SEVILLE, Spain – Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 in extra time to claim a record-extending 32nd Copa del Rey title on Saturday and launch their bid for a treble.

Pedri Gonzalez scored from long range to give Barcelona the lead in the 28th minute at La Cartuja Stadium.

Kylian Mbappe came off the bench at halftime and scored from a free kick for Real Madrid in the 70th. Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni gave Madrid the lead with a header in the 77th.

But Ferran Torres leveled in the 84th and forced extra time.

Jules Kounde then pounced on a pass by Brahim Diaz and slotted a shot into the low corner of Thibaut Courtois’ net for the 116th-minute winner.

Barcelona will carry this momentum into Wednesday’s start of their Champions League semifinal series against Inter Milan. They also lead La Liga by four points over Madrid.

Barcelona have beaten Madrid in all three of the clasicos this season. They routed Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January after winning 4-0 at Madrid in the local league in October.

“This was such a physically demanding game, but we showed that we are a great team that never gives up,” said Torres, who filled in perfectly for the injured Robert Lewandowski.

Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger was shown a red card by the referee in the final minute of extra time.

The loss to their fierce rival was another blow to Madrid after they were knocked out of the Champions League quarterfinals by Arsenal.

This could have been their last title decider with Carlo Ancelotti in charge. The Italian coach said he will decide his future this summer amid speculation he is bound to take over Brazil.

King Felipe VI awarded the trophy to Barcelona, after the monarch flew back to Spain following his attendance at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican.

Barcelona dominate first half

One of the biggest rivalries in global soccer was again a tale of two halves — until Torres scored the late equalizer against the flow of play to renew Barcelona’s prospects.

Barcelona dominated the first half as it kept the action in Madrid’s half thanks to its ball control and pressure defense that was quick to recover the ball.

The only semblance of a Madrid attack came when Jude Bellingham was able to spin away from his marker and beat Barcelona’s pressure defense.

But a Bellingham pass intercepted by Pau Cubarsí cued Barcelona’s opener. Pedri lobbed forward for Yamal, breaking down the flank. The 17-year-old phenom — sporting a new dyed-blonde hairdo — threaded a pass back to the top of the box, where Pedri arrived to blast it home.

Raphinha went close to adding a second goal with some help by Rudiger when the Brazilian’s corker kick grazed the defender and hit the far post.

Mbappe sparks Madrid fightback

Mbappe started the game on the bench after injuring his ankle last week. But Ancelotti sent his striker on at halftime to replace Rodrygo. Luka Modric and playmaker Arda Guler soon followed.

The changes helped Madrid click, and the game became a back-and-forth contest with both teams creating scoring chances after Barcelona’s control was shattered.

Wojciech Szczesny had to protect Barcelona’s lead with three saves to deny Vinícius Junior and Mbappe. The goalkeeper could do nothing, however, to stop Mbappe after he earned a foul and fired a free kick low and just inside the post.

Tchouameni rose up to head in a corner kick that Guler curled into to the edge of the six-yard box.

Barcelona finish it off

Torres brought Barcelona back when Yamal put a long ball behind the defense and Courtois mistimed his run out to intercept it, leaving Torres with an open net.

Raphinha thought he had a penalty in the final minute of injury time after contact with Raul Asencio. But the referee, who the day before the final denounced a campaign to discredit him by Real Madrid’s official club television, waived off his initial decision after consulting video.

With several players clearly exhausted in extra time the game appeared destined to finish in a penalty shootout. But that was when Koundé became the hero for the Catalan club.

AN-AP

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Cristiano Ronaldo led Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr to a 4-1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite on Saturday.

The 40-year-old scored his eighth goal of the tournament during a dominant first half performance in Jeddah, which is hosting all of the games in the tournament from the quarterfinal stage to the final on May 3.

In Wednesday’s semifinal, Al-Nassr will take on Al-Sadd of Qatar or Kawasaki Frontale of Japan, who meet on Sunday.

Jhon Duran, signed for over $100 million from Aston Villa in January, opened the scoring from close range.

