Man Utd draw at Leeds, Barcelona beat Villarreal as Man City win Carabao Cup final – Newstrends
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Man Utd draw at Leeds, Barcelona beat Villarreal as Man City win Carabao Cup final

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Leeds claimed another deserved point against one of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ as they drew 0-0 with Manchester United at Elland Road.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer disappointed over Man United dropping two points at Leeds.

“Today we just didn’t have the moment, take [our chances] when we had them,” Sky Sport quoted Solskjaer as saying, adding, “A draw is disappointing because we wanted to put pressure on [Manchester] City, but we couldn’t score.”

Solskjaer’s side, 10 points behind City with five games to play, extended their unbeaten Premier League away run to 24 matches and are now undefeated in their last 13.

The Norwegian was delighted with his players’ physical effort against a Leeds side renowned for their endurance.

“I’ve not seen many teams in the second half dominate as much as we did against Leeds, because they are so fit and strong,” Solskjaer said.

Leeds have not beaten their arch rivals in the top flight since 2002 when Solskjaer was a Manchester United player, but boss Marcelo Bielsa was equally as pleased with his players’ display.

“It was a very demanding game for us,” Bielsa said. “For the game not to become unbalanced, the team made a massive effort.

Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to win Carabao Cup

Just over a week on from disappointment in the FA Cup semi-final on this ground, Manchester City have turned Wembley their shade of blue.

Aymeric Laporte’s 82nd-minute header is the winner at Wembley Stadium, as Manchester City defeat Tottenham Hotspur to pick up the first major trophy of the run-in.

To Man City, the treble is on!

City had been headed for a nightmare scenario, with 30 minutes of extra-time the last thing they would have wanted just three days before the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

But thanks to Laporte’s late intervention, they now have the first of potentially three trophies in the bag as the season enters its final furlong.

Spurs, though, were right to feel a little hard done by after Laporte was twice caught out by the pace of Lucas Moura during the first half, with his only way of stopping the Brazil international to pull him back.

Both offences would normally have warranted yellow cards, and yet only the second was punished with a booking by referee Paul Tierney.

Whether he would have made the second challenge if he had been given a yellow card the first time is a question that will go unanswered, but that is unlikely to appease fans from north London.

Aymeric Laporte Riyad Mahrez Joao Cancelo Man City vs Tottenham Carabao Cup final 2020-21

We will also never know whether Laporte would have started here had John Stones not been sent off against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

The England international, therefore, missed out through suspension, allowing Laporte to step up after a season in which he has been forced to watch on from the sidelines in a number of matches following Stones’ resugence and the arrival of Ruben Dias.

His pair of crude pull-backs on Lucas showed why he is no longer the mainstay he once was under Guardiola.

That said, it will be Laporte who goes down in the history books as the player who ensured City’s crazy love affair with the Carabao Cup goes on.

In winning the trophy for the fourth successive season, they have now matched the record set by Liverpool in the 1980s for consecutvie triumphes, while Guardiola is now the joint-most successful manager in the competition’s history.

City last lost a Carabao Cup tie in October 2016 while captain Fernandinho – who lifted the trophy alongside fellow stalwart Sergio Aguero – has now won the competition a record six times.

Chukwueze gets assist as Villarreal lose 1-2 to Barcelona

The Nigeria international made a frantic effort in an attempt to help the Yellow Submarine avoid their second consecutive loss

Samuel Chukwueze provided an assist in Villarreal’s 1-2 defeat to Barcelona in Sunday’s La Liga game.

The Yellow Submarine headed into the encounter after losing against Deportivo Alaves and aimed to return to winning ways but failed to get the better of the Blaugrana.

Chukwueze made his 12th league start of the season in the encounter and delivered an impressive performance.

The Nigerian international helped Unai Emery’s side to hit the ground running in the encounter, scoring as early as the 26th minute.

The fleet-footed winger opened the scoring for the Yellow Submarine in a spectacular manner, dribbling past his markers before firing into the back of the net.

The Yellow Submarine, however, failed to build on the impressive start, as they allowed Barca to come back into the game.

Antoine Griezmann started Barcelona’s fight-back when he levelled proceedings in the 28th minute after receiving a timely assist from Oscar Mingueza.

The 30-year-old France international then completed his brace in the 35th minute, firing home his effort after finding himself in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo.

After the restart of the second half, Villarreal pushed for a possible equalizer and Chukwueze has several attempts on goal.

In the 65th minute, however, they suffered a big blow when they were reduced to 10 men after Manuel Trigueros was shown a straight red card.

Moments before the end of the game, the Yellow Submarine thought they got a penalty after Francis Coquelin’s effort was blocked in the area, with claims of handball, but after the Video Assistant Referee reviewed the situation, a spot-kick was not awarded.

-Goals.com and Sky Sport

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Napoli set €100m price tag on Osimhen amid Juventus interest

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Victor Osimhen

Napoli set €100m price tag on Osimhen amid Juventus interest

The transfer saga surrounding Victor Osimhen continues to heat up ahead of the summer window, with Napoli placing a hefty €100 million valuation on the striker should Juventus push to sign him.

While Osimhen’s widely reported release clause stands at €75 million, this figure is applicable only to clubs outside Italy. Domestic rivals like Juventus would have to dig deeper and engage in direct negotiations with Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is well-known for driving hard bargains in the transfer market.

