Category: Football

Barcelona mounted a spectacular comeback to beat Real Madrid 4-3 in La Liga on Sunday and move to the brink of the title after overcoming a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe.

The France striker threatened to haul Madrid back into the title race, but Raphinha’s double and goals from Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia gave Barcelona a seven-point lead on the reigning champions with three matches remaining.

Hansi Flick’s side were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals by Inter Milan on Tuesday and risked their season collapsing if they were beaten by Madrid, but they resisted after Mbappe’s early brace.

Barcelona battled back to claim a fourth Clasico victory from four meetings this season, showing their dominance over Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

“We’ve opened up an important gap, it was key to win this game after the Champions League (defeat), the fans have forgotten it and so have we, let’s enjoy this,” Yamal told Movistar.

“It was important to win today to bring the league title closer and it went very well, we’re very happy.”

Real Madrid are set to finish the season without a major trophy.

“We have to defend better, that is quite evident from today’s game, we defended badly and that’s that,” said Ancelotti.

“Mbappe did well… in an attacking sense, the team had clear ideas, but we could have defended better.”

Madrid had made the perfect start to what is expected to be the Italian coach’s final Clasico at the helm.

Mbappe earned a penalty when he was scythed down by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, although the Catalans complained in vain that the forward was offside in the build-up.

The striker beat Szczesny, who dived the right way and got his fingers to it, but could not keep it out.

In the 14th minute, Mbappe doubled the advantage of Real Madrid with a lethal finish after Vinicius Junior played him through, with Barcelona complaining again about a perceived foul on Yamal earlier in the move.

It was his 26th La Liga strike, taking him past Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski on 25 at the top of the scoring charts, and his 38th of the season across all competitions, beating Ivan Zamorano’s club record of 37 in a first season with Los Blancos.

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Just as they have done on so many occasions this season, Flick’s spirited young Barcelona fought their way back in front with a stirring comeback.

Garcia headed home Ferran Torres’ flick-on from a corner to spark it.

Then Madrid could not stop 17-year-old star Yamal from levelling with a cultured bending effort beyond Courtois after Torres laid the ball off to him.

Two minutes later, Raphinha drilled Barca ahead, with Pedri threading him through.

Mbappe thought he had won another penalty when he fell under pressure from Frenkie de Jong, but VAR revealed an offside in the build-up.

Moments later, Raphinha netted his second, picking Lucas Vazquez’s pocket on the edge of the area, exchanging passes with Torres and beating Courtois.

Mbappe netted from an offside position before the break, bringing a rollercoaster first half to a close.

Yamal had a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half as Barcelona looked to put their arch-rivals to the sword.

However, Vinicius got behind Barca’s high line, and he fed Mbappe for his hat-trick.

Barcelona appealed for a penalty when Aurelien Tchouameni blocked Torres’ shot with his arm, but the referee did not give it despite being called to review it by VAR.

Real Madrid substitute Victor Munoz fired high and wide when sent through, and Szczesny denied Mbappe, who had another strike ruled out for offside.

Barcelona thought they had wrapped up their win with a superb Fermin Lopez solo effort, but it was harshly disallowed for handball.

Madrid had no time left to fight back, though, and Barcelona, who last won the league in 2023, could seal the title as early as Wednesday, should Los Blancos stumble against Mallorca.

If Real Madrid avoid defeat, Barcelona will be champions with a win at Espanyol the next day.

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Borussia Dortmund romped to a 4-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday, spoiling the last match of Xabi Alonso in the home dugout while boosting their Champions League hopes.

The visitors came from one down as Jeremie Frimpong’s early strike was cancelled out by goals from Julian Brandt, Julian Ryerson, Karim Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy.

Alonso, who took Leverkusen to a league and cup double last year in his first full season in charge, announced his impending departure from the club on Friday, with Real Madrid the Spaniard’s likely destination.

Alonso told reporters his exit was “emotional and this club will stay in my heart forever”, adding he would “forget the result from today pretty quickly”.

Leverkusen’s title defence fizzled out with a 2-2 draw at Freiburg last Sunday, but the home fans were in a celebratory mood, 12 months after Alonso took them to a first league title in their 120-year history.

Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah, who is also leaving at season’s end, was full of praise for Alonso.

“He’s got a certain aura, he’s a great coach and a great person. We can be thankful to him,” said Tah.

Before the game, Leverkusen celebrated Alonso’s time at the club as fans chanted ‘Danke Xabi’ and held up placards with pictures of the Basque coach, but Dortmund were in no mood to celebrate.