Four minutes later, Sadio Mane doubled Al-Nassr’s lead, the former Liverpool forward firing home a fierce low shot from the left of the area.

There was still time before the break for Ronaldo to give Al-Nassr, looking for a first ever continental title, one foot in the last four.

Goalkeeper Park Il-kyu spilled a shot from Marcelo Brozovic and Ronaldo, from close range, was on hand to score his 33rd goal of the season in all competitions.

Duran scored his second and Al-Nassr’s fourth four minutes after the break, and Anderson Lopes grabbed a consolation for the five-time Japanese champion.

Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League rival Al-Ahli defeated Buriram United of Thailand 3-0.

The damage was done early. After just four minutes, former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez scored with a low shot from the right side of the area after Buriram failed to clear.

Two minutes later, Brazilian winger Galeno made it 2-0 and Roberto Firmino finished off.

Al-Ahli, a two-time finalist, will take on Al-Hilal, the four-time champion, in an all-Saudi semifinal on Tuesday.

On Friday, Al-Hilal thrashed Gwangju 7-0 with all seven coming from different scorers.

After Al-Hilal’s relatively poor run of form domestically, coach Jorge Jesus was delighted with the result and performance. “We’ve been under pressure in the Saudi Pro League, and the players have shown great focus despite that,” Jesus said.

“Without commitment, we couldn’t have achieved this. I believe we’re on the right path, creating a good atmosphere for everyone involved — players and staff.”

AN-AP

BOLOGNA, Italy – Bologna eased into the Coppa Italia final following a 2–1 victory over Empoli at home on Thursday, which handed them a resounding 5–1 aggregate win as they set up a showdown with AC Milan.

Bologna strolled into their Coppa Italia semifinal second leg with a comfortable cushion, with Empoli facing an uphill task of overturning a three-goal deficit.

Giovanni Fabbian compounded Empoli’s misery after just seven minutes when the unmarked midfielder headed in a cross to extend Bologna’s aggregate advantage.

While the visitors may have felt their Coppa Italia run was already over, they still responded in the 33rd minute as Ola Solbakken’s angled drive was parried by Federico Ravaglia into the path of Viktor Kovalenko, who slotted in the rebound.

Both sides used the closing stages to express themselves more freely, playing with flair and imagination, but it was Thijs Dallinga who met a cross to head in another Bologna goal four minutes from time, sealing the win.

First final in 51 years

Bologna will play in the Coppa Italia final for the first time since their victory in 1974.

“It was a goal, the dream of this city and the club: we have honored this competition from the start, and when you reach the final stretch, everyone wants to go all the way,” Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano told Mediaset.

“We dedicate this final to the people of Bologna, who support us tremendously.”

Bologna will face Milan at the Stadio Olimpico on May 14.

“That would upset Milan, but we hope to play a great match, arriving in top condition,” Italiano added.

“Our self-esteem is already sky-high, and we know we’re facing a team of champions, but we’ll try to use our strengths. We can’t wait to get to Rome, and we hope to have those 30,000 fans at the Olimpico.”

AN-REUTERS

QUITO, Ecuador – Ecuadorian soccer player Jackson Rodríguez’s wife and 5-year-old child were kidnapped early Wednesday, police reported, when men broke into their home in search of the Emelec defender, who told investigators he hid under a bed.

The kidnappings took place around 3 a.m. in the coastal city of Guayaquil, police chief Édison Rodríguez said.

In his testimony to police, the 26-year-old fullback said he hid under a bed when he heard the front door being broken down, according to the police chief.

The perpetrators took Rodriguez’s wife and child after asking the woman if Rodríguez was at the residence.

According to police, Rodríguez saw at a window “that the individuals were traveling in a gray-colored double-cab pickup truck.”

The incident occurred amid a state of emergency declared 10 days ago by the government in nine areas of the country, including the province of Guayas, to which Guayaquil belongs. The measure allows the mobilization of security forces in those territories to combat the operations of organized crime groups, which authorities blame for the wave of violence.

