Young Barca earn respect but crave trophies after Inter heartbreak
Barcelona's Spanish forward Lamine Yamal was a thorn in Inter Milan's side all night at the San Siro (Marco BERTORELLO)
Hansi Flick's brilliant young Barcelona side won hearts in this season's Champions League and re-established themselves at Europe's top table, but fell agonisingly short of reaching the Munich final after one of the competition's greatest semi-finals.
Dusting themselves down from their painful elimination at the hands of Inter Milan on Tuesday, Barca will take pride in knowing the club are closer than ever to ending their decade-long drought in the continent's premier competition.
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Barcelona lost 4-3 in extra-time in Milan, with the Italians progressing 7-6 on aggregate after a thrilling rollercoaster of a match in which they threw away a 2-0 lead.
For the first time since 2019 the Catalans made the final four, but they were dreaming of more -- a first Champions League trophy since 2015 and a potential quadruple.
"The players deserve respect, but we are playing to win trophies," said Flick, not content with merely restoring Barcelona's status among the elite.
With the wizardry of Lamine Yamal, the goals of Raphinha and brains of Pedri, pulling strings in midfield, Barcelona have enough to end their wait for the trophy in the post-Lionel Messi era.
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An inspired Yann Sommer, a shaky Barca defence missing injured regulars Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde, and Inter's experience ensured they did not.
"Of course (something special) has started, but we're not at the end -- we had a really huge defeat now," said Flick.
"We're not satisfied about that but it's normal. We have to stand up, this is the message I want to give.
"We have to fight until the end of the season -- and for next season."
Barcelona were two minutes away from booking their flights to Munich, leading 3-2 on the night at the San Siro in the pouring rain, but Francesco Acerbi's 93rd minute strike forced extra-time before Davide Frattesi won it for the hosts.
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Arguably the best player in both legs of the tie was 17-year-old Spain star Yamal, but he showed his inexperience in stoppage time before Acerbi struck.
Rampaging down the right, yet again, Yamal crashed a shot against the post when he might have headed for the corner flag.
In the first-half 18-year-old Pau Cubarsi, another graduate of Barcelona's La Masia academy, conceded a penalty with a risky challenge on Lautaro Martinez.
"We have a young team and we will improve of course," Flick told reporters.
"This is our job, to make this team better and better."
- 'Beyond expectations' -
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Despite the mistakes they made, Barca's elimination was a far cry from the humiliations they have suffered in recent years -- against Roma, Liverpool and Bayern most notably between 2018-2020, or dropping into the Europa League after that.
"We've given everything, this year it wasn't to be, but we'll be back, don't have any doubt," Yamal wrote on Instagram.
"We won't stop until we leave this club where it deserves, on the highest rung.
"I will fulfil my promise and bring (the Champions League) to Barcelona, we won't stop until we get it."
Flick's side must pick themselves up quickly because on Sunday they face arch-rivals Real Madrid in a clash which could go a long way to deciding the fate of La Liga.
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The Catalans lead the reigning champions by four points with four matches remaining and want to add the league title to their Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup triumphs.
Real Madrid are fresh after their win over Celta last Sunday, while Barca played 120 draining minutes against Inter and leave Italy with their hearts broken.
"I think the team today, when they look in the mirror, when they arrive at home at three or four o'clock in the night, or in the morning, I think then they can be very proud," said Flick.
"(This defeat) must wake up the hunger to win the title, this is important for me."
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Barcelona's players did their best to put on a brave face.
"We've gone beyond expectations, we're Barca, there are no transition years, we have to win all the trophies we can," Eric Garcia told Movistar.
"Today we couldn't do it, but the team comes out strengthened."
Madrid's impending visit to the Olympic Stadium will be a quick test of that.
