LA LIGA
Barcelona register signings
Barcelona on Friday registered new signings Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha in time for their opener against Rayo Vallecano, which was to be played after press time last night. However, French defender Jules Kounde remains unregistered with La Liga. Barcelona have spent 153 million euros (US$157 million) on transfer fees alone to bolster their squad, with Lewandowski the most notable new arrival from Bayern Munich. Faced with severe limits on spending to comply with La Liga’s financial controls, Barcelona needed to raise money quickly to be able to invest in signings and, crucially, to register new players. Earlier on Friday, Barcelona sold another part of their media production unit, Barca Studios, for 100 million euros to Orpheus Media. Spanish daily Marca reported that Kounde can only be registered if the club reduces its payroll. “So in the next few days, players in the squad will have to leave,” the newspaper said. On the field, CA Osasuna beat Sevilla 2-1 at home in the first game of the new season, with Chimy Avila scoring the first goal of the 2022-2023 season in the ninth minute when he smashed a powerhouse header off goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and into the net.
BUNDESLIGA
Teens help Dortmund
Two teenagers on Friday helped Borussia Dortmund come from behind with late goals to beat host SC Freiburg 3-1. Dortmund coach Edin Terzic’s substitutions all paid off as 18-year-old Jamie Bynoe-Gittens equalized in the 77th minute and 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko made it 2-1, four minutes before he set up Marius Wolf — yet another substitute — to seal the result in the 88th minute. Michael Gregoritsch had given the home team a 35th-minute lead.
LIGUE 1
Ismaily scores on debut
Brazilian defender Ismaily on Friday scored on his debut for OSC Lille in a 1-1 draw against Nantes. The 32-year-old Ismaily, who joined Lille from Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk last week, scored in the 77th minute to maintain his new team’s unbeaten start to the league. Ismaily came on as a halftime substitute, where Moses Simon had given the home team a 28th-minute lead.
ARGENTINA
Players’ cars burned
Vehicles owned by players from Argentine first-division team Aldosivi were set on fire on Thursday after a 2-0 defeat against rival Godoy Cruz in Mar del Plata, 400km south of Buenos Aires. The vehicles were in the club’s training ground parking lot. Aldosivi players, who face growing risk of relegation in Argentina’s top-flight division, had left their vehicles at the parking lot before they traveled to regional Mendoza for the match. Aldosivi are 27th and second-from-bottom in the championship with eight points after 13 rounds. “I never experienced anything like this,” Uruguayan striker Santiago Silva said at the Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires, where players landed before taking their bus to Mar del Plata. “We can’t get used to things like this.” Five vehicles that belonged to players and coaching staffer Leandro Somoza were set ablaze, the city’s fire department said.
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
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