The hosts dominated the opening period, pinning visitors in their own half. Only some spectacular saves from Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who made seven stops before half-time alone, kept Bayer Leverkusen at bay.

Leverkusen’s pressure finally told with 31 minutes gone when Florian Wirtz waltzed through the penalty area, attracted three defenders before laying the ball off to Frimpong who curled a shot into the top corner.

Dortmund had barely left their own half, but the goal shook them to life. The visitors equalised two minutes later, Adeyemi cutting the ball back for Brandt to hammer home.

Brandt engineered Dortmund’s second two minutes before the break, winning a ball near the sideline and finding a cross to Pascal Gross, who swivelled and teed up Ryerson to drive a low shot into the net.

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Both Adeyemi and Guirassy, who each scored braces in last week’s 4-0 thumping of Wolfsburg, got on the scoresheet in the space of four second-half minutes.

Guirassy now has 33 goals from 44 games in his first season in Dortmund.

Wirtz, who has been linked with a summer departure, laid on a late consolation goal for Jonas Hofmann in stoppage time.

Xabi Alonso will coach Leverkusen one more time, in next week’s game at Mainz, but Leverkusen cannot finish any higher or lower than second.

At one point sitting 12th, Dortmund have picked up 19 of a possible 21 points and now sit one point behind fourth-placed Freiburg.

Dortmund’s job was made a little easier when third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt were held to a 2-2 draw at home to St Pauli later on Sunday.

Rasmus Kristensen opened the scoring with a stunner after just 23 seconds but St Pauli quickly turned the match around as goals from Manolis Saliakas and Morgan Guilavogui fired the visitors ahead.

Former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi equalised on 71 minutes and had the ball in the net again in the dying stages, but the goal was chalked off for handball.

Frankfurt stay third but face fourth-placed Freiburg next week, with the winners guaranteed to play in the Champions League. Dortmund need to beat relegated Holstein Kiel at home to join them.

In Sunday’s final match, Stuttgart dominated 10-man Augsburg at home in a 4-0 win, with goals from Atakan Karazor, Nick Woltemade, Enzo Millot and Ermedin Demirovic.

Stuttgart will face third-division Arminia Bielefeld in the German Cup final on May 24.

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Pep Guardiola admits this season has been the toughest of his 16-year managerial career as Manchester City’s Premier League title challenge collapsed and they exited the Champions League early.

The Spaniard has experienced little but success in glittering spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City. But after four successive Premier League triumphs, City’s form nosedived from late October onwards.

They can still finish the campaign with a top-five spot and the FA Cup, while they have an additional shot at silverware at the Club World Cup.

But even if they end on a high note, it will not change Guardiola’s verdict on the season as a whole.

“It’s been the most difficult, that’s for sure,” said the 54-year-old, whose team exited the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid in the knockout phase playoffs.

“It’s been more demanding — much more. When you don’t win, it’s more demanding emotionally and (in terms of) preparing and the moods and everything.

“It’s been more difficult than the previous seasons when we played for the titles.”

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Injuries, particularly to midfielder Rodri, have been a huge factor in City’s decline while a number of individuals have suffered a drop in form.

Pep Guardiola does not absolve himself from blame.

“We had a lot of injuries, we didn’t have the energy,” he said. “We tried most of the time, but we were not able to do it.

“I didn’t find the way to let them feel comfortable and win the games.”

Guardiola, whose third-placed side travel to relegated Southampton on Saturday, admitted City’s high standards had slipped.

“But, even with that, I would say, it could be worse. I was not good enough to find a way, but we didn’t give up,” he said.

“We’re still fighting to qualify for the Champions League — that is a big, big prize — and the FA Cup.”

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Mohamed Salah won the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award for the third time on Friday after inspiring Liverpool’s march to a record-equalling 20th English title.

Salah earned the prize after scoring 28 goals and producing 18 assists for Liverpool in the Premier League this season.

The Egypt forward broke the record for the most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League campaign as Arne Slot’s side romped to their first title since 2020.

Mohamed Salah secured almost 90 per cent of the football writers’ votes, marking the biggest winning margin this century.

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Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk came second in the contest, with Newcastle striker Alexander Isak third and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice fourth.

Mohamed Salah, who was previously given the award in 2017-18 and 2021-22, is now level with former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry as the only players to win it three times.

