Sports
Lewandowski Treble Fires Barca To Valencia Win
SPAIN —Robert Lewandowski hit a second-half hat-trick to power Barcelona to an entertaining 4-2 win over 10-man Valencia on Monday in La Liga.
The champions’ victory denies leaders Real Madrid the chance to take the crown by simply beating Cadiz next Saturday. Los Blancos are 11 points clear with five matches remaining.
Fermin Lopez sent Barcelona ahead before Hugo Duro levelled and Pepelu netted from the spot to turn the game round.
Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was sent off late in the first half for handball and Lewandowski equalised soon after the break before adding another two late on.
It rained all day in drought-ridden Barcelona and the threat of a soaking left the Olympic Stadium half empty, with an attendance of 30,000.
The small crowd might also have been a response to last weekend’s Clasico defeat, which laid out the red carpet for Real Madrid to whisk away Barcelona’s title, as well as the detested Monday night slot.
La Liga rescheduled the game at only a week’s notice, meaning many could no longer attend.
Those who were present enjoyed a surprisingly entertaining clash, with Barca coach Xavi Hernandez triumphant in his first match after deciding to stay in charge next season.
“I think the team did well… we lacked calmness, tranquility, but I’m satisfied with the team’s attitude,” Xavi told DAZN.
Visitors Valencia, eighth and striving for European football next season, carved out the best early chances.
Hugo Duro’s flick from close range was saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen. On-loan Real Madrid winger Peter Federico dragged a shot wide when barrelling through on goal.
Barcelona took the lead when Lopez headed home from Raphinha’s whipped cross.
Valencia were quickly level after a grievous error by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who ran out of his box to try and intercept a long ball.
He got there first but botched his attempted dink over Duro’s head and the striker controlled the ball and held off Ronald Araujo to roll home.
It soon got worse for Barcelona, with Araujo — crucially sent off in the Champions League quarter-final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain — foolishly giving away a penalty by felling Federico. Valencia midfielder Pepelu fired the penalty down the middle to put Los Che ahead.
The game turned Barcelona’s way shortly before the break when Valencia’s goalkeeper erred.
Mamardashvili miscontrolled the ball on the edge of his box, giving it away to teenager Lamine Yamal.
As the youngster tried to round the goalkeeper, the Georgian touched the ball with his arm outside the area and, after a VAR review, was dismissed.
Replacement Jaume Domenech saved Raphinha’s free-kick, but could not keep out Barcelona’s equaliser, early in the second half.
Lewandowski headed home from a corner to start Barcelona’s comeback.
The game lurched from end-to-end, with Domenech saving brilliantly from Araujo’s header and Barca substitute Pedri making a last-ditch challenge to stop Diego Lopez from striking.
Eventually, Lewandowski nodded Barcelona back in front from close range when Araujo’s header from a corner dropped into his path.
The Polish international wrapped up his treble in stoppage time with a well-placed free-kick, his 16th league goal of the season.
“The first half, we didn’t have much space in attack, but most important is if you lose one or two goals, we can always score three or four,” Lewandowski told DAZN.
“If we score a lot of goals, it’s a lot easier for everyone.”
AFP
Manchester City’s Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland (centre right) celebrates with teammates after scoring his third goal, City’s fourth during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on August 24, 2024. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)
Matches were played on Saturday in the fifth round of the English FA Cup with Manchester City seeing off giant killers Plymouth.
Languishing in the Championship relegation zone, Plymouth had stunned Premier League leaders Liverpool in the fourth round after beating top-flight side Brentford in the third round.
Pep Guardiola’s men were in danger of becoming Plymouth’s latest famous scalp when Maksym Talovierov gave the visitors the lead in the first half at the Etihad Stadium.
But Manchester-born O’Reilly, making just his sixth start for City, emerged as the unlikely hero with a brace that ensured his troubled team would avoid their lowest moment in a turbulent season.
