Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era.
Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead, but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half.
Madrid were hoping to avenge their 4-0 home defeat by Barcelona in October’s La Liga “El Clasico,” but instead were left battered and bruised by their archrivals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Photo: Reuters
After Mbappe’s opener, Lamine Yamal leveled and Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona ahead from the penalty spot, with Raphinha bagging a brace and Alejandro Balde also on target.
Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick, but they could not capitalize further on their numerical advantage in a humiliating defeat for the European champions.
“It’s really nice, it had been a season since we won a trophy, it’s always special and on top of that in a Clasico against Real Madrid,” Barcelona defender Jules Kounde told Movistar.
Photo: Reuters
“We had a lot of calm and patience, knowing that if we applied the plan we would win,” he said. “I’m very proud and happy with the team... Right after the red card, we got together and said we were going to have to suffer, sit back, but we had a big advantage and this can’t escape us.”
SERIE A
Reuters
Photo: Reuters
SSC Napoli manager Antonio Conte praised the impact of Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku, both in their first season at the club, after their 2-0 Italian Serie A win over Hellas Verona on Sunday.
Napoli broke the deadlock early on when Giovanni di Lorenzo’s shot hit the post and rebounded off goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo, while Frank Anguissa sealed the victory with a powerful long-range shot.
Conte said he is still trying to find the right tactics to suit his squad, even as they secured a fifth successive league win, but that the new signings were integral in helping Napoli lead the standings by four points ahead of Inter.
Photo: AFP
FA CUP
Reuters, LONDON
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said his team are still improving, as Sunday’s dramatic FA Cup penalty shootout victory over Arsenal points to a more positive future after a difficult start to life at Old Trafford.
United fans have experienced several false dawns in recent seasons, with development under Amorim’s predecessors Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer largely a case of one step forward and two steps back.
Amorim might have wondered if he had taken on a poisoned chalice when a three-game unbeaten run to begin his reign was followed by a woeful run of results, with an unlikely victory over Manchester City in the middle.
However, having outperformed expectations with a brilliant display against Liverpool last weekend, United followed that up at Arsenal to keep their FA Cup defense alive.
Second-choice goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and forward Joshua Zirkzee were ultimately United’s heroes on Sunday after recent criticism.
Zirkzee was booed off as a first-half substitute in last month’s defeat to Newcastle United, while Bayindir was blamed for United’s League Cup exit against Tottenham Hotspur.
However, both were key contributors to United’s third round win, where they were reduced to 10 men, which Amorim said was a lesson for his squad.
“Your life as a footballer has cycles and moments, and sometimes in one week your life can change,” he said.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
RSS