Slate on Soccer: Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo and USWNT vs. USMNT

Much like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning - two of the all-time greats in the NFL, for as long as Lionel Messi (22 goals, 10 assists) and Cristiano Ronaldo (30 goals, 11 assists) are both alive, they will always be compared and contrasted online, in living rooms, workplaces and bars around the world. After Barcelona’s surprising 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad on Saturday, Messi has now gone four matches without a goal (his longest stretch since May 2011) while Ronaldo scored a goal in Real Madrid’s 4-0 win vs. SD Eibar. The Portuguese star became the first player ever to score 30-plus goals in six straight La Liga seasons which is a pretty remarkable feat. 

USWNT Takes a Stand

The U.S. women’s national team is making plenty of news both on and off the field these days as five of their players recently filed a wage-discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission late last month. The disparity in pay between the U.S. men’s and women’s team (which is much more successful) is striking in 2016 when you could easily argue (with plenty of numbers to back it up) that the women’s team is both more popular and profitable than their male counterparts. Co-captain and defender Becky Sauerbrunn even suggested on Monday that her team could boycott the upcoming Rio Olympics this summer if their salary demands aren’t met by then.

The Beat Goes on for the UConn Women’s Basketball of Soccer

While it hasn’t quite reached the absurd level of the Huskies’ dominance in college basketball, the U.S. women have re-emerged as a superpower in world soccer with few peers that can come close to their peak level. They beat Colombia 7-0 last Wednesday in Hartford and 3-0 on Sunday in Philly. In 2016, Jill Ellis’ club is 11-0-0 and they’ve outscored opponents 42-1. Their next match - June 2 vs. Japan in Colorado - should provide much more of a test for the best women’s team in the world. 

Checking In With Some Talented American Players In Europe

 If you are a fan of the U.S. men’s team, two names that you should know are defender Matt Miazga (Chelsea) and midfielder Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund). You read that correctly, two young Americans are currently playing for two of the top clubs in Europe and really challenging themselves to get better (what a concept!) instead of choosing to dominate inferior players in MLS. The 20-year-old Miazga started for Chelsea in their 1-0 loss to Swansea City on Saturday while 17-year-old Pulisic started up front in Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with Schalke on Sunday. Keep it up guys.  

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UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid seek redemption for first-leg Wolfsburg humiliation

Real Madrid are determined to create an intimidating atmosphere for visitors VfL Wolfsburg as they try to overturn a two-goal deficit in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

"Tuesday will be like a war, with 80,000 spectators; we are going to try and walk all over Wolfsburg," said defender Dani Carvajal.

"We're going to play to the death and with 80,000 souls behind us we will do it," added winger Lucas Vazquez.

Forward Cristiano Ronaldo told the club website (www.realmadrid.com): "We need to have cold hearts and play with patience and know how to suffer. Getting through is our big objective, it's the only thing that will let the players and fans leave the stadium happy."

Madrid are third in La Liga and enjoyed a 4-0 win over Eibar on Saturday to close the gap with leaders Barcelona to four points, lifting their confidence after the shock 2-0 defeat at Wolfsburg last Wednesday.

The German side are eighth in the Bundesliga and were held 1-1 by Mainz on Saturday. Coach Dieter Hecking made four changes from the team that beat Madrid and was without Julian Draxler, the outstanding player last week, through suspension.

Real, 10-times European champions, have a history littered with great comebacks at the Bernabeu, beginning with a 5-1 win over Derby County in the 1975 European Cup after they had lost 4-1 in England.

Madrid beat Inter Milan 3-0 to reach the final of the 1985 UEFA Cup after losing the semi-final first leg 2-0, when midfielder Juanito famously warned Inter: "Ninety minutes in the Bernabeu is a very long time".

Madrid also staged successful second-leg comebacks against Celtic, Anderlecht, Red Star Belgrade and Borussia Moenchengladbach but their reputation as miracle workers is waning and they last overturned a deficit in

2002 when they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Bernabeu in a quarter-final second leg on their way to winning the trophy.

Since then, Madrid have lost eight first-leg games in the Champions League knockout stages and failed to progress every time, exiting last season's tournament to Juventus 3-2 on aggregate and managing only a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 semi-finals after losing the first leg 4-1.

Yet Madrid's self belief remains strong.

"We're going to turn it around because everyone who comes to the stadium and follows us deserves it, our badge deserves it and we work all year for those big nights," said defender Nacho.

"Real Madrid's history was written on nights like these and I hope we can do it again on Tuesday," added director and former striker Emilio Butragueno, who played in the famous comebacks against Inter, Anderlecht and Gladbach.

Wolfsburg, though, are equally determined. "On Tuesday we'll be at 100 million percent, we're going to run as if our lives depended on it," forward Andre Schurrle told German news agency DPA.

"Since we beat Real Madrid the entire city has been talking about that game and the second leg. It won't be easy."

Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane were injured against Eibar but trained on Sunday and are expected to return to face Wolfsburg.

