MADRID: Lionel Messi scored his 500th career goal for Barcelona to give the Catalan club a dramatic 3-2 win over 10-man Real Madrid in the last minute of the “clasico” on Sunday, leaving the Spanish league title race wide open.
Messi netted his milestone goal — his second of the night — with a low left-footed shot from inside the area after a cross by Jordi Alba two minutes into stoppage time.
The two rivals are level at the top on 75 points. Barcelona leads on the head-to-head tiebreaker but Madrid has six games left — one more than Barcelona.
It was the second consecutive win by Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, coming after a 4-0 rout last season that left Madrid in crisis and eventually led to the replacement of coach Rafa Benitez by Zinedine Zidane.
This year’s victory could keep Madrid from winning the league title for the first time since 2012, and give the Catalan club its third straight La Liga trophy.
It was another outstanding performance by Messi, who is the all-time leading scorer in the clasico with 23 goals.
He has scored 14 goals in his last 10 league matches, and is the competition’s leading scorer with 31 goals, seven more than teammate Luis Suarez. The Argentine playmaker has 47 goals with Barcelona in 46 games this season.
It was a thrilling match at the Bernabeu, with both goalkeepers having to work hard from the start.
Casemiro had put the hosts ahead from close range after Sergio Ramos struck the post in the 28th. Messi equalized five minutes later after evading two defenders inside the area after a pass by Ivan Rakitic for his first goal at the Bernabeu since 2014.
Messi also helped set up Barcelona’s go-ahead goal by Rakitic in the 73rd, a powerful left-footed shot from outside the area.
Ramos was sent off with a straight red card in the 77th after a foul on Messi to stop the playmaker from a one-on-one situation in a breakaway. Despite that, Madrid still found the strength to equalize in the 85th with substitute James Rodriguez. He redirected a cross by Marcelo only three minutes after he had entered the match to replace Karim Benzema.
Madrid’s Keylor Navas made three remarkable saves in the second half alone — on a close-range header by Gerard Pique, a shot by Luis Suarez and another strike by Pique.
Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen also came up with big stops, including a header by Benzema and a shot by Marco Asensio.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a few good chances but was not able to capitalize on them.
Madrid forward Gareth Bale, who was doubtful before the game because of an injury, came off the field in the 39th. It was not unclear if he left with the same injury as before.
Wearing the green jacket from his first career major victory at Augusta earlier this month, Masters champion Sergio Garcia performed the honorary kickoff before the game.
Real Sociedad 1 Deportivo La Coruna 0: Brazilian striker Willian Jose scored in the first half and Real Sociedad held on to victory over Deportivo La Coruna to stay in contention for a Europa League spot next season.
Jose netted the winner with a header into the top corner in the 28th minute at Anoeta Stadium, moving host Real Sociedad into sixth place with five rounds to go.
Real Sociedad opened a two-point gap on seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao, which plays at Eibar on Monday.
The top four clubs qualify for the Champions League, and Nos. 5 and 6 earn a place in the second-tier Europa League.
Deportivo stayed 16th in the 20-team standings, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Celta Vigo 0 Real Betis 1: Celta Vigo followed its qualification for the semifinals of the Europa League with a home loss against Real Betis.
Darko Brasanac scored a 54th-minute goal for the visitors, which moved further away from the relegation zone with their second consecutive victory.
Celta stayed in 10th place.
Las Palmas 1 Alaves 1: Kevin-Prince Boateng scored in the 44th minute for Las Palmas and Ibai Gomez equalized in the 61st as Las Palmas and Alaves played to a draw that kept both teams near the middle of the table.
Messi gets 500th career goal for Barca in 3-2 triumph vs. Madrid
Messi gets 500th career goal for Barca in 3-2 triumph vs. Madrid
Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli help Bengaluru stay in IPL play-off race
BENGALURU: Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru hammer Gujarat Titans by four wickets for their third successive IPL win on Saturday.
Chasing a modest 148 for victory, Du Plessis, who hit 64, and Kohli, who made 42, laid the foundations with a stand of 92 in 35 balls as the target was achieved with 6.2 overs to spare at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Du Plessis’ departure triggered a collapse as Gujarat hit back with wickets from Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad to have the opposition in trouble at 117-6 when Kohli was dismissed.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who hit 21, and Swapnil Singh, who made 15, made sure there was no more drama as they steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 35.
“It was important we didn’t look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play,” said Du Plessis.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking, another wicket, another wicket. Probably not the best but you’re trying to be positive, get your net run-rate up.”
Bowlers set up victory after pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj removed the openers including skipper Shubman Gill early and Gujarat lost regular wickets to be bowled out for 147 in 19.3 overs.
