BARCELONA: Barcelona survived a nervy second half to beat Napoli 3-1 on Tuesday and reach the Champions League quarter-finals 4-2 on aggregate.
Xavi Hernandez’s side came flying out of the blocks with goals from Fermin Lopez and Joao Cancelo but after Amir Rrahmani pulled one back, the Catalans started to sweat.
Italian champions Napoli, who salvaged a 1-1 draw in the last-16 first leg, were finally beaten when Robert Lewandowski swept home from close range.
It is the first time four-time winners Barcelona have reached the last eight of the competition since 2020, and they did so without injured midfield trio Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong.
Coach Xavi Hernandez said he was leaving at the end of the season in January and his team have gone on a run of nine games without defeat after that decision.
Teenage stars Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi have been key in that run, and both excelled against Napoli on a night which offered some relief to Barcelona amid a bleak season.
Xavi demanded the fans turn their temporary Olympic Stadium home on the city’s Montjuic hill into a pressure cooker, and they duly obliged. Over 50,000 spectators marked the club’s largest attendance this season.
Francesco Calzona’s Napoli wilted as the Spanish champions came out of the blocks flying.
Electric 16-year-old winger Yamal made strong inroads down the right and curled over in the opening stages.
The best chances fell to Lopez and the 20-year-old opened the scoring with his third attempt after 15 minutes.
Cancelo fed Raphinha who cut the ball back into the area for Lopez, who tucked home.
While he may lack the metronomic precision of Pedri, the midfielder provides thrust and an insatiable desire to shoot.
Two minutes later and the Catalans doubled their lead against the shellshocked visitors, with Yamal starting the move by breaking loose in his own half on the counter-attack.
The winger played in Raphinha and although the Brazilian hit the post Cancelo was running in to roll home the rebound.
Napoli battled their way back in when Matteo Politano slipped in down the right, with Ronald Araujo playing him onside.
The Italy winger crossed for Rrahmani who slotted home cleanly to pull Napoli back into the tie.
Napoli were almost level moments later but Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a superb save, tipping over Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s header.
The Italians started the second half strongly, with Barcelona forced back into their own half, aimlessly clearing the ball.
Xavi took action by bringing on Sergi Roberto and Oriol Romeu for Lopez and Andreas Christensen, aiming to freshen up the midfield and give his team new impetus.
Raphinha and Lewandowski drew saves from Alex Meret before Yamal struck from close range, but he was offside.
Danish winger Jesper Lindstrom headed narrowly wide for Napoli, before Lewandowski settled the tie after Ilkay Gundogan and Sergi Roberto combined to set him up.
Second-half jitters showed Barcelona are far from their former glory but in Yamal, Raphinha and Cancelo in particular they have the quality to trouble any prospective quarter-final opponent.
Barca edge past Napoli to make Champions League quarters return
https://arab.news/9bd4y
Barca edge past Napoli to make Champions League quarters return
- Second-half jitters showed Barcelona are far from their former glory but in Yamal, Raphinha and Cancelo in particular they have the quality to trouble any prospective quarter-final opponent
US-based group completes Rangers takeover
- The consortium of investors, led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, purchased a majority 51 percent stake in the Glasgow team
- Rangers said the Scottish Football Association approved the deal late on Thursday night
GLASGOW: A United States-based group completed their takeover of Scottish Premiership club Rangers on Friday and immediately pledged to make a £20 million ($26 million) investment in new signings.
The consortium of investors, led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, purchased a majority 51 percent stake in the Glasgow team.
Funding for the close-season signings will come in the form of a new share issue, subject to shareholder approval at a general meeting on June 23.
Healthcare executive Cavenagh is Rangers’ new chairman, while Paraag Marathe, who is chairman of Premier League side Leeds United and the president of 49ers Enterprises, becomes the vice-chairman.
Rangers said the Scottish Football Association approved the deal late on Thursday night after the club sought consent over dual ownership issues.
Sports investment firm 49ers Enterprises also owns a majority stake in Leeds, who won promotion from the Championship this season.
The deal will allow Rangers to step up their recruitment of a new manager.
Real Madrid’s departing assistant manager Davide Ancelotti and former Southampton boss Russell Martin are among the leading contenders for the job following the departure of interim boss Barry Ferguson.
“We are deeply grateful for the trust placed in us by the Rangers board, shareholders, staff, and supporters,” Cavenagh said.
“This club’s history and traditions speak for themselves, but history doesn’t win matches.
“We know that the true way to honor the club’s heritage will be to drive performance.
“Our focus is simple: elevate performance, deliver results, and bring Rangers back to where it belongs — at the top.”
Rangers finished second in the Scottish Premier League this season, trailing 17 points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic, and failed to win a trophy.
Rangers haven’t won the Scottish title since 2021, with Celtic lifting the trophy 13 times in the last 14 seasons.
Ending Celtic’s dominance will be the top priority for Rangers’ new owners.
Marathe added: “At 49ers Enterprises, we have built a track record of sporting and business success, but our driving motivation is our deep connection to the clubs and communities we serve.”
Marta returns to Brazil’s national team for friendly matches against Japan
- Better known just by her first name, Marta Vieira da Silva has scored a record 119 goals for Brazil
- Tarciane: She’s a very important person for our group, for the other girls who are just arriving
SAO PAULO: Marta is back.
The six-time world player of the year has returned to Brazil’s national team for friendlies against Japan on Friday and Monday in Sao Paulo. While it remains to be seen whether she’ll play, her inclusion on the roster suggests she may not be ready to retire just yet.
The 39-year-old announced last year that she would step down from the national team following the Paris Olympics. The Brazilians went on to win the silver medal after a 1-0 loss in the final to the US.
