Tag: Barcelona

MADRID: Eder Militao’s own goal handed a depleted Barcelona a surprise 1-0 away victory over Real Madrid in a stormy Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Thursday.

The Catalans arrived on the back of two consecutive defeats and without an injured trio of key players — top scorer Robert Lewandowski, key midfielder Pedri and explosive winger Ousmane Dembele.

After their Europa League elimination by Manchester United last week and a first ever loss against La Liga minnows Almeria, Madrid fans smelled blood, but left bitterly frustrated.

Militao deflected a rebound into his own goal after 26 minutes to split the teams and hand Barcelona the edge ahead of the second leg on April 5 at Camp Nou.

The hosts had more of the ball but failed to muster a shot on target, while Barcelona defended well.

“This was the game we wanted to play — not with this result, but it gives us confidence for the second leg,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.

“We did not let Barcelona do what they wanted, that’s good for us, and we just have to repeat it (at Camp Nou).”

Asked if Barcelona deserved to win or not, Ancelotti said it was clear his team deserved more.

“No, that is obvious, we had chances, but I think that it was one of Madrid’s best games in terms of pressing high,” added Ancelotti.

“It was a bit strange, their way of playing, but they have learned very well, it’s a very solid team defensively.”

Barcelona lined up with Marcos Alonso out of position at centre-back, after Andreas Christensen was only deemed fit enough to start on the bench.

Sergio Busquets made his 46th Clasico appearance, overtaking former Real Madrid and Barcelona greats Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi to set a new record.

Madrid frustrations

Despite Barcelona’s seven-point lead over champions Madrid in La Liga, many, including Barca coach Xavi Hernandez, had Madrid as favourites.

Los Blancos have not won the trophy since 2014 and pushed Barca back early on, with Benzema scoring a goal ruled out for offside.

A handful of Madrid fans had protested outside the Santiago Bernabeu about Barca’s involvement in the “Negreira case” — the Catalan club paying a former refereeing chief for advice until 2018.

The temperature rose considerably when Vinicius Junior was booked midway through the first half for wrestling Frenkie de Jong to the ground.

Vinicius remonstrated vociferously with the referee, and Madrid may still have been distracted by the argument moments later when Barcelona took the lead.

The goal came against the run of play, created by Ferran Torres, who slipped through Franck Kessie, just onside.

Thibaut Courtois saved the Ivorian midfielder’s low shot but the ball rebounded off Militao, into his own net, with Nacho trying and failing to hack it clear.

Madrid players and supporters reacted angrily as Barcelona midfielder Gavi got away with smashing into Militao, but the hosts struggled to carve out chances.

Barcelona held their lead until the break comfortably, with supporters whistling the officials as they walked towards the tunnel.

With Carlo Ancelotti’s side unable to muster a shot on target against an underwhelming Barcelona side, perhaps some of the home supporters’ frustration aimed at the referee was misplaced.

Madrid struggled to connect with Benzema, isolated and unable to influence the game.

Record Copa winners Barcelona should have doubled their lead with 20 minutes remaining when Torres cut the ball back to Kessie, but his goal-bound shot was blocked by his own team-mate, Ansu Fati.

Rodrygo whipped a shot wide for Madrid in the final stages as they remained unable to test Ter Stegen, despite Barcelona’s deficiencies.

More traditional roles were reversed as Madrid had more of the ball but Barcelona defended solidly and took the advantage back home.

“Today they dominated us with the ball, but there are other aspects in the game, sometimes the opponent forces you to this,” admitted Xavi.

“Madrid can dominate you, it’s hard to get the ball off (Toni) Kroos and (Luka) Modric, but defence is part of the game.”

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Manchester United edged out Barcelona to reach the Europa League last 16 on Thursday where they were joined by fellow heavyweights Juventus and Roma.

After the first leg of their play-off ended 2-2 in Spain, United got the better of Barcelona at Old Trafford to progress 4-3 on aggregate with Antony securing the winner.

Robert Lewandowski’s early penalty had given Barca the perfect start but La Liga leaders were again undone with the step up to the European stage as Fred levelled early in the second period.

Antony then delivered his biggest moment since arriving in Manchester from Ajax.