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Newsweek
34 minutes ago
- Newsweek
How to Buy Inter Miami vs Al Ahly Tickets: 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Discount Promo Code
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will take part in their first match of the 2025 FIFA World Cup on Saturday against Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium, and you can claim a seat by purchasing tickets now. Shop: Inter Miami vs Al Ahly FIFA Club World Cup Tickets Soccer Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami in action against the Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium on May 31, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami in action against the Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium on May 31, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Messi is one of the most popular athletes in the world, making it a once-in-a-lifetime experience seeing him play live. 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Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
US Open gets a peaceful day of practice ahead of tough test that awaits at Oakmont
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It gets started on Thursday with Matt Vogt, the former Oakmont caddie now an Indiana dentist, selected to hit the opening tee shot. Jon Rahm, who won his U.S. Open four years ago at Torrey Pines, made his debut at Oakmont in 2016 when he was fresh out of Arizona State. He shot 76 on the first day, went 1-over par the rest of the way and finished as low amateur. Even with changes to the course from a restoration project, including a ditch that now meanders across the landing area in the 10th fairway, the Spanish star has a better idea what to expect. 'You're aware of what a golf tournament here is going to be like. It's going to be a challenge,' Rahm said. 'A lot of unfortunate things are going to happen. It's hard fairways to hit, bad lies, difficult bunkers, difficult greens. It's going to be a nice test, a difficult test, and I think one of the truest representations of what a U.S. Open is all about.' Dustin Johnson set the Oakmont scoring record for a U.S. Open at 276 when he won in 2016. The USGA mentioned a few other numbers that also describe Oakmont, mainly the 5-inch rough so dense at the bottom there were no guarantees a golf ball might be lost. Another number had historical context — only 27 of the 1,385 players who have competed in a major championship at Oakmont finished under par. That includes when Oakmont, now a par 70, was played as a par 71 or par 72. 'Our mantra is tough but fair,' Bodenhamer said. "And what does that mean? It's pretty simple. It's not about the score. It's about getting every club in a player's bag dirty, all 15 of them — the 14 in their bag and the one between the ears. And we work hard on that. 'And that's how we've gone about our business here at Oakmont.' The other number that stands out is 10 — the number of times the USGA has brought its marquee championship to the course built to be tough in 1903. No other course has held the U.S. Open more often. The USGA has been accused over the years of trying to protect par, which it long has denied. Johnny Miller remains the only player to win the U.S. Open with a 63 in the final round, in 1973 at Oakmont. The following year, Hale Irwin won at 7-over par in what became known as the 'Massacre at Winged Foot.' It also fed into the belief that par matters. In some respects, it does. Bodenhamer was asked what score would indicate the USGA didn't get it right. 'Interesting question,' he replied. 'Off the top of my head, something in double digits. I've said this before, we don't want 20 over to win and we don't want 20 under to win. It might be tough. It might not be tough enough. There's a number in there somewhere." Scheffler is in search of the third leg of the career Grand Slam after winning the PGA Championship by five shots at Quail Hollow last month. Scheffler has won his last three tournaments — all in a five-week stretch — by a combined 17 shots. 'What is he doing? Well, everything,' Justin Thomas said. "It's effortless. Every single aspect of his game is unbelievable. I think his mental game is better than anybody out here. To be able to play with those expectations and to stay present as often as he has to me is maybe more impressive than even the golf he's playing. 'He just doesn't make any mistakes and almost kind of lets himself be in contention versus forces himself in contention. He just seems to be playing better.' If there is a common trait among U.S. Open champions at Oakmont, strength would be on the list. Johnson won in 2016, Angel Cabrera in 2007, big Ernie Els in 1994. The first of 18 professional majors by Jack Nicklaus and those powerful legs came at Oakmont in 1962. 'I'd say there's definitely a strength factor coming out of the rough,' Scheffler said. 'I don't really know if this is a golf course you can necessarily just overpower with a bomb-and-gouge type strategy, especially with the way the rough is.' Scheffler's strength, much like Tiger Woods, is knowing where to miss and playing the angles. That works almost anywhere. Almost. 'There's not really many areas where you step on the tee box and you're like, 'Hey, I can miss it right here; hey, I can shade towards the left side of the fairway because right is really bad,'' he said. "Actually, if you hit it in the right rough, you're probably not going to get it to the green. If you hit it in the left rough, you're probably not going to get it to the green. So might as well try and split the difference there and hit it in the middle.' Sounds simple enough. It rarely is at Oakmont. And that's just the way the USGA likes it. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Club World Cup refs to wear eye-level cameras but it's what FIFA won't show that's most telling
