THURSDAYGent 2-1 Club Brugge (Dejaegere 59, Kums 90+2; Diaby 38)Sven Kums struck in added time to give Gent victory against Club Brugge in the first leg of their Belgian Cup semi-final. Despite Dian Cools's 23rd-minute sending off, the visitors took the lead before half-time through Abdoulay Diaby. However, Brecht Dejaegere deflected in a Lasse Nielsen shot in the 59th minute to equalise and Kums's well-placed shot ensured Gent will be ahead of the holders for the second leg on 3 February.Luzern 1-2 Dynamo Kyiv (Schachten 42; Júnior Moraes 22 33)Two Júnior Moraes goals ensured Dynamo bounced ba...
Tag: barcelona
Juventus into last four, Barcelona close on semis
WEDNESDAYAthletic Club 1-2 Barcelona (Aduriz 89; Munir 18, Neymar 25)Holders Barça are well placed to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals, though they are not quite as comfortable as they might have been due to Aritz Aduriz's late effort for Athletic in the opening instalment of this last-eight tie. Munir El Haddadi and Neymar – with his 20th club goal in 25 appearances this season – gave the visitors a two-goal cushion inside 25 minutes. However, Aduriz, joint-leading scorer in the UEFA Europa League group stage, gave Athletic, who go to the Camp Nou next week, hope at the death.Celta Vigo 0-0 Atlético Madrid...
Barcelona, Benfica and Juve win, City beaten
Barcelona 4-1 Espanyol (Copa del Rey last 16, first leg)These city rivals may have played out a goalless draw in the league on Saturday but holders Barcelona eased to victory in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie. Though Felipe Caicedo gave Espanyol a surprise lead early on, two Lionel Messi goals put the hosts in front at the interval. Gerard Piqué and Neymar – with a splendid volley – both got in on the act after the break, when Espanyol also had two men sent off. The second instalment takes place next Wednesday.Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Atlético Madrid (Copa del Rey last 16, first leg)Liga leaders Atlético Madrid, who ha...
Atlético move above Barcelona, Arsenal on top
SATURDAYAtlético Madrid 1-0 LevanteMidfielder Thomas Partey struck with nine minutes to go to propel Atlético to the top of the Liga, bottom-of-the-table Levante having frustrated Diego Simeone's men in Madrid. Atlético had the better of the first half, and both Koke and Juanfran struck the crossbar in the second period, but they were able to take full advantage of Barcelona's earlier slip as the Ghanaian battled through to finish.
Frankfurt, Wolfsburg, Lyon, Barcelona win away
• Anja Mittag scores her record 49th goal in this competition as Paris draw with Örebro• Away wins for holders Frankfurt, Lyon, Wolfsburg and Barcelona• Brescia defeat Fortuna 1-0 – Wednesday's sole home win• All six second legs for tonight's ties take place next Wednesday• The other two first legs are on ThursdayChelsea 1-2 WolfsburgTwo-time champions Wolfsburg made the perfect start as Lena Goessling's third-minute free-kick was met by the head of Nilla Fischer and the ball deflected into the net off...
Abidal says farewell to Barcelona
Barcelona news By Dermot Corrigan, Spain Correspondent Eric Abidal is to leave Barcelona this summer as the club have not offered him a new contract and he still feels he can contribute as a player at the top level. GettyImagesAbidal, sitting with his daughters, takes part in Barcelona's title celebrations - Abidal eyes France return Abidal, 33, returned from a liver transplant operation in early April, having previously undergone treatment for a tumour first discovered in early 2011. He has made four senior appearances since getting a medical all-clear to resume playing, but the club have decided against renewing his deal, which ends in June. The defender told reporters at the Camp Nou on Thursday morning that there were no health reasons preventing him from continuing
Barcelona stars praise Celtic atmosphere
Celtic 2-1 Barcelona By Dermot Corrigan, Spain Correspondent Barcelona's Tito Vilanova and Xavi Hernandez were full of praise for the atmosphere inside Celtic Park after the Catalans were defeated 2-1 in Wednesday evening's Champions League Group G clash. PA PhotosCeltic fans provided one of the best atmospheres in Europe • Blog: 125 years of history A capacity 60,000 crowd at Celtic Park cheered the home side throughout, on an occasion packed with meaning and emotion as the Scottish club marked its 125th anniversary. Although both disappointed to have lost the game, despite dominating in terms of chances and possession, the Catalan coach and player were full of praise for atmosphere inside the stadium and the support given by Celtic's supporters to their players. "The stadium was spectacular," Vilanova