United are riding the crest of a wave in Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge as the Red Devils remain in the hunt for trophies on four fronts.

United could end a six-year wait for silverware when they face Newcastle in the League Cup final on Sunday.

But they left nothing in reserve to secure their biggest European scalp since dumping Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League last 16 in dramatic fashion in 2019.

United are now unbeaten at Old Trafford in 18 games dating back to September.

“Very good to hear my name from the fans but it was a good game we played today,” said Fred.

“We need to keep going. We have a final on Sunday and now we have to change our mind to go to the final.”

Former United star Angel di Maria scored a hat-trick as Juventus reached the next stage with a 3-0 second leg win over Nantes.

The result allowed the Italian giants to progress 4-1 on aggregate.

Argentine World Cup winner Di Maria opened the scoring after five minutes and then added a 20th-minute penalty.

Di Maria completed his hat-trick in the 78th minute, in a game where the French side had been reduced to 10 men after just a quarter of an hour when Nicolas Pallois was red-carded for handball.

“After we were knocked out of the Champions League, some people might have thought the Europa League would be a walk in the park for Juventus, but it is not that simple,” said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri.

“This was an important match, but it was not perfect. We still have work to do. There were things I was not happy with this evening.”

Jose Mourinho’s Roma also made it to Friday’s last 16 draw as a 2-0 win overturned a one-goal deficit from the first leg against Salzburg.

Andrea Belotti and Paulo Dybala scored in a seven-minute first-half spell to secure the win.

Six-time champions Sevilla went down to a 2-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands but progressed 3-2 on aggregate.

Luuk de Jong and Fabio Silva hit late goals for the Dutch team who had Mauro Junior sent off in stoppage time.

Sporting Lisbon were also amongst the winners, a 4-0 victory at Midtjylland in Denmark sealing a 5-1 victory.

Union Berlin, who are riding high in the Bundesliga, defeated Ajax 3-1 after the first leg had ended goalless last week.

Robin Knoche, Josip Juranovic and Danilho Doekhi scored the goals which gave Union a first ever win in the Europa League knockout stages.

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PARIS: Barcelona and Manchester United played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League play-off tie on Thursday, while Juventus were left frustrated by Nantes in a 1-1 stalemate.

The game at the Camp Nou brought together two European giants who met in two Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011, and who are both in excellent form domestically.

After a goalless first half, La Liga leaders Barcelona went ahead five minutes into the second half thanks to a Marcos Alonso header at a corner.

However, United drew level just three minutes later when Marcus Rashford beat Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen at his near post to score a 13th goal in 15 games since the World Cup.

The Premier League side then took the lead just before the hour mark through a Jules Kounde own goal, but a Raphinha cross flew in inside the final quarter of an hour to secure a draw for Barca before a crowd of more than 90,000.

“I think it was a great game. Two attacking teams, I think it was a Champions League game, even more than that,” United boss Erik ten Hag told broadcaster BT Sport. “We have to finish it in Old Trafford.”

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was left complaining that his side should have had a penalty for a handball by Fred.

“It’s a stolen penalty,” said Xavi. “I don’t know why they don’t whistle for penalties for handball now. It seems incredible to me. Incredible.”

Winning the Europa League may represent the best chance for Juventus to return to the Champions League next season after they were handed a 15-point deduction in Serie A.

That punishment, for what the Italian Football Federation ruled was illicit transfer activity designed to artificially boost their accounts, has left the Turin giants 12 points adrift of the top four at home.

Against Nantes they looked on course for a comfortable win when Federico Chiesa nodded a ball across the face of goal for Dusan Vlahovic to open the scoring early on.

But French Cup holders Nantes equalised on the breakaway on the hour when Ludovic Blas ran through to finish emphatically.

A Chiesa shot then hit the underside of the bar and bounced down without quite all of the ball crossing the line, before it struck the post and rebounded away.

Nantes also survived a VAR penalty check for a handball deep in injury time, the referee instead giving them a free-kick and leaving Juventus with work to do in the return.

Sevilla win, Roma lose

Elsewhere, Monaco came from behind to triumph 3-2 away against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, with Axel Disasi scoring the winner in the 92nd minute.

