Latest news with #LluisCompanys
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Villarreal beat Barca to secure Champions League place
Barcelona's Pedri (centre) dribbles past Villarreal players' challenge at Lluis Companys Olympic stadium. (AP pic) BARCELONA : Villarreal qualified for next season's Champions League with an entertaining 3-2 win at newly-crowned La Liga champions Barcelona on Sunday. Elsewhere Kylian Mbappe struck as Real Madrid won 2-0 at nine-man Sevilla, while Leganes gave themselves a chance of survival with a win at Las Palmas. Barcelona stars celebrated their 28th league title on an open-top bus on Friday but Hansi Flick warned that 'those who party, can work' and selected a strong side. However the visitors took the lead through in-form striker Ayoze Perez, who slotted past Marc-Andre ter Stegen after Nicolas Pepe set him up. Lamine Yamal, who scored a vital goal as Barca clinched the league on Thursday at Espanyol, scored another stunner to level. The 17-year-old breezed past two defenders and arrowed a shot into the far bottom corner. Yamal hit the bar before Fermin Lopez sent Barca ahead, walloping home from the edge of the box. Santi Comesana lofted over Ter Stegen to equalise for the visitors, who nosed in front through Tajon Buchanan in the 80th minute. Barca fell to their first home defeat of 2025 and also their first league reverse this year, but chants of 'champions' rang around the Olympic stadium, on potentially the team's last game there before a return to the renovated Camp Nou next season. The domestic treble winners were presented with the league trophy at the end of the game. Villarreal booked their return to Europe's top competition as they opened up a big gap on Real Betis, sixth, as they were thrashed 4-1 at Atletico Madrid. Julian Alvarez scored two and created another as Diego Simeone's side, third, ran out comfortable winners. French superstar Mbappe netted his 29th league goal of the season to help Real Madrid to a narrow win over nine-man Sevilla in coach Carlo Ancelotti's penultimate match at the helm. Loic Bade's 12th minute red card for a professional foul on Mbappe set back the hosts, and then Isaac Romero was dismissed at the start of the second half for a high tackle on Aurelien Tchouameni. Eventually the division's top scorer Mbappe drilled home Madrid's opener from range and Jude Bellingham nabbed a second from close range late on. At the bottom of the table Leganes took their fight for survival to the last day of the season with a 1-0 win at downed Las Palmas, thanks to Dani Raba's early strike. The Madrid minnows, 18th, are two points from safety and face relegated Real Valladolid in their last game. Espanyol's 2-0 defeat by Osasuna leaves them in danger of the drop and the Catalan side, 17th, welcome Las Palmas next weekend knowing a win would keep them up. Witness football history in Malaysia as Manchester United take on the Asean All-Stars – it's the clash you can't afford to miss. Book your seat now at before they're gone!
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A look at Barcelona's numbers as it clinched its 28th Spanish league title
Barcelona players celebrate at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Barcelona's Fermin Lopez celebrates at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Barcelona's Fermin Lopez celebrates at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Barcelona players celebrate at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Barcelona's Fermin Lopez celebrates at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) MADRID (AP) — An impressive attack has highlighted Barcelona's season, which was capped with the team winning its 28th Spanish league title on Thursday. Barcelona thrived offensively in its first season under coach Hansi Flick, scoring with ease both at home and away. Advertisement Lamine Yamal and Raphinha had outstanding seasons, and teamed up well with veteran striker Robert Lewandowski and midfield playmaker Pedri. Here's a look at Barcelona's numbers as it won the league for the second time in three seasons and completed a domestic treble along with the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. Goal difference: 61 Barcelona blew away the competition by scoring 97 goals through 36 games, with two more matches to come. That means it has scored 61 more goals than it allowed. Compare that to Real Madrid's goal difference of 36 — 74 scored to 38 allowed — even with an attack that included Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham. Advertisement Only Bayern Munich comes close to Barcelona' tally in Europe's top five leagues with 95 goals scored. Across all competitions, Barcelona has 169 goals in 58 matches, also the most in Europe. 