Tag: Barcelona

Young Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal broke records for Spain in the past week and can continue to add to his collection against Real Betis on Saturday.

The winger became Spain’s youngest-ever player, starter and goalscorer during the international break at 16 years old, and is establishing himself as important for club and country.

Lamine Yamal became Barcelona’s youngest debutant at 15 years and 290 days old against Betis in April last season.

This season he went on to become La Liga’s youngest starter in the 21st century, and also the youngest assist provider in the same time frame.

Lamine Yamal has not scored for Barcelona yet but if he does this season, he can overtake Ansu Fati’s club record — or the overall record for youngest La Liga scorer, set by Malaga’s Fabrice Olinga at 16 years and 98 days old.

The winger was man of the match in Barcelona’s 4-3 win at Villarreal in August and has started the club’s last three games, all victories.

Barcelona, third, trail rivals and league leaders Real Madrid by two points after four matches, because of their opening day draw at Getafe.

That was the match which prompted Xavi to turn to Yamal to offer some creative spark, as well as a red card for Raphinha opening up a position on the right flank.

Ousmane Dembele’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer was another factor in giving Yamal an opportunity at such a tender age.

“He’s a mature player despite being 16,” said Barca coach Xavi earlier in September.

“He’s conscious of what he’s going through and he’s happy, the management (of the situation) is very good and for now, there are no problems.”

Barcelona have been criticised in the past for throwing players into action at young ages and burning them out.

Midfielder Pedri Gonzalez played nearly 70 games for his club and Spain in his first season and has struggled with injuries since, while Ansu Fati, now on loan at Brighton, is another example.

“We have to think about it positively,” said Xavi.

“He’s in a process of maturation and growth — we hope that doesn’t happen.”

Barcelona are without Pedri and Ronald Araujo for the clash at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, where they will reencounter a familiar face — Moroccan winger Ez Abde.

Lamine Yamal might also have chosen to play for the North African country but instead chose Spain.

Betis signed Abde on the final day of the summer transfer window and his direct running could pose the champions an immediate threat.

Real Madrid host Real Sociedad on Sunday, while Atletico Madrid visit Valencia on Saturday elsewhere in La Liga.

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PAMPLONA: Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski converted a late penalty to guide Barcelona to their third victory in the ongoing La Liga season over Osasuna at El Sadar Stadium on Sunday.

The visitors Barcelona started the game on high with De Jong striking the post, however, Lewandowski missed the rebound to everyone’s surprise. Osasuna got alert after this early attack and started to challenge Barcelona’s defence in a bid to get the upper hand.

Barcelona missed another chance in the 12th minute as Ilkay Gundogan failed to convert an attempt from the six-yard box.

Meanwhile, Osasuna also looked to attack and put together a good passing move in the 31st minute as Aimar Oroz arrived in the box to shoot, but Barcelona goalkeeper Ter Stegen was able to push it away and saved the goal for his team.

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Both teams fought well to not allow the goal to the other team, however, Barcelona managed to get the lead, thanks to a header by Jules Koundé minutes before halftime.

Both teams made triple substitutions around the 60-minute mark in the second half to bring fresh legs to take the game forward. The home side’s substitution paid well as Chimy Avila who replaced José Arnáiz, scored in the 76th minute to provoke the biggest cheer of the night from the home crowd making it 1-1 with about 15 minutes to go.

However, Osasuna’s Alejandro Catena was handed a red card following a bad foul in the penalty area, awarding a penalty to Barcelona, which was successfully converted by Robert Lewandowski to give the match-winning lead to the visitors.

In another La Liga clash, Atheltic Club and Mallorca settled for a goalless draw after a hard-fought game at Iberostar Stadium, while, Girona edged past Las Palmas after a late goal by Portu at Montilivi.

The defending La Liga champions Barcelona will now face Real Betis on Saturday, September 17 in their fifth match this season.

