolid 1 - 1 Almeria

(0-1) 12' Cruzat, (1-1) 80' Arzo

Getafe 0 - 0 Racing Santander

Real Madrid conquer Riazor 18 years later

Deportivo La Coruña 1 - 3 Real Madrid
(0-1) 13' Granero, (0-2) 40' Benzema (1-2) 86' Riki (p), (1-3) 91' Benzema

The last time they beat Depor in the Riazor, Raul was still working his way through the youth set-up at Atlético. Tonight Real Madrid put an end to 18 years of hurt in Galicia, and all without the main man, Cristiano Ronaldo. A two-match sanction robbed them of the man from Madeira, and an injury crisis robbed them of many more, but they put Deportivo La Coruña to bed with a scintillating first-half display which yielded goals from Granero and Karim Benzema. The Frenchmans goal was all down to a moment of cold-blooded genius from Guti, who was through on goal but decided to back-heel the ball back to Benzema who didnt fail from the middle of the area. The second half saw Madrid take their foot of the gas, and even though Riki converted from the spot after a dubious trip from Sergio Ramos, Benzema sealed the deal in stoppage time after a neat cutback from Arbeloa. The pressure was really on after Barca had beaten Sporting earlier, but Real Madrid had all the answers and proved they can do it without their €96 million man.

Sporting Gijon 0 - 1 Barcelona

(0-1) 30' Pedro

With the players at their disposal, Barcelona are always going to dominate possession, but in stark contrast to last year, this season they are finding it slightly more difficult to find the back of the net away from home. Pedro got the only goal of the match after a defence-splitting pass from Iniesta, racing forward from seemed an offside position to slot past Juan Pablo, but from then on it was wasted chance after wasted chance. Leo Messi and Ibrahimovic were the main culprits, and Guardiola will definitely be worried by a lack of composure infront of goal that Samuel Eto'o used to provide so effectively. Sporting contibuted to an entertaining encounter, but bar a few hairy moment towards the end of the match, they found little change from an organised Barca back four. Zlatan Ibrahimovic finds himself in the middle of a barren run, and Los Cules will certainly sleep easier when the big Swede starts finding the net once more. With Real Madrid earning three points, it's as you were at the top of La Liga.

Espanyol 1 - 0 Athletic Bilbao

(1-0) 58' Luis Garcia

A true battle at the Estadio Cornella, with Espanyol ripping up the form book to dispatch an Atheltic Bilbao side that was sent back to the Basque Country with a number of walking. This was Athletics chance to make a real surge towards the European positions, but were it not for another sterling performance from keeper Gorka Iraizoz, they could have been on the end of a thrashing. In the end a solitary goal from Luis Garcia was enough to give Espanyol a deserved win, lead admirably from midfield by youth-team product Javi Marquez. Fran Yeste was forced off with injury and Ustaritz, Gurpegui and Koikili all finished with niggles, in a game Bilbao will want to forget.

Cristiano Ronaldo travels to Coruña

The Cristiano Ronaldo saga has been running all week in the Spanish press; Should he really have been banned for two matches? Did he really mean to elbow Mtiliga in the face? Was it worse than what Messi did against Sevilla when Marc Valiente bear-hugged him off the ball? First he was banned for two matches, then Real Madrid took the case to the RFEF Court of Appeal. The case was thrown out, and as we all tucked ourselves into bed last night, Cristiano was planning his lonely weekend in Madrid, and writing out a cheque for his astronomical €600 fine.

Yet we woke up this morning to pictures of a Riazor-bound Ronaldo stepping onto the Real Madrid private jet. Did Ronaldo volunteer to cheer his teammates on from the stands? Was Paris Hilton in Galicia for the weekend? No, Real Madrid have taken the case even further and appealed to the Spanish Committee of Sporting Discipline.

In a move of desparate proportions, Real Madrid are using every measure available to get the Portuguese star on the pitch come saturday night. In fairness, they're well within their rights to resort to these legal loopholes, especially with an injury crisis which has robbed them of Garay, Lass, Higuaín, Van der Vaart, Gago and Diarra for the match against Depor. But it gets worse, if what has been reported is to be believed. In a show of utter disrespect towards Malaga and Patrick Mtiliga, Real Madrid have even asked the RFEF to send a doctor to examine the players nose. To see if it really is broken. Unbelievable.

