Barca reach King's Cup final again as Coutinho strikes

Barcelona reached the King’s Cup final for a record fifth year in a row on Thursday with a 2-0 second leg win at Valencia in which Philippe Coutinho scored his first goal for the club as they secured a 3-0 aggregate semi-final success.

Valencia bossed the first half at a packed Mestalla as the hosts chased down a 1-0 deficit but their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Brazilian Coutinho slid in to turn home a cross from his old Liverpool team mate Luis Suarez in the 49th minute.

Coutinho, who joined Barca from Liverpool for a club record 142 million pounds ($197.66 million) in January, had been on the pitch less than three minutes when he scored, while Ivan Rakitic stretched the visitors’ lead eight minutes from time.

Barcelona have won the trophy for the last three years and face Sevilla in the final on April 21, a re-run of the 2016 showpiece which the Catalans won 2-0 after extra time.

Sevilla beat Leganes 2-0 on Wednesday in the other semi-final to advance 3-1 on aggregate.

”I feel very happy to be able to play in a final while being at the club for only a couple of months,“ Coutinho told reporters. ”We still have to play it and we’ve got a lot of things to do before the final.

”I have been trying to score since my first game and I‘m happy to have done that, although the most important thing is that the team won the game and we are able to leave here happy.

“Everyone told me we could be the first team to reach five finals in a row, we all knew it and it’s a great achievement.”

Valencia were looking to reach the final for the first time in a decade and coach Marcelino deployed an attacking 4-3-3 formation which helped his side put Barca on the back foot in the early stages of the game.

Rodrigo Moreno came closest to scoring for the hosts when he crashed a header against the bar in the 13th minute and the Spain international was thwarted again later in the half by Barca goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.

“We played a very good first half and we had some very good chances to score and level the tie, but when you’re playing against these teams if you don’t score the chances you get you pay a price,” said Valencia keeper Jaume Domenech.


source: news agency

Barcelona through to Cup semis as Coutinho makes debut

BARCELONA: Lionel Messi scored what proved to be the winner as Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-0 to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Thursday in a game that saw Philippe Coutinho make his long-awaited debut. Valencia beat Alaves on penalties while Sevilla beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday for a 5-1 aggregate success.

Luis Suarez scored an early opener in the quarter-final second leg before Messi's deflected effort gave Barcelona a 2-1 aggregate advantage as the holders overturned a 1-0 deficit from last week's first leg.

Messi had missed a penalty in that match as the leaders of La Liga were beaten for the first time since August, but they did enough on Thursday to join Sevilla, Valencia and Leganes in Friday's draw for the last four.

Coutinho was named on the bench for the first time since his 160 million-euro ($192 million) transfer from Liverpool earlier this month.

The 25-year-old Brazilian was introduced midway through the second half in place of Andres Iniesta, entering the Camp Nou pitch to a huge roar from the home crowd.

By that point Ernesto Valverde's men had already turned the tie around against the club for whom Coutinho played on loan from Inter Milan in 2012.

Suarez headed in Aleix Vidal's cross from the right at the back post in the ninth minute to open the scoring on the night and level the tie on aggregate.

The Uruguayan has now scored seven times in Barcelona's last six matches.

Messi scored in the 25th minute, his shot beating goalkeeper Pau Lopez with the help of a sizeable deflection off Brazilian defender Naldo.

It was Barcelona's 4,000th goal at the Camp Nou in an official game.

Barcelona, who have won the Copa del Rey in the last three seasons, had a host of chances to put the tie to bed but saw out the victory, with Espanyol unable to get the away goal that would have swung the tie.

On Wednesday, Real Madrid were eliminated by Leganes, a 2-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu seeing them go out on away goals and increasing the pressure further on coach Zinedine Zidane.


Source: News Agency

Messi double helps Barca reach King's Cup quarter-finals

BARCELONA: Lionel Messi scored twice as King’s Cup holders Barcelona moved comfortably into the quarter-finals by thrashing Celta Vigo 5-0 at the Nou Camp in their last 16 second leg game on Thursday.

The Argentine and his strike partner Luis Suarez were recalled by Barca coach Ernesto Valverde who put out his strongest team against the Galicians, with the tie delicately poised at 1-1 after last week’s game in Vigo.

Messi again showed his special understanding with Jordi Alba by meeting the left back’s low cross first time for the opener in the 13th minute and moments later played a one-two with the Spain international and slammed the ball into the bottom corner.

Alba has set up seven goals for Messi this season in all competitions and Barca’s all-time top scorer returned the favour with a curling pass from deep which his team mate slid in to poke inside the near post for the third goal after 28 minutes.

Suarez stretched the lead in the 31st by capitalising on Pione Sisto’s sloppy back pass to score for the fifth game running and Ivan Rakitic completed the rout with a header in the 87th against ex-Barca assistant coach Juan Carlos Unzue’s team.

Sevilla defeated fellow Andalusian side Cadiz 2-1 at home for a 4-1 aggregate win, while Espanyol overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg by beating Levante 2-0 away to join Barca in Friday’s quarter-final draw.

Zidane's credit running out for failing to shake Real up

MADRID: Zinedine Zidane’s ability to manage the tempestuous Santiago Bernabeu dressing room has always been seen as one of his main strengths but with Real Madrid struggling, his good relations with his “galacticos” is starting to look like a liability.

Real have slipped a remarkable 16 points behind Barcelona in the Spanish league and sit in the unfamiliar position of fourth in the standings, with their hopes of retaining the title long gone.

A place in next season’s Champions League is also far from secure as sixth-placed Villarreal, who have a strong record against Real, visit the capital on Saturday trailing the faltering European and Liga champions by only four points.