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Real Madrid begin life after Karim Benzema looking to wrest back the Spanish title from Barcelona as the La Liga season kicks off this weekend, seemingly content to play the waiting game for Kylian Mbappe.

Karim Benzema, the reigning Ballon d’Or, swapped the Santiago Bernabeu for Saudi Arabia in June after 14 seasons in Madrid, where he is second on the club’s all-time goalscoring list with 354 — trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo.

In a bid to bridge the 10-point gap that separated them from Barcelona last season, Madrid splashed out 103 million euros ($112 million) on England international Jude Bellingham and swooped for Turkish prodigy Arda Guler.

But Mbappe, who has scored 212 goals in 260 games for Paris Saint-Germain, is the player they have long targeted.

After missing out on the France captain last year as he agreed a new deal to stay in Paris, Madrid again appear the likely destination for Mbappe, who is locked in a contract dispute with PSG.

Mbappe is training with PSG’s reserves and has been told he must sign a new contract if he wants to remain with the French champions this term.

PSG are thought to suspect that Kylian Mbappe has already struck a deal to join the Spanish giants for free in June 2024, but Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has been reluctant to broach the subject publicly.

Mbappe “is a player who is not at Madrid,” Ancelotti said last month. “To talk about players who are not here, it doesn’t seem right to me.”

While Madrid weigh up a late bid for the exiled Mbappe before this transfer window shuts, Vinicius Junior is set to become the focal point of the attack after inheriting the number seven shirt worn by Ronaldo, Raul and Emilio Butragueno.

Ancelotti plans to experiment with a system that exploits the attacking potential of Bellingham and Guler, with veteran striker also Joselu making a surprise return to his former club.

The 33-year-old journeyman, who played twice for Madrid in 2011, finished as the top-scoring Spaniard with 16 goals for Espanyol in the last La Liga season.

“For me, the squad has improved,” said Ancelotti. “We have lost a player who has been fundamental for years in Karim… a club legend. But we have a very young group that we are convinced will give us a lot of satisfaction.”

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has questioned whether he has enough depth for the upcoming season after a relatively quiet summer. That concern is even greater with the club unable as yet to register their new arrivals.

A year ago, the Catalan club’s board sold off various assets to raise enough money to comply with spending restrictions imposed on the club, but that didn’t stop them luring a raft of new signings including Robert Lewandowski.

Twelve months on, Barcelona have continued their recent policy of hiring experienced players at zero transfer cost, albeit fewer, bringing in Manchester City’s treble-winning captain Ilkay Gundogan.

They toyed with the idea of re-signing Lionel Messi, but the club’s perilous financial situation effectively ruled out a reunion and the Argentine instead moved to Inter Miami.

Centre-back Inigo Martinez has arrived from Athletic Bilbao, with Oriol Romeu returning to his boyhood club as what Barcelona hope will be a low-price replacement for Sergio Busquets.

The loss of the influential Busquets, who joined Messi and Jordi Alba in Miami this summer, is one of Xavi’s greatest worries.

“A player who has been so important for us, on and off the pitch… we have to find a very important player to replace Busquets,” Xavi said in May.

“We have to find this piece, if we want to compete well.”

French winger Ousmane Dembele is also poised to leave Barcelona after receiving an offer from PSG.

Atletico Madrid finished third last La Liga season, just a point behind their city rivals after a vastly improved second half, and hope a reinforced defence can strengthen their title prospects.

Cesar Azpilicueta signed from Chelsea, with Turkey’s Caglar Soyuncu arriving from Leicester and left-back Javi Galan moving from Celta Vigo.

Joao Felix, the club’s record signing in 2019, is not viewed as part of coach Diego Simeone’s plans following his return from an unsuccessful loan at Chelsea, and is expected to be offloaded.

Real Sociedad, who qualified for the Champions League, have brought in Portugal forward Andre Silva on loan following the retirement of Spain great David Silva after a serious knee injury suffered during pre-season.

