Real Madrid and Barcelona are heading for a King’s Cup showdown after the great rivals won their semi-final first legs on Wednesday.
Real won a controversial game 1-0 at holders Sevilla thanks to a goal from Karim Benzema, while Lionel Messi struck twice as 2009 winners Barca thumped Almeria 5-0 at Camp Nou.
The wealthy pair have carried their domination of La Liga into the King’s Cup and if they advance after next Wednesday’s second legs, will meet in the final on April 20, a few days after they play each other in the league at Real’s Bernabeu stadium.
Sevilla had a goal disallowed in a match littered with yellow cards at a rowdy Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in the Andalucian capital.
Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas was also hit on the back of the head by a missile thrown from the crowd after the final whistle, but was not seriously hurt.
Benzema, who scored his second league goal of the season on Sunday, put Real ahead in the 17th minute.
The France striker exchanged passes with Mesut Ozil, drove into the penalty area and beat two defenders before firing a low shot past goalkeeper Andres Palop.
Sevilla thought they were level moments before halftime when Luis Fabiano rounded Casillas and sent the ball towards the empty net.
Raul Albiol slid in with a last-ditch block, but television replays seemed to show the ball had crossed the line before the Spain defender kicked it away.
“It all happened very quickly,” Albiol told reporters. “I threw myself to the ground and I saw the ball on the line. For me it did not cross.”
The passion of Sevilla’s players was not matched by their ability to create scoring chances and it was Real who almost snatched a second with just over 10 minutes left.
Ozil broke clear and fed Cristiano Ronaldo who rounded Palop, but was unable to get in a shot and Ozil’s eventual effort was blocked by Alexis Ruano.
Substitute and former Real player Alvaro Negredo volleyed narrowly wide for Sevilla late on, but Jose Mourinho’s side held on and will be confident of progressing to the final as they bid for a first King’s Cup since 1993.
“Some vandal chucked a bottle of water,” Casillas said in a television interview. “It’s a shame as the fans were splendid helping their team and then some idiot caused a problem.”
At the Camp Nou, Barca were out of sight by the 30th minute when Pedro netted their fourth of the night.
World Player of the Year Messi had opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Spain striker David Villa added a second two minutes later and Messi a third in the 16th.
Barca won 8-0 at Almeria earlier in the season and a repeat of that drubbing looked on the cards.
However, the Andalucian club, in the last four for the first time, held the league leaders at bay. In the 88th minute substitute Seydou Keita ran on to Messi’s pass and stroked the ball past Esteban.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago, but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph. Saturday’s win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French
RSS