4 x 12 Barcelona scored at least four goals in 23 matches across all competitions this season, including in three clasicos against Madrid. A dozen of those four-goal games came in La Liga. The Catalan club twice scored seven times — 7-0 against Valladolid and 7-1 against Valencia. Yamal's 149 dribbles The 17-year-old Yamal leads the league in assists with 13, with Raphinha joint-second with nine. Yamal also has by far the most dribbles to get past opponents with 149, over 60 more than any other player. Lewandowski, Raphinha and Yamal were in the top four in shots, behind Mbappé. Three Barcelona players topped the list of passes in the league — Pau Cubarsí, Pedri and Iñigo Martínez. Advertisement 17 years Yamal made all the headlines last season when he swept up records, including for youngest scorer in the Spanish league at age 16. He continued to impress this season and established himself as the team's top star. He scored in the 4-0 win against Madrid at the Bernabeu to become the youngest scorer in a clasico at 17 years, 105 days, surpassing teammate Ansu Fati, who was about 250 days older in October 2020. Clasico quartet It was the first time Barcelona won every clasico in a season that had at least three matches between the rivals. It won 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the Spanish league in October, 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final last month, and 4-3 — after going down 2-0 by the 14th minute — in the second league match. Advertisement 18 goals for Raphinha The 28-year-old Raphinha, having his best season ever, netted five of the 16 goals that Barcelona scored in the four matches against Madrid. Raphinha has scored 34 goals for Barcelona this season overall, more than tripling his previous best tally. That included 18 in La Liga. The Brazil forward scored only 10 goals in each of his first two seasons after joining the Catalan club from Leeds United. And 25 for Lewandowski Lewandowski is having one of his best seasons with Barcelona at age 36. The Poland striker has scored 40 goals in 49 appearances, including 25 in La Liga. It is the most goals in a season for Lewandowski since leaving Bayern to come to Spain. Advertisement Flick's fast 100 Flick became the second-fastest Barcelona coach to reach 100 goals overall. His team reached 101 goals in 32 games in all competitions. Helenio Herrera reached the mark in 31 matches in the late 1950s. Luis Enrique and Tito Vilanova each needed 34 games, three quicker than Pep Guardiola at 37. 23 and under Barcelona enjoyed its successful season despite a very young squad. Yamal leads the youth movement, and Pedri, Gavi, Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casadó, Pablo Torre, Ansu Fati and Gerard Martín are all under 23 years old. ___ AP soccer:
New York Times
20-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Barcelona inform fans club will not return to the Camp Nou this season
Barcelona will not return to the Camp Nou this season after confirming supporters' tickets at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys will be extended through to the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Barcelona had initially intended to return to playing their home games at their iconic ground before the end of 2024 following the stadium's refurbishment, but this has faced persistent delays. Advertisement The club has written to its socios (members), in an email seen by The Athletic, to inform them that their season tickets at the Lluis Companys will be extended through to the end of the season, with all remaining 2024-25 La Liga and Champions League fixtures to be played at the venue. Work began to refurbish the Camp Nou and increase its capacity to 105,000 — the largest in European football — in June 2023 and Barca have played at the Lluis Companys ever since. The 55,000 capacity stadium on Montjuic was renovated for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Barca president Joan Laporta had outlined aims to re-open Camp Nou at a reduced capacity to mark the club's 125th anniversary on November 29 2024. However, in October the club said the return would not take place in 2024 and would instead happen in the 'second half' of the season. In November this was pushed back again until at least February, and in January this was further delayed until May at the earliest. Barcelona and builders Limak have agreed a date of June 2026 for the ground to be completed. In September, the price of the Camp Nou reconstruction project was projected to be €900million ($975m, £753m at current exchange rates). Remaining at Montjuic has cost Barca financially, with attendances lower than anticipated after only 17,552 fans out of 80,274 season-ticket holders took up the option to move to the stadium. The club had made 27,385 places available. For the 2023-24 season, it was estimated that playing at Montjuic would cost the club about €90m ($97.5m, £75.3m), taking into account lost revenue and money spent to get the ground match-ready. Barcelona are top of La Liga and are set to return to action against Osasuna on March 27. (Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