Siraj returned figures of 2-29 to be named man of the match but the pace bowler said he nearly missed the game after being “sick since last night.”
It was Bengaluru’s fourth win and third on the bounce in 11 matches as they jumped from the bottom of the table to seventh and keep their slim play-off hopes alive.
Gujarat’s hopes are also hanging by a thread as they slumped to their seventh loss in 11 matches.
“Very important to start from zero in our next match and move on from this game,” Gill said. “Learn from mistakes and not repeat them. All about winning from here on.”
Kohli, who reclaimed the top batting spot with 542 runs, came out roaring as he hit Mohit Sharma for two sixes in the opening over of the chase and Du Plessis soon joined in and moved ahead to raise his fifty in 18 balls.
The South African veteran smashed 10 fours and three sixes in his 23-ball blitz before being dismissed by Ireland left-arm quick Little.
Little took two more wickets including Glenn Maxwell for four as Bengaluru slipped to 107-4.
Little sent back Cameron Green and then Noor’s left-arm wrist spin silenced the home crowd when he had Kohli caught behind, but the hosts had the last laugh when Singh hit the winning six.
Earlier put into bat, Gujarat went three down for 19 inside six over before big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, who top-scored with 37, stood strong in a 61-run stand with David Miller, who hit 30 off 20 balls.
Left-handed Rahul Tewatia hit a 21-ball 35 and put on another key stand with Rashid Khan to add respect to the total.
2 Saudi players knocked out on day 1 of Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament in Jeddah
- Ali Alkhadrawi creates chances but is unable to take advantage of them as he loses in three games to Japanese professional Maharu Yoshimura
- Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi faces tough test against Lin Gaoyuan of China, and is on receiving end of a masterclass from a player considered one of the best in the world
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia suffered an early setback at the Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Saturday, when Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi and Ali Alkhadrawi were eliminated in the first round of the men’s singles competition.
Ali Alkhadrawi was first to fall, defeated by Japanese professional Maharu Yoshimura, who won three games straight to progress to the round of 32.
Competing in front of a home crowd, and with pride etched on his face, Alkhadrawi put up a brave fight. He got off to good start, opening up a 6-3 lead in game one, and had his chances in the third, too, including three game points. However, Yoshimura rallied on both occasions, showing great character as he recorded victories of 11-9, 11-4 and 15-13 to deny the local hero.
Bu Shulaybi, a wildcard entrant to the event, faced a tough test against Lin Gaoyuan of China, who is considered one of the best players in the world. He gave it his all but also lost in three games, ending up on the receiving end of a masterclass in the game as the No. 6 seed comfortably won 11-4, 11-2, 11-4.
Verstappen wins sprint race at Miami Grand Prix
- The reigning three-times world champion and current championship leader led from pole and was never challenged after a chaotic opening lap
- Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third as the world champions gave themselves a points boost ahead of qualifying later on Saturday
MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the Miami Grand Prix’s sprint race on Saturday finishing a full 3.3 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The reigning three-times world champion and current championship leader, who is looking for a third straight Grand Prix victory at Miami on Sunday, led from pole and was never challenged after a chaotic opening lap.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third as the world champions gave themselves a points boost ahead of qualifying later on Saturday.
Dutchman Verstappen held off Leclerc’s strong start to secure his place at the front but there was plenty of action and incident in the middle of the pack.
Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton jousted hard but in the end the Dane picked up three penalties, adding 25 seconds to his time, after frequently leaving the track and gaining advantage.
Hamilton also received a penalty, leaving him outside the points positions in 16th after speeding in the pit lane.
The safety car was brought out after the first lap which saw a start line incident involving Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris.
But away from those skirmishes, it was business as usual for Verstappen, who adds another eight points to his season tally with the victory.
“I think my engine wasn’t good in the start and so then I had to speed it a bit, luckily everything worked out in turn one,” said Verstappen.
“Then we had the safety car just to calm things down a bit after that. Steadily we could increase the gap a little bit, but it wasn’t entirely perfect so we still have a bit of work to do,” he added.
“We can still fine tune the car a little bit, so hopefully we can improve for later on in qualifying and especially for tomorrow in the race.”
Future champions shine as Riyadh hosts junior Asian tennis contest for first time
- Tournament featured 57 leading female and male junior players from 20 countries
RIYADH: The Asian Tennis Federation’s 14&U Grade A tournament concluded on Saturday in Riyadh, the first event of its kind to be held in the Kingdom.
The tournament was hosted by the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation at the Mahd Academy, and featured 57 leading female and male junior players from 20 countries, including Iran, India, Hong Kong and Thailand.
The “A” category is the highest-grade system within the ATF, with the winner of the singles competition earning 1,200 points.
The week’s top winners were Dharma Pantaratorn from Thailand and Kiyarash Sadghi from Iran.