She has continued to play for her club team, the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League. Last season, Marta scored 11 goals with the Pride, who won the NWSL title. She re-signed with the team through 2026 earlier this year.
“Marta has had a great season and has been very important for her club, which is the league champion,” Brazil coach Arthur Elias told reporters when he announced the roster. “Her presence in some callups is very important for the younger players, for the renewal that is taking place in the national team.”
The matches against Japan are important for Brazil to prepare for the Copa America, which opens in July in Ecuador. Brazil are the defending champion.
“She’s a very important person for our group, for the other girls who are just arriving. I’ve already told her to retire when she’s about 45, around there. As long as she’s well, I’ll be encouraging her to continue with us,” Brazil defender Tarciane said in a press conference ahead of the matches against Japan. “And there’s no way we can be without Marta. I can’t see the national team now without Marta, because we need her, we need everything she’s experienced in women’s football, and she needs to live this moment too.”
Marta has played in 185 matches for Brazil. In her last, in the Olympic final, she was emotional as she came off the field. She insisted her tears were not because of the loss or her retirement, but because of pride for having medaled.
“I am crying out of gratitude, happiness. I am not crying because we won silver. Look at how much we had to overcome to win this silver,” she said.
Better known just by her first name, Marta Vieira da Silva has scored a record 119 goals for Brazil.
She was just 17 when she appeared at the 2003 World Cup, held in the US. She has the career record for most World Cup goals with 17, and she has 13 Olympic goals, one shy of compatriot Cristiane’s record.
Brazil is hosting the 2027 Women’s World Cup, leading to some speculation that she might try to play in the game’s biggest tournament on home soil. She has said in the past that she’s willing to help Brazil in any way possible.
“Having this opportunity to share a dressing room with Marta, not only for the national team but also for the club, is a privilege,” midfielder Angelina said after training on Wednesday. “You never imagine that you will be sharing a dressing room with your idol.”
Saudi national football team prepare for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
- Herve Renard supervised the training, which was held at Al-Ettifaq Club Stadium
- Defender Ali Majrashi returned to full training with the squad after recovering from injury
RIYADH: The Saudi national football team trained on Thursday evening at their preparatory camp in Al-Khobar, as part of the build-up for their crucial ninth and tenth rounds of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
French coach Herve Renard supervised the training, which was held at Al-Ettifaq Club Stadium, a media statement said.
The training session began with warm-up training followed by tactical exercises and a half-field game, before it concluded with stretching routines aimed at muscle recovery and injury prevention.
In a positive development, defender Ali Majrashi returned to full training with the squad after recovering from a recent injury. Muteb Al-Harbi and Mohammed Bakr continued their individual rehabilitation programs under the supervision of the medical team.
The Green Falcons will resume their preparation on Friday afternoon with a closed-door training match against the Jordanian national team, also scheduled to take place at Al-Ettifaq Club Stadium.
Argentine court declares a mistrial in the case over the death of football star Maradona
- The whiplash decision comes after one of the three judges overseeing the trial stepped down
- The judges turned the clock back on all proceedings
BUENOS AIRES: An Argentine court on Thursday declared a mistrial in the case of seven health professionals accused of negligence in the death of football legend Diego Maradona, the latest dramatic twist in a trial that has captivated the nation and the football world for more than two months.
The whiplash decision comes after one of the three judges overseeing the trial stepped down over criticism surrounding her participation in a forthcoming documentary about the case.
Her withdrawal compelled the court to either appoint a new judge in her place or to retry the entire case from scratch.
On Thursday, the judges decided the latter, effectively turning the clock back on all proceedings in the case that accuses Maradona’s medical team of failing to provide adequate care for the football star in his final days.
Bayern sign Germany defender Tah until 2029
- “I want to take on responsibility here and work hard every day so that we’re successful as a team,” Tah said
- “In Jonathan Tah we’ve acquired a player with international experience and quality,” said sporting director Christoph Freund
MUNICH: Bayern Munich have signed German international defender Jonathan Tah on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, the Bundesliga champions announced on Thursday.
The 29-year-old has signed a four-year deal which will keep him in Munich until 2029.
“I’m very happy to be at Bayern. I want to take on responsibility here and work hard every day so that we’re successful as a team and win lots of trophies together,” Tah said in the club statement.
Tah spent a decade at Leverkusen, winning an unbeaten league and cup double in 2023-24. He told Leverkusen he would not be extending his contract beyond 2025 and was given a big farewell at his last home game in May.
Bayern were linked with signing Tah in the summer of 2024 with one year remaining on his contract, but the Bavarians refused to meet Leverkusen’s asking price.
Bayern needed to sign a center-back after Eric Dier departed for Ligue 1 side Monaco at the end of the season.
“In Jonathan Tah we’ve acquired a player with international experience and quality, who won’t need much time to establish himself in our defense,” said sporting director Christoph Freund.
“He’ll be a good and important addition for us with his technical qualities as well as his manner and the way he leads.”
The Hamburg-born defender, who was also linked with a move to Barcelona where he would have joined former Germany coach Hansi Flick, has played 35 games for the national team since making his debut in 2016.
Tah has since established himself at the heart of the Germany defense. He has started all but one of the international games for which he was available since September 2023.
He is a member of Julian Nagelsmann’s squad to play in the Nations League finals next month.
The hosts face Portugal in the semifinals in Munich on June 4 with the winner taking on either
France or Spain in the final at the Bayern home ground three days later.
Bayern also tried to sign Tah’s club teammate Florian Wirtz but the midfielder now appears likely to move to Liverpool after Leverkusen admitted this week that there is “concrete interest” from the Premier League winners.