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Cristiano Ronaldo sets goal record as Real Madrid thrash Eibar, Fernando Torres lifts Atletico Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to hit 30 La Liga goals in six consecutive seasons as he inspired Real Madrid to a 4-0 thrashing of Eibar on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Fernando Torres was on target again as Atletico Madrid triumphed 3-1 at Espanyol.

Ronaldo netted in the 19th minute and also provided passes for Lucas Vazquez and Jese to score as the hosts stormed into a 4-0 halftime lead.

James Rodriguez had opened Real’s account with a curling free kick in the fifth minute.

Real are third in the league on 72 points, one behind Atletico and four adrift of Barcelona who play Real Sociedad later on Saturday.

Coach Zinedine Zidane made eight changes to the team that suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at VfL Wolfsburg in the Champions League in midweek with only Ronaldo, Pepe and Casemiro keeping their places.

Brazilian right back Danilo was booed by the home fans for his disappointing display at Wolfsburg when he came on in the second half but it was an otherwise positive afternoon for Real who host Wolfsburg in their quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.

Rodriguez was criticised for being caught laughing on the sidelines in Germany in midweek but the Colombia international lifted the crowd by scoring early on, his first goal in just under two months.

A fine piece of skill from Ronaldo allowed Vazquez to pass the ball into an empty net in the 18th minute before the record-breaker finished off a cut-back from the lively Jese a minute later.

Ronaldo returned the favour for the 23-year-old in the 39th minute as Real made it 4-0.

Eibar’s top scorer Borja Baston hit the crossbar in a rare attack for the visitors who are 10th in the table.

Fernando Torres lifts Atletico Madrid

Torres bounced back from his sending-off in the midweek Champions League defeat to Barca by scoring his third goal in as many games, cancelling out Papa Diop’s opener in the 29th minute for Espanyol.

France international Antoine Griezmann grabbed his 20th league goal of the season to put the visitors ahead on 58 minutes and midfielder Koke sealed the points for Diego Simeone’s side with a close-range finish in the 89th.

Simeone made one change from the team that lost 2-1 at the Nou Camp, replacing Saul Niguez with Augusto Fernandez.

Torres hit the bar early on but Senegal midfielder Diop headed Espanyol in front from a corner.

The former Chelsea and Liverpool striker equalised by converting a pass from Koke.

Torres was then also involved in the other goals by Griezmann and Koke.

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/cristiano-ronaldo-sets-goal-record-as-real-madrid-thrash-eibar/#sthash.vO8EYSYZ.dpuf

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Oliver Kahn reveals he's "seen more of Cristiano Ronaldo's six-pack than his wife's breasts" lately

The internet went mad after Real Madrid uploaded a photo from their dressing room after their victory in El Clasico - mainly because it featured Cristiano Ronaldo in just his pants.

And while we have many questions that need answering about that photo, one individual genuinely was mad about it. Furious, in fact. Step forward Mr Oliver Kahn .

Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Kahn said, "Lately, I've been seeing more of Cristiano Ronaldo's six-pack than my own wife's breasts."

What. A. Line. Suffice to say that Oliver Kahn is not impressed.

Now, we've never seen Mrs Kahn's breasts and we very much doubt you have either (if you're saying you have, we'll happily call you a liar. Unless it's you reading, Oliver, in which case we're very, very sorry and please don't come over and beat us up).

But we see where he's coming from on the whole Ronaldo showing off thing.

And here - why is he showering outside? SURELY Ronaldo can afford a holiday which allows him the chance to shower indoors? You're just doing it for the sake of it.

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Cristiano Ronaldo calls on Real Madrid fans to help overcome Wolfsburg

Cristiano Ronaldo has issued a rallying call to Real Madrid supporters before Tuesday’s crunch Champions League clash with Wolfsburg, urging them to play their part on what could be a “magical, perfect night” at the Bernabéu.

Madrid must overturn a 2-0 deficit from last week’s first leg in Germany if they are to reach the semi-finals of the competition for a sixth successive season.

Cristiano Ronaldo sets another La Liga goal record as Real Madrid thrash Eibar

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Recent history is against Madrid, with the Spanish giants having failed to recover from a first-leg away defeat on the last five occasions, but Ronaldo is confident it will be a different story this time.

“Tuesday will be a perfect night, it will be magical, with your [Real Madrid fans] support we’re going to give our best on the pitch and we’re going to get through the tie,” Ronaldo told the club’s website.

“Playing well, with the players on the pitch, those on the bench and with the 80,000 people who I would love to see in the stadium supporting the team, because that’s going to give us a very big boost. I hope it will be a magical night, I’m really excited.”

First-half goals from Ricardo Rodríguez and Maximilian Arnold earned Wolfsburg a valuable lead in their first appearance in the last eight as Madrid were brought crashing back to earth following their impressive league win over Barcelona.

Madrid responded to the European setback with a 4-0 win over Eibar at the weekend, their seventh victory in eight games and a result that helped them move back to within four points of stuttering leaders Barça.