Referee Viktor Shimusik shows a yellow card to Azerbaijan's Tural Bayramov during an international friendly soccer match at Dalga Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo) FILE - Chairman of the FIFA referees committee Pierluigi Collina reacts at a press conference of the FIFA referees at the World Cup media center in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.(AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file) FILE - Referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea watches the VAR during the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton, file) FILE - Referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea watches the VAR during the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton, file) Referee Viktor Shimusik shows a yellow card to Azerbaijan's Tural Bayramov during an international friendly soccer match at Dalga Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo) FILE - Chairman of the FIFA referees committee Pierluigi Collina reacts at a press conference of the FIFA referees at the World Cup media center in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.(AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file) FILE - Referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea watches the VAR during the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton, file) MIAMI (AP) — Referees at the Club World Cup will wear eye-level cameras to finally allow fans to see exactly what the officials are looking at during a soccer match. Well... not quite. FIFA has announced the innovation will be implemented at its newly-expanded tournament, which kicks off in Miami on Saturday. But on closer inspection, the technology appears to be more about improving the experience for television viewers than improving the game. Advertisement For instance, only 'non-controversial' images will be shown during the match. FIFA has not specified what that means, but don't look for goal-scoring incidents and potential red cards to be included. The camera will be attached to the referee's earpiece. 'It is a trial,' Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA referees committee, said Wednesday. "What will be the future? We will see. 'We have said that we want to, let's say, offer a new experience to TV viewers. We want to show something, let's say, entertaining. I don't think that we always need to think of the controversial or potentially controversial incidents on the field of play.' Advertisement Footage will be checked before being broadcast, rather than shown live. FIFA says the refcam view could be used to show unique angles of goals scored and offer different perspectives of the game that normal cameras cannot see. But if restricted to that, it would appear to be a missed opportunity in a sport that is increasingly using advances in technology to improve the accuracy and transparency of decision-making. Another innovation at the Club World Cup — a month-long tournament staged in the United States and featuring 32 of the best soccer teams in the world — is to show footage being reviewed by VAR for the first time on big screens inside the stadium. In theory, the refcam would make referees more accountable for their decisions by allowing fans to see exactly what the official saw before making a call. But it is not even clear how much it would be used to help VAR. Advertisement While Collina said all footage would be available to the VAR, he questioned how useful the refcam would be in such circumstances. 'Honestly, can you believe that a camera position just besides the referee's eyes can see something that the referee's eyes cannot see? Honestly, I think it's difficult to believe,' he said. FIFA, itself, has made clear where it believes the footage would be of most use, saying the test was designed to 'explore whether the new camera angle can improve the experience for those watching on television and online by showcasing the referee's perspective.' It added that the tests would be used to make guidelines for future use. Advertisement 'Step by step' Collina said. "We need to do something new and the simpler the better." Time wasting FIFA also announced a clampdown on time wasting by goalkeepers at the Club World Cup. Previous rules specified keepers can't hold onto the ball for longer than six seconds, but Collina said that was frequently being flouted. The time limit has now been extended to eight seconds, but referees will be much stricter in enforcement. The referee will also count down from five seconds with their hand to indicate the time remaining. If a keeper holds onto the ball for longer than eight seconds, a corner kick will be awarded to the opposition, rather than an indirect free kick, which was the previous punishment. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer: