Zaragoza’s Dani Tasende was also dismissed after a VAR review ​of the brawl.

With tensions simmering in a relegation scrap, ​Argentine Andrada lost his composure moments before the ⁠final whistle. Ignoring the run of play, he approached ​Pulido and struck him in the face with his right ​hand, sparking chaotic scenes eight minutes into stoppage time.

It was an ugly flashpoint in a match already short on finesse and heavy on ​nerves, and could carry serious consequences for the goalkeeper.

Huesca ​manager Jose Luis did not attempt to defend the scenes.

“It’s hard ‌to ⁠explain; I think it’s a complete loss of control. I can put myself in their shoes, given what was at stake and all. But it’s unjustifiable. It’s just that ​I don’t know ​what to ⁠do or how to stop it; a brawl breaks out,” he said.

“It’s ugly; this was ​supposed to be a celebration of Aragonese ​football. I’d ⁠like people to talk about the match, even though it was ugly, with little play but a lot of ⁠hard work.”

Oscar ​Sielva’s goal secured a 1-0 ​win for Huesca, lifting them to 36 points in 19th place, while Zaragoza ​remain second-bottom on 35.

-Reuters

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The 63-year-old took office in March 2021 and stepped ​down last month ​in line with club statutes ‌in ⁠order to seek re-election.

Laporta described the election as a “celebration of ​democracy and ​civic ⁠responsibility” and said the tasks ​ahead included finishing ​work ⁠on the Camp Nou and strengthening the ⁠men’s ​team.

-Reuters

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The 18-year-old winger will once again fast during the holy month, having successfully balanced his religious commitment with first-team football last season. However, with competitive fixtures scheduled during Ramadan, Barcelona’s medical staff are taking additional measures to ensure his energy levels, hydration and recovery remain optimal.

Yamal’s first match while fasting is scheduled for Sunday at 4:15 p.m. against Levante.

According to Spanish outlet AS, the approach is not unprecedented at the Catalan club. Barcelona previously developed similar plans for Muslim players, including Ousmane Dembélé, Franck Kessié and Ansu Fati.

The strategy focuses on adjusting meal timing and hydration cycles to align with fasting hours, allowing players to maintain peak fitness while respecting their faith.

Medical experts at the club have emphasised the importance of a balanced iftar meal — avoiding overly heavy or rich foods that could interfere with rest or slow post-match recovery. Hydration protocols are also being closely monitored, with Yamal encouraged to maximise fluid intake during non-fasting hours to compensate for the daytime abstinence.

Balancing Faith and Performance

Ramadan fasting can pose physical challenges for elite athletes, particularly in high-intensity sports that demand sustained concentration and explosive energy. Barcelona’s performance team is therefore closely tracking Yamal’s workload and recovery metrics throughout the month.

Last season, the teenager demonstrated he could maintain high performance standards while fasting, strengthening confidence within the club that he will manage the demands effectively again.

For Barcelona, the initiative reflects a dual commitment — respecting the player’s religious observance while safeguarding the physical condition of one of their most promising talents.

As the fixtures unfold, attention will turn to how the young winger adapts during this period, with supporters and analysts keen to see whether he can once again combine elite football with spiritual discipline.

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• Barcelona miss chance to regain LaLiga lead
• Girona’s Fran Beltran scores late winner
• Cubarsi calls for self-reflection after consecutive defeats

Barcelona were stunned by Girona, who roared back to win 2-1 at home in a breathless Catalan derby on Monday, as last season’s champions failed to return to the LaLiga summit, leaving Real Madrid top of the table.

Barcelona struck the woodwork twice in the first half, Raphinha hitting the post before Lamine Yamal fired a penalty against the same upright in added time after Dani Olmo was fouled inside the box.

Pau Cubarsi finally put the visitors ahead in the 59th minute, rising to head home Jules Kounde’s cross from a short corner, but Girona levelled three minutes later when Thomas Lemar converted from close range after Vladyslav Vanat’s cross was confused.

Fran Beltran sealed victory in the 87th minute, steering home from Joel Roca’s pass as the Montilivi stadium erupted.

Barcelona pushed for an equaliser but could not break through, even after Roca was sent off in added time for a reckless foul on Lamine Yamal.

Barca remain on 58 points, two behind Real Madrid, and have lost successive games in all competitions for the first time since October.

“We lacked a bit of everything. We need to be self-critical. We need to improve things and get our act together,” Cubarsi told DAZN.