Their reaction to the whole affair is winning them, and Cristiano, few friends, not that they'll mind of course. More damaging will be the damning verdict sent out to the rest of the squad: we havn't got much of a chance without Ronny. It might even be that in lengthening the process, Ronaldo misses out on later fixtures such as those against Valencia and Barca. It would be exactly what they deserve.

Copa del Rey Quarter-final Results: Atletico scrape through

They didnt do it the easy way, but then they never do. Atletico Madrid travelled to Vigo needing to score to go through, and once Diego Forlan had put them infront after a disastrous error from centre-back Noguerol, they had the even tougher task of shutting up shop. Aided by another monumental display from Dominguez and a controversial disallowed goal from Trashorras, they held on and Racing Santander await in what promises to be an electric semi-final, with the first installment next week in the Vicente Calderon.


In the tie that would decide who would face Sevilla in the other semi-final, Mallorca saw their cup run ended by Getafe, even though they managed a 1-0 win on the night. Artiz Aduriz got the goal and it could all have been so different had the striker converted a 30th minute penalty that was repelled by Ustari. The Madrileños suffered during a hard-fought second half but they held on to reach their second semi-final in two years.

Yesterday saw Deportivo La Coruña crash out despite pulling one goal back on aggregate in the Sanchez Pizjuan on the stroke of half-time through Bodipo. Sevilla waltzed through a match that will be mostly remembered for being one of the most boring ever. Pity the fans that paid good money to watch this. Both sides never looked interested, with Lotina using the match as a training session for his youth team. In the nights other tie, that man Sergio Canales inspired his team to another victory with an exquisite free-kick that wrapped up a 0-3 win which sends the Cantabrians into the semis. Everyone expected Osasuna to come racing out of the blocks to try and drag themselves back in the tie after losing in Santander 2-1. Yet it was Racing that took the initiative and within 25 minutes they were already two goals to the good. Miguel Portugal has really turned things around at the Sardinero and a place in the last four of the cup is his reward.

Copa del Rey Quarter-Final Results:

Sevilla 0 - 1 Deportivo La Coruña (Sevilla through 3-1 on aggregate)

Osasuna 0 - 3 Racing Santander (Racing through 5-1 on aggregate)
Celta Vigo 0 - 1 Atlético Madrid (Atlético through 2-1 on aggregate)
Getafe 0 - 1 Mallorca (Getafe through 2-2 on away goals rule)

Copa del Rey Semi-Finals:

Sevilla v Getafe
Atlético Madrid v Racing Santander

Phantom penalty for Spain Indoor Team

Oblivious to Cristiano Ronaldos two-match ban and the childish furore surrounding it's fairness, the Spanish Indoor football team are in Hungary, striving to follow in the footsteps of their illustrious counterparts in the 11-a-side format, by lifting the Futsal European Championship trophy. But their bid almost came to a catastrophic and controversial end when during their Quarter-final shootout with Russia, the referee signalled that a penalty struck by Javi Rodriguez, that would have sent them through to the semis, had hit the bar, when everyone else in the arena saw the ball crash against the back of the net. Cue absolute mayhem as the Spanish players went beserk, remostrating for several minutes before calm was eventually restored. Luckily for the Spaniards, their keeper Luis Amado saved the following Russian penalty to send them through, and avoid a Thierry Henry-esque witch-hunt. It's not quite Pedro Mendes V Man United territory, but it's not far off.

Thierry Henry: The end of a legend?

Ever since his big-money move from Arsenal to Barcelona, Thierry Henry has flattered to deceive. There have been flashes of the old Thierry in his three seasons at the Camp Nou, but nothing sustained, which for followers of Spanish football is a huge pity. In his days under Arsene Wenger, Thierry was utterly sublime and is without a doubt one of the finest strikers The Premiership has ever seen. Many criticised Wenger for letting his compatriot leave, but if anything the managers foresight has been proved spot on.

