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[ad_1] 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. 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...

[ad_1] BARCELONA: Jordi Alba struck a late winner for Barcelona in a 1-0 win over 10-man Osasuna on Tuesday to move the Catalans a step closer to their first La Liga title since 2019. Xavi Hernandez's side climbed 14 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who lost 2-0 at Real Sociedad. The visitors had debutant Jorge Herrando sent off in the first half for a professional foul on Pedri, as they sat deep and tried to frustrate hosts Barcelona. Visiting goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez kept the leaders at bay in the second half but eventually substitute Alba, who has had reduced minutes this season, sliced home a volley to snatch a late victory. "We're going to wait and see, but it's a giant step forward," said Xavi . "We suffered too much. We missed some very clear chances, the kind where you can just push it in. "And then came Jordi's goal, which sometimes makes it better to win like that." Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate rotated heav...

[ad_1] BARCELONA: Raphinha's strike earned Barcelona an agonising 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday to restore their nine-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. Real Sociedad stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Real Mallorca, with their bid to finish in the top four losing steam at an alarming rate. Struggling Sevilla earned an important 2-1 win over Almeria to climb to 13th, two points clear of the relegation zone, leaving their opponents 19th. In Barcelona's first game after being charged with corruption by Spanish prosecutors, they shut out the noise and took another step towards their first title since 2019. The Catalans secured their 19th clean sheet in 25 La Liga games this season as they held on to earn their ninth 1-0 win of the season, keeping second-placed Madrid at arm's length after the champions beat Espanyol on Saturday. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made some superb saves in the second half and Alex Berenguer struck the post, but Athl...

[ad_1] BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said Thursday he understood Lionel Messi's desire to avoid the "pressure" of a return to the Catalan giants this summer. Messi, 35, announced Wednesday he will play at American side Inter Miami in Major League Soccer after ending his two-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine playmaker, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, had options to return to the Catalan club where he carved out his legacy, or take a megabucks move to Saudi Arabia. "He hasn't had a good time in these two years (in Paris) and now he doesn't want that type of pressure," Xavi said on Twitch. "It's a personal decision and the circumstances didn't help, but the decision is Leo's and we have to respect it, he's the best in history." Xavi said he had spoken a lot with Messi over the past few months but he noticed "a change" over the past few days. "Maybe he didn't see it s...

[ad_1] Ever pack workout clothes for a vacation — only to unpack them, unworn, upon returning home? Perhaps the destination matters. Data from exercise apps, which track users' physical locations and search history, show travelers tend to be more active in some locations more than others. Fitness app Strava shows travelers tend to exercise when they visit smaller cities in Europe. The app, which has 100 million users in 195 countries, shows travelers are more active than locals, in: Split, Croatia Dodecanese Islands, Greece Lagos, Portugal Las Palmas, Spain Nord-Aurdal, Norway All are warm, coastal cities in southern Europe, with the exception of Nord-Aurdal, which is part of Norway's Valdres region — a major draw for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, cycling, fishing and skiing. The small municipality of some 6,400 people is about 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Lillehammer, which hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics. Conversely, the company's data shows travelers ar...

[ad_1] BARCELONA: La Liga leaders Barcelona welcome Atletico Madrid to Camp Nou on Sunday needing to climb out of a rut and take a significant step towards clinching the title. With an 11-point advantage on second-placed Real Madrid, Barcelona have one hand on the trophy, but have lost some ground with two consecutive 0-0 draws against Girona and Getafe. Xavi's side are crawling towards the line rather than sprinting over it, with the team's morale taking a big hit when Madrid knocked them out of the Copa del Rey with a 4-0 thrashing at Camp Nou earlier in April. Matters off the pitch have taken the focus, with president Joan Laporta giving a news conference to clarify the club's denial of any wrongdoings in the "Negreira case" referee scandal and a potential return for Lionel Messi from Paris Saint-Germain gaining momentum. Laporta has also said he wants to renew Xavi's contract, but the coach wants his team to finish the job by winning La Liga ...

[ad_1] MADRID: Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal shone in a thrilling 4-3 win for the Spanish champions at Villarreal on Sunday in La Liga. The 16-year-old winger, making only his second start for the club, hit the woodwork twice and set up the opening goal for Gavi in an impressive performance which stood out amid a chaotic battle. Veteran Polish striker Robert Lewandowski tapped home the winning goal, his first of the season, after Yamal's drive hit the post, to send Barca provisionally third. "We have to look at our youth academy, and even more so given the situation we're in economically," Barca coach Xavi told Movistar, after also giving midfielder Fermin Lopez his debut as a substitute. With Xavi watching on from high in the stands, serving a suspension, his charges took an early two-goal lead against the run of play. Villarreal started brightly and Alexander Sorloth had a goal ruled out for offside. However Barcelona pounced after 12 minutes when Ya...

[ad_1] LONDON: Barcelona will be aiming to clinch their second Women's Champions League title in three years on Saturday, but will be up against a steely VfL Wolfsburg side desperate to get their hands on a trophy they last won in 2014. There is no doubting the quality in the Spanish side who successfully defended their league title this season with 28 wins, one draw and one defeat which came in the final game. They also will be boosted by the presence of two-times Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas. The Spain midfielder made her long-awaited return to action at the end of April after recovering from an ACL injury suffered last year. "I'm lucky enough to live close to Alexia and be able to learn from her every day. Just watching her, seeing what she transmits to you in training makes you learn and become a better player," teammate Claudia Pina told Reuters in a Zoom interview. "I've always noticed her because she scores a lot of goals. She...

[ad_1] MIAMI: Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets has signed a contract with Inter Miami that will see him reunited with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi through the 2025 season, the Major League Soccer club said Sunday. Completion of the deal comes a day after Messi, who sparked Argentina to a World Cup title last year in Qatar, signed his own contract with the club. Inter had announced last month that they were acquiring Busquets, who will be reunited with his former Barcelona teammate Messi. The one-time World Cup champion, nine-time La Liga winner and former Barca captain will occupy a Designated Player slot and is expected to join the team "in the coming days," Inter said. "I am excited to welcome Sergio Busquets to Inter Miami," managing owner Jorge Mas said in a statement. "Since day one we have set out to bring the world's best players to Inter Miami. Sergio's repertoire speaks for itself." Busquets, 34, said in May that he wo...