Coach Frank Rijkaard didn't start with his "Fantastic Four" and FC Barcelona was held to an unconvincing 0-0 draw against 10-man Racing Santander on Sunday in the first round of the Spanish first division.
New signing Thierry Henry entered as a 62nd-minute substitute for Lionel Messi but the former Arsenal striker's presence alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o created only a few scoring chances for Barcelona.
Barcelona was handed an advantage in the 68th when striker Euzebiusz Smolarek earned a red card in his debut.
Henry fired just wide with his first touch inside the box four minutes later, but the striker was offside. The France striker also hit the post in the 86th.
"It's the first game of the season, it's not the end of the world," Rijkaard said.
US-born striker Giusepe Rossi converted a penalty while Jon Dahl Tomasson and Santiago Cazorla added the others to lead Villarreal over 10-man Valencia 3-0 at the Mestalla stadium. Striker David Villa was ejected in the 40th minute with his team trailing 1-0 after receiving his second yellow card.
Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta was breathing with the help of a respirator and in "very serious" condition on Sunday after suffering two heart attacks during his team's 4-1 win over Getafe on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Spain defender lost consciousness and fell near his own goal in the 31st minute, but was able to walk off minutes later after being treated by team doctors. Puerta again lost consciousness in the dressing room and was rushed to the hospital, where he was admitted to an intensive care unit.
Barcelona needed a victory to keep pace with defending champion Real Madrid, which rallied for a 2-1 win over crosstown rival Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Wesley Sneijder scored the winner in manager Bernd Schuster's debut.
Racing pressured Barcelona early, forcing goalkeeper Victor Valdes to deny Pedro Munitis and Aldo Pedro Duscher inside nine minutes.
In the 22nd, Munitis raced to a through ball only for his low drive to beat Valdes but bounce off the far post.
Barcelona answered at the end of the half with Xavi Hernandez chipping over Racing goalkeeper Antonio "Tono" Martinez in the 45th, but the ball was cleared off the line before Messi forced a diving save in the ensuing melee.
Ronaldinho's curling free kick just missed in the 61st, prompting Rijkaard to bring on Henry.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
RSS