Reasons for Henrys decline could well be personal; a divorce from his wife and a legal struggle for custody of his daughter. They could be physical; he's no spring chicken and has lost a yard of that famous pace. When you watch him now, he struggles to find space that used to come so naturally. The technique is still there, but the sharpness has gone. He blames an ongoing injury for his latest run of poor form, but whatever has been holding him back, he may well find himself on the bench for some time as his succesor Pedro goes from strength to strength. The World Cup will be 'Titis' swansong before he makes a decision on his future, with a move to the US Major League or Saudi Arabia most likely: the guaranteed golden twilight for the modern day retiring star. Have we seen the last of Thierry the Great?

From where you are

So far away from where you are
These miles have torn us worlds apart
And I miss you
Yeah, I miss you
So far away from where you are
Standing underneath the stars
And I wish you were here

I miss the years that were erased
I miss the way the sunshine would light up your face
I miss all the little things I never thought that they’d mean everything to me
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

I feel the beating of your heart
I see the shadows of your face
Just know that wherever you are
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

I miss the years that were erased
I miss the way the sunshine would light up your face
I miss all the little things
I never thought that they’d mean everything to me
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

So far away from where you are
These miles have torn us worlds apart
And I miss you
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

Rafael Nadal crash out ..

Down and out, injured injured .... Sigh.

It's the end of the road for Rafa Nadal in this year Australia Open. He won't be defending his crown he won 12months ago, utterly disappointed but what can you do, his knee continues to hurt him in every way. Hopefully he doesn't be out for long. Get Well RAFA!!

Cristiano Ronaldo Red Card: Deserved?

Cristiano Ronaldo recieved his marching orders for the second time in a Real Madrid shirt this weekend for a forearm smash (I'm not convinced it was the elbow that connected) on Patrick Mtiliga of Málaga; but was it deserved? I feel a degree of sympathy for Cristiano, but in my humble opinion he had to go. The winger must be sick of defenders grabbing chunks of his shirt, in a  attempt to halt his rapid progress , but he needs to learn to not take the law into his own hands and allow the referees to do their job.

Easier said than done though with some of crazy decisions they band around. It would have been wise of Cristiano to have waited for the man in black to blow his trusty whistle and show a yellow card to the defender; not swing his arms wildly behind him, as any contact could be construed, as it was in this case, as gross misconduct worthy of a red card. A battered and bruised Mtiliga has admirably come out in defence of Ronaldo, stating he's confident CR9 didnt mean to break his nose, simply escape his attentions. Yet he still claims a red card was probably fair. Agree? Disagree?

Deportivos Filipe Luis out for 6 months

After operating on Filipe Luis' ankle, surgeon Rafael Arriaza believes the Brazilian could be back on the football pitch within six months. Filipe was rushed into the operating theatre almost as soon as he arrived at the hospital, as one of the main arteries was being obstructed, which could well have led to amputation had it been left for too long. Filipe suffered a terrifying three centimetre dislocation of the ankle along with a fracture of the fibula. Those who were with the player after the incident claimed he was 'as serene as a bullfighter that has just been gored by a bull', telling everyone to calm down and insisting everything was fine. Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper, Gorka Iraizoz, whose unfortunate fall caused Filipes ankle to twist, even claimed the Deportivo star had told him to cheer up as they met after his operation. An absolute inspiration and let's hope the full-back, who was being closely montiored by both Barcelona and Real Madrid, makes a speedy recovery and returns the incredibly talented player he undoubtedly is.

La Liga Sunday: Cristiano Ronaldo - The good, the bad and the ugly

Real Madrid 2 - 0 Malaga

(1-0) 35' Cristiano Ronaldo, (2-0) 39' Cristiano Ronaldo

It takes them a while to get going, during which they are normally indebted to Casillas and poor finishing from their opponents, but it only takes a couple of flashes of excellence to get Real Madrid out of jail and on the road to three points. Today it was Cristiano Ronaldo who took on the responsibility and cracked in two goals to put Malaga out of sight. Yet his brilliance sometimes comes at a cost, and todays was an disgraceful elbow in the face of Mtiliga which earned him a red card and sees him banned from next weeks tricky match against Deportivo. The Galaticos are still not gelling as a unit (bar that sweet move for the first goal!), but as long as they can keep on Barcas tail, when the machine finally clicks they could certainly mount a serious challenge for the league. Trouble for Pelligrini is that it's taking far too long. Next weeks match at the Riazor will be pivotal.