Villarreal, fifth last term, are set for a rebuild after losing Nicolas Jackson and Pau Torres to the Premier League, and Samuel Chukwueze to AC Milan.

Granada are back in the top flight after securing promotion at the first attempt along with play-off winners Alaves, with Las Palmas returning after a five-year absence.

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Jordi Alba will leave Barcelona at the end of the season after 11 years at the club, the Catalan side said Wednesday.

“Barcelona and Alba have reached an agreement to release the player from the contract that he had until the end of the 2023-24 season,” said Barcelona in a statement.

“Barcelona publicly expresses its gratitude to Jordi Alba for the professionalism, commitment, dedication and always positive and warm treatment he has always shown towards everything that makes up the Barcelona family.”

Jordi Alba joined Barcelona from Valencia in 2012 and won six La Liga titles and one Champions League among 19 trophies with the Catalan giants.

The 34-year-old veteran Spanish left-back lost his place in the team to teenager Alejandro Balde this season.

Jordi Alba had one more year left on his contract, which expires in 2024, and Spanish reports say he will waive a significant percentage of the money due to help the club amid financial struggles.

The Spaniard follows in the footsteps of captain Sergio Busquets, who is also leaving the club this summer.

The pair will play their final home match at Camp Nou against Real Mallorca on Sunday.

Jordi Alba has played over 450 times for Barcelona, scoring 27 goals and providing 91 assists as a vital outlet on the left flank.

The defender’s recent goal against Osasuna earned Barcelona a 1-0 win and took them to the brink of the title.

He also won the 2012 European Championship with Spain, scoring in the 4-0 win over Italy in the final.

One of his finest seasons came in 2015 under Luis Enrique, when he helped Barcelona win the treble.

The left-back has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia like Busquets and Lionel Messi, the former Barcelona playmaker who is leaving Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

Jordi Alba joined Barcelona’s academy as a teenager before leaving for Cornella and then Valencia, returning to Camp Nou for 14 million euros ($15 million).

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BARCELONA: Mikel Merino and Alexander Sorloth struck goals in each half to give Real Sociedad a 2-1 win at Barcelona on Saturday in La Liga.

Sociedad inflicted the first home defeat of the season upon La Liga champions on a day when they were celebrating their title triumph.

With the league title already at their disposal, the fans at Camp Nou were unmoved by the team’s loss and remained seated to see the post-game celebrations when Barca would lift the La Liga trophy.

However, Real Sociedad made sure to strengthen their position for the Champions League spot as they moved to 65 points, five ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal who beat Girona 2-1 earlier on Saturday.

Winners Barcelona have an unassailable 14-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, who face Valencia on Sunday. Atletico Madrid are third with 69 points.

Merino scored the opener for Sociedad with a tidy finish in the fifth minute. They doubled their lead through Sorloth in the 72nd minute before Robert Lewandowski headed in a consolation goal for Barcelona from close range in the dying minutes.

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BARCELONA: Barcelona players from the men’s and women’s teams lapped up affection from thousands of supporters in the city’s streets on Monday afternoon to celebrate their dual league titles.

Xavi Hernandez’s side beat Espanyol on Sunday to win the club’s 27th league title and first since 2019, while Barca’s women’s team earned their fourth consecutive Liga F win at the end of April.

The players rode in two open-top buses, heading from Camp Nou to the city’s Arc de Triomf monument five miles away, the streets lined with jubilant supporters despite the threat of rain.

Defender Ronald Araujo was draped in a Uruguayan flag, while La Liga’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski, wearing sunglasses and a Barcelona scarf, waved to fans.

Coach Xavi, whose name was chanted frequently, threw down a can of beer to delighted thirsty fans below.

Players from both sides wore t-shirts proclaiming “the league is ours, the future too”.

Crowds increased as the buses headed along their route, to the main square, Plaza Catalunya, and then on towards the Arc.

“You can see the fans are very excited about it and obviously we are too,” goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen told club television.

