Lionel Messi will miss the next three weeks after suffering the recurrence of a groin injury as Atletico Madrid came from behind to hold Barcelona 1-1 at the Camp Nou on Wednesday (Sep 21).

Ivan Rakitic headed Barca into the lead just before half-time, but Angel Correa slotted home on the hour mark just seconds after Messi limped off to hand Atletico a deserved point.

Earlier, Real Madrid’s record-equalling 16-game La Liga win streak came to an end as Villarreal drew 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid continued to lead Barca by three points at the top of the table with Atletico a further point back in fourth. Sevilla, who beat Real Betis on Tuesday, remain in second place.

“To lose Lionel Messi means football loses and we lose,” said Barca boss Luis Enrique. “Now we have to look for other solutions. With Leo we are much stronger, but without him we are still a strong team.”

Messi is set to miss Barca’s next three games at Sporting Gijon and Celta Vigo in La Liga and Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League, as well as Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Paraguay.

The five-time World Player of the Year missed Argentina’s last qualifier in Venezuela earlier this month due to a similar injury.

Barca’s stellar front three of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar had struck 10 times in their last two games, but were kept largely quiet by Atletico’s typically rock-solid defence.

Messi had the first effort on goal, but his fierce effort was comfortably handled by Jan Oblak in the Atletico goal.

The hosts had to wait until four minutes before the break to seriously threaten again when they took the lead.

Atletico momentarily switched off as a corner from the left was played short to Andres Iniesta and his cross was powered home by the late arriving Rakitic.

However, Barca’s joy was short-lived, first by a double injury blow and then Correa’s leveller.

Sergio Busquets was first to limp off before Messi went down to the consternation of the Camp Nou.

The Argentine’s replacement Arda Turan had barely taken up his position when Atletico levelled as Correa coolly slotted home after Javier Mascherano’s slip offered him a clear path to goal.

Barca came closest to finding a winner in the final half hour as a fierce drive from Neymar was repelled by Oblak, whilst Jordi Alba and Rakitic fired off target. However, in the end both settled for a point which keeps them within touch of Real.

At the Bernabeu, the European champions were looking to surpass the Liga mark of 16 wins first set by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2010/11, but were made to pay for a sluggish first-half display.

“We lacked intensity in the first-half,” said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane. “The second-half was great from everyone, but you can’t always win the three points at the end. We know we have to work hard and change things, above all how we start the game.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale returned to the Madrid side that won 2-0 at Espanyol on Sunday.

However, Villarreal were the better side in the first-half and got their reward just before half-time when Sergio Ramos handled Manu Trigueros’s shot and referee Jose Luis Gonzalez pointed to the spot.

Captain Bruno Soriano stepped up and coolly chipped the ball down the middle of the goal past Casilla.

Ramos made amends right at the start of the second-half when he rose highest to head home James Rodriguez’s corner.

Ronaldo was then inches away from turning home Dani Carvajal’s low cross and Bale curled just wide as the pressure increased from Madrid. However, their frustration spilled over when Ronaldo earned a yellow card for kicking out at Bruno.

The off-colour Bale was then replaced by Lucas Vazquez, whilst Karim Benzema made way for Alvaro Morata in the search for a winner.

Morata’s header from Vazquez’s cross was brilliantly turned over by Asenjo and when Ronaldo fired straight at the Villarreal stopper in the final minute, Real’s shot at history was gone.

Spanish La Liga results:

Celta Vigo 2 Sporting Gijon 1
Real Madrid 1 Villarreal 1
Granada 1 Athletic Bilbao 2
Real Sociedad 4 Las Palmas 1
Barcelona 1 Atletico Madrid 1

Source AFP

A Chinese consortium looking to purchase AC Milan has been accused of providing false documents during its initial negotiations with the Serie A giants, according to reports on Wednesday (Sep 21).

Sino-Europe Sports Investment Management Changxing Co, led by businessman Li Yonghong, has already paid €100 million to Fininvest, the holding company of AC Milan owner and president Silvio Berlusconi, who is expected to sign off on the €740 million deal by the end of the year.

But a report by the Bloomberg financial news site, which cites a statement from the Chinese lender whose name appears on the documents, alleges that false documents were used in the initial negotiations.

The report claims Sino-Europe Sports provided documents on “what appears to be Bank of Jiangsu Co. stationery, purporting to show transaction details of a consortium member’s corporate account”.

It added that “after reviewing the matter, Bank of Jiangsu found it hadn’t issued any such document detailing the account’s transactions”.

In a statement to AFP on Wednesday, Fininvest said it would “not confirm” that it had received the documents in question, adding: “and we do not intend to comment on the affair.”

The Bloomberg report claims, however, that: “Fininvest checked the soundness of the buyers through contacts with Chinese financial institutions, and it continues to work to finalize the deal by the end of the year.”

The claims, reported widely in the Italian media, have cast a shadow over a deal that could see Milan, one of the world’s legendary football clubs, following in the footsteps of city rivals Inter Milan in being sold to Chinese investors.

Inter, Italy’s last Champions League winners, in 2010, are now owned by the Chinese group Suning, who bought a majority stake in the club several months ago from Indonesian Erick Thohir.

AC Milan already pulled out of one deal with Chinese investors last year, and recently the new bid was hit by doubts.

Sino-Europe Sports issued a statement last week to quash claims it was struggling to gather the necessary funds for a successful takeover.

“Sino-Europe Sports confirms that everything is progressing rapidly towards the closing for the acquisition of Milan,” the statement said.

“Yesterday [on Friday] David Han took part in a series of planned meetings with his advisers and Fininvest. All the parties are working to close the deal in the planned timescale.”

According to preliminary negotiations between the parties, the deal is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

Source AFP

Paris St Germain suffered their second defeat of the Ligue 1 season when they lost 2-0 at Toulouse after being reduced to 10 men on Friday.

The champions succumbed to second-half goals by Yann Bodiger and Jimmy Durmaz as they dropped to third in the table with 13 points from seven games.

Toulouse are now second on 14 points, trailing Nice on goal difference before the leaders travel to Nancy on Sunday.

PSG, without Hatem Ben Arfa after the forward was omitted from the squad for the fourth match in a row by coach Unai Emery, were nervy after having Serge Aurier sent off in the 46th minute.

The visitors made a cautious start to the game but soon upped the pace and went close three times before the break.

Keeper Alban Lafont denied Edinson Cavani from point-blank range with a superb save on the half-hour.

Cavani then connected with Maxwell’s 41st-minute cross following a sweeping move but Lafont parried the Uruguayan’s header.

Three minutes later Aurier’s header was cleared from just under the bar by defender Christopher Jullien.

Toulouse were the stronger team at the beginning of the second half and Bodiger converted a penalty in the 48th minute after Aurier fouled Ola Toivonen and picked up his second yellow card.

PSG forward Javier Pastore went on for Brazilian Lucas in the 57th minute but made little impact.

Durmaz put the result beyond doubt 11 minutes from time by beating keeper Alphonse Areola from close range after intercepting a poor Thiago Motta pass.

Monaco, handed their first defeat by Nice on Wednesday, can go top by beating Angers on Saturday.

Source REUTERS / AFP