READ ON FOR HIGHLIGHTS OF ALL TONIGHTS LA LIGA MATCHES

Getafe 1 - 0 Atletico Madrid
(1-0)38' Manu

Atlético Madrid had never lost before in the Coliseum, but today they never showed any signs of continuing that record with a performance so shocking, a 1-0 scoreline didnt do it justice. De Gea saved them on countless occasions, with Getafe deserving much more than the solitary goal from Manu, who is enjoying a sweet run of form. Assuncaos second sending off in ten days rounded off a dismal day for Atletico. Their defence isn't quite Real Zaragoza territory, but not far off. They'll be no Copa del Rey on this evidence.

Tenerife 0 - 0 Valencia

Valencia were expected to leave Tenerife with three points in the backpocket, yet it will be Tenerife who will look back on a lost opportunity to claim maximum points. Cesar, for once, played a blinder and pretty much took on Tenerife on his own as Silva, Mata and Pablo Hernandez didnt click as they so usually do, with even David Villa enduring a torrid afternoon. The 'alternative' for La Liga are not really an alternative at all, more like contenders for third.

Villarreal 4 - 2 Real Zaragoza

(1-0) 3' Capdevila, (2-0) 19' Nilmar (3-0) 25' Rossi, (3-1) 75' Eliseu, (3-2) 82' Lafita, (4-2) 87' Ibergaza

After being handed a pasting by Valencia last week, Ernesto Valverde must have smiled when he saw that their next fixture was Real Zaragoza at home. Guaranteed three points he must have thought. And he wasnt wrong as Zaragoza proved that whilst their defending is suspect at La Romareda, away from home it is non-existent. Whoever their defensive coach is, that's if there even is one, he should take a long hard look in the mirror, because the message is not getting across. 25 minutes of some of the most shocking defending you'll ever see saw Villarreal smash in three goals and a rout was on. Much to Mr Gays credit, his team came out in the second half psyched, and a comeback was on the cards as they brought it back to 3-2, only for Ibergaza to destroy the dream with three minutes left. This 'Chupete' Suazo character looks like more money well spent by Zaragoza....all those goals he's banging in.

Xerez 1 - 2 Osasuna

(1-0) 9' Monreal, (1-1) 22' Bermejo, (1-2) 83' Camuñas

Poor old Xerez. Before the match you feel a sense of renewed hope around the stadium. The stands were full, unusual for a match against Osasuna, the manager had named an attacking line-up the day before, and the players were on the pitch going through punishing drills for 45 minutes before the match. Nestor Gorosito has definitely brought in a higher level of professionalism around the club, but the sad truth is the players aren't up to the grade. They fell behind to a cracking early goal from Monreal, the young full-back striving to be involved in Spains South African adventure this summer. Xerez quickly hit back with a stunning goal of their own as Momo teed up Bermejo to round off an electric team move. Trouble for Xerez is that normally if you dont have quality you have to make up for it with physical presence and fitness levels akin to those of olympians. By the end they were running on empty, and ex-Xerez man Camunñas made them pay by slotting in with seven minutes left. They're going down.

Espanyol 1 - 1 Mallorca

(1-0) 49' Osvaldo, (1-1) 80' Borja Valero

Sporting Gijon 0 - 1 Racing Santander

(0-1) 44' Geijo

La Liga Saturday Highlights: Barcelona streak 8 points clear

Real Valladolid 0 - 3 Barcelona

(0-1) 20' Xavi, (0-2) 22' Dani Alves, (0-3) 54' Messi

Barcelona reached the halfway point of the season unbeaten with yet another sublime performance which saw them reach 23 goals away from home. A breathtaking break saw Xavi put them infront before a cross-come-shot from Alves put them further ahead two minutes later. Leo Messi had never scored against Real Valladolid before today, so he decided to put that right when he smashed in following some good work from Ibrahimovic in the area. 15 league goals puts the Rosario-born genius in pole position for the Pichichi. Real Valladolid certainly made Victor Valdes work hard, with the keeper doing his best to keep his name in Del Bosques mind as the World Cup creeps ever closer. You have to wonder what Valdes has got to do to get a look-in. 8 points now separate Barca from Real Madrid, who will be under pressure to get what looks on paper like a guaranteed three points against Málaga in the Bernabeu.

