Another blow for Barça
In Spain it was played last night as part of the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. And it’s a new disillusionment for FC Barcelona who took a slap against Athletic. A defeat (4-2) in overtime which pushes the Blaugranas and especially Xavi a little further into crisis. Daily life Sport don’t beat around the bush this morning and say that the Catalans are “KO”! “Barca went to extra time after an electric match in which Xavi’s side came from behind to beat Athletic, but were unable to finish the job. The Blaugranas no longer have the possibility of winning a new trophy and will only have the League and the Champions League to hope for in January. Same story on the front page of Mundo Deportivo who advertises that it is a “collapse”. Barça, with a great Lamine who missed a golden opportunity, gave the best of himself until extra time… The Basque version of the daily, on the other hand, is delighted with this qualification for the semi-finals: “Everything stays at home” in reference to the Williams brothers who scored in overtime. This is also what the newspaper highlights A.S. who talks about “lots of Williams” on its cover. There is a form of resignation and end of season for Barça which does not seem capable of winning a title this year. The local media are highlighting the end of the cycle of the Xavi era, who despite everything wants to keep “heads up” until the end of the season.
The Union Berlin coach’s tantrum
In Germany it was also happening last night during a late match on the 13th day of the Bundesliga between Bayern Munich and Union Berlin! And it was not a great spectacle because the Bavarians achieved the bare minimum to win 1-0. This is what theAbendzeitung from Munich in its sports pages this morning. “Three points and a slap», writes the tabloid. “After the embarrassing failure against Bremen, Bayern achieved something of a reaction in the match against Union thanks to Guerreiro and the new winter arrival of Eric Dier. Berlin coach slaps Leroy Sané», during a confusion on the edge of the field. Indeed, the Croatian technician, Nenad Bjelica, was sent off in the 74th minute after a spat with Leroy Sané. On the sidelines, the 52-year-old coach refused to give the ball back to the German international. What followed was a scuffle between the two men during which the Osijek native lost his composure by pushing the 28-year-old winger away with a hand to the face. Nenad Bjelica surely risks a lot in this affair, even if he insisted on apologizing after the meeting. “He (Leroy Sané) pushed me into my zone and then I reacted. But this is not possible, what I did cannot be tolerated. I understand the red card. I was always excited about the penalty action“, he indicated in comments relayed by Sky Germany. Leroy Sané declared that he did not understand the reaction of the opposing coach to Bildthe media is talking about scandal on its site this morning. “I actually just wanted to get the ball quickly to start the next attack and then it got a little crazy and he caught me in the face.» In short, it was tense but Bayern is back to 4 points behind Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the standings.
Liverpool thanks Luis Diaz
In England, we were treated to an FA Cup semi-final between Fulham and Liverpool! And it is the Reds who qualified for the final thanks to their draw last night (1-1). Thanks to its victory (2-1) in the first leg, Jürgen Klopp’s team has a score of 3-2 over the two matches. And the Reds can thank Luis Diaz, author of the opening score last night. For the Daily Mirror“Phew, it’s done! Diaz ensures Liverpool a meeting at Wembley but the end of the match was nervous after Diop’s goal in the last quarter of an hour.” For the Daily Starthis qualification is “glory of Diaz» ! “A splash for a trip to Wembley», Estimates the tabloid. Finally, the Daily Mail believes that the Liverpool players did not force themselves to qualify but they “take the last step» to qualify and try to win a title at Wembley against Chelsea on February 25.