“It’s a pride to share this with them and have them closer than ever.”

In front of the two players’ buses, another bus pumping out pop songs to set the mood led the way, cutting through streets filled with blue and red smoke.

Feeling among supporters was positive, as expected during a parade, although they expect more to come from both teams in Europe.

Barcelona’s women have reached the Champions League final, where they will face Wolfsburg in Eindhoven on June 3, while the men were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage for the second season running.

“We say to the fans that we are celebrating today, but that we have a lot of our minds focused on Eindhoven and that we will give everything and more to make them proud,” two time women’s Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas told Barca TV.

Fans stood on balconies waving flags, while others clambered on top of bus stop shelters to get a better view.

“I’m certain of my hope for the men’s team (next season), for them to give a good account of themselves in Europe,” supporter Laura Nieto, 37, from nearby Terrassa told AFP.

“That they don’t do a bad job against big opponents, which is what’s been happening. And for the women, for them to continue like this — which is unstoppable.”

– Messi chants –

Some supporters chanted Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Lionel Messi’s name, hopeful that Barcelona can bring him “home” this summer at the end of his contract in France.

Others were more torn by the idea of Messi returning, despite president Joan Laporta pledging the club would “do everything” to sign him.

“On one hand I would like it because it would bring back a lot of excitement,” said Anabel Sanz, 16.

“But on the other, I think not, because it would mean rebuilding the team again and in the long run, that would hurt us, it would not be good.”

Messi, who turns 36 in June, is Barcelona’s all-time top goalscorer, and said a tearful goodbye to the club in 2021 when they could not afford to renew his contract.

“Barca have to reach the semi-finals and finals of the Champions League at least, and win more,” said Josep Martinez, 60.

“It’s difficult (to know if Messi should return), not because of his age. It’s about why he comes, what’s the goal of him coming?

“Is he coming here to fight for his place? … For the team, I don’t know if it’s the best thing.”

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BARCELONA: Barcelona clinched their 27th La Liga title and first after a four-year hiatus on Sunday after Robert Lewandowski scored twice in the first half to steer them to a convincing 4-2 win over local rivals Espanyol.

Barcelona, who now have an unassailable 14 points lead over second-placed Real Madrid, moved to 85 points with four games to spare.

The jubilation was interrupted by several envious home fans who invaded the pitch as Barca started to celebrate.

The visitors, however, were the dominant side throughout the game and took only 11 minutes to break the deadlock through Lewandowski, who netted the first from close range.

Alejandro Balde doubled the lead nine minutes later with a tap-in from a Pedri cross.

Polish strikers’ second came five minutes before the break with another close-range strike from a Raphinha cross.

Defender Jules Kounde headed in Barca’s fourth in the 53rd minute, before Javi Puado and Joselu scored consolation goals for Espanyol, who are second from bottom and fighting to avoid relegation.

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SAN SEBASTIAN: Barcelona closed in on winning their 27th La Liga title after a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Osasuna at Camp Nou and Real Madrid’s disappointing 2-0 loss at Real Sociedad on Saturday. 

Jordi Alba scored the decider after 85 minutes of a see-saw contest as visitors Osasuna braved Barcelona’s solid attack despite getting reduced to 10-man in the 26th minute.

Later Madrid faced a powerful punch to their title defence as Sociedad came out dominantly at home, leaving the champions 14 points behind leaders Barcelona with five games remaining.

The results give Barca, who now moves to 83 points, the chance to bag their first LaLiga title since 2019 with a win in their next encounter against city rivals Espanyol on May 14. They only need a win in the remaining five games to clinch the title.

Real Madrid would only be able to reach 83 points if they win the rest of their games. However, they could slip to third place on Wednesday if their city rivals Atletico Madrid win their home match against lowly Cadiz.

Sociedad took control early in the game but were made to wait 47 minutes before scoring their first goal through Takefusa Kubo.