Insecurity and crime have plagued Ecuador for four years, with an increase in the first few months of the year, according to the government. Between January and March, 2,345 violent deaths were reported, 742 of which occurred in Guayaquil, located 270 kilometers (168 miles) southwest of the capital Quito.

The port city is considered one of the most dangerous areas in the country. From those ports, illegal drug shipments are sent to Europe, Central America, and the United States, according to authorities.

Other athletes have been targeted in the past. In December 2024, soccer player Pedro Perlaza, who played for Liga de Quito also was kidnapped in Esmeraldas, a city located 182 kilometers northwest of Quito, and rescued alive a few days later.

AP

BARCELONA, Spain – Barcelona recovered from a missed penalty by Alexia Putellas to take a commanding 4-1 lead over Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League semifinals on Sunday.

Putellas had her penalty kick saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton in the 12th minute but the Catalan club rallied with a pair of goals by substitute Claudia Pina and one each from Ewa Pajor and Irene Paredes.

Sandy Baltimore scored for Chelsea.

“No winning scoreline is enough,” Barcelona coach Pere Romeu said. “There’s huge evidence in soccer that you can’t ever rely on a first-leg lead. We are going to have a beautiful battle over there at Stamford Bridge.”

Chelsea will host the return semifinal leg next Sunday and the winner on aggregate will advance to the final in Lisbon next month.

It was the eighth straight win for defending champion Barcelona in the European women’s competition. It has scored 40 goals across those eight consecutive wins since losing 2-0 to Manchester City.

Barcelona and Chelsea are meeting in the last four for the third consecutive season. Barcelona has advanced each time.

“I still believe in my team and my players, 100 percent,” Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor said. “It’ll be difficult, but the main goal is to score early in the return leg. In football everything is possible, so let’s try to win the game and, if we score early, maybe we can put Barcelona under pressure.”

Pajor opened the scoring in the 35th and Pina added to the lead in the 70th, not long after entering the match.

Baltimore pulled the visitors closer four minutes later, but Paredes gave Barcelona a two-goal lead again in the 82nd.

Pina added a fourth in the 90th at the Johan Cruyff stadium.

“When I’m on the bench, we’ve already spent a whole week analyzing a rival like Chelsea,” Pina said. “You have lots of ideas in your head. When the game goes on, you progress those ideas and look at where your teammates are already creating gaps in the opponents’ defense.”

In the other semifinal series, Lyon weathered a second-half rally by Arsenal to claim a 2-1 away win on Saturday, putting the record eight-time champions on course for another Women’s Champions League title match.

AN-AP

ZAGREB – Nikola Pokrivač, a former Croatia national team midfielder who played at the 2008 European Championship, has died in a car accident, his country’s soccer federation said. He was 39.

The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident in the city of Karlovac.

Pokrivač played for Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco and Salzburg before being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015.

Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team.

Marijan Kustić, president of the Croatian Football Federation, called Pokrivač a “great football player” who “showed great courage in life by overcoming a terrible disease.” He offered condolences to Pokrivač’s family.

Dinamo said in a statement that Pokrivač was a talented midfielder who played 69 times for the team and participated in four championship titles.

AN-AP

MANCHESTER – Manchester United came from 4-2 down in extra-time to beat Lyon 5-4 in a remarkable Europa League quarter-final to progress 7-6 on aggregate on Thursday.

United’s season looked over when Lyon came from 2-0 down to lead by two goals with just six minutes remaining at Old Trafford despite having captain Corentin Tolisso sent-off.

However, a Bruno Fernandes’ penalty, Kobbie Mainoo’s strike and Harry Maguire’s header capped a stunning finale to set up a semifinal meeting with Athletic Bilbao.

The Red Devils sit 14th in the English top flight and defeat would have almost certainly meant missing out on European football entirely next season.

Instead they are just three games away from a European trophy and the lifeline of direct access to the riches of the Champions League next season.

First-half goals from Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot had put United in a commanding position.

But the defensive deficiencies and mental fragility of Ruben Amorim’s side were exposed in a collapse that threatened to cap a miserable campaign.