An own goal by Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky had put Monaco ahead early on only for second-half goals by Moussa Diaby and Florian Wirtz to turn the game around.

However, Krepin Diatta pulled the principality team back level before France defender Disasi’s strike.

Shakhtar Donetsk were 2-1 winners against Rennes as the Ukrainian club played their first European game since selling star winger Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea.

Playing in the Polish capital Warsaw, Dmytro Kryskiv put Shakhtar ahead and Artem Bondarenko netted a penalty before Karl Toko-Ekambi pulled one back for Rennes.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma went down 1-0 away to Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg with Argentine midfielder Nicolas Capaldo scoring a late winner.

Sevilla, the competition’s most successful club, beat PSV Eindhoven 3-0 in Spain as Youssef En-Nesyri, Lucas Ocampos and Nemanja Gudelj all netted.

Ajax drew 0-0 with Union Berlin, while Sebastian Coates scored deep into stoppage time to earn Sporting a 1-1 draw with Midtjylland of Denmark in Lisbon.

The second legs will be played next Thursday with places in the last 16 up for grabs alongside the eight teams who topped their groups.

Fiorentina were the biggest winners in the first legs of the Europa Conference League play-offs as they trounced Braga 4-0 in Portugal.

Ciro Immobile gave Lazio a 1-0 victory against CFR Cluj while there were also first-leg wins for Qarabag, Trabzonspor, AEK Larnaca, Partizan Belgrade and Ludogorets.

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Holders Real Madrid suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Mallorca, damaging their bid to defend the La Liga title as Barcelona extended their lead at the top after defeating Sevilla 3-0 on Sunday. 

Barcelona went eight points clear of their arch-rivals and second-placed Real Madrid and stretched their La Liga winning streak to five games.

Jordi Alba, Gavi and Raphinhea scored second-half goals to thrash Sevilla following a disappointing outcome for Real earlier in the day.

A bizarre own goal from Nacho in the 13th minute spoiled the game for Real, who couldn’t find the equalizer rest of the way.

Nacho left everyone stunned when he tried to clear a cross and headed the ball into the nets, going over the head of his own goalkeeper.

Real failed to make a breakthrough despite having perfect control and about 70% of the possession. At the hour mark, they had a fantastic opportunity, but Predrag Rajkovic made a brilliant save to deny Marco Asensio a penalty goal.

Meanwhile, at Camp Nou, the host also witnessed Robert Lewandowski’s two attempts getting blocked by  Yassine Bounou in the first half.

However, Barcelona rebounded sharply after the break and broke the deadlock in the 59th minute when substitute Franck Kessie showed great skills to set up the ball for Alba, who breached Sevilla’s defence to slot it in from close range.

Gavi doubled the lead twelve minutes later with a beautiful low cross from Raphinha, who then hit the third goal in the 79th minute with a point-blank strike, through Alba’s assist.

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SEVILLE: Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski struck a goal each to take Barcelona 2-1 up against Real Betis on Wednesday and extend their lead to eight points at the top of La Liga.

Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva made a string of excellent saves to deny Pedri before Raphinha scored from Alejandro Balde’s cross.

Betis created their chances too on and almost scored through Borja Iglesias and Sergio Canales but found Jules Kounde to block their effort.

It took 65 minutes for Barcelona to break the stalemate with Raphinha tapping the ball into the nets from close range before Lewandowski scored his 14th goal of the season to make it 2-0, 15 minutes later.

Kounde’s own goal in the 85th minute threatened to spoil the party for Barcelona but the visitor hung on to claim three points.

Following the win, Barcelona cemented their position at the top with 50 points from 19 matches, eight points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who will host Valencia on Thursday.

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GIRONA: Pedri’s second-half strike earned Barcelona three more points and maintained their top position in the La Liga table as they beat Girona 1-0 on Saturday.

Barcelona jumped to 47 points, six ahead of their arch-rivals and second-placed Real Madrid who will host Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Girona, however, slipped to 12th and level on 21 points with 13th-placed Sevilla who later beat Elche 3-0.

Xavi Hernandez made a few adjustments to his starting lineup, which defeats Real Sociedad in Copa del Rey on Wednesday, resting key players including Robert Lewandowski and  Ronald Araujo.