They doubled their lead in the 84th through 21-year-old forward Ander Barrenetxea, taking advantage of defender Dani Carvajal sent off on the hour mark for a second yellow card.

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BARCELONA: Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha scored goals as Barcelona outclassed 10-man Real Betis 4-0 on Saturday to consolidate their position at the top and moved a step closer to their 27th LaLiga title.

With only six games remaining, Barca dominate the standing with 79 points, 11 ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who beat Almeria 4-2 earlier in the evening.

The result took Barca back on track after they faced a surprise 2-1 defeat to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.

Barcelona opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a point-blank header from Christensen following a cross from Raphinha.

Unsettled Betis suffered a setback in the 33rd  minute when Edgar Gonzalez was sent off for two bad bad tackles, 21 minutes after he came off the bench to replace injured Luis Felipe.

The host capitalized on the advantage, scoring twice within three minutes before the break thanks to strikes by Lewandowski and Raphinha.

LaLiga top scorer Lewandowski increased his tally to 19 for the season with a first-touch shot from inside the box assisted by Jules Kounde in the 36th minute.

A couple of minutes later Raphinha hit Barca’s third goal of the night but the effort was initially ruled out his effort for offside before a VAR check overturned the decision.

With a victory in sight, the Catalan side relaxed a bit after the break but still managed to extend their lead through Guido Rodriguez’s own goal while he was trying to clear a cross from Ansu Fati inside six yards.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, thrashed Almeria 4-2 at Bernabeu after Karim Benzema scored thrice in the first half and a goal from Rodrygo in the second half.

The hat trick saw the French forward surpass Hugo Sanchez as the fourth-highest scorer in La Liga history with 236 goals.

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MADRID: Barcelona suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday and wasted a golden chance to stretch their lead at the top of La Liga. 

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, celebrated their 120th anniversary in fashion as they beat Mallorca 3-1 to close in on city rivals Real Madrid with a difference of just two points.

Alvaro Garcia and Fran Garcia scored goals in each half to upset the lacklustre Barca, who still enjoy a healthy 11 points lead over second-placed Real.

With seven games to play, defending champions Real faced a severe jolt to their title hopes when they were stunned 4-2 at Girona on Tuesday.

Xavi’s side, however, are poised to win their first title since 2019 despite running out of luck at the end of the race as they won just one of their last four league matches – a close win over Atletico on Sunday.

Rayo lived up to the expectations at a sold-out Estadio de Vallecas as they broke the seven-game unbeaten streak of the Catalan giants in the league.

They proved to be the better side for most of the match and took the lead in the 19th minute after Sergio Camello tackled Gavi and quickly fed Alvaro Garcia who fired an unstoppable low shot past Barca goalkeeper.

Rayo doubled their lead in the 52nd minute thanks to a superb effort from Fran Garcia, who stole the ball from Frenkie de Jong in midfield and ripped through the Barca defence to finish with a fine touch past Ter Stegen.

Lewandowski scored the consolation goal for Barca in the 83rd minute.

Earlier Atletico put on an impressive show on their 120th anniversary with Antoine Griezmann assisting two of three goals scored by Rodrigo de Paul, Alvaro Morata and Yannick Carrasco.

Donned in special blue and white kits at home to mark the special occasion, Atletico faced an early setback as Matija Nastasic put Mallorca ahead after 20 minutes of play.

De Paul levelled right before the break after Predrag Rajkovic saved a shot from Griezmann, but the Frenchman crossed the rebound to his teammate.

The host then took the lead early in the second half when Morata fired a header home from Nahuel Molina’s cross.

Carrasco struck the third for his side after 77 minutes after Griezmann set him up with a fine lobbed pass.

Almeria moved up to 15th with a 2-1 win over 10-man Getafe, which left the hosts 17th, one point above the bottom three.

Celta Vigo earned a 1-0 win over rock-bottom Elche thanks to defender Joseph Aidoo’s diving header in the dying minutes of the game.

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