Many of the junior players, such as 12-year-old Aylara Kakabayeva from Turkmenistan, were visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time.
“I took seventh place. It was really good. It feels very good playing here. It feels like you’re playing in a pro tournament like the Grand Slam,” she told Arab News.
The tournament proved to be a meeting point for the youth taking part. Saudi national team player Hamza Elmansoury, 11, said that his best moments were making “friends from different nationalities like Georgian India, Syria and Iran.”
Saudi tournament referee Reham Almansour said: “My favorite part was seeing and watching these talented players coming from all around Asia.”
The tournament is part of the STF’s drive to develop and promote competition for local talents.
STF development officer Pablo Mosquera said that the event allowed local players to get ranked without traveling long distances and making huge investments.
“So, they have, basically, in their backyard, an opportunity to get points,” he said.
“The whole point about tennis is bringing everyone together, especially in these international tournaments, especially the age group of under 12 or 14,” STF technical director, Hassan El-Aroussi added.
The federation plans to host more international tournaments, particularly junior competitions, in cooperation with the International Tennis Federation.
These expansive goals are driven by “our love of tennis,” El-Aroussi said.
Real Madrid claim Liga title after Girona stun Barca
- Ancelotti’s side did their homework by beating Cadiz and after last season’s champions stumbled against Girona, Los Blancos were crowned champions for a record-extending 36th time
- “We’ve had a spectacular Liga campaign,” Ancelotti told reporters
MADRID: Real Madrid earned what coach Carlo Ancelotti said was a “deserved” La Liga title on Saturday after beating Cadiz 3-0 and Girona sealed it with a stunning 4-2 victory over Barcelona.
Ancelotti’s side did their homework by beating Cadiz and after last season’s champions stumbled against Girona, Los Blancos were crowned champions for a record-extending 36th time.
Girona’s dramatic victory saw the Catalan minnows qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history, in only their fourth season in Spain’s topflight.
Ancelotti rotated heavily ahead of the Champions League semifinal second leg clash with Bayern, but his players still got the job done.
Brahim Diaz netted in the 51st minute to put Madrid ahead and then set up Jude Bellingham, with Joselu tapping home a third.
“We’ve had a spectacular Liga campaign,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“We’ve made few errors and the advantage is deserved.”
Madrid’s comfortable win over Cadiz sent them 14 points clear of last season’s champions Barcelona, in third, with only 12 left to play for.
Girona, second after their second 4-2 win over Barcelona this season, trail Madrid by 13 points.
“We leave our skins out there on the pitch to live moments like today’s,” Madrid striker Joselu told Real Madrid TV.
“There are young players who are very hungry for titles, veterans who are delighted to be here... and these are special moments.”
With the Bayern second leg in mind, Ancelotti only selected captain Nacho Fernandez from the starting line-up that earned a 2-2 draw in Bavaria this week.
Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois started for the first time after a nine-month layoff after a knee injury and kept a clean sheet.
Madrid midfielder Luka Modric became the oldest player to appear for the club in La Liga, at 38 years and 238 days, breaking late Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas’ record from 1965 by five days.
The visitors, 18th and still battling to stay up, shaded the first half but Madrid’s goals came in the second.
Courtois made a superb save to deny Chris Ramos early in the second half and Madrid took the lead immediately afterwards.
Diaz received from the evergreen Modric on the edge of the area, turned slickly and curled an effort into the top corner.
Bellingham, on as a substitute for Turkish teenager Arda Guler, added the second soon after entering the fray at the end of a fine team move.
It was the England international’s 18th league goal of the season, keeping him in contention to finish as the top scorer.
Madrid put the cherry on their cake after a superb run by Nacho.
Poised to depart at the end of the season, the Spaniard was hailed by the Bernabeu after setting up Joselu for a simple finish in stoppage time.
Los Blancos were able to celebrate after Girona came from behind twice to defeat Barcelona in a wild clash.
The Catalans took the lead through Andreas Christensen after three minutes but La Liga’s top scorer Artem Dovbyk levelled with his 20th goal of the campaign just a minute later.
Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona ahead with a penalty after Lamine Yamal was felled, but substitute Portu made a huge impact in the second half for Girona.
Michel Sanchez’s side netted two goals in two minutes to turn the game on its head. Portu netted the equalizer moments after coming on and then set up Miguel Gutierrez to put Girona ahead.
Portu sensationally volleyed home the fourth to ignite Girona’s tiny Montilivi stadium and get the party started.
Girona played Champions League music over the stadium sound system to give their fans a taste of things to come.
“It’s a shame, we sink with any negative situation,” said Barcelona coach Xavi after Barcelona lost their crown.
“Like this it’s impossible to compete.”