Anything but three points against Villarreal, who have taken seven off them in their last four games, would pile more pressure on Zidane despite his eight trophies in two years as Real coach.

The Frenchman was slammed in the Spanish media after the 3-0 loss at home to Barcelona and there was no let up after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo or Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with second-tier Numancia in the King’s Cup - even if Real won on aggregate.

An article in Wednesday’s edition of newspaper El Pais berated the coach for persisting with the same team selections and tactics after disappointing results.

“Zidane has preferred to not anticipate risks and has bypassed any uncomfortable diagnosis, no matter how obvious,” it said.

“Zidane has kept faith in his starting players, with (Karim) Benzema despite the anger of the supporters, with Marcelo and his intrepid adventures, with Kroos and his downward displays.”

The coach’s declaration on Tuesday that he would not “throw anyone in the mud” has been taken as another sign that he is not strong enough to make the tough decisions his team need.

Zidane’s unwillingness to shake things up can be traced to Real’s limited activities in the last transfer window.

According to media reports, the club pulled out of a bid to sign French teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe to avoid upsetting Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, who have only mustered up 10 league goals between them this term.

Mbappe joined Paris St Germain instead and Real weakened their attacking options by relinquishing James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata, who did not start most games last season but made invaluable contributions from the bench.

The only new arrivals were youngsters Theo Hernandez, Dani Ceballos and Diego Llorente, who have barely featured this season as Zidane’s faith in the so-called ‘B’ team that did so well last season has faded.

So too has Real’s form, and unless Zidane can whip his team into shape again, his time in charge could prove to be as short as it was successful.

Source: News Agency

Zidane pens new Real Madrid deal until 2020

Madrid: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane on Wednesday confirmed that he has signed a contract extension which will keep him at the European champions until 2020.

"It's signed," said the French star after his side drew 2-2 with Numancia to progress to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey 5-2 on aggregate.

After a dream start at Real, with eight trophies out of a possible 10, Zidane has endured a tough season with his side 16 points behind Barcelona in the La Liga title race.

And the 45-year-old cautioned: "I'm enjoying what I do every day, because that's the way it is. I can't imagine myself as a coach in two, three years, because things are not like that.

I know how it goes, nothing more, even with this contract it does not change anything."

On Wednesday, Real fielded an almost unrecognisable team and struggled into the Copa del Rey last-eight.

Zidane could afford to rest his superstars with one eye on La Liga and the Champions League last 16 with a clash against Paris Saint-Germain next month.

However, they were far from convincing at the Bernabeu. Lucas Vazquez scored both of Real's goals after the 11th and 59th minutes.
But on both occasions, their modest visitors fought back thanks to a brace from Guillermo on the stroke of half-time and then after 82 minutes.

Numancia ended the game with 10 men after captain Dani Calvo was red-carded in the dying moments.
Leganes, a modest club from the Madrid suburbs, reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time in their 89-year existence.

Despite losing 2-1 at Villarreal, who are currently sixth in La Liga, Leganes progressed on away goals having won the first leg 1-0. Moroccan international Nabil El Zhar scored the crucial away goal for mid-table Leganes on the half-hour mark.

In the night's other early second leg tie, last season's runners-up Alaves downed third division Formentera 2-0 for a 5-1 aggregate win.

On Thursday, three-time defending champions Barcelona host Celta Vigo with the two sides locked at 1-1.

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde insisted that despite the high-profile capture of Philippe Coutinho, who can't play for around three weeks due to a thigh injury, his team's character will not change with the Brazilian's arrival.

"The Barca model will stay the same," he said Wednesday.

"The club always has the chance to go into the market to buy the great players. But at the same time, Barca will continue to nurture young players at the training centre to maintain the style and identity.


Source: News Agencies

Real Madrid stumble against Numancia but reach Cup quarters

Madrid: Troubled Spanish champions Real Madrid stumbled to a 2-2 draw with third tier Numancia on Wednesday but qualified for the King’s Cup quarter-finals 5-2 on aggregate.

With a comfortable first-leg advantage, Zinedine Zidane rested much of his first team, making 10 changes from the line-up that struggled to a disappointing draw at Celta Vigo on Sunday to fall 16 points behind league leaders Barcelona.

Madrid opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Vazquez heading home Dani Carvajal’s deep cross when left unmarked at the back post.

Numancia hit back in the 45th minute, however, with substitute Guillermo, just on for the injured Higinio Marin, applying the finishing touch to a stunning breakaway goal.

Dani Nieto charged into space and fed Marc Mateu on the left, who delivered the perfect low cross for Guillermo to finish and delight the small band of travelling fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Vazquez, who won two penalties for Madrid in the first leg, slammed home his second from close range in the 59th minute, but Guillermo pegged back Madrid again with a brilliant header to cap a superb display and a fine result for his team.

Numancia’s Dani Calvo was sent off in the dying minutes for a cynical foul to stop Isco that earned him a second yellow card.

Earlier, Leganes reached the quarter-finals for the first time in their history after losing 2-1 at Villarreal but progressing on away goals after their 1-0 first-leg win at Butarque.

Leganes winger Nabil El Zhar scored a delicious chip to break the deadlock, with Dani Raba’s well-taken strike and Denis Cheryshev’s late winner completing a Villarreal comeback that was not enough to send the hosts through.

Last season’s King’s Cup runners-up Alaves beat third division Fomentera 2-0 to wrap up a 5-1 aggregate win thanks to second-half goals from Ermedin Demirovic and Alfonso Pedraza.

On Thursday, Levante host Espanyol, Cadiz travel to Sevilla and holders Barcelona welcome Celta Vigo to the Nou Camp.


Source: News Agencies