La Liga
Barcelona frustrated by gritty Rayo on Lewandowski’s debut
Robert Lewandowski’s Barcelona debut ended in a disappointing 0-0 home draw with Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou in their first LaLiga game of the season on Saturday (Aug 13).
It was a frustrating night for Barca whose fans showed up at an almost sold-out stadium to see their new team headlined by Poland striker Lewandowski, the twice Fifa Best Player of the Year winner, and Brazil winger Raphinha.
Barcelona dominated the match with almost 70 per cent of possession and 18 goal attempts to two for Rayo.
But the two best chances fell to the visitors, Alvaro Garcia thwarted by a brilliant save by Marc Andre ter Stegen and Sergio Camello shooting wide.
Rayo’s five-man defence did a superb job in shackling Lewandowski, who barely touched the ball the entire game.
Most of Barca’s chances in the first half came from wingers Raphinha and Dembele, who linked up well and gave the team an attacking threat.
Barca coach Xavi Hernandez tried to break the deadlock by sending on forwards Ansu Fati and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the bench, but Rayo showed real grit to hold out for the draw.
As the frustration mounted for Barca, their captain Sergio Busquets lost his cool and was sent off for an elbow to the face of Falcao Garcia in stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski kept a clean sheet for the third consecutive time against Barcelona after Rayo won both games against the Spanish giants last season.
He made a couple of crucial stops in the second half, one from a Busquets long-range shot and another from a strike by Raphinha.
“We tried as much as we could but we lacked aim and effectiveness. Maybe the pressure and expectation got a little under our skin,” Xavi told DAZN.
“It will be a process, Rayo knew how to defend deep and hold on to their strategy with an outstanding discipline.
“We have to be patient and keep working. Better days will come.”
-Reuters
A Spanish court on Wednesday handed Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti a one-year prison sentence for failing to pay tax on his image rights revenues in 2014 when the Italian was Real Madrid manager, according to a statement.
Ancelotti, who managed Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015 and between 2021 and 2025, was cleared of a similar charge in 2015, as the court could not prove he had stayed long enough in Spain to incur tax liabilities, the court added. He moved to London after Real Madrid sacked him in May 2015.
Under Spanish law, any sentence under two years for a non-violent crime rarely requires a defendant without previous convictions to serve jail time.
The 66-year-old former Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Chelsea manager is the latest of several soccer celebrities to be investigated and convicted by the Spanish tax authority for alleged tax fraud.
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Raphinha knew there was no reason to panic as Barcelona struggled to break down Espanyol on Thursday and said it was only a matter of time before the “golden feet” of Lamine Yamal steered them to a title-winning victory with a glorious goal.
Yamal, 17, took the ball on the right touchline and made a superb lateral run across the edge of the box before unleashing a curling strike between two defenders and into the top corner to break the deadlock early in the second half.
The stunning strike set Barca on course for a 2-0 win that secured the LaLiga title, with Real Madrid seven points back with only two games left to play.
“We didn’t have many clear chances but we have a kid in there who sometimes pulls something out of the golden feet he has and he gave us peace of mind to stay in the game more calmly,” Raphinha said.
“In January some people were saying we would fight to be third. We have confidence in ourselves. That’s the key. We trust in the work and in what we know we can do.”
Raphinha has scored 18 league goals this season, including a brace in Saturday’s crucial 4-3 win over Real Madrid, and was quick to credit the trust shown in him by coach Hansi Flick.
The Brazilian tripled his goal tally from last season and also has the third-highest number of assists in the competition with nine, three less than leader Yamal.
“The most important thing was the confidence of the coach. Knowing at the start of the season that he was counting on me, a person who controls the team … it changes you in the end,” he said.
-Reuters
Former Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso is set to become the next Real Madrid manager on a three-year deal when he leaves Bayer Leverkusen after this season, Spanish media reported on Monday.
Alonso, 43, is expected to replace current Real boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is being lined up for the vacant Brazil job ahead of the 2026 World Cup, soccer sources told Reuters.
Despite the Italian having a year remaining on his contract, Real’s underwhelming season and his desire to coach Brazil have led to a mutual agreement to part ways, the sources added.
Alonso, who said earlier this month that he was leaving Leverkusen after guiding them to the double last term, will join Real before the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States from June 14 to July 14, multiple media reports said.
Alonso, who also played for Liverpool and Bayern Munich, last season steered Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, ending the Bavarians’ 11-year domination, and they also won the German Cup and German Super Cup.
Reports of Ancelotti’s likely departure come as no surprise after Real’s 4-3 defeat at Barcelona in a thrilling ‘El Clasico’ on Sunday left his side on the brink of a trophyless season.
The 65-year-old Italian, who returned for a second stint at Real in June 2021, led the Spanish giants to two Champions League and LaLiga doubles, the latest of which came last season.
He is the most successful manager in the club’s history with a total of 15 trophies and the first coach to claim titles in Europe’s top five leagues.
However, this season Real were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Arsenal and allowed Barca to fight back and win 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final.
Second-placed Real are seven points adrift of Barcelona, who could secure the league title on Wednesday without kicking a ball if Real fail to win at home to Mallorca.
Regardless of Real’s result, a Barca victory in the city derby away to Espanyol on Thursday would clinch the title.
An official announcement regarding a managerial change is expected before Real’s last game of the season at home to Real Sociedad on May 25.
-Reuters
Schmuelgen/File Photo
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