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Barca bolster Liga title bid by winning match they didn’t want to play

BARCELONA: Barcelona swept to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Osasuna to move three points clear at the top of La Liga despite their discontent at having to play their match on Thursday. The Catalans’ appeal against the rescheduling of this game was rejected but Hansi Flick’s side, unbeaten in 19 matches across all competitions, still made light work of Osasuna, 14th. Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo netted in the first half with Robert Lewandowski on target after the break. Barca were without key winger Raphinha as he played for Brazil on Wednesday in South America in World Cup qualifying but cruised at the Olympic stadium regardless. Flick was happy with the victory but said an injury to Olmo meant it came at a cost. “We have three points more but we paid a really high price with the injury of Dani,” Flick told reporters. “We don’t know how long he will be out but if it’s two weeks, he’ll miss a lot of games and if it’s three weeks even more.” The match was originally due to be played on March 8 but was postponed after a Barcelona club doctor died. Some players, including France’s Jules Kounde, played 120 minutes on Sunday for their countries before returning for the game. “It’s a lack of respect to the club to select this date,” Kounde told DAZN. “We’re not machines and to play our game and give the fans what we want, we need rest.” Flick put veteran striker Lewandowski on the bench, deploying Torres in his place to excellent effect. “Every game is a final, so today’s was a final, it was important for us,” Torres told DAZN. Barcelona controlled the game from the start, taking the lead through Torres after 11 minutes. Frenkie de Jong led the way as Barcelona moved the ball around smartly, with Alejandro Balde receiving it

Chelsea to face Barcelona in Women’s Champions League semis after Man City fightback

LONDON: Chelsea’s women overturned a two-goal first leg deficit to beat Manchester City 3-0 and set up a Champions League semifinal meeting with holders Barcelona on Thursday. Earlier, Barca mauled Wolfsburg 6-1 in Catalonia to complete a 10-2 aggregate thrashing. In the final of four meetings between City and Chelsea in the past 12 days, the English champions wasted little time in gaining revenge for a rare defeat in last week’s first leg. The Blues had turned the tie around before half-time as Sandy Baltimore blasted into the top corner before Nathalie Bjorn headed in from a corner to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate. Lauren James then pounced on a sloppy City pass to tee up Mayra Ramirez for the winning goal. Chelsea remain on course for a quadruple in Sonia Bompastor’s first season in charge. They beat City 2-1 in the League Cup final earlier this month to begin the quartet of meetings, are into the semifinals of the FA Cup and have an eight-point lead at the top of the Women’s Super League. However, they face the most daunting challenge in women’s football next month in trying to dethrone Barcelona. Chelsea’s quest to win the Champions League for the first time has come undone against the Spanish champions in three of the past four seasons. Pere Romeu’s side have gone on to win the tournament on all three occasions and set a record by reaching a seventh consecutive semifinal. After a shock first ever women’s El Clasico defeat by Real Madrid on Sunday, Barca showed no mercy against the side they beat to win the 2023 final. Salma Paralluelo’s quickfire double built on Barca’s 4-1 first leg lead before Esmee Brugts smashed home the third from outside the box. Substitute Claudia Pina continued the rout after the hour

Sabalenka blasts past Paolini into Miami final

MIAMI GARDENS: World number one Aryna Sabalenka blasted her way into the final of the Miami Open with a convincing 6-2 6-2 demolition of Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. Sabalenka needed just 71 minutes to wrap-up her win against the sixth seed and she will now face the winner of Thursday’s other semifinal between American Jessica Pegula and wildcard Alexandra Eala. The win earns the Belarusian, who was beaten in the Indian Wells final earlier this month by Mirra Andreeva, a place in the Miami final for the first time in her career. “I’m super happy with the level I played today. Of course super happy to be in my first Miami Open final,” said Sabalenka. Sabalenka was never behind against Paolini, and the match was only tied twice — at 1-1 in each set.

