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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Huge Injury Update Ahead Of Inter Milan Vs Barcelona Showdown: Ex Bayern Munich Superstar Called Up, Spain International Out
Huge Injury Update Ahead Of Inter Milan Vs Barcelona Showdown: Ex Bayern Munich Superstar Called Up, Spain International Out Robert Lewandowski has been called up for the Barcelona squad to face Inter Milan, while Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde are out. The Blaugranas have released their official squad list for the Champions League semifinal second leg. Lewandowski's name is certainly the most notable inclusion, whilst Balde's absence is a blow. Advertisement Barcelona travel to Inter to take on Inter Milan in an all-important Champions League semifinal second leg tomorrow. The first leg last Wednesday was a thrilling 3-3 draw. That has set up a marquee second leg in which both sides will feel they have every chance of reaching the final. Therefore, the fitness of key players will be all-important. In the case of Inter, the news looks to be positive. Reports today indicate that both Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard will be able to start. For Barcelona, meanwhile, the news looks to be a little more mixed. Lewandowski Called Up For Barcelona Vs Inter – Balde & Kounde Out BARCELONA, SPAIN – APRIL 05: Alejandro Balde of FC Barcelona reacts during the LaLiga match between FC Barcelona and Real Betis Balompie at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on April 05, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by) The big piece of positive news for Barcelona is that 36-year-old former Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is in the squad. Advertisement The Pole will be in a matchday squad for the first time since he picked up a muscle injury during Barcelona's La Liga clash with Celta Vigo last month. Lewandowski had missed the first leg against Inter. It remains to be seen what Lewandowski's exact condition will be. Reports suggest that the Polish international will not be ready to start tomorrow's match. Nevertheless, having the 36-year-old available at all certainly represents a major boost. On the other hand, Barcelona will be without left-back Alejandro Balde. Balde had already missed the first leg on Wednesday. And he had done all he could to get back to fitness for tomorrow's leg. However, the 21-year-old Spanish international has not recovered in time. Therefore, he has not even travelled with the Blaugranas squad.
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Barcelona review of 2024-25: Hansi Flick's great entertainers are just getting started
What a season it has been for Barcelona. From the traumatic exit of club legend Xavi as coach to financial problems with registering new signings, few could have anticipated new arrival Hansi Flick experiencing this much success last summer. Instead, the German has led Barca to league, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles while taking the Catalans back to the top of Spanish football. They reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since Lionel Messi was at the club, narrowly losing a chaotic tie against Inter. Here, our Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballus analyses the campaign. The year we witnessed one of the most entertaining Barcelona sides ever assembled, if not the most entertaining. Many title-winning sides in La Liga have been forgettable, but that will not be true of Flick's team. Their daring approach, a radical high line, a relentless counter-press and an impressive ability to produce 'remontadas' (comebacks) have made this Barca team a treat to watch. Advertisement Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid after extra time, Copa del Rey final. A rollercoaster of a game that earned Barca their first major title of the season against their arch-rivals. It was far from their best performance — they produced a solid first half but experienced a meltdown after the break. The team's reaction to that is what made this game so remarkable. With a late fightback capped by an unlikely extra-time winner from right-back Jules Kounde, you could not write a better script. Lamine Yamal vs Espanyol — the strike that sealed the title for Barca. Although it was seriously difficult choosing between this one and the effort the 17-year-old scored in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Inter. Both of those were perfect examples of Yamal's trademark move. He received the ball on the right-hand side, created the space he needed by himself with a couple of body feints and cut onto his left before letting fly. Unstoppable. The power and placement Yamal produced to score against Espanyol make this goal the standout. Lamine Yamal's work of art. 