“After my goal, they scored very quickly to equalise. We got them back into the game too quickly. We need to improve on those goals they score right after we take the lead. Keep your head down and improve.”

BARCA DOMINATE POSSESSION

Hansi Flick welcomed back Frenkie De Jong and Raphinha from injury after their absence in last week’s 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg loss to Atletico Madrid, and Barca duly dominated possession early in the game.

Yet their finishing deserted them. Raphinha dragged wide after surging in from the left, while Yamal was denied from point-blank range by keeper Paulo Gazzaniga following a sharp counter down the right.

Girona were content to sit deep and spring forward, repeatedly testing Barcelona’s high defensive line with the pace of Bryan Gil as the former Tottenham Hotspur winger caused persistent problems for Jules Kounde down the left channel.

Gil’s surging runs carved out Girona’s best openings before the break. He twice set up Vanat, who was denied by an exceptional Joan Garcia, and the striker then squandered a gilt-edged chance in the 35th minute, slicing an effort from close range with no defender near him.

Yamal missed from the spot in added time before the break and the contest remained wide open after the interval, finally producing goals in quick succession.

Barcelona broke through in the 59th minute when Cubarsi rose highest from a short corner. Kounde delivered from the right and the defender twisted his neck to send a towering header into the top-right corner, beyond Gazzaniga’s desperate dive.

Their lead lasted barely three minutes, with Lemar equalising as Girona seized momentum, pushing Barcelona back, with Garcia producing two outstanding one-handed saves to keep out efforts from Vanat and Roca when both seemed destined for the bottom corner.

But the keeper was powerless in the 87th minute. Claudio Echeverri drifted across the edge of the box before giving the ball back inside to Roca who squared it to substitute Beltran, who took a touch, lifted his head and slotted into the bottom-left corner to ignite a sold-out crowd.

Girona, who had been on a three-match winless run and hovering near the relegation places, climbed to 12th on 29 points, while Barcelona were left to rue missed chances and a defeat that could yet loom large in the title race.

-Reuters

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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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“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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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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“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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It will be an emotional homecoming as the club reopens its partially renovated ground, with a temporarily reduced capacity, as part of its ambitious redevelopment project.

“The match corresponding to matchday 13 of the League, against Athletic Club, scheduled for Saturday, November 22 at 16:15, will finally be played at Spotify Camp Nou,” Barcelona said in a statement on Monday.

The capacity currently allowed is 45,401, it said, well below the 105,000 seats the venue is intended to have once the renovation is finished.

“Barcelona celebrates being able to compete again at its stadium and continue advancing in the comprehensive transformation project of the new Camp Nou,” the club added.

The Catalan club last played an official match at Camp Nou on May 28, 2023, against Mallorca, before the stadium was closed for extensive renovations.

Since then, Barcelona have been playing home fixtures at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc which has a similar capacity to the reduced Camp Nou.

The club said they are liaising with European governing body UEFA to also hold next week’s Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt at the revamped Camp Nou, though official confirmation is pending.

While the renovation means that fans will not yet witness the stadium at full capacity, the temporary arrangements still offer a heartfelt opportunity for many fans to return to their spiritual home.

-Reuters

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Messi, 38, returned to Barcelona on Sunday to tour the revamped ground for the first time since leaving the club in 2021, later posting on Instagram that he hoped to “return one day, and not just to say goodbye as a player.”

Laporta, speaking at a book presentation in Barcelona, said the board had already discussed plans for a permanent tribute to the Argentine World Cup winner.

“Messi will always be linked to Barca, he knows that the doors are open for him. We have absolute respect for him, he deserves the best tribute,” he said.

“He should have a statue at Spotify Camp Nou, like (Johan) Cruyff and (Laszlo) Kubala. He is one of those iconic players who have left their mark on us. We have discussed it at a meeting and are working on it. The family must agree, and all Barca fans would want it.”

Laporta previously dismissed suggestions that Messi could return to play for Barca, calling the idea “unrealistic” given the forward’s contract with MLS side Inter Miami, which he extended last month.

Messi, who joined Barca’s academy at 13, scored 672 goals in 778 appearances and led the team to 10 LaLiga titles, four Champions League crowns and three Club World Cups during his 21 years at the club.

The Camp Nou, closed for almost 900 days for renovation, reopened on Friday with an open training session attended by more than 20,000 fans. Laporta said the club hopes to host “the most beautiful tribute in the world” once the project is complete.

-Reuters

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