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Barcelona win again while Madrid suffer another defeat in La Liga (Lead)
Madrid, May 10 (IANS) FC Barcelona continued their incredible unbeaten run in the La Liga with a 5-1 home win over Villarreal, who themselves needed a win to assure a place in next season’s Europa League, while Sevilla defeated Real Madrid 3-2 to climb to the seventh spot.
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde on Wednesday made several changes to his starting 11, but Andres Ineista was in the side and had a hand in Barcelona’s second and third goals as the league champions went in 3-0 up at the halftime break, reported Xinhua news agency.
After Phillipe Coutinho opened the scoring in the eighth minute, Iniesta teed up Jordi Alba who passed for Paulinho to make it 2-0 and his wonderful ball over the Villarreal defense allowed Leo Messi to net his 35th league goal of the season.
A deflected shot allowed Nicola Sansone to give Villarreal hope, but Ivan Rakitic set up Ousmane Dembele for Barcelona’s fourth of the game and the Frenchman netted his second of the match to make it 5-1 in the closing minutes.
The day’s other game same Real Madrid suffer a 2-3 defeat away to Sevilla, which means they are now 18 points behind Barcelona and three points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid with two matches left to play.
Already missing some starters to injury and suspension, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane fielded a line-up with seven substitutes, clearly looking ahead to the May 26 Champions League final against Liverpool, reported Efe.
Real Madrid dominated possession in the early going during Wednesday night’s match, but their first chance didn’t come until the 15th minute and Sevilla never lost their poise.
The hosts broke the deadlock in the 26th minute thanks to a goal by Wissam Ben Yedder.
Only a goal-line intervention by Blancos defender Jesus Vallejo stopped Miguel Layun from making it 2-0 in the 42nd minute.
The respite was only temporary, however, as the Mexican came back to score in the final seconds of the first half.
The visitors were better at both ends of the field after the break and won a penalty on a foul by Franco Vazquez, but Sergio Ramos hit the cross-bar.
The visitors continued to press, yet the next goal went to Sevilla, a Gabriel Mercado effort that deflected off Ramos into the Real Madrid net to boost the hosts’ advantage to 3-0.
Borja Mayoral clawed back a goal for Real Madrid in the 87th minute and Ramos partially made up for his earlier gaffes by converting a penalty in stoppage time.
Zidane told his club’s website: “There are two games to go and today we missed a good chance to pick up points. It’s a real shame.
“We start work again tomorrow and tonight’s result will not affect anything between now and the end of the season.”
With this win, Sevilla moved to the seventh spot which is a Europa League qualifying spot from the La Liga.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.