VILLAREAL, Spain: Real Madrid produced a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Villarreal 3-2 on Thursday and book their place in the Spanish Cup quarter-finals.
Elsewhere Barcelona romped to a 5-0 win at third-tier Ceuta with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid side will hope the victory is a turning point after struggling in 2023. They were soundly beaten by rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final last Sunday.
Los Blancos seemed poised to suffer cup elimination on Thursday, after Etienne Capoue and Samuel Chukwueze struck in the first half for the hosts.
However goals by Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos after the break turned the last-16 clash on its head and sent Madrid, who last won the trophy in 2014, through.
It was another classic comeback for the ages from a team famed for producing them.
“After a very bad first half, the second was different — we pushed, took risks, had courage,” Ancelotti told Teledeporte.
“I told them they had to wake up, we had lost a lot of battles, we weren’t risking much in the press, they were looking for counters but it was a risk we had to take.
“The team was not well positioned, they were too open, and lacked strength in the duels.”
Villarreal, who impressed while beating Madrid in La Liga earlier in January, started brilliantly, Capoue lashing home a stunning strike from Gerard Moreno’s flick into his path.
Quique Setien’s side had won six of their last seven games and drawn the other and they played with confidence in the first half.
By contrast, Madrid looked chastened after their recent results and the early goal conceded.
The hosts doubled their lead at the Estadio de la Ceramica just before half-time, with Chukwueze providing the finishing touch to a flowing team move.
Ancelotti responded by bringing on Ceballos and Marco Asensio and the changes paid instant dividends, with both players — on the fringes this season — impressing.
Ceballos set up Vinicius to pull the first back for Madrid and it put the wind in their sails.
Asensio drilled a low free-kick under the wall but Filip Jorgensen was equal to it as Los Blancos strained for the equalizer.
The Danish stopper then parried Karim Benzema’s header moments later, but Militao pounced on the rebound to level.
With the clock ticking toward extra-time Ceballos struck with a low effort from the edge of the box, set up by Asensio, to complete the rescue mission.
“The team knew how to stay alive in the game and luckily we could turn it around,” match-winner Ceballos told Teledeporte.
“We want to dominate matches and lately we have not been capable of doing it, we’ve had a lot of games in a row, many players coming back from the World Cup, and now we will improve.”
Barcelona lifted the Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh with a convincing triumph over Madrid, and after initially struggling to break down Ceuta’s defense, eventually cruised to victory.
Lewandowski bagged a brace, while Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Franck Kessie also netted for Barcelona, who have won the Spanish Cup a record 31 times.
Xavi’s side took helicopters to Ceuta after flying to Malaga in the morning by jet, just as they did when visiting the North African coast for a Spanish Cup match back in 2010.
“We would like to be able to play at home (in the next round),” said Xavi.
“All the teams are from La Liga, they are strong.
“We’ll see what the draw gives us. We’re in the last eight, we are happy, we’re in a good dynamic — this is the path.”
The quarter-final draw takes place on Friday.
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Real Madrid stun Villarreal with Spanish Cup comeback, Barcelona thrash Ceuta
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Real Madrid stun Villarreal with Spanish Cup comeback, Barcelona thrash Ceuta
- Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid side will hope the victory is a turning point after struggling in 2023
- They were soundly beaten by rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final last Sunday
Tuchel slams England’s lack of ‘seriousness’ in win over Andorra
- Tuchel’s side were booed at the final whistle in Barcelona after Harry Kane’s 50th minute tap-in saved England from a humiliating draw
- “I liked the attitude how we started the game, the first 25 minutes, but I didn’t like the last 25 minutes, the last half an hour,” Tuchel said
BARCELONA: Thomas Tuchel slammed England’s attitude and accused them of a lack of “seriousness” during Saturday’s lacklustre 1-0 win against minnows Andorra.
Tuchel’s side were booed at the final whistle in Barcelona after Harry Kane’s 50th minute tap-in saved England from a humiliating draw with a team ranked 173rd in the world.
Although England have won all three of their World Cup qualifiers since Tuchel took charge, they have struggled to fulfil the German’s desire for a more attacking style of play.
Their labored efforts against Andorra infuriated Tuchel, who saw alarming signs that his players threw in the towel in the closing stages.
“I didn’t like the attitude how we ended the game,” he said.
“I liked the attitude how we started the game, the first 25 minutes, but I didn’t like the last 25 minutes, the last half an hour.
“I think we lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier.
“We played with fire and I didn’t like the attitude in the end. I didn’t like the body language and I think it was not what the occasion needed.”