🖼️#EspanyolBarça | #LaLigaHighlights — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 16, 2025 Barca's fourth consecutive Clasico win with a 4-3 victory at Montjuic, which represented the culmination of their clear superiority against their rivals over the year — and also put them seven points clear of Madrid in La Liga with nine left to play for. Madrid landed straight after Barca's heartbreak in Milan just five days before. That had an impact as Madrid went ahead by two goals from Kylian Mbappe, but the way the Catalans tore into their rivals after that was impressive. It was especially sweet for fans, given they were witnessing the end of a Madrid era under Carlo Ancelotti and the beginning of a new one for their young team. Advertisement Their 5-4 win against Benfica in the new-look league stage of the Champions League in January. Of the nine comebacks Barca have pulled off this season, this was the craziest. They had been losing by a two-goal margin with 12 minutes to go and their place in the top eight seeds of the competition was at stake. Robert Lewandowski pulled one back from the penalty spot before unexpected hero Eric Garcia equalised with four minutes to go. Benfica had a chance to win in extra time but could not finish. While the Portuguese team claimed a penalty, Ferran Torres set up Raphinha with a long ball on the break for the Brazilian to score a 96th-minute winner. What on earth was that? 'Fear while playing the game? I left all my fears in the park of my neighbourhood, back in Mataro, a while ago.' That was Yamal in his first Barca press conference, when asked whether he was afraid of the huge expectations mounting around him and his rapid rise to stardom. It was a day before the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Inter and the two performances he went on to produce make this quote even more outrageous. Raphinha and Garcia deserve special mentions but few expected Inigo Martinez to be so influential. Four days before Barca's La Liga opener at Valencia in August, the centre-back was not even registered. Club sources, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, spent the whole summer saying they would be open to the then-33-year-old leaving if he found an appealing project elsewhere. Nine months later, Martinez is firmly established as Barca's defensive general. He acts and behaves like a captain despite not wearing the armband and his adaptation to Flick's high line has been remarkable, building a great relationship with 18-year-old Pau Cubarsi. Advertisement Wojciech Szczesny, the smoker — and his chilled-out attitude in general. When the 35-year-old goalkeeper came out of retirement to join Barca in October after Marc-Andre ter Stegen's serious knee injury, there were questions about his. Szczesny has said in past interviews that he is a regular smoker, but what seemed like a potential flaw has turned the 'keeper into a cult hero. Two months ago, Montjuic celebrated one of Szczesny's saves by chanting 'Szczesny fumador' — Szczesny the smoker. Even Flick finally jumped on the joke this month when he was asked about Szcezsny's personality. 'I've never had a character like him,' Flick said. 'Sometimes he smokes a bit, but that's how he is. He is at the right age and makes him more relaxed!' Szczesny lived up to his managers' words during the title celebrations, smoking a cigar during the open-top bus parade through the streets of Barcelona. My kind of town, Barcelona is. — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 15, 2025 Yann Sommer (Inter). Yamal's performances in that Champions League semi-final will not be forgotten, but neither should Sommer's saves. The Switzerland goalkeeper is the reason Barca did not make the final. His seven saves, five from inside the box, in the return leg will continue to give Barca fans nightmares. His stops registered a 'goals prevented' figure of 0.93 (based on expected shots on target, xGOT). Nine — it cannot be lower than that. The one point left is for the Champions League, the missing piece in a coveted treble, which would have been the club's third. But it is also proof of this team's potential to improve, which is a great thing for the club to aspire to. Flick has brought excitement back to Barca fans, which very few expected when he joined last summer. The long-awaited return to Camp Nou. The club need to get back to their iconic home ground after its extensive renovations to keep improving their finances — and it will help decide who they can sign this summer. Last January, Barca sold a share of their future VIP seating in the stadium to get to what La Liga calls the 1:1 rule — meaning they can register players without restrictions. Advertisement But with the stadium yet to be completed and the VIP seats not built, Barca's audit company Crowe did not allow them to count the money from the sale in this season's accounts. Barca need to have the ground and the seats built so that they can include the income from the VIP seats in their budget and operate as normal in the transfer market. Do Barca really need a classic No 9 to replace Lewandowski? At 36, and with next season being the last on his current deal, the summer of 2026 will be the obvious time to be moving on from the Poland striker, even if he finished this campaign as La Liga's second top scorer with 27 goals. But do Barca really need an old-school striker? Without Lewandowski, the Catalans scored six goals in two games against Inter, as well as seven in their last two Clasicos. Torres operated as a No 9 on all those occasions and scored an impressive 19 goals while providing seven assists in a backup role. Torres might not be a world-class player but his link-up play, relentlessness in the counter-press and off-the-ball movement, which creates spaces team-mates, should be a lesson for any new striker Barca bring in.
