Jose Mourinho

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Spanish media split over Barca win

The Spanish media are split between Barcelona's joy at reaching the Champions League final, and Real Madrid's fury at more refereeing injustice.

Barca progressed through to their third Champions League final in six years after a 1-1 draw at a rain-drenched Nou Camp saw them record a 3-1 aggregate victory over their arch rivals Madrid, and they will face either Manchester United or Schalke at Wembley.

Like the first leg though, Tuesday night's clash was not without controversy with Madrid, having seen Pepe sent off in the first meeting, again left fuming by a refereeing decision after official Frank de Bleeckere ruled out a Gonzalo Higuain goal when the match was still 0-0.

That decision, which followed Madrid coach Jose Mourinho's insinuations following the first leg that Barca receive favourable treatment from referees, dominated the front pages of Madrid-based sports dailies Marca and AS.

Marca's headline read: "It was mission impossible", echoing a comment from Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo following the match.

The newspaper continued: "Another dreadful refereeing decision thwarts Madrid's fightback. De Bleeckere invented a foul against CR7 [Ronaldo] that prevented Higuain making it 1-0. Indignation from Madrid with the referee and with UEFA. The Whites say goodbye to the 10th [European Cup title] with dignity and courage."

Marca also used quotes from Madrid captain Iker Casillas and Ronaldo to emphasise Madrid's anger, with Casillas saying "they have robbed us of the final."

AS followed a similar line, saying on their front page, which featured picture of Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso protesting to De Bleeckere: "Easy Mou, it's nothing personal, only business.

"In Madrid it was Pepe; in Barcelona, a goal stolen away.

"De Bleeckere confirmed the expectations raised at his appointment."

Following last week's first leg Mourinho read out a list of officials he believes have made decisions which have benefited Barca in previous years, with De Bleeckere among them after sending off Thiago Motta in last season's last-four clash between Inter Milan, then managed by Mourinho, and Barca.

Television replays later showed there had been little contact between Motta and Sergio Busquets.

Like Marca, AS also used post-match comments from Madrid about the officiating, with assistant coach Aitor Karanka - who sat on the bench in place of the suspended Mourinho - and director general Jorge Valdano the men quoted.

The reaction to Tuesday night's match in Catalan-based sports newspapers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport was in stark contrast to their counterparts from the Spanish capital as they lauded Barca's success, plus the return of Eric Abidal, on their front pages.

El Mundo Deportivo's headline was: "To Wembley! Barca deserved finalists against a Madrid who returned to claim victimisation."

At the top of their front page the paper also had a picture of Abidal being tossed in the air by his team-mates after the match, with the caption: "The reappearance of the full-back was the other happy news of a great night."

Abidal had been a surprise inclusion in coach Pep Guardiola's squad for the match, with the Frenchman having not played since undergoing an operation in mid-March to remove a tumour on his liver.

The France international came on as a late replacement for Carles Puyol on Tuesday night.

Sport used a similar image of Abidal being hoisted into the air by jubilant Barca players as their main front page picture, along with the headline: "Goodbye Madrid, we're going to Wembley.

"Barca qualified for the Champions League final on an emotional night that even saw Abidal return to play."

In other Spanish newspapers not specifically dedicated to sport, El Mundo's had on their front page: "Barca knock out Madrid after a new referring error in their favour."

Meanwhile, El Pais, in their sports pages, spoke of "intelligence beating cunning. Barcelona, finalists at the expense of a Madrid more ambitious than in the three previous Clasicos."

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Real delay Barcelona coronation

Real Madrid delayed Barcelona's title celebrations at least by 24 hours thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.

Jose Mourinho's men thumped struggling neighbours Getafe 4-0 in La Liga at the Bernabeu.

Anything other than a Madrid victory would have seen Barca crowned Spanish champions for the third successive season, but La Liga's leading scorer Ronaldo ensured that would not be the case.

The world's most expensive player, who scored four times in Saturday's 6-2 win at Sevilla, netted in the 24th, 58th and 90th minutes to take his tally to the season to 36 - two short of equalling the Primera Division record.

Karim Benzema also got on the scoresheet seconds after coming on as a substitute as Madrid closed the gap on leaders Barca to five points.

Goals by Kennedy Bakircioglu and Markus Rosenborg saw Racing Santander come from a goal down to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 and guarantee their top-flight status for another season.

However, the result is a blow to Atletico's hopes of qualifying for the Europa League as they remain on the same points as sixth-placed Sevilla who visit Osasuna on Wednesday.

Quique Sanchez Flores' side took the lead early on through Mario Suarez but Bakircioglu and Rosenborg overturned the deficit with Giovanni dos Santos a constant menace in the second half.

Malaga look certain to secure survival after winning their fifth game in a row - a 2-0 victory at home to Sporting Gijon.

Manuel Pellegrini's side were in big trouble not so long ago, but have been on a great run of form of late - particularly since the return from injury of striker Julio Baptista.

The Brazilian set the Andalusians on their way with the opening goal after nine minutes and Eliseu Pereira made sure of victory with a second in the second half.

Juan Carlos Valeron inspired Deportivo La Coruna to a stirring fightback as the Galicians came from a goal down to beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 with two own goals to boost their hopes of survival.

Deportivo, who started the day in the drop zone with just 39 points, suffered an early setback as Gaizka Toquero gave Athletic the lead after three minutes.