Two goals in seven minutes from Corentin Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico brought Lyon level.

Tolisso was then sent-off for two yellow cards in the 89th minute.

The 10 men still looked set to prevail in the extra 30 minutes thanks to a brilliant strike from Rayan Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty.

United’s history is build on dramatic late fightbacks but few have been more remarkable than this to leave Lyon shellshocked.

The home side got off to a flying start thanks to a fine team goal as Fernandes released Alejandro Garnacho down the right and his cross picked out Ugarte to slot in just his second goal since joining the English giants form Paris Saint-Germain.

Amorim’s decision to restore Andre Onana in goal was under scrutiny.

The Cameroonian had been dropped for Sunday’s 4-1 thrashing at Newcastle after two costly errors that led to both Lyon’s goals in last week’s 2-2 first leg draw.

Those mistakes came after a war of words with former United midfielder Nemanja Matic, who labelled him “one of the worst goalkeepers in United’s history.”

The 29-year-old rewarded his manager’s faith with a couple of important stops to prevent Lyon levelling through Paul Akouokou and Cherki.

At the other end, a United side that have often looked labored and lacking in ideas all season, suddenly clicked into gear in the first 45 minutes.

United doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when Maguire’s long ball was expertly controlled by Dalot, who then fired in off the inside of the post.

Garnacho should have killed the tie off within minutes of the restart for the second half when he shot straight at Lucas Perri with Fernandes begging for a pass for a tap in.

That was to prove a turning point as United crumbled in stunning fashion.

Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca was able to prowl the touchline unlike in Ligue 1 where he is serving a nine-month touchline ban.

The Portuguese introduced captain Lacazette off the bench in a bid to turn the tide.

And the former Arsenal striker played a central role in the fightback.

Lacazette flicked on Moussa Niakhate’s header and Tolisso swooped to head in and give the visitors a lifeline.

Tagliafico then prodded in at the back post despite Onana’s attempt to scoop it off the line.

Just as Lyon were in the ascendency Tolisso gave them a mountain to climb again with a soft second yellow for a trip on Casemiro.

Yet, it did not initially matter as Cherki confirmed his status as one of Europe’s rising stars with a powerful drive that left Onana motionless.

Lyon’s other prized asset Malick Fofana was then chopped down by Luke Shaw inside the area and Lacazette confidently dispatched the resulting spot-kick.

Another penalty at the other end, though, kickstarted the fightback as Fernandes fired home.

Substitute Mainoo showed why he had been thrust in an unfamiliar forward role with a composed finish to level on 120 minutes.

Barely 60 seconds later Maguire completed the comeback with a towering header at the back post.

AN-AFP

MADRID – Arsenal staved off Champions League holders Real Madrid’s superstars and rich history of unlikely comebacks to snatch a 2-1 victory on Wednesday and reach the semifinals with a superb 5-1 aggregate triumph.

The Gunners’ 3-0 quarter-final first leg triumph last week gave them a vital cushion in the Spanish capital as they made the final four for the first time since 2009, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain.

Bukayo Saka, who missed a first-half penalty, sent Arsenal ahead and although Vinicius Junior levelled the 15-time winners were never close to making up the deficit.

Gabriel Martinelli rubbed salt in their wounds with a stoppage-time winner for Arsenal, who have never lifted the Champions League trophy.

Los Blancos, far more brittle than when they won a Champions League and La Liga double last season, were convinced they could turn the game around but created too little against Arsenal’s tight defense.

The Premier League side held their nerve to reach the semifinals for only the third time in their history.

Kylian Mbappe chested home in the opening stages but was clearly offside, with the forward gesturing to the crowd to turn up the volume to create the fabled aura which helps Madrid pull off near-impossible feats at the Santiago Bernabeu.

David Alaba was booked for hacking down Saka as Madrid tried to add the grit they badly lacked in their first leg demolition in London, and the Arsenal winger also had a drive fielded well by Thibaut Courtois.