Ronaldo says morale is high in the camp but knows they need everything to come together if they are to get past Wolfsburg and keep alive hopes of a record 11th European Cup title.

The midfielder Toni Kroos added: “It will be important to get the upper hand early on. We don’t want it to still be 0-0 at half-time We have to play attacking football, without doubt, but we have to play wisely.”“The team have confidence, the coach has confidence and the fans have to have confidence as well,” he added. “It has to be a perfect night. All the different aspects are important. The players have to run, fight and be intense throughout the 90 minutes. Also, we have to have cool heads, patience and be prepared to suffer.”

Wolfsburg are bracing themselves for a Madrid onslaught but the forward André Schürrle believes the longer they can keep the game goalless the better it is likely to be for them.

“It’s going to be a brutally hard game,” said Schürrle, who has scored five of Wolfsburg’s last eight goals. “We’re going to have to run as if our lives depended on it.

“Real are warned. The atmosphere’s going to be electric and if we can get to half-time with the score at 0-0 or with us in front, I know their fans are going to get unsettled.”

Wolfsburg warmed up for the trip to Spain with a 1-1 draw at home to Mainz on Saturday, a result which left them eighth in the Bundesliga, nine points adrift of the top four.

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Dutch side mock Cristiano Ronaldo with ridiculous re-enactment of team photo

Dutch second division side Almere City FC celebrated a victory in their search for promotion by mocking Cristiano Ronaldo and "the pose" recently.

Real Madrid celebrated their 2-1 victory over Barcelona at the weekend with a team photo in the dressing room directly after the battle. For all intents and purposes, it was an uplifting photo which showed just how much it meant to the team having defeated their most bitter rivals for the first time in La Liga since 2014. 

Upon further inspection, Ronaldo(far left) was seen using it as a chance to show off his washboard stomach and rock-hard pecks and Almere's very own "Ronaldo" decided to strip to to his underpants in a hilarious re-enactment of that ridiculous photo.

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Cristiano Ronaldo is four goals ahead of Barcelona's Luis Suarez in the race to be La Liga's top scorer

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 30 goals in six successive La Liga seasons as Real Madrid beat Eibar comfortably.

Karim Benzema, who is battling a knee injury, and Gareth Bale were rested as Real prepare for Tuesday's Champions League game against Wolfsburg.

James Rodriguez steered in a free-kick, with Lucas Vazquez adding a second.

It was 4-0 by half-time, with Ronaldo firing in a square pass from Jese, who tapped in the fourth.

Real trail 2-0 against Wolfsburg as they head into Tuesday's quarter-final second leg at the Bernabeu, with manager Zinedine Zidane acknowledging that his team's season would be over if they fail to progress.

Zidane's side went into the weekend lying seven points behind leaders Barcelona in the title race and with hopes of winning La Liga all but gone.

Eibar, who have failed to win in eight league matches, were caught on the counter-attack repeatedly as they played a high defensive line.

Their performance improved significantly in the second half, though, with midfielder Gonzalo Escalante heading against the bar late on after Borja Baston had glanced on a corner.

Victory on Saturday moved Real up to second place for a couple of hours, although Atletico Madrid regain that position later on Saturday with a 3-1 win at Espanyol.

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Cristiano Ronaldo gives Real Madrid fans a scare after suffering injury in training... but Portuguese superstar returns with a smile

Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid fans wincing momentarily after going down in agony following a heavy challenge during training.

Rolling on the pitch, the Portuguese superstar clutched the damaged limb and pulled down his sock to reveal a clearly visible stud mark, right on the ankle joint and the unknown culprit would have been watching with baited breath.

While the rest of his team-mates looked on, uncertain whether to be overly concerned, given the 31-year-old's penchant for theatrics, he gingerly made his way back to his feet and continued with the session.

In what can only be described as accusations of a ludicrous nature, some have suggested Ronaldo has struggled this season, failing to score against the big teams.

However, the winner against Barcelona on Saturday - his 42nd of the campaign, went some way to silencing his many detractors.

Fresh off the back of that brilliant 2-1 win at the Nou Camp - which saw Los Blancos close the gap on the La Liga leaders to seven points, Zinedine Zidane's men were able to turn their attentions to the Champions League quarter-final meeting with Wolfsburg.

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Who likes short shorts? Cristiano Ronaldo would rather play football in his pants

Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to wearing his pants in public.

The Real Madrid star released his own range of y-fronts, with posters of the preening Portuguese in his skivvies plastered all over buildings in Berlin.

He's also been seen eating a cake shaped like his own pants last year so, yeah, he doesn't mind getting them out for the world to see.

But we've noticed something; Ronny also likes to PLAY FOOTBALL in pants. Well, sort of.

The World Player of the Year has a habit of hitching up his shorts to look like pants A LOT while he's training.

So much so that we have cobbled together footage of him doing just that, and put it to jaunty music for your pleasure.

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