The 32-year-old recently ended speculation over his future by signing a new two-year contract to stay at Anfield until 2027.

Salah’s decision to commit to Liverpool will make them favourites to win a record 21st title next season as they look to move ahead of Manchester United as England’s most successful top-flight club.

Alessia Russo became the second Arsenal player to land the women’s award as the striker finished ahead of last year’s winner Khadija Shaw.

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Arsenal fell short on the big stage again as their painful Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options.

Arsenal fell short on the big stage again as their painful Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options.

Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in north London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg but couldn’t convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory.

Arsenal were punished for those misses when Fabian Ruiz struck in the 27th minute before Achraf Hakimi’s clinical finish in the 72nd minute put PSG on course for the final against Inter Milan.

Bukayo Saka reduced the deficit with 14 minutes left, but it was too late for Arsenal to avoid the latest agonising flop of Arteta’s increasingly tortured reign.

Since leaving his role as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City assistant to replace the sacked Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium in December 2019, Arteta has rebuilt Arsenal after a bleak period prior to his arrival.

The Spaniard has turned Arsenal into serial title contenders and a force to be reckoned with in Europe.

But an FA Cup final victory against Chelsea in 2020 remains Arteta’s only trophy.

Losing the biggest game in their recent history leaves Arsenal facing a long summer of regret over their lack of success in the last two transfer windows.

Arteta’s Arsenal legacy is in danger of being tarnished by the club’s curious decision not to sign a prolific striker.

Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus forced Arteta to use Spain midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker with mixed results during the final weeks of the season.

But even before Havertz and Jesus were sidelined, Arsenal missed the ruthless cutting edge possessed by Premier League champions Liverpool and elite European teams like PSG.

Arteta had tried to remedy that shortcoming with a move for England striker Ollie Watkins during the January transfer window.

However, Arsenal were unable to convince Aston Villa to accept their £60 million ($79 million) offer, prompting a frustrated Arteta to admit he was “disappointed” when the window closed without reinforcements.

Arsenal gifted the Premier League title to Liverpool with 13 draws — six more than Arne Slot’s team — as their lack of killer instinct was exposed.

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And as Arsenal poured forward in waves at the start of the second leg against PSG, it was clear what a predatory forward would have added to their vibrant team.

The sight of Saka blazing over with an open goal at his mercy in the closing stages perfectly encapsulated Arsenal’s attacking woes.

Arteta praised Donnarumma as “the best player on the pitch” rather than blame his forwards.

But penalty area profligacy has been a recurring problem for Arteta throughout a reign that has promised more than it has delivered.

Without a Premier League title since 2004, Arsenal finished as runners-up to Manchester City for the last two seasons after squandering sizeable leads in the title race.

This season they couldn’t keep up with Liverpool’s relentless form, so attention switched to the Champions League.

When holders Real Madrid were demolished 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, it seemed Arsenal might win the tournament for the first time to validate the Arteta era.

But that Achilles heel of errant finishing, combined with costly defensive mistakes, proved fatal against PSG.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice claimed they would need “big balls” and “magic moments” to beat Luis Enrique’s men.

Yet as Rice trooped miserably down the tunnel after the final whistle, it was painfully clear what they really needed.

“We were not strong enough in the boxes. That’s where we lost it,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard said.

“We have to learn from this. We did a lot of good things but it’s not enough.

“In front of goal is where games are decided and that’s where we have to be sharper. We have to use this pain in a good way.”

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Inter Milan are one victory away from Champions League redemption after Tuesday’s chaotic, mesmerising win over Barcelona, which propelled the Italians into their second final in three seasons.

Simone Inzaghi’s team had been in a fragile state in recent weeks after their treble bid went up in smoke, surrendering top spot in Serie A to Napoli and being dumped out of the Italian Cup by local rivals AC Milan.

But beating star-studded Barca, and the incredible manner in which they did it, has completely changed the atmosphere at Inter, who are now bullish about their chances of being crowned kings of Europe for the fourth time.

Inter will take on either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in Munich, knowing their task will be nowhere near as difficult as it was two years ago, when they were narrowly beaten by possibly the best Manchester City team of the Pep Guardiola era.

That single-goal defeat to City in Istanbul was a bitter one for Inter, who felt they were the better team on the night, bridging a monstrous financial gap with the mega-rich Premier League club with tactical nous and desire.

“We’ve been thinking about this since the day after we lost the last final,” said captain Lautaro Martinez, almost sobbing with joy after the final whistle.