Arsenal were awarded a penalty seemingly out of the blue when the VAR booth instructed French referee Francois Letexier to review an incident from an earlier corner.

Raul Asencio pulled back Arsenal forward Mikel Merino in the area and Letexier pointed to the spot, to the bemusement of the home crowd.

Saka stepped up to take it but his poorly-executed Panenka, skewing off to the left, was saved by Courtois.

It spurred Real Madrid on and soon they had a penalty of their own, when Mbappe hit the turf after Declan Rice tussled with him.

However after a lengthy VAR review Letexier was called to take a second look and he then decided Arsenal’s two-goal first leg hero Rice had not fouled the French superstar.

The breaks in play, along with Arsenal’s dallying at every opportunity, disrupted Madrid’s momentum and they struggled to threaten Gunners stopper David Raya.

For all of Madrid’s bluster the goalkeeper did not need to make a save in the first half, while Courtois stopped three shots, including a Martinelli effort from a tight angle in added time, of which there was plenty after the VAR reviews.

On the hour mark Carlo Ancelotti took action with a triple change, including replacing the quiet Rodrygo with teen starlet Endrick, and bringing on Dani Ceballos against his former side.

Martin Odegaard, also facing his former employers whom he joined as a ‘wonderkid’ a decade ago, helped forge Arsenal’s opening goal after 65 minutes.

The Norwegian linked with Merino, who slipped Saka in behind and the Englishman made amends for his penalty blunder with an ice-cool dinked finish.

Four goals ahead in the tie Arsenal thought their work was done, with defender William Saliba not concentrating on the edge of his box in possession.

Vinicius stole the ball away from him and beat the out-of-position Raya to level, two minutes after Saka’s opener.

Madrid’s increasingly slim hopes were dashed when Mbappe limped off with an ankle problem with 15 minutes remaining, and Martinelli made sure with a cool finish after Merino set him up.

AN-AFP

MILAN, Italy – Inter Milan reached the semifinals of the Champions League on Wednesday after drawing 2-2 with Bayern Munich to win a pulsating last-eight tie 4-3 on aggregate.

Italian champions Inter will face Barcelona in the semis after goals in the space of three minutes from captain Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard canceled out a Harry Kane strike for Bayern which levelled the tie in the 52nd minute.

Eric Dier’s looping header in the 75th minute earned Bayern a draw on the night in soaking and blustery Milan but that wasn’t enough for Vincent Kompany’s side to continue their bid to be crowned Kings of Europe for a seventh time.

Simone Inzaghi’s side came through in awful conditions at the San Siro where a combination of heavy rain and driving winds affected both teams’ ability to play their best football, but added uncertainty and tension to an already highly-charged occasion.

Inter are still on for a repeat of the Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup treble won under Jose Mourinho in 2010, as they are also three points ahead of Napoli in Italy’s top flight and face AC Milan in the semifinals of the domestic cup.

And Wednesday’s win showed that Inter are more than capable or reaching the final of Europe’s elite club competition, as they did two years ago when they were narrowly beaten by Manchester City.

Bayern had won all three of their previous Champions League away matches at Inter, but after Pavard crashed home his first goal for the club in the 61st minute there was no way back for the injury-hit Bundesliga leaders.

Inter will also benefit from playing the second leg of their showdown with Barca, who they beat in the semifinals on their way to victory in Madrid 15 years ago, at the San Siro.

The hosts didn’t come alive until their fans, who had been sat and stood in silence for the first 20 minutes in protest at ticket prices, burst loudly in song.

By that time the wind had picked up so much that one Inter cross almost swung back out of the penalty box, but even with the wind in their faces the hosts were on the up.

Thuram just failed to get a touch on Francesco Acerbi’s scuffed finish in the 29th minute, and moments later Hakan Calhanoglu crashed powerful shot just wide of the upright.

Bayern reacted and pushed Inter back into their own area for the final minutes of the opening half, but a combination of the conditions, desperate defending and poor finishing kept the match scoreless at the break.