Toronto Sun
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Fans who insulted Vinicius found guilty in 1st hate-crime conviction related to racism in Spain
Published May 21, 2025 • 1 minute read Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, right, kicks the ball ahead of Barcelona's Jules Kounde 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. Photo by Jose Breton / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. MADRID (AP) — Five Valladolid fans who racially insulted Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior in 2022 have been found guilty in the first ruling in Spain that condemns racist insults in a soccer stadium as a hate crime, the league said Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A Valladolid court convicted the fans for their insults in a league match, sentencing them to one year in prison plus a fine of up to 1,620 euros ($1,837). The jail time is suspended on condition they don't commit any offense or visit soccer stadiums hosting official national competitions for three years. The league called Wednesday's ruling 'a firm step towards eradicating racism in sport.' 'This judicial decision represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sport in Spain,' the league said. Last year, three Valencia fans were handed eight-month prison sentences after pleading guilty to racially insulting Madrid forward Vinicius Junior. That was the first conviction for racism-related cases in professional soccer in Spain, but it was not based on a hate crime. The Valencia fans were convicted of a crime against moral integrity, with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives. 'The fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football,' the league said. The league first filed the complaint against the Valladolid fans. It was later joined in the case by the player, Real Madrid, and the public prosecutor's office. Sunshine Girls Columnists Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Basketball
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
"Wasn't anywhere close to this place" – Jules Kounde shuts down Travis Scott party rumours after El Clasico win
Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has denied he went to an afterparty thrown by American rapper Travis Scott after the club's 3-0 win against Real Madrid in El Clásico. The win, in La Liga , represented a huge lift for Barca's season, but thoughts on the day were momentarily diverted from football to rumors concerning the team's celebrations, especially an alleged event that was attended by personalities and celebrities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The rumours have been fuelled by Travis Scott's presence in Barcelona and sponsor Spotify, Barcelona's principal shirt sponsor. Barcelona played in a limited-edition jersey that included the 'Cactus Jack' logo — the symbol for Scott's label — leading to even further speculation that the rapper's visit involved private after-parties with some of the players. Jules Kounde clarifies his position on social media Following this, because of all the talk, Jules Kounde took to his X post to respond, writing: 'Another lie… I wasn't anywhere close to this place. This is not journalism. Do better.' His statement followed multiple reports that he was spotted at an exclusive party in Sant Adria de Besos – a municipality in Barcelona – where Scott is believed to have put on a more exclusive performance. Kounde's quick response is likely intended to stifle any narratives that would speculate his professionalism towards the club; he's not the type of player to refuse to be part of a team. While the party was also supposedly attended by former Barcelona legends Ronaldinho, Gerard Pique, and Carles Puyol, Kounde insisted he was not involved in the celebrations. It's not the first time players have had to navigate the sensationalized rumors of nightlife or night-after-news nightclub celebrations in the limelight. With Kounde, it feels important to deliver a message of concentration and dedication, especially with the season in its crucial last few weeks. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Focus returns to football and Barcelona's goals Barcelona are scrapping for a Champions League place and need to end the season as best as they can; they will require high-flying players such as Kounde to focus on them entirely. The French international, who has made 17 appearances in the league this season for the club, having arrived from Sevilla, has been a first-team regular at the back and remains a key man under head coach Xavi Hernandez. Situation aside, Kounde's response is a no-nonsense stance that fans and management grow tired of. And with important games coming thick and fast, the Frenchman has his mind firmly set on one thing: playing well and helping to achieve Barcelona's goals. Also Read:
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
FC Barcelona Star Kounde Has To Deny Post-Clasico Accusations
FC Barcelona star Jules Kounde used his social media account on X to deny accusations that he ... More partied after his team's 4-3 win over Real Madrid in El Clasico at the weekend. FC Barcelona star Jules Kounde used his social media account on X to deny accusations that he partied after his team's 4-3 win over Real Madrid in El Clasico at the weekend. The Frenchman is a modern day hero among Culers for his extra time exploits in the Copa del Rey final last month. With the score tied 2-2 against Madrid, the right back cut out a Luka Modric pass meant for Brahim Diaz on the edge of the Los Blancos box, and fired a 116th minute winner past Thibaut Courtois which sent the Barca bench and fans in the stadium in Sevilla into raptures. Unfortunately for Kounde and his team, he has been unavailable as of late which meant he could play no part in last week's painful Champions League semifinal second leg exit to Inter Milan at the San Siro. Eric Garcia has been doing a fine job in his place, though, and scored not only in the Italian fashion capital but also in Montjuic. Both goals were his side's first goal when they had gone 2-0 down and started launching a comeback. And while Inter came back to win 4-3 in the UCL, it was Barca that took home the spoils against by trailing through a Kylian Mbappe brace in under a quarter of an hour yet leading 4-2 by half time to seal a 4-3 triumph at full time. That was cause for celebration, with Barca now seven points clear of its rival at the La Liga summit and now highly likely to lift a domestic treble that can be sealed if it beats Espanyol away on Thursday. The partnership between Barca, its sponsor Spotify and Travis Scott on Clasico weekend has been well documented. While the American rapper's Cactus Jack logo featured on the iconic Blaugrana jersey for the match, Scott was also seen in the stands cheering Barca on and also met several players at full time. According to Mundo Deportivo reporter Roger Torrelo, a group of Barca stars went to an afterparty after Scott played a show at the Opium nightclub on Sunday night. Torrelo listed them as Pedri, Ferran Torres, Gavi, Marc Casadó, Héctor Fort and Kounde, but the latter used Twitter to deny his presence. 'Another lie… I wasn't anywhere close to this place. This is not journalism. Do better,' Kounde demanded, while tagging Torrelo and MD. 'I'm sorry for the mistake, Jules. There was a mix-up about your presence at the Nike event, where Travis Scott was also present. Apologies, and congratulations on your season and the titles,' Torrelo then replied himself. On Thursday, Kounde will still not be fit enough to play for FC Barcelona against Espanyol.
