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Athletic Bilbao end Atletico Madrid’s 28-match unbeaten streak at home in 1st leg of Copa semifinal

Athletic Bilbao end Atletico Madrid’s 28-match unbeaten streak at home in 1st leg of Copa semifinal
Athletic Bilbao’s Alex Berenguer scores their goal from the penalty spot during the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain, on Feb. 7, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 08 February 2024

Athletic Bilbao end Atletico Madrid’s 28-match unbeaten streak at home in 1st leg of Copa semifinal

Athletic Bilbao end Atletico Madrid’s 28-match unbeaten streak at home in 1st leg of Copa semifinal
  • Alex Berenguer converted a first-half penalty kick to give Athletic the tight victory at the Metropolitano Stadium
  • The second leg will be on Feb. 29 at Athletic’s San Mames Stadium

MADRID: Athletic Bilbao ended Atletico Madrid’s 28-match unbeaten streak at home with a 1-0 win in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Wednesday.

Alex Berenguer converted a first-half penalty kick to give Athletic the tight victory at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Atletico hadn’t lost at the Metropolitano since a 1-0 defeat against Barcelona in January last year in the Spanish league. Diego Simeone’s team had only two draws since then, both against Getafe in the Spanish league.

“It’s always tough to win in this stadium, they are always pressing forward and putting you on the defensive,” Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde said. “It was a typical Copa match and we came through in the end.”

Atletico thought they had a chance for a late equalizer when the referee called a penalty kick on Álvaro Morata in stoppage time, but video review determined that the Atletico striker was offside and reversed the call.

The hosts had almost evened the match in the 85th when Angel Correa’s shot was blocked by Athletic defender Íñigo Lekue at the goal line.

Berenguer scored the winner by converting a 25th-minute penalty after a hard sliding tackle by Atletico defender Reinildo on Athletic midfielder Beñat Prados.

“We did a lot of things right to win the match but the ball didn’t want to go in,” Atletico midfielder Koke Resurrección said. “They had their chance with the penalty kick and then defended well.”

The second leg will be on Feb. 29 at Athletic’s San Mames Stadium. Athletic beat Atletico 2-0 in a league match there in December.

“They got a very good result and we will need to try to find a way to overcome it in order to advance,” Simeone said. “It will be difficult, we will need to score two goals and that’s not easy. They have a significant advantage.”

Athletic eliminated Barcelona in the quarterfinals to reach the last four for the fifth straight season. The Basque Country team was runner-up in the Copa in 2019-20 and 2020-21. They last won the competition in 1984.

Athletic are the second most successful club in the Copa with 23 titles, eight less than Barcelona.

Atletico are playing in the last four of the Copa for the first time in seven seasons and are seeking their first title since 2013. They have 10 Copa trophies.

On Tuesday, Mallorca and Real Sociedad drew 0-0 in the first leg of the other semifinal. The return match will be on Feb. 27 at Sociedad’s stadium.

Mallorca hadn’t made it to the final since winning the Copa in 2003. Sociedad defeated Basque Country rival Athletic in the final in the 2019-20 season.

The semifinals is the only Copa stage being played in home-and-away matches.

The final will be in April in the La Cartuja Stadium in the southern city of Seville.


Five-star Barcelona smash Real Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah

Five-star Barcelona smash Real Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah
Updated 13 January 2025

Five-star Barcelona smash Real Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah

Five-star Barcelona smash Real Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah
  • Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead but dominant Barcelona hit five in response

JEDDAH: Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Ƶ on Sunday to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era.
The electric Kylian Mbappe sent 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 defeat by Barcelona in October’s La Liga Clasico but instead were left battered and bruised by their arch-rivals in Jeddah.
After Mbappe’s opener, Lamine Yamal levelled 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.
Both Flick and his opposite number Carlo Ancelotti opted to maintain the same line-ups they started with in the semifinals.
Yamal issued Madrid an early warning with a curling effort from the right which forced Thibaut Courtois into a fine save.
The Belgian goalkeeper also produced a strong stop to keep a Raphinha header at bay after the Brazilian evaded Lucas Vazquez with ease.
Despite Barcelona’s opening salvo it was Real Madrid who took the lead in the fifth minute with Mbappe’s brilliant goal on the counter-attack.
The French forward, frustrated numerous times by the offside flag in the league defeat by the Catalans, broke loose on the halfway line after Vinicius won the ball back and, after bursting into the area, clipped past Szczesny.
It took a stunning individual goal from 17-year-old Yamal to level the scoreline, with the Spanish winger cutting in from the right before stroking home a low finish inside the near post in a similar style to former Barca great Lionel Messi, whom he is often compared to.
Inigo Martinez hobbled off injured and Flick sent on Ronald Araujo in his place, amidst heavy transfer speculation the Uruguayan defender wants to leave the club.
Barcelona kept pushing and moved ahead through Lewandowski’s penalty after Eduardo Camavinga arrived late and carelessly clattered Gavi.
Raphinha soon added Barcelona’s third with a header from Jules Kounde’s cross from deep and they grabbed their fourth before half-time on the break.
Yamal and Raphinha combined and the latter slipped in Balde, who slotted past Courtois.
Barcelona continued in the same vein after the break and Raphinha netted the fifth with a neat dribble and finish after Marc Casado played him in.
The Catalans were reduced to 10 men when Mbappe sped in at the other end, rounding goalkeeper Szczesny, who brought him down outside the area and after a VAR review was dismissed.
Rodrygo, who earlier hit the post, rifled home the free-kick past Szczesny’s replacement Inaki Pena.
Mbappe brilliantly teed up Jude Bellingham but the England international was denied by a superb Kounde challenge in stoppage time.
The French forward also came close to scoring again himself on a fine individual display but Pena tipped away his effort.
Barcelona brought on midfielder Dani Olmo for his first appearance since he was registered to play for the club on a temporary basis, a controversial issue which overshadowed the semifinals earlier in the week.
However their five-star display offered a host of other talking points as Barca won a record-extending 15th Spanish Super Cup.


Atletico Madrid wins record 14th game in a row to lead Spanish league at halfway stage

Atletico Madrid wins record 14th game in a row to lead Spanish league at halfway stage
Updated 12 January 2025

Atletico Madrid wins record 14th game in a row to lead Spanish league at halfway stage

Atletico Madrid wins record 14th game in a row to lead Spanish league at halfway stage
  • Atletico has won all of its matches across all competitions since October

MADRID: Atletico Madrid set a club all-time record of 14 straight victories with a 1-0 win over Osasuna on Sunday and went top of the Spanish league at the halfway stage.
Julián Álvarez scored in the 55th minute at the Metropolitano stadium to give Atletico the milestone victory and a one-point lead over second-place Real Madrid. Diego Simeone’s team has a six-point gap to third-place Barcelona.
Madrid and Barcelona play each other in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah, Ƶ, later Sunday. A 4-0 defeat to Barcelona will be on Madrid’s mind ahead of the second clasico of the season.
Atletico has won all of its matches across all competitions since October. Its last setback was a 1-0 loss at Real Betis in the Spanish league on Oct. 27. Eight of the victories have come in the league.
“It’s an important streak to show the growth of this club,” Simeone said. “We have been working really hard.”
It was the seventh consecutive league game without a win for Osasuna, which is in 11th place.
Also Sunday, 15th-place Getafe won 2-1 at 14th-place Las Palmas.


EA Team of the Year celebrates top football players 

EA Team of the Year celebrates top football players 
Updated 12 January 2025

EA Team of the Year celebrates top football players 

EA Team of the Year celebrates top football players 

RIYADH: To celebrate the best football players of the year, EA Sports has launched , allowing fans to create and vote for their dream team.

Ƶ’s football talent is Salem Al-Dawsari, midfielder for Al-Hilal, who has earned his place as one of TOTY’s nominees, showcasing the region’s growing impact in the world of football.

Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, has also been nominated for TOTY.

Following the Italian and Spanish Super Cup matches, which were held in Riyadh and Jeddah, this year’s TOTY card lineup includes players from Italian teams AC Milan, Inter Milan, Atalanta, and Juventus, and Spanish teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

TOTY has cards for each position — goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and attackers — allowing fans to create the ultimate fantasy men’s or women’s football team.

The EA FC 25 TOTY vote will be closed on Jan. 12, 2025. 

For more information on Team of the Year, visit www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/fc-25/toty 


Penalty king Kane sends Bayern past Gladbach

Penalty king Kane sends Bayern past Gladbach
Updated 11 January 2025

Penalty king Kane sends Bayern past Gladbach

Penalty king Kane sends Bayern past Gladbach
  • Musiala’s replacement, veteran Thomas Mueller, had an early chance midway through the first half but blasted at Gladbach goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas from point-blank range
  • Kane has now converted 26 successive penalties for club and country since his miss against France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup

BERLIN: A second-half penalty from Harry Kane gave Bayern Munich a 1-0 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday, restoring their four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on Friday drew them within a point of league leaders Bayern, who went into Saturday’s clash without the ill Jamal Musiala.
Musiala’s replacement, veteran Thomas Mueller, had an early chance midway through the first half but blasted at Gladbach goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas from point-blank range.
Gladbach were toothless in attack but frustrated Bayern, who were unable to turn their dominance into clear goalscoring chances.
With just over 20 minutes remaining, Michael Olize was felled in the box by Gladbach’s Lukas Ullrich, bringing Kane to the spot.
The England captain, who had been largely anonymous for much of the night, sent the ball low to the right and into the net.
Kane has now converted 26 successive penalties for club and country since his miss against France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
“We had many, many good chances,” Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich told Sky Germany.
“But we made it a bit too exciting at the end as we could’ve decided things earlier.”
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said: “We’re happy with the 1-0 even if we could’ve scored a goal or two more.”
A first-half goal from Omar Marmoush took Eintracht Frankfurt to a 1-0 win at St. Pauli amid growing speculation that the Egypt star is on the brink of a move to Manchester City.
Before the game, Frankfurt sporting director Markus Kroesche confirmed “a club had got in contact” about Marmoush, with Sky Germany saying the forward had already agreed personal terms with the English champions.
Marmoush was on target in the 32nd minute against his former club, calmly turning inside the box before firing a shot into the top corner.
The goal was Marmoush’s 14th in 16 Bundesliga games this season, one behind Kane. The 25-year-old also has eight league assists.
“We did plenty to keep a clean sheet today,” said Frankfurt captain Kevin Trapp as his team stayed in third place.
Elsewhere, Freiburg leapfrogged Borussia Dortmund into sixth with a 3-2 home win over Holstein Kiel highlighted by a stunning free-kick from captain Christian Guenter.
Kiel’s Nicolai Remberg unwittingly diverted an Eren Dinkci cross into his own net on 23 minutes, before Guenter sent an excellent dipping shot into the top corner from wide on the right-hand side.
Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo added a third although Kiel’s Phil Harres made the home side sweat with two goals in the final five minutes.
Union Berlin’s miserable week went from bad to worse, going down 2-0 with 10 men at Heidenheim just days after a German Football Association (DFB) sports court punished them for unruly behavior by their fans.
The DFB court decided Union’s 1-1 home draw with Bochum in December should be considered a 2-0 win for the away side after a home fan threw a lighter at the head of the visiting goalkeeper.
Union president Dirk Zingler slammed the decision pre-match as an “unfair scandal,” saying the court was trying to make a “political example” of the club who have appealed the punishment.
Bayern loanee Frans Kraetzig gave the hosts the lead on the counter after 17 minutes in his first Heidenheim game before Union’s Tom Rothe was red carded for a last-man foul.
Adrian Beck sealed the win with seven minutes remaining, giving his side a first win since September.
Mainz climbed past RB Leipzig into fourth with a 2-0 home with over lowly Bochum, with Germany forward Jonathan Burkardt scoring in each half.
A 29th-minute Mohamed Amoura goal took Wolfsburg to a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim.


Marmoush fires Frankfurt to victory amid Man City link

Marmoush fires Frankfurt to victory amid Man City link
Updated 11 January 2025

Marmoush fires Frankfurt to victory amid Man City link

Marmoush fires Frankfurt to victory amid Man City link
  • Frankfurt sporting director Markus Kroesche confirmed “a club had got in contact” about Marmoush
  • Marmoush was on target in the 32nd minute against his former club, calmly turning inside the box before firing a shot into the top corner to give Frankfurt the lead

BERLIN: A first-half goal from Omar Marmoush took Eintracht Frankfurt to a 1-0 Bundesliga win at St. Pauli on Saturday amid growing speculation that the Egyptian star is on the brink of a move to Manchester City.
Before the game, Frankfurt sporting director Markus Kroesche confirmed “a club had got in contact” about Marmoush, with Sky Germany saying the forward had already agreed personal terms with the struggling English champions.
Marmoush was on target in the 32nd minute against his former club, calmly turning inside the box before firing a shot into the top corner to give Frankfurt the lead.
The goal was Marmoush’s 14th in 16 Bundesliga games this season, taking him level with Harry Kane at the top of the scoring charts. The 25-year-old also has eight league assists.
Victory kept Frankfurt in third place, six points behind leaders Bayern who visit Borussia Moenchengladbach later Saturday.


Elsewhere, Freiburg leapfrogged Borussia Dortmund into sixth with a 3-2 home win over Holstein Kiel highlighted by a stunning free-kick from captain Christian Guenter.
Kiel’s Nicolai Remberg unwittingly diverted an Eren Dinkci cross into his own net on 23 minutes, before Guenter sent an excellent dipping shot into the top corner from wide on the right-hand side.
Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo added a third although Kiel’s Phil Harres made the home side sweat with two goals in the final five minutes.
Union Berlin’s miserable week went from bad to worse, going down 2-0 with 10 men at Heidenheim just days after a German FA (DFB) sports court punished them for unruly behavior by their fans.
The DFB court decided Union’s 1-1 home draw with Bochum in December should be considered a 2-0 win for the away side after a home fan threw a lighter at the head of the visiting goalkeeper.
Union president Dirk Zingler slammed the decision pre-match as an “unfair scandal,” saying the court was trying to make a “political example” of the club who have appealed the decision.
Bayern Munich loanee Frans Kraetzig gave the hosts the lead on the counter after 17 minutes in his first Heidenheim game before Union’s Tom Rothe was red carded for a last-man foul.
Adrian Beck sealed the result with seven minutes remaining, giving his side a first win since September.
Mainz climbed past RB Leipzig into fourth with a 2-0 home with over lowly Bochum, with Germany forward Jonathan Burkardt scoring in each half.
A 29th-minute Mohamed Amoura goal took Wolfsburg to a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim.
Later Saturday, Bayern can restore their four-point lead at the top of the table from second-placed Bayer Leverkusen when they travel to Gladbach.