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DAZN journalist Orazio Accomando has shed light on Napoli’s stance regarding a potential move to Turin.

“There’s interest from the Premier League (Chelsea and Manchester United in the lead), but also from Barcelona for Osimhen,” he posted on X.
“The clause for going abroad is 75 Million Euros.

“Juventus could join in, but it will depend on qualification for the Champions League and the outgoing market. The request for Italian clubs is 100 Million Euros.”

Napoli set €100m price tag on Osimhen amid Juventus interest

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Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 in extra time to win Copa del Rey

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Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 in extra time to win Copa del Rey

A Jules Kounde goal in the dying minutes of extra time handed Barcelona a dramatic 3-2 win over fierce rivals Real Madrid in an enthralling Copa del Rey final in a raucous atmosphere at Seville’s La Cartuja stadium on Saturday.

Barcelona won a record extending 32nd Spanish Cup title thanks to a stunning strike from the French defender, who slotted a low drive into the bottom corner from 25 yards in the 116th minute.

The match ended on a sour note for Real Madrid as Antonio Ruediger and Lucas Vazquez, both on the bench after being substituted earlier, received red cards for dissent from the sidelines, with Jude Bellingham also being flashed a red after the final whistle for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Pedri put Barca ahead in the 28th minute with a brilliant curling strike into the top corner from outside the box in a first-half they dominated.

However, Real took control in the second half as Kylian Mbappe, who was absent from the starting XI as he has yet to regain full fitness from an ankle injury, came off the bench to score the equaliser from a free kick in the 70th minute.

Aurelien Tchouameni gave Real Madrid the lead seven minutes later with a towering header from a corner before Ferran Torres found the equaliser in a counter attack in the 84th minute that took the game to extra time.

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Just when it seemed like the title would have to be settled in a penalty shootout, Kounde finally scored the winner that earned Barca a title that gave German manager Hansi Flick his first major title with Barca, crowning a brilliant season in which they are also bidding for the LaLiga and Champions League titles while Real are now left only with LaLiga as they bid to avoid a trophy-less campaign.

“It was a good time to give the fans something to cheer about. Let’s enjoy it, but don’t overdo it because the Champions League semi-finals are coming up in a few days,” player of the match Ferran Torres told TVE.

“Happy and tired. Without a doubt, it was the most physically demanding game I’ve played in my life. But we’re a great team who never gives up.

“It tastes better that way, especially when it’s Real Madrid in front of us.”

It was a nail-biting, ill-tempered encounter fueled by Friday’s turmoil ignited after Real Madrid decided to boycott pre-match activities in protest against the Spanish FA’s refereeing.

Final official Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, who had given an emotional pre-match press conference on Friday, was faced with a series of challenging decisions, including an added-time penalty for Barcelona that was eventually overturned following a lengthy VAR review.

Torres had a header hit the post just before half-time, marking a one-sided first half in which Real Madrid, lacking in form, were fortunate to only be trailing by a single goal.

In an attempt to swing the momentum, Ancelotti brought on Mbappe from the bench to replace the ineffectual Rodrygo. The French forward changed the dynamic of the game, creating numerous problems for Barcelona with his high-paced combinations with Vinicius Jr.

Despite two clear chances from Vinicius Jr. being denied by stunning saves from Wojciech Szczesny, Mbappe managed to find the back of the net in the 69th minute with a low strike from a free kick.

Just as Barcelona appeared to be on the backfoot and Real Madrid were gaining control, Torres equalised in the 83rd minute. This set the stage for a dramatic conclusion, with Barcelona securing the winner to the euphoria of their fans.

Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 in extra time to win Copa del Rey

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Real Madrid demand referee change, could boycott Copa Del Rey final

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Real Madrid demand referee change, could boycott Copa Del Rey final

Real Madrid refused to partake in planned Copa del Rey final related activities on Friday because they were angry at complaints made by the match officials earlier in the day, the club told media in Seville.

The referee for Saturday’s match against rivals Barcelona, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, welled up when speaking about pressure officials have faced from Real Madrid TV this season.

Spanish champions Real Madrid boycotted the press conference, the open training in front of media, the traditional presidents’ dinner and a pre-match photo-call.

“Real Madrid told the RFEF they will not take part in the press conference or the official training session looking forward to the (final),” said the Spanish football federation.

This week the club’s television channel launched a new video attacking the referee for the final, something they have done to various officials this season.

Los Blancos also published an open letter in February claiming Spanish refereeing was “rigged” and “completely discredited”.

Real Madrid have form when it comes to boycotts: in October they stayed away from the Ballon d’Or ceremony because their winger Vinicius Junior was not named the best player in the world.

“Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected,” the club said at the time.

De Burgos Bengoetxea had spoken about the effect criticism from Real Madrid’s television channel was having on his family life.

“When a child of yours goes to school and there are kids telling him that his father is a ‘thief’ and comes home crying, it’s totally messed up,” De Burgos Bengoetxea told a news conference.

“What I do is try to educate my son, to say that his father is honest, above all honest, who can make mistakes, like any sportsperson,” he continued, becoming emotional.

Real Madrid demand referee change, could boycott Copa Del Rey final

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