English FA Cup Fifth Round Results
Below are the results for the fifth round of the English FA Cup matches:
Bournemouth 1 (Evanilson 30) vs Wolves 1 (Cunha 60) aet, Bournemouth won 5-4 on penalties
Crystal Palace 3 (Tanganga 33-og, Munoz 40, Nketiah 81) vs Millwall 1 (Harding 45+3)
Manchester City 3 (O’Reilly 45+1, 76, De Bruyne 90) vs Plymouth 1 (Taloverov 38)
Preston 3 (Brady 31, Osmajic 44, Keane 73) vs Burnley 0
Played Friday
Aston Villa 2 (Asensio 68, 80) vs Cardiff 0
Playing Sunday
Newcastle vs Brighton (13:45), Manchester United vs Fulham (16:30)
Playing Monday
Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich (19:30)
AFP
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish branded the challenge by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts that left Jean Philippe-Mateta in hospital as “the most reckless” he has ever seen.
Roberts was sent-off just eight minutes into Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round tie, which Palace won 3-1, after catching Mateta’s head with his boot as he raced out to clear the ball.
Referee Michael Oliver only issued a red card after a VAR review.
Mateta received lengthy treatment, including oxygen, on the pitch before being stretchered to an ambulance and transported to hospital.
“What we know, he’s got a bad gash behind his ear and a head injury. Obviously he’s at the hospital. So, we hope for the best,” Parish told the BBC.
“That is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen and I think he needs to have a long hard look at himself, that lad, because he’s endangering a fellow professional, maybe in his life, with a challenge like that.”
Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed Mateta is conscious but that he has suffered a serious injury to his ear.
“He is conscious and he is in hospital. His ear looks terrible. It’s a very serious injury so we hope all the best for him,” said Glasner.
“We are not really happy, we can’t be really happy. Of course, it’s a great win and into the quarter-finals but when you lose a player, especially with a foul like this, you have two different feelings in your stomach.”
Mateta had scored eight goals in his previous nine games and has 15 in total for Palace this season.
The 27-year-old also netted five times as France won silver at the Paris Olympics last year.
Parish drew comparisons to the famous clash between German goalkeeper Toni Schumacher and French forward Patrick Battiston at the 1982 World Cup.
“It’s difficult for me to think about anything else at the moment with JP (Mateta) in hospital,” added Parish.
“Somebody mentioned there was one in the World Cup in 1982 like it, but it’s a dreadful challenge. And why the referee needed to go to the screen, I’ve got no idea.”
Palace made use of the man advantage for virtually the whole game to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Japhet Tanganga’s own goal broke the visitors resistence before Daniel Munoz prodded in a second.
Wes Harding pulled a goal back for the Lions, 13 minutes into first-half stoppage time added on for Mateta’s treatment.
Palace were made to wait until 82 minutes to secure progress when Eddie Nketiah’s looping header found the far corner.
Ex-Nigerian international, Jay Jay Okocha has dismissed Jamie Carragher’s comments about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) pedigree, saying no father would want his son to have a football career as the former Liverpool man.
Carragher landed himself in controversy after he suggested s that Mohamed Salah is disadvantaged in the yearly debate for the Ballon d’Or over his not being able to win a ‘major’ international tournament – in his eyes, the Euros, Copa America, or the World Cup with the Egyptian National team.
“There are some players that will say something; you just overlook it. If you look at their careers, if you look at the type of football that they played, you can understand. I mean, you wouldn’t want your son to be like Carragher.”’Okocha said during an interview on Thursday.
So, he can never appreciate African football or the talents that come from Africa.”
A member of Nigeria’s AFCON-winning side of 2013, John Obi Mikel also condemned Carragher’s statement on his Obi One Podcast, calling the remarks “disrespectful.”
“The Africa Cup of Nations is as big as the Euros. I’ve played in it and won it. It’s not in his f*ing place to discredit the AFCON. He sits there week in, week out, teaching and coaching people on how to win the Premier League, and he never won it!”
He wrote: ‘The point I was trying to make yesterday was that MO Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d’Or”
‘If Salah had an average season at LFC but won the AFCON & was MVP I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’or.”
‘Because I don’t think AFCON carries the weight of other tournaments. But if Mbappe had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup/Euros he would still have a great opportunity”
‘It’s not just about certain tournaments, Shevchenko (Ukraine) and Lewandowski (Poland) were never going to win the WC/Euros to help their case for the prize. I don’t think it’s controversial at all really it’s just a fact.”