Lamine Yamal forced off with injury after scoring penalty - ESPN
Lamine Yamal was forced with an injury immediately after scoring a penalty in Barcelona's LaLiga match against Celta Vigo on Wednesday at Spotify Camp Nou.
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Bayern Munich win eighth women's Bundesliga title
BERLIN: Bayern Munich became women's Bundesliga champions for the eighth time, and fourth in a row, after a 3-2 win at Union Berlin on Wednesday. The victory took Bayern an unassailable 15 points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg, who could only manage a 0-0 draw Werder Bremen. With the scores level at 2-2 late on, Bayern looked set to drop points for only the second time in the league this season, but substitute Giulia Gwinn struck in the 84th minute to snatch victory and the title for the visitors. Edna Imade and Barbara Dunst also got on the scoresheet for Bayern, while Union's Sophie Weidauer and Lia Kamber scored for the hosts in front of a crowd of 13,220 in the German capital. Next up for Bayern is their Champions League semi-final first leg against Spanish giants Barcelona in Munich on Saturday. "This is absolutely incredible," Dunst told reporters, before adding: "We have another big match coming up in the next few days, so we're taking it easy for now. We'll save it for later. Gwinn said the side would celebrate with some "good music -- and maybe a shandy or two." The victory, which came three days after the men's team won the Bundesliga with four games remaining, demonstrated Bayern's dominance of the German game. Both Bayern's men's and women's sides remain on track for a treble, a feat which has never been achieved in European football. Bayern's men go to holders Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final next week. Bayern's women face rivals Wolfsburg in the German Cup final.
Court confirms Neymar corruption acquittal over Barcelona transfer
BARCELONA: Spain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday announced it had confirmed the acquittal of Neymar and former Barcelona presidents of corruption charges centered on the Brazil star’s 2013 transfer to the Catalan giants. Brazilian sports investment firm DIS initially took legal action in 2015, saying it lost out financially on Neymar’s transfer because it owned 40 percent of his sporting rights when he was a young prospect at Santos FC. DIS said the true value of the deal had been obscured by those involved and that it was not informed of the existence of an exclusivity contract in 2011 between Neymar and Barcelona. But a Spanish court acquitted all defendants — including Neymar, his parents and former Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell — of corruption and fraud in a highly publicized trial in 2022. Santos, its former president Odilio Rodrigues Filho and N&N — the company founded by Neymar’s parents to manage his career — were also cleared. DIS appealed the verdict, but the Supreme Court said “the proven facts have revealed the inconsistency of the accusation.” “There was neither an offense of corruption in business dealings nor improper fraud, neither by the player, his representatives nor FC Barcelona,” the court said in a statement. “It was all due to a sporting decision by the club, which wanted to ensure his signing and then decided to bring it forward,” it added, with several rival teams coveting Neymar at the time. DIS was seeking to recover 35 million euros it claims it was cheated of. Barca said the transfer cost 57.1 million euros, with 40 million euros paid to N&N and 17.1 million to Santos, of which 6.8 million was given to DIS. Prosecutors had initially sought a two-year jail term and
Mbappé and Vinícius lift Real Madrid out of a 4-game slump with a 2-1 win over Alaves
MADRID: Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior each scored as Real Madrid ended a four-game winless streak by defeating Alaves 2-1 on Tuesday to move closer to Spanish league leader Barcelona. The victory at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium left Madrid six points behind Barcelona, which hosts sixth-placed Celta Vigo on Wednesday. It was Madrid’s first game since it was eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Madrid lost 2-1 at home and 4-3 in Germany in the second leg. The team’s last two Spanish league matches had been a 1-1 home draw against Girona and a 2-1 loss at Mallorca. “We have six games left,” Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said.
Victoria Mboko ready to open clay season in Madrid after wisdom teeth surgery
Victoria Mboko opens her clay season this week at the Madrid Open after having her wisdom teeth pulled, an ill-timed extraction that took her off the court ahead of the clay-court swing.
Venus Williams exits in first round of Madrid Open
MADRID: Venus Williams was knocked out of the Madrid Open in the first round on Tuesday as the 45-year-old went down in straight sets to Kaitlin Quevedo. The 20-year-old Spanish wild card beat the seven-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 6-4. Ranked 479th in the world, Williams has now lost all seven matches she has played this season.
Turki Alalshikh announces launch of Pepsi’s largest global campaign powered by Saudi BigTime Creative Shop
RIYADH: Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, has announced the launch of Pepsi’s largest global advertising campaign of the year, executed by Saudi BigTime Creative Shop, in a move that reflects the growing global presence of the Kingdom’s creative industries.
PSG and Luis Enrique sweat on Vitinha ahead of Champions League semis
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said Tuesday he was unsure if midfield metronome Vitinha would be fit to play against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals. The Portuguese central midfielder will miss PSG's Ligue 1 clash against Nantes on Wednesday due to a heel inflammation. "We'll take a calm and measured approach to see how the injured players can make a comeback.