Despite outplaying the opponents in the first half, Barcelona failed to create clear-cut chances. In the 14th minute, Ousmane Dembele was able to test Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, but he made a crucial stop. Eleven minutes later, Dembele was forced off the field due to an injury.

Pedri broke the deadlock after the hour mark and scored the lone goal of the game.

Meanwhile, Sevilla’s convincing 3-0 win came on the back of a sensational first-half display which witnessed three goals within 20 minutes.

Youssef En-Nesyn scored a brace with Marcos Acuna striking in between to give Sevilla a comforting lead before the break.

Later Real Betis edged past Getafe 1-0 thanks to a late penalty by Borja Iglesias in the dying minutes.

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BARCELONA: Pedri’s first-half strike earned Barcelona three more points and maintained their top position in the La Liga table as they beat Getafe 1-0. 

Barcelona jumped to 44 points, three ahead of their arch-rivals and second-placed Real Madrid who also defeat Athletic Club 2-0 later on Sunday.

Getafe, however, slipped to 16th and level on 17 points with Celta Vigo and 18th-placed Real Valladolid, barely above the relegation zone thanks to a better goal difference.

In preparation for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey quarterfinal match against Real Sociedad, head coach Xavi Hernandez made many adjustments to his starting lineup, resting key players including Robert Lewandowski, Ronald Araujo, and Frenkie de Jong.

Pedri broke the deadlock in the 34th minute by latching onto Raphinha’s pass and guiding it to the back of the nets.

Barcelona dominated the opposition throughout the game, holding possession of the ball for about 70% of the time. However, with only four shots on target during the entire match, the Catalan Giants did not produce many obvious opportunities to widen their lead.

Meanwhile, experienced Karim Benzema and Toni Kross scored goals to take Real Madrid home with flying colours at San Mames.

Ballon d’Or winner Benzema gave his side a lead in the 23rd minute with an eloquent left-footed finish from the centre of the box while Toni Kroos extended the lead in the dying minutes of the game with a long-range shot.

Earlier, a late penalty shot from Dani Parejo deep into the stoppage time helped fifth-placed Villareal sink Girona 1-0 at El Madrigal.

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RIYADH: Barcelona convincingly beat Real Madrid 3-1 in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win the Spanish Super Cup, their first trophy since coach Xavi Hernandez took over.

Inspired by teenager Gavi, who scored himself and set up goals for Robert Lewandowski and Pedri Gonzalez, the Catalans produced one of their best performances in years against their bitter Clasico rivals.

Having enjoyed great success as a player at Barca, Xavi returned in November 2021 and after a summer of heavy spending this emphatic victory is a sign his project is moving in the right direction.

Karim Benzema netted a late consolation for Madrid, who have been far from their best since the World Cup break and also fell three points behind Barcelona in La Liga last weekend.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti suffered his first defeat in a final since 2014, with Los Blancos surrendering the trophy they earned last season to Barcelona, who have now won the Super Cup a record 14 times.

“We knew it was a chance we had to take, we have lived through an era of changes at the club and in the dressing room, and this will reinforce us to keep fighting for more titles,” Barca captain Sergio Busquets told Movistar.

Xavi crucially deployed four central midfielders, with 18-year-old Gavi drifting inside off a nominal starting position on the left and frequently giving Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal the slip.

Barcelona broke the deadlock when Busquets pressed well after a loose Antonio Rudiger pass, leading to Lewandowski feeding Gavi, who slotted home confidently.

Gavi turned provider for the second, running on to De Jong’s pass and sliding the ball across for Lewandowski to finish clinically.

“(Gavi) is a kid that excites us all, when you see him compete like that, putting his soul out there, he’s a character that is contagious for the team, he has an innate capacity for leadership,” Xavi told a press conference.

“It comes from inside him, it’s spectacular. At 18, I have said it many times, but don’t let it stop, he has no ceiling this boy.”

Real ‘weaknesses’

Gavi, who won the Golden Boy award in 2022, was the game’s outstanding performer and showed Barcelona are in good hands both now and for years to come.

Madrid’s own young star Vinicius Junior was shackled by Ronald Araujo, the Uruguayan playing at right-back to directly subdue the Brazilian’s threat.