“Now we’ve got to rest and finish the season well, knowing we have another opportunity to make history.”

Inter have always had the reputation of being an anarchic, crazy club, as capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as they are winning major titles.

Their 7-6 triumph over Barca, which flipped one way and the next over the course of two barely believable legs, fully lived up to their nickname of “Pazza (mad) Inter”.

Martinez had been a doubt right until the eve of the match but recovered from a hamstring injury in time to both score and win a penalty which gave Inter their 2-0 half-time lead.

And Francesco Acerbi would ordinarily get a nosebleed being as far forward as he was to send the tie into extra-time with his first-ever Champions League goal, at 37 years old, just as it looked like Raphinha had sealed a stunning comeback win for Barca.

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The Catalan giants could barely believe what they were seeing when super-sub Davide Frattesi guided home his extra-time winner, unused to being the team on the end of landmark defeats and frustrated at how their at times untouchable play failed to bear its expected fruit.

If anything, Tuesday’s win felt like a mark of destiny for a grand old team who have had to battle desperate financial difficulties and an enforced change of ownership just as Inzaghi has made Inter one of Europe’s pre-eminent sides.

“We were up against a great team, but we’ve been raising our game for the last four or five years, every single year, and we’re so proud of that,” said Martinez.

Inzaghi risked ending the season with nothing but criticism after trying to fight on three fronts with a budget that is dwarfed by those of Europe’s other major clubs.

Inter, like the rest of cash-strapped Serie A, can no longer attract the world’s top stars, so Inzaghi has had to create a team unit, a spirit that shines through on the big occasion.

Victory in Munich would be just reward for a coach who joined a club in turmoil in 2021 following the departure of both Antonio Conte and a clutch of star players, and he was close to the sack not long before Inter reached the Champions League final two years later.

Inzaghi’s ability was questioned after Inter lost a dramatic Serie A title battle with Milan in his first season and then finished 18 points behind 2023 champions Napoli.

But he has since risen to become one of football’s elite coaches, and now he and Inter have the chance of a lifetime to win club football’s biggest prize.

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Cristiano dos Santos, the eldest son of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, was called up to the Portugal Under-15 squad for the first time on Tuesday.

The 14-year-old, who, like his father, plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has also had spells with Ronaldo’s former clubs Manchester United and Juventus.

The Selecao Under-15s will face Japan, Greece and England at the Vlatko Markovic youth tournament in Croatia between May 13-18.

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Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid’s all-time top goal scorer and still a Portugal international himself at 40, has five children.

The striker won Euro 2016 with his country, helping them lift their first major trophy, although he came off hurt early in the final against France.

Portugal Under-15 Squad

Cristiano dos Santos, Daniel Freire, Emiliano Cassamá, Gonçalo Fontes, Gonçalo Santos, Henrique Maduro, João Lopes, Salvador Ribeiro, Tiago Caires, Afonso Pereira, Guilherme Maia, André Marques, Carlos Moita, Eduardo Alves, Guilherme Lima, Rafael Cabral, Valdir Fernandes, Vicente Santos, Donte Lawrence, Henrique Amen, Lourenço Fernandes, Tiago Amorim.

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Kylian Mbappe struck twice as Real Madrid held off Celta Vigo with a thrilling 3-2 win to stay within sight of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

After the Catalans scraped a comeback win at Valladolid on Saturday, Madrid survived a late Celta fightback to maintain the four-point gap ahead of next Sunday’s Clasico.

Defending champions Madrid, second, took a three-goal lead but were left clinging on at the Santiago Bernabeu against a Celta side seventh and hoping to qualify for European football next season.

Madrid’s Champions League defence crumbled and Los Blancos were also beaten in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona last week, but Los Blancos are still hopeful of overhauling Hansi Flick’s side in La Liga.

“We had a very good first half (but)… we fell apart, these things can’t happen, it’s happened to us a lot,” admitted Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde on the club’s television channel.

“We left a lot minutes for them to get comfortable and they are a great team and they put us in a tough spot.”

Carlo Ancelotti’s side came into the game with a spate of defensive injuries but after riding out an early wave of Celta chances took control, with Turkish 20-year-old Arda Guler pulling the strings.

With Rodrygo Goes out with illness the youngster started in his stead and took full advantage.

Guler directed a spectacular overhead effort wide of goal in the opening stages, showing his ambition has no limits.

Former Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso headed just over and then forced a fine save from Thibaut Courtois, as Celta threatened.