Coventry vote not ‘women versus men’, says outgoing IOC chief Bach

“I don’t think it was a vote on women versus men or vice versa,” he saidBach insisted he had “no preferred candidate“COSTA NAVARINO, Greece: Outgoing International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said the election of Kirsty Coventry as his successor should not be reduced to a gender battle of “women versus men.”Bach played down the importance of the 41-year-old from Zimbabwe, an Olympic gold medallist in swimming, becoming the first woman to be elected head of international sport’s wealthiest organization, defeating six other candidates, all men.“I don’t think we should reduce this election to the fact that there were six men and one woman.

Russia hopes for ‘return to Olympic fold’ under Coventry

“We look forward to a stronger, more independent, and more prosperous Olympic movement under a new leader, and to Russia returning to the Olympic podium,” Degtyaryov saidOne of the major problems Coventry will face will be the return to the Olympic fold of exiled RussiaMOSCOW: Russia hoped for a return from sporting exile on Thursday, believing the historic election of Kirsty Coventry as International Olympic Committee president will lead to a “stronger, more independent Olympic movement.”“We look forward to a stronger, more independent, and more prosperous Olympic movement under a new leader, and to Russia returning to the Olympic podium,” Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov, who is also head of the Russian Olympic committee, wrote on his Telegram account.One of the major problems Coventry will face will be the return to the Olympic fold of exiled Russia.In Paris last year their athletes were forced to compete under a neutral banner, owing to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.“On behalf of the Russian Olympic Committee, I congratulate Kirsty Coventry on her election as President of the International Olympic Committee!,” added Degtyaryov.“Her brilliant sporting career, Olympic victories, records, and contribution to the development of sport have made her one of the favorites in this campaign.”Russia dogged outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach’s tenure first with the doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games and then Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

MLB star Mookie Betts to own first franchise team from new World Bowling League

LOS ANGELES: The World Bowling League has revealed its first franchise team, Team OMG, owned by Los Angeles Dodgers superstar and world-class bowler Mookie Betts, who will be joined by his lifelong friend and business partner with The One Marketing Group, Cam Lewis. The announcement marks the official launch of the WBL’s franchise lineup, setting the stage for a new era in the sport of bowling. The WBL, announced in 2024, combines new rules, mixed-gender teams, iconic locations and dynamic team-based gameplay to reimagine the sport of bowling, which is already played by hundreds of millions of people across the world. The WBL, via multiple broadcasting deals in place, will look to deliver fast-paced bowling action across key markets worldwide and provide a global stage for the world’s best bowlers. Betts is a three-time World Series champion, eight-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove Award-winner, seven-time Silver Slugger Award-winner and MVP-winner.

Barcelona, Osasuna appeals rejected over rearranged match date

BARCELONA: Barcelona and Osasuna’s appeals against the rescheduled date of their postponed La Liga match were rejected Thursday by the Spanish football federation’s appeals committee. The La Liga leaders will host Osasuna on March 27, after the game was canceled when a Barcelona club doctor died on the original date, March 8. Barcelona appealed against the new date because it allowed some of their players “insufficient time to rest” following international duty. “Precedent... establishes that national team call-ups are not sufficient grounds for rescheduling a match...

Summer fight night sees UFC return to Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: The world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, Ultimate Fighting Championship, has announced its return to Abu Dhabi this summer. The summer fight night, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism, will take place at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island on July 26. UFC’s return to the UAE capital follows two spectacular events last year. In August, fans were treated to an elite bantamweight showdown at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Nurmagomedov, where Umar Nurmagomedov secured a hard-fought victory over Cory Sandhagen with a five-round decision.

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La Liga Sport News

Barca bolster Liga title bid by winning match they didn’t want to play

Chelsea to face Barcelona in Women’s Champions League semis after Man City fightback

Sabalenka blasts past Paolini into Miami final

Coventry vote not ‘women versus men’, says outgoing IOC chief Bach

Russia hopes for ‘return to Olympic fold’ under Coventry

MLB star Mookie Betts to own first franchise team from new World Bowling League

Barcelona, Osasuna appeals rejected over rearranged match date

Summer fight night sees UFC return to Abu Dhabi