“Today I think we were lacking, we went out there giving 90 percent, 80 percent, and in a final against a rival like this, you can’t do that,” Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde told Movistar.

Courtois denied Dembele after a brilliant Alejandro Balde run and the overworked Belgian stopper was keeping Madrid’s slim hopes alive.

By contrast, Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen went untested until the 70th minute, by when his side had netted their third.

Lewandowski released Gavi, who crossed for Pedri to tap home at the back post as Barcelona romped to a compelling victory.

The only blot on Barcelona’s copybook was a late Benzema strike, finishing after his first effort was blocked.

“To say it was humiliation is disrespectful,” Ancelotti told a news conference.

“We lost a game against Barcelona like we beat them in the league. They played better and they deserved it, full stop.”

The biggest blow for Madrid may prove to be the morale boost the victory is for their rivals.

Although Xavi will ultimately be judged on his performance in major competitions — and Barcelona have already been eliminated from this season’s Champions League — he was thrilled by the victory.

“It brings a lot of calm, confidence, because what we planned worked brilliantly, we beat Madrid, dominating the whole game,” said Xavi.

“I’ll take how we played from this, it is very important to me. The trophy, yes, but how (we won it).

“We have three trophies to play for this season and this gives us confidence.”

BARCELONA: Marcos Alonso went from hero to zero as Espanyol held toppers Barcelona to a 1-1 draw on Saturday yet the Catalan giants still claimed the top spot on goal difference.

Referee Antonio Matue Lahoz, however, took the centre stage he handed out fifteen yellow cards and two red cards in the game at Camp Nou.

After Alonso gave Barcelona an early lead Lahoz sprang into action and before the break, he booked four players besides awarding Espanyol a penalty in the second half, which Joselu converted to equalize for his side.

Jordi Alba was laid off in the final half after getting two yellow cards inside four minutes for his protests to Mateu Lahoz and two minutes later Esoanyol’s Vinicius Souza was also brandished a red card by the Spanish referee.

In minute 81, he awarded Souza’s team-mate, Leandro Cabrera, a red card after adjudging that the defender had deliberately hit a boot on Robert Lewandowski’s head but a VAR review forced him to change the decision.

While Xavi’s men were clearly unhappy with the chaotic referring decisions, Lahoz, however, used his card once more, booking Barca’s manager and Raphinha, for protesting his decisions.

Meanwhile, in another Saturday fixture, Real Sociedad sank visitors Osasuna 2-0, thanks to Brais Mendez and Alexander Sorioth’s goals in each half.

Villareal, however, edged past Valencia 2-1 with help of a late decider by Juan Foyth in the last fixture of the day.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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BARCELONA: Barcelona legend Gerard Pique bid an emotional farewell in front of the biggest crowd of the season at Camp Nou on Sunday following a dominant 2-0 win by Catalans over Almeria which took them two points clear of Real Madrid at the top LaLiga  

Pique received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was substituted in the 84th minute and broke into tears as he fervently hugged his teammates, coach Xavi and the entire Barca bench.

After the final whistle, he was lifted into the air by his companions and performed a lap of honour, blowing kisses to the crowd and waving as they chanted his name.

The 35-year-old defender broke into tears midway through his farewell speech after the game, saying:  “I was born here and I will die here.”

“Sometimes you have to leave behind the things you love. The relationship between Barcelona and me has been so loving and so passionate, I thought that maybe we needed a little bit of space. I’m sure that I’ll be back here again in the future” he said.

The retiring player was paid several tributes on his farewell night in the home game as he was named captain of the team and entered the pitch with his two sons.

Pique called time on his stellar career after appearing in 616 games across 15 seasons and won 30 trophies for the Catalan giants

Barcelona were awarded an early penalty and the fans started to chant his name to take it but the Spaniard offered it to Robert Lewandowski, who missed the opportunity and hit the post.

Meanwhile, in another matchday 13 fixture on Saturday, Osasuna held off home team Celta Vigo 2-1 with a brilliant first-half brace from Ezequiel Lavezzi.

At Estadio Jose Zorrilla, home team Valladolid edged past bottom-placed Elche 2-1 thanks to the brilliant strikes by Javi Sanchez and Roque Mesa.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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