Aurelien Tchouameni headed over when well-placed at the other end, as Madrid stifled the visitors.

Madrid opened the scoring through Guler after 33 minutes, when the playmaker cleverly worked some space in the box and then brilliantly curled a strike past the reach of Vicente Guaita.

Kylian Mbappe doubled Madrid’s lead after 39 minutes at the sharp end of a rapid breakaway.

Courtois saved well from Borja Iglesias and immediately Madrid thrust forward, with Bellingham setting Mbappe free down the right.

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The French superstar ruthlessly lashed past Guaita from just inside the area.

Just three minutes into the second half, Mbappe struck again for his 24th league goal of the season, putting him one behind the top scorer, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

Guler was the creator, playing in the striker with a perfectly-weighted ball and Mbappe finished low with a stroke of his left boot.

It seemed the game was won for Madrid but Javier Rodriguez pulled Celta back into it with a finish from close range after a corner was wrongly awarded to Celta.

Lucas Vazquez blocked Pablo Duran’s backheeled effort on the line but Rodriguez was on hand to pounce.

Iago Aspas’ introduction off the bench for the Galicians immediately gave them more attacking impetus and he produced a superb pass for Williot Swedberg to slot a second past Courtois.

The Belgian goalkeeper had his heart in his mouth a few minutes later as Duran’s shot slipped out of his hands and could have squirmed across the line behind him if it had not slowed to a stop on the grass.

If Madrid had dropped points it would have allowed Barcelona to lift the title next weekend with a Clasico victory.

“It’s the game of the year for us, the last chance for us to win La Liga,” said Valverde.

“We will try our best to take the three points.”

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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has been heavily linked with the Brazil post, said Saturday he will reveal his future plans on May 25 after their final La Liga game.

The immediate goal for the 65-year-old Italian, who has one year left on his Madrid contract, is with five matches remaining to overhaul bitter rivals Barcelona’s four point lead and retain the La Liga title.

Achieving that would make up somewhat for losing to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, and the defence of their Champions League crown ended by Arsenal in the quarter-finals.

“I have a lot of affection for my club, my players and our fans, and also a lot of respect,” Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Madrid’s La Liga clash against Celta Vigo on Sunday.

“So I will speak about my future on the 25th (of May) and not before.”

Real Madrid host Real Sociedad on May 25 in their final La Liga match of the season — they then leave for the United States and the Club World Cup which starts on June 14.

Ancelotti said the day he leaves Madrid will be a “beautiful” one and he has never had a single problem with the club across two spells at the helm.

“It will be a fantastic goodbye, because I have a lot of affection for the club and it does for me too, I will never fight or argue with the club,” said the veteran coach.

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“Never have I done so in six years and I never will, I won’t let myself, until the last day, which could be the 25th, which could be in 2025, or it could be the 25th of May 2026, or 2030.

“That I don’t know, but whichever day it is, it will be a very beautiful day.”

Carlo Ancelotti, who coached Madrid between 2013-15 and then again since 2021, has won three Champions League trophies and two La Liga titles with the club.

Ancelotti, though, faces a defensive crisis in the run-in to the season.

Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy and David Alaba were all ruled out for the rest of the season this week, adding to long-term problems for Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao.

“We’re thinking about the upcoming games, we’re thinking about what we can fight for — La Liga until the last second,” said Ancelotti.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries in this week but we’re convinced we can put out a good team and win tomorrow’s game.”

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England centre-back Eric Dier is set to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, when his contract is up, the club’s sporting director said on Friday.

“We’ve had talks with Eric about a potential contract extension,” said Christoph Freund. “He told us that he won’t extend his time with Bayern and that he’ll leave the club at the end of the season.”

Dier’s contract expires on June 30, but Bayern Munich are still in talks in a bid to extend that temporarily to cover the Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13 in the United States.

Eric Dier touched down in Munich on loan in January 2024, establishing himself as a starter in defence alongside Matthijs de Ligt under then-coach Thomas Tuchel.

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The 31-year-old sealed a full transfer in the summer of 2024 on a one-year deal.

Although less used by current coach Vincent Kompany, Dier has been a key player in stepping in to cover injuries to central defenders Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano.

“We’ve had a great time with Eric, and I hope he’ll crown his time with Bayern with a title,” Freund said of the 49-time capped England player.

According to press reports in France and Germany, Dier is set to join Monaco on a deal that will run through to the summer of 2027.

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