England sit top of Group K as they progress toward next year’s World Cup, yet they will need to improve signficantly to make an impact in the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tuchel was relieved to secure the victory after Andorra pushed for a late leveller, but he conceded his team had played with a lack of energy.
“In the end we played with fire, honestly. I felt it almost like in a cup game where the favorite does not smell the danger,” he said.
“I didn’t feel a team that is aware it’s only 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier because we were not happy with ourselves.
“I’m not blaming them. I even feel like they felt ‘OK, we’re not happy and this is stuck today, it will not happen today’.
“Step by step the energy dropped. We needed exactly the opposite but we couldn’t deliver and so we got away with a win.”
Tuchel had admitted before the game that it might be hard to crush Andorra by a huge margin because his players were tired after a draining domestic campaign.
Nine of England’s squad will jet off to the Club World Cup after Tuesday’s friendly against Senegal in Nottingham.
First, Tuchel will demand a more positive performance at the City Ground next week.
“We will not stop to encourage them and make clear after we have a proper look at the match what we want from them,” he said.
England supporters made up the majority of the crowd at the RCDE Stadium and their displeasure was audible throughout a limp game that felt more like a pre-season friendly.
Tuchel could not blame them for expressing their frustration, with jeers for the team mixed with abusive songs about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“The booing is OK.”
“They were underwhelmed and not happy with our performance, especially how we ended the first half, so I don’t think we can blame them for that,” he said.
“We cannot even blame them how we ended the match. In the opposite. I thought they were fantastic throughout the whole match.
“I did not hear anything about what you said about abusive songs or chants (about the Prime Minister), so if it happens of course it’s not acceptable but I didn’t hear it.”
Gauff fights back to beat Sabalenka to French Open crown
- The second-ranked American dug deep to claim a 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 victory
- It was a second straight Grand Slam final loss for Sabalenka
PARIS: Coco Gauff battled back from a set down to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final for the second time with a dramatic victory in the French Open showpiece on Saturday.
The second-ranked American dug deep to claim a 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 victory and her second major title after also defeating Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open.
The 21-year-old more than made amends for her emotional 2022 final loss to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros, outlasting Sabalenka over two hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
It was a second straight Grand Slam final loss for Sabalenka after her defeat by Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January.
Gauff was rock solid after falling a set down, while Sabalenka made 70 unforced errors in windy conditions in a match which followed a very similar pattern to Gauff’s victory at Flushing Meadows two years ago.
Belarusian Sabalenka was aiming to become the only current women’s player to win three of the four Grand Slam events after her US Open triumph last year and back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024.
But Gauff instead moved 6-5 ahead in their head-to-head record, proving the more consistent player in the first women’s Slam final between the world’s top two since Caroline Wozniacki beat Simona Halep in Melbourne in 2018.
Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare
- Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday’s match in Oslo
- A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany
OSLO: Italy’s World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway.
Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday’s match in Oslo, while Italy had yet to play, having been involved in the Nations League quarter-finals in March, losing out to Germany.
A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany and they found themselves 3-0 down at the break before staging a second-half comeback to salvage a draw, and some pride.
It was the same story on Friday for Italy at the Ullevaal Stadium, at least as far as the opening act went. Norway roared into a 3-0 lead in the first half but this time there was no Italian fightback in a goalless second half.
“Enough!” screamed the Gazzetta dello Sport front page on Saturday, after Italy suffered their third loss in a four-game winless run, with the newspaper adding that for Italy the “World Cup is already at risk.”
Next year’s World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico but in the two decades since Italy won the tournament for the fourth time, they have struggled to perform or, more recently, to even get there.
Berlin 2006 seems a lifetime ago now, with Zinedine Zidane sent off for his head butt to Marco Materazzi’s chest and Italy lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout win over France.
The next two World Cups saw Italy exit at the group stage, and while they triumphed at Euro 2020, on either side of that success they missed out on the World Cup after playoff defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia.
With Italy now playing catch-up and only the group winners qualifying automatically, La Repubblica’s front-page headline “Azzurri humiliated in Oslo, the playoff nightmare returns” hints at the frightening possibilities ahead.
Italy’s loss came less than a week after Inter Milan’s 5-0 mauling at the hands of Paris St. Germain in the Champions League final and on both occasions the tired-looking losers were outclassed by a hungrier, more creative side.
Italy manager Luciano Spalletti was spared following last year’s dismal Euros but is now under real pressure and nothing but a convincing win at home to Moldova on Monday will do, with media and fans increasingly calling for a change of leadership.