READ ON FOR REPORTS AND HIGHLIGHTS OF TONIGHTS MATCHES

Sevilla 1 - 0 Almería
(1-0) 9' Negredo

It was far from convincing from Sevilla, but following a rout at Depor, they've now put an end to a run of four league defeats on the bounce, by getting back to winning ways with a 1-0 win over Almería in the Sanchez Pizjuan. Alvaro Negredo got the early goal after a backpass from Acasiete got bogged down in a puddle which allowed Renato to reach the ball before the keeper, who squared it to Negredo who was left with a simple tap-in. Sevilla showed that they still havnt found their feet after what has been a dreadful start to 2010 in the league, and there were jeers from the crowd as only Navas and Perotti showed any sort of ambition after the goal. Struggling Almería outplayed their hosts, with Corona and Crusat tormenting the Sevilla full-backs (Stankevicius is looking like a dreadful buy), but it wasn't enough to stop manager Juanma Lillo falling to his first defeat. Manolo Jimenez will be feeling the heat, even with this win, as he consistently fails to get his team playing with the same verve and swagger of one or two years ago.

Deportivo La Coruña 3 - 1 Athletic Bilbao

(1-0) 49' Filipe, (2-0) 59' Juca, (2-1) 79' Colotto (o.g), (3-1) 89' Pablo Álvarez

A match marked by a horrifying ankle injury to talented full-back Luis Filipe as he clashed with Bilbao keeper Gorka Iraizoz when putting Depor infront. It seemed innocuous enough, and many thought the goal had been disallowed for offside as the Deportivo players put their hands on their heads. Yet it quickly became clear that Filipe was in a bad way and the Brazilian was quickly rushed to hospital. The home team put the shock behind them quickly as they made it 2-0 with a fortunate deflection. Colotto made a horrendous error to give Athletic hope, but a delightful Valeron assist allowed Pablo Álvarez to make the points safe in the fight for the fourth Champions League spot. Bilbao dominated the first half, with two goals disallowed, but their intensity disappeared after the break as Coruña took the chances that came their way to shoot up to fourth in La Liga.

Sergio Canales: Real Madrid or Manchester City?

The meetings held between Racing Santander and Real Madrid last week, regarding the future of La Ligas newest star, Sergio Canales, seemed to have destined the player for the Bernabeu, but their chances of landing the player now hang in the balance. The players father, and agent, Ángel Canales had spent most of last week in England talking to various clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City among them, with representatives of the Manchester club even seen arriving today at Santander Airport, in an attempt to strike a deal.

The richest club in the world have slapped a huge offer on the table which has more than tempted Santander president Francisco Pernía, with a large contract on offer  for the youngster. Real Madrid, perhaps wary of how much they sprayed around last summer, have now stated that they will not enter into a costly price-war, and that the player has one week to accept or decline their offer. It's unfortunate that the player is already the subject of a tug-of-war between some of the biggest clubs in Europe so soon after taking La Liga by storm with some classy goalscoring displays in his role just behind the front two, but what seems clear is that wherever he decides to go, he will be given at least one year more to develop at Racing. He also has the benefit of having his father as his agent and not some money-grabbing mercenary who would simply sell him to the highest bidder with little regard for his personal development. The future of Sergio Canales appears in safe hands.

American Idol Season 9

Yes it's back, and it started last week on Astro.

Hands down, champion up to date is this :

Real Madrids Albanian Adventure: Gramozi 1 - 2 Real Madrid

Strange that halfway through the season, when teams are about to enter into the business end of proceedings, that Real Madrid should make a mid-week jaunt to Albania for a friendly against Gramozi Ersekë: a type of marketing exercise usually reserved for pre-season. Rumour has it that the president of their Albanian rivals, Rezart Taci, paid Real Madrid €2.5 million to play the Taci Oil Cup, a figure that Real pay out to Cristiano in wages every four months. As it was Real Madrid won through 1-2, and flew away from Tirana injury-free.