Inter started the second half the stronger but Kane levelled the tie with a brilliantly taken goal, shifting onto his right and drilling a low shot through Federico Dimarco’s leg’s and past Yann Sommer.

Just moments before Kane had rookie Bayern goalkeeper to thank for stopping him scoring an own goal, but not long afterwards Martinez re-established Inter’s advantage when he controlled Dimarco’s corner and lashed home.

And Pavard decided the tie three minutes later with a bullet header against his former club from another corner, sending the San Siro wild with delight.

That wasn’t it though as Dier moved Bayern back to within a goal of extra-time, but when Sommer smothered Kane’s header in stoppage time Inter’s treble dream was kept alive.

AN-AFP

BARCELONA – Robert Lewandowski hit a brace to help a devastating Barcelona rout Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in a one-sided Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.

Hansi Flick’s Barca are a step away from reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2019 and extended their unbeaten run to 23 matches.

The five-time winners took the lead against last year’s runners-up through red-hot winger Raphinha before Lewandowski reached 40 goals for the season with his double
Teenager Lamine Yamal was an unstoppable force throughout and deftly prodded home Barcelona’s fourth as Dortmund collapsed.

Barca, who last lifted the trophy in 2015 are aiming to seal a final four clash against Inter Milan or Bayern Munich when they visit Germany next Tuesday.

“I think we played very well but we have one more game to go… we always want to play our football and we want to play it there and we will win,” Lewandowski told Movistar.

Flick warned his team that the job was not done yet.

“You never know what will happen, football is a crazy sport, we have to play like today,” he said.

The coach selected his typical side, with only one decision to make — he opted for Fermin Lopez over Gavi in attacking midfield to support the dynamic forward trio.

La Liga leaders Barcelona seized control from the start, opening the scoring after 25 minutes.

Lopez whipped a free-kick to the back post, with Inigo Martinez nodding the ball toward Pau Cubarsi, who turned it toward goal.

The young defender’s effort beat Gregor Kobel and was heading over the line before the tournament’s top scorer Raphinha slid in to make sure, claiming his 12th goal.

The Brazilian winger faced a nervous wait while VAR worked to confirm his strike was onside.

“I was worried on the first goal if I was offside, it’s good that it was valid,” said Raphinha.

“I touched the ball before the line and I apologized to Cubarsi, he told me not to worry, he would count it as an assist.”

Serhou Guirassy spurned a couple of big chances for the visitors to level before the break.

With Dortmund’s first slick attacking move of the game, the forward, who has 10 goals in the competition, was played in but snatched badly at a bouncing ball with just Wojciech Szczesny to beat.

Unsurprisingly Niko Kovac’s Dortmund came to regret Guirassy’s misses, with Lewandowski netting his 10th of the tournament early in the second half.

Yamal clipped a cross to Raphinha, who looped a header over to Lewandowski at the far post to nod home from virtually under the crossbar three minutes after the interval.

Lopez struck the post and lashed inches over as Barcelona searched for a third to kill the tie off. It arrived after 66 minutes, with Lopez teeing up Lewandowski to drill home at the near post.

This was the former Dortmund striker’s 29th goal in 28 matches against his old club, and his 99th in a Barcelona shirt since joining in 2022.

“I am very happy, 99 goals for the club,” added Lewandowski.

“In my head I always have not just winning, but helping the team with my qualities, goals.

“I think strikers always have to think about goals.”

Yamal, who had toyed with Dortmund’s defense all night, deservedly got on the scoresheet as the visitors left themselves wide open and Raphinha sent the youngster through on goal.

The only worry for Barca was Yamal asking to be replaced in the final stages, although he was smiling as he was afforded an ovation.

“He’s fine, he had played too many minutes (lately),” explained Flick.

Barca are aiming for a potential quadruple this season and on this evidence, they will take some stopping.

Dortmund were left licking their wounds.

“We weren’t cohesive enough, and what’s more, we made simple mistakes — at this level they are punished harshly,” Dortmund’s Emre Can told DAZN.

“I think we can do better, even if (the Barca attackers) are so good, I know that.”

AN-AFP