Reports: Bayern agree deal with Leverkusen to take Tah to Club World Cup
- Tah’s contract with Leverkusen ran to the end of June, meaning he could only join Bayern on a free transfer from July 1
- Any agreement to let Tah join Bayern before his Leverkusen contract ends would suggest pragmatism has won out at Leverkusen
MUNICH: Bayern Munich have reportedly agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to take Germany defender Jonathan Tah to the Club World Cup.
Kicker magazine and other media outlets reported Saturday that Bayern, which had announced Tah’s signing “without a transfer fee” on May 29, have agreed to pay Leverkusen up to 4 million euros ($4.6 million) for the player to take a full part in the Club World Cup starting in the United States on June 14.
Tah’s contract with Leverkusen ran to the end of June, meaning he could only join Bayern on a free transfer from July 1 – unless the clubs came to an agreement beforehand.
There was little goodwill between the clubs after Bayern’s failed attempt to sign Tah – Leverkusen’s captain – last season, when Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro lashed out against Bayern’s Max Eberl. Bayern’s public pursuit of Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz this season further inflamed tensions between the rival clubs.
Any agreement to let Tah join Bayern before his Leverkusen contract ends would suggest pragmatism has won out at Leverkusen.
Real Madrid set the precedent by paying a reported fee of up to 10 million euros ($11.4 million) to get England right back Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his Liverpool contract one month before it was due to expire, so he could play at the Club World Cup, rather than waiting to sign him with a transfer fee.
Bayern will also need to reach agreement with Hoffenheim if they want to take Tom Bischof to the tournament.
Leverkusen face a summer of rebuilding following Xabi Alonso’s departure as coach, Tah and wing back Jeremie Frimpong ‘s departures for Bayern and Liverpool, respectively, and Wirtz’s expected transfer to Liverpool.
Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka suggested Friday he would be open to a switch amid reported interest from AC Milan, a change from his previous position.
Leverkusen hired former Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag to replace the Real Madrid-bound Alonso, while they have also signed highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from second-division club Hertha Berlin, and 21-year-old defender Tim Oermann from relegated Bochum before promptly loaning him to Austrian champion Sturm Graz.
They also loaned promising midfielder Francis Onyeka to Bochum for next season in the second division.
Spain-Portugal final more than just Cristiano vs Yamal says Ronaldo
- Ronaldo however said the focus on the two individuals was overblown, calling Spain “maybe the best national team in the world“
- “There are different generations, one is coming in and another is exiting the stage. If you want to see me as another generation, then that’s OK”
MUNICH: Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledged he was “another generation” to Spain starlet Lamine Yamal but said Sunday’s Nations League final was more than just a battle between the duo.
The final in Munich has been framed as a showdown between veteran Ronaldo, 40, one of the game’s biggest names, and 17-year-old Yamal, the most exciting young talent in world football.
Ronaldo scored the winner to send Portugal past Germany into the final and Yamal was named man-of-the-match after bagging a brace in Spain’s wild 5-4 semifinal win over France.
Ronaldo however said the focus on the two individuals was overblown, calling Spain “maybe the best national team in the world.”
“There are different generations, one is coming in and another is exiting the stage. If you want to see me as another generation, then that’s OK.
“When you talk about a clash between Cristiano and someone else, that’s not how it works. The media always try to hype things up, which is a normal thing, but it’s one team versus another team.”
“You’ve been talking about Lamine a lot and you’re right to do so because he’s very good,” Ronaldo told journalists, adding “but I’d like to talk about the team.
“They’ve got Nico Williams, great midfielders like Pedri and their coach (Luis) de la Fuente is very good, very strong, very disciplined.”
Portugal last beat their Iberian neighbors in a competitive fixture in 21 years ago at Euro 2024, a match which Ronaldo started.
Like Yamal, Ronaldo burst onto the scene at a young age.
Aged just 18, Ronaldo impressed so much for boyhood side Sporting in a 3-1 win over Manchester United in a friendly in Lisbon that the English club decided to buy him, bringing him to Old Trafford less than a week later.
Like a young Ronaldo, Yamal has consistently impressed since bursting onto the scene, winning a league and cup double with Barcelona this season after lifting the Euro 2024 title in Germany last summer.
The Portuguese veteran asked media to allow the teenager to grow and improve without pressure, reminding them the Spanish star “with funny hair” was just “three years older than my son.”
“The kid has been doing very well, but what I ask is for you to let him grow, not put him under pressure. For the good of football, we need to let him grow in his own way and enjoy the talent he has.”
Both Spain and Portugal have already won the Nations League. Spain are the current champions from their win in 2023, while Portugal won the inaugural tournament back in 2019.
