La Liga
Yamal Misses Penalty as Girona Stun Barcelona in Derby
Lamine Yamal missed a penalty as Barcelona spurned the chance to return to the top of La Liga, falling to defeat in a fiery Catalan derby against Girona.
Hansi Flick’s side now trails arch rivals Real Madrid by two points in the title race after substitute Fran Beltran struck in the 86th minute at Estadio Montilivi to snatch all three points and ease relegation fears for the home side.
The visitors thought defender Jules Kounde had been fouled in the build-up to the winner, but after a brief video assistant referee (VAR) check, the goal was given.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men midway through stoppage time, with substitute Joel Roca bringing down Lamine Yamal with a lunging challenge.
Yet Barcelona were unable to force an equaliser as they succumbed to just a third league defeat against their regional rivals.
The result marks a second loss in succession for Barcelona, who suffered a 4-0 hammering by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday.
It was a fiercely fought contest from the off as the hosts took the game to the league leaders, forcing keeper Joan Garcia into a save inside the first minute.
By contrast, Barcelona were lethargic, spurning several gilt-edged chances to take the lead. Lamine Yamal was the main culprit, twice missing from close range before crashing a penalty off the base of the upright in first-half stoppage time.
In the end, two defenders combined to break the deadlock in the 59th minute. Centre-back Pau Cubarsi looped a header into the top corner from right-back Kounde’s cross for his first league goal in Barcelona colours.
The visitors’ joy was short-lived, though, as Girona hit back two minutes later when midfielder Thomas Lemar tapped home Vladyslav Vanat’s centre for his second goal in as many games.
The hosts scored again 10 minutes later as Garcia failed to claim Viktor Tsygankov’s speculative header, though the goalkeeper was awarded a foul for a shove from Roca on the goalline.
The victory ends a three-game winless run for Girona, who move up to 12th, five points clear of the relegation zone.
Barcelona’s league winning run ends at three games, and they face a possible five-point gap at the summit come their next fixture – Real Madrid head to Osasuna on Saturday (17:30 GMT), before Barca host Levante on Sunday (15:15).
-BBC
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Barcelona have officially withdrawn from the European Super League project, the club announced on Saturday, leaving Real Madrid as the sole remaining advocate for a competition that once threatened briefly to rival UEFA’s Champions League.
“FC Barcelona announces that today it has formally communicated to the European Super League Company and the clubs that have been part of it its withdrawal from the European Super League project,” read the statement.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta had hinted in January that the club were ready to move on, urging would-be Super League clubs to “return to UEFA”.
The project was conceived in 2021 with the aim of reshaping professional European club football to the benefit of the biggest and richest clubs.
But the concept of an elite closed-shop competition ran into immense fan protests, government pushback and staunch opposition from governing bodies, causing its effective collapse within days of its announcement.
The move aligns Barcelona with UEFA’s current framework of competitions.
The project had already dwindled radically over the years. When Juventus, another founding member, left in July 2023, only Real Madrid and Barcelona remained of the original three Spanish, three Italian and six English clubs.
All six English Premier League clubs had pulled out rapidly in 2021 after heavy backlash.
The organisers tried to revive the idea in December 2024 with a new concept, the “Unify League”, featuring 96 clubs split into four leagues. However, that too failed to garner substantial backing, with steadfast resistance from major leagues such as LaLiga and the Premier League.
Real Madrid, now the last club standing, continue to fight for the concept while seeking compensation from UEFA for blocking the original Super League’s launch.
-Reuters
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Ademola Lookman starred on his debut for Atletico Madrid, scoring and assisting in a 5-0 demolition of Real Betis on Thursday to seal a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
The 25-year-old Nigerian international, who signed from Serie A side Atalanta earlier this week, delivered a confident performance as Atletico ran riot at Seville’s La Cartuja Stadium.
Goals from David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Antoine Griezmann, Thiago Almada, and Lookman consigned Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis to a humiliating defeat in front of their home fans.
“We moved around a lot without the ball, giving options to whoever had it. A more fluid game, being in the right position, tactical order, and in the end, the chances and the game we were looking for appeared,” Griezmann told Movistar Plus.
“We are a team, a dressing room, a club and a fan base that are very easy-going. Anyone who joins us is welcomed with open arms from the very first second, and we can see that (with Lookman). Let’s enjoy him and hope he brings us joy.”
Atletico flew out of the blocks and were ahead after 12 minutes when captain Koke delivered a precise corner that was met by defender Hancko, whose towering header was too strong for Betis goalkeeper Adrian.
Lookman, eager to make an immediate impact, had two chances to double the lead in the first half. In the 16th minute, he missed the target from a one-on-one situation, and eight minutes later, he blasted over the crossbar with a first-time shot.
The second goal arrived in the 30th minute after a slick sequence of one-touch passes down the left flank. Matteo Ruggeri found Alex Baena, who exchanged passes with Lookman before the fullback crossed low for the 23-year-old son of coach Diego Simeone, Giuliano, who rifled a strike past Adrian.
Lookman, the 2024 African Footballer of the Year, got his breakthrough in the 37th minute by holding off one defender and dribbling past another in the box before slotting the ball inside the left corner.
After halftime, Atletico eased off but still added to their tally with another counter-attacking move. Lookman surged through the middle to draw defenders before laying off to Griezmann, who curled a shot into the top-right corner in the 62nd minute.
Substitute Thiago Almada completed the rout in the 83rd minute. After setting up Baena for an angled strike that Adrian could only parry, Almada pounced on the rebound to fire into an empty net.
Atletico’s victory was slightly marred by an injury to Barrios early in the second half. The Spanish midfielder appeared to pull a hamstring while sprinting and had to be substituted.
The semi-final draw will take place on Friday, with Atletico, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, and Real Sociedad all in the last four. The ties will be played over two legs on February 10-12 and on March 3-5.
-Reuters
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Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal with Atalanta to sign Nigeria international Ademola Lookman, the LaLiga club confirmed on Sunday.
“The Nigerian international is already in Madrid to undergo the relevant medical examination and finalise his new contract,” Atletico said in a statement on their website.
Atletico gave no details about the transfer fee or the length of the contract. Spanish media reported that Atletico would pay 35 million euros ($41 million) for the forward.
The 28-year-old has shone since joining Atalanta in 2022 from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, netting 55 goals in all competitions.
His standout moment was a hat-trick in Atalanta’s 2024 Europa League final triumph over Bayer Leverkusen, a result that secured the Italian club’s first European trophy and ended Leverkusen’s remarkable 51-match unbeaten run.
Lookman’s treble made him the sixth player in history to score three goals in a European club final, and the first since 1975.
Born in London, Lookman began his professional career at Charlton Athletic in 2015, earning a move to Everton in 2017. While he scored on his Premier League debut for the Toffees, he struggled to find consistent opportunities and was loaned to RB Leipzig in 2018.
Following a successful spell in Germany, Lookman made a permanent 22.5 million pounds ($30.7 million) transfer to Leipzig in 2019.
However, first-team chances proved scarce in the Bundesliga, prompting loans to Fulham and Leicester City in the Premier League before his transformative switch to Serie A with Atalanta.
Now under Diego Simeone at Atletico, Lookman arrives as a key addition to bolster the side, who sit third in LaLiga with 45 points, 10 behind leaders Barcelona.
Atletico will hope the Nigerian’s firepower can boost their campaign as they prepare for a two-legged Champions League knockout playoff clash against Club Brugge later this month.
-Reuters
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