But led by Valeron, who rolled back the years with an outstanding playmaking performance, Depor fought back and claimed three vital points following own-goals from Carlos Gurpegi and Xabier Castillo.

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Karanka delight at Real team ethic

Real Madrid's assistant coach Aitor Karanka praised his team's mentality after their 4-0 thumping of Getafe.

Despite many criticising Real for putting out a reserve side for matches this season, as they did again on Tuesday, Karanka believes the team is capable of putting in a performance regardless of who takes to the field.

"This year, we've proved that the team doesn't suffer, regardless of who plays," Karanka said on Real's official website. "There is no greater motivation for our men than to wear this club's shirt.

"Real Madrid have gone for every game, both when the media said we used an A or a B side. We've proved to play at a high level regardless of the players we use."

"There's always some motivational factor, and the greatest of all is to play for Real Madrid.

"What is paramount on this squad is comradeship and to have a good atmosphere, so it's even better for us if we're able to help a teammate achieve a personal goal."

The 37-year-old was also quick to congratulate Cristiano Ronaldo's on his hat trick, which made it seven goals in the last two games.

"Ronaldo's numbers are truly impressive, and his quality allows him to do this and much more. It is also the product of the work done by the entire team, which also has impressive collective numbers this season."

The Portuguese star has scored 36 goals in La Liga so far this season, just two shy of Hugo Sanchez's record.

Tuesday night's victory also had added significance as it saw the debut of young goalkeeper Tomas Mejias, who could be looking to establish himself as Iker Casillas's deputy in seasons to come.

Karanka was pleased that Real were able to reward the youngster, who replaced Antonio Adan for the last ten minutes of the match.

"We had previously somewhat discussed allowing Mejias to make his debut. It's a reward to the hard work he's done this season. It's a beautiful thing to see another youth teamer make his first team debut. He deserved it."

While Real are still unlikely to overtake Barcelona and win this season's La Liga, their strong end to this season, where they have only lost two of their last 15 games, could be seen as a signal of their intentions for next year.

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Real Madrid to visit Spain earthquake-hit town Lorca for friendly against local selection

Madrid show support to earthquake-hit town of Lorca

Real Madrid will visit the Spanish town of Lorca on Wednesday and will then play a charity match in Murcia's Nueva Condomina stadium with the proceeds going towards causes relating to last week's earthquake.

Marca.com reports Madrid president Florentino Perez and the squad will visit the worst affected areas after last Wednesday's quake left nine dead and over 300 injured.

The Blancos players will arrive in Lorca at 12:00 CET tomorrow. They will then visit and speak with locals who were affected by the disaster before moving to the main square where they will show their support for the town.

The evening will then end with a friendly between Madrid and a selection of local players who feature for a number of different teams in the Murcia region.

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Real joy for out-of-contract Altintop

Real Madrid have announced the signing of out-of-contract midfielder Hamit Altintop from Bayern Munich.

The announcement follows Madrid's capture of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin earlier this month as the Spanish giants continue reinforcing their squad for next season.

A statement on the club's website read: "Real Madrid and the Bayern Munich player Hamit Altintop have reached an agreement which will see him tied to the club for the next four seasons."

The German-born Turkey international was out of contract at the end of this season with Bayern, whom he joined in 2007 having previously spent four years at Schalke.

Altintop, 28, won six trophies during his time with the Munich giants, including two league titles and two German cups, while at Schalke he won the German league cup in 2005.

He also played in last season's Champions league final where Bayern lost 2-0 to Inter Milan - coached by current Madrid boss Jose Mourinho - at the Bernabeu.

Altintop has won over 50 caps for Turkey and was a key member of the side that reached the semi-finals of the 2008 European Championships, being named in UEFA's Team of the Tournament in the process.

The 22-year-old Sahin - also a German-born Turkey international - agreed a six-year deal with Madrid after helping Dortmund land this season's Bundesliga title.

In their first season under Mourinho, Madrid have won the Copa del Rey, are guaranteed to finish runners-up to Barcelona in La Liga heading into this weekend's final match against Almeria, and were knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals by Barca.

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City plan world record bid for Ronaldo

Manchester City are planning to smash the world transfer record to sign Real Madrid starman Cristiano Ronaldo.

City owner Sheikh Mansour's multi-million investment finally bore some fruits after the club joined the European football's elite last week by qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Now according to the Daily Mirror newspaper, he wants Ronaldo to spearhead City's bid to win both the Barclays Premier League and Champions League next season.

The Portuguese forward moved to Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009 on a record £80million move.

And under the wings of Jose Mourinho, the 26-year-old has spectacularly equaled the goals record in a La Liga campaign with 38 and could eclipse it in Madrid's final game of the season against relegated Almeria this weekend.

However, the Spanish giants have reportedly thrown in a US$1billion buyout clause in Ronaldo's contract in a bid to protect their prized asset.

But it remains to be seen if Sheikh Mansour, who is not used to failure in the transfer market, is willing to match Madid's demands.

Meanwhile, the future of captain Carlo Tevez remains in a cloud of uncertainty after the Argentinean admitted he could leave the Eastlands due to family reasons.

And who better to replace the City talisman than Ronaldo.

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Antimadridistas has fun before the final game at Wembley.

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