But it was certainly a huge risk to play Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom have only recently returned from long injury lay-offs, on a pitch that had ligament damage written all over it. It also remains to be seen what will be the mental and physical cost of a trip to the other end of Europe, but what can be said is that given that they've already been knocked out of the cup, there was no reason not to earn a tidy sum of euros, whilst spreading the Real Madrid love to pastures new and giving a run out to players who have hardly featured in recent weeks; namely Raul, Guti, Dudek, Metzelder and Granero.

_

The main bonus Manuel Pelligrini will take away from Albania was the return to goalscoring form of Kaká and Benzema, although the Frenchman also showed that his confidence still hasn't fully recovered since his move from Lyon. Unfortunately for the Albanians, whilst beforehand they wanted to show the world that one of Europes poorest countries could play host to one of the worlds greatest teams, all people are talking about after is the 90 minute blackout which plunged the stadium in darkness. No shame in that, given their financial situation severely limiting the facilities available, and Gramozi certainly did the country proud with a determined display that almost yielded a creditable draw.                        

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Back home in Madrid, the end is nigh for Ruud Van Nistlerooys stay in the spanish capital, with the dutch hitman on the verge of a move either back to the Premiership or to the Bundesliga, with Tottenham, Stoke and Hamburg all interested. Fernando Gago has also agreed a loan move to Boca Juniors which will see the midfielder move back home to Argentina until at least the end of this seaon.

Year 2009 - Finale

Here it is, the 2 final remaining months that I've left out! Probably the most fun part of the year because work was rather more relaxing as it is year end and i traveled & partied a lot! So here goes =) Enjoy!!

November - I finally celebrate babies birthday, the big 21st! I surprised baby a birthday dinner @ one of her favorite restaurant, which is at KL Tower! We took bunch of fun photos with my iphone, and to be honest the food isn't that bad, it's a buffet style which Western, Asian, Local choices to choose from. Not forgetting i got her a pair of matching fins with her mask for diving :D

November was also the month my gf's parents came down for a month specially for her cousins wedding. It was held in Concorde hotel, would like to congratulate them once again, very kind and friendly people =) Glad to know them. Unfortunately i did not save the pictures from my gf's camera, so i stole some of her shots from her blog, haha! We headed to Phuture after the wedding to have some after party, but we did not spend long there..

December - Woohoo, the final month of the year! We started the month by going a week to Pattaya, Thailand!! It was actually my gf's parents gift to her, but they invited me to come along in the end, but with my baby's brilliant idea, she booked an extra 2nights 3days in Bangkok after Pattaya. We had loads of fun in Pattaya, i din't know there was so many things to do there, definitely a place i will go back to someday. We went places like Tiger Zoo, The Tiffany Show, Flight Of The Gibbons & Diving~ I would definitely not dive in Pattaya again, the dive sites are like 2hours away, and we did only 2 dives.. Omg, super boring.. But if u do go there, please take an effort to try doing those i have listed, they are really fun! *I FINALLY PET A TIGER* :D

Tiger nursing the baby pigs

Bangkok, what can i say? SHOP SHOP SHOP SHOP SHOP & SHOP ! My gf went nuts there, we went to a shopping mall 3 times in 3 days -__- Platinum mall if you wanna know. I went a little crazy too, i ended up buying a custom made suit and getting my first ever camera! A Cannon G11 & the underwater housing!! But i am so happy with the stuffs i bought, really worth it! HEHE

Where?

The Dome Sirocco!

Having dinner with Jean Marc

Tuk-Tuk !

My Canon G11 Housing Case

Cam-Whoring in the plane :D

We celebrated Christmas with a family dinner, and did the countdown or small gathering at Sharon's house at Mont Kiara.

December is also the month of my mom's birthday, we did normal dinner stuffs and cut the cake back at home.

Mom opening her present

We end the year by going Koh Lipe as most of you readers know =) I am too lazy to post those pictures up again, so if you missed it, you can always go back to my previous entry. But before i end this long post, i would like to also post the final farewell party we did in Velvet Zouk!

Its been a long year of traveling, and i absolutely loved every trip we made together. There were ups and downs but thats the fun of holidays i guess, even better being in the same roof with my gf for 8months has been wonderful. Never felt lonely or bored even for a bit, i can't wait for my journey to start again this coming September when my baby re-visits me again :) We have already planned where to go, but i wont be revealing anything til it's confirmed! So 2010, HERE I COMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!