Copa del Rey has Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Granada, and second-division club Mirandes as its four semi-finalists, after both Real Madrid and Barcelona failed to make it to the last four in a decade.The new edition of the Copa del Rey claimed the largest number of casualties on Thursday, and Real Madrid and Barcelona were eliminated in the last eight.Real Madrid lost 4-3 to Real Sociedad at home, before Barcelona scored a late goal to lose 1-0 against Athletic Bilbao on the most surprising night in a competition filled with surprises.Valencia also lost the defending champions on Tuesday and Villarreal were excluded on Wednesday. Sevilla and Atletico Madrid had already been sent off in previous rounds.The semifinals will only be played in two stages this season, giving smaller clubs more chances to beat larger teams.The last four surprises will also include Granada and the second division club Mirandes. This is the first time in ten years that neither Madrid nor Barcelona have reached the last four cup games, as at least one of the Spanish powers reached the final each year since the 2009-10 season when Seville won the title. Barcelona reached the final in the past six years in a row."This is the new Copa," said Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets. "We are playing a game, away from home, and in one play you are eliminated."Real Sociedad finished a series of unbeaten matches in Madrid 21 by beating Santiago Bernabeu to reach the semi-finals for the first time in six years.Athletic beat Barcelona thanks to the winner of Inaki Williams three minutes after the end of the second half, adding to the difficulties faced by the club since coach Ernesto Valverde expelled him and replaced him with Kick Sitan.Barcelona has not yet been affected by the new coach, and the players and managers of the club have disagreed recently."I think we have taken a step forward. We are playing better than our opponent," Setien said. "Everything went well, except for the result."Barcelona dominated during the second half and was on the verge of breaking the deadlock with clear potentials for Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi. But it was Athletic who found the late winner when Williams threw a header in the far corner after the Ibai Gomez crossing.Athletic, the second most successful club in the cup with 23 championships, behind Barcelona, needed a penalty shootout to advance against second division clubs in the previous two rounds.Messi appeared in its seventy-fifth session in the Cup, in keeping with Joseph Samiter's record in Barcelona since 1932.Real Sociedad's victory stopped a series of eight wins in Madrid and gave the club its first defeat in all competitions since October.He also ended Madrid's hopes of winning the cup competition for the first time since 2014.Real Sociedad, semi-finals in 2014, will seek to win the third Copa del Rey Cup, the first since 1987."Our fans deserve a prize like this," said Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil. "This victory means a lot, it comes in full Bernabeu, against a team like Real Madrid, with our team playing well." You can imagine how we feel now. "Visitors dominated most of the match, but Madrid was about to return after scoring goals in the second half."We did everything we had in the end, but it was too late," said Madrid defender Marcelo. "It is difficult to come back after receiving four goals at home. It is disappointing, but we still have other competitions."Madrid was partly dominant thanks to their strong defense, having only received 13 goals in 22 Spanish league matches.The young Norwegian playmaker Martin Odegaard, who played for Real Sociedad on loan from Madrid, did not celebrate after he opened the scoring in the 22nd minute of the match after being saved by Madrid goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.Young Swedish striker Alexander Issac joined the lead two minutes into the second half, a shot in the 54th and a shot in the top corner in the 56thIsaac, 20 years old, has scored in five consecutive games, already scored an offside goal after reviewing the video just a few minutes after the break.Marcelo approached Madrid with a low shot from inside the area in 59th, but Mikel Merino again increased the advantage for visitors at close range in 69th.Rodrygo scored second in Madrid in 81st, two minutes after Vinicius Jr.'s goal was canceled by the video review. The third came through ahead from Nacho Ramos three minutes after the time of detention.Real Sociedad defender, Andoni Gorosabel, was sent off before the final whistle.
The goal has the ultimate guide for the next edition of the FIFA Club World Cup scheduled for February 2021 with Bayern MunichThe 17th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup will start in February 2021 after the tournament was postponed from its original start date in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Club World Cup champion will be won through a knockout tournament featuring world winners from continental club competitions.2019 winner Liverpool will not be able to defend their title as they failed to win the 2020 UEFA Champions League, with Bayern Munich as the representative of UEFA in this year's edition.What is the 2020 Club World Cup?The Club World Cup is a knockout tournament in which the winners from the six continental federations, as well as the host nation's league champions, participate to designate the Club World Champion.It is not considered a prestigious competition like the Champions League, but due to its global nature it remains a huge honor for the clubs.The tournament evolved over the years, from 1960 to 2004, UEFA and CONMEBOL played the Intercontinental Cup, with winners of the UEFA Champions League and Libertadores Cup competing in a unique final.Subsequently, FIFA introduced the Club World Cup in 2000, although several problems delayed their inaugural competition until 2005.This year, the Club World Cup will be held in Qatar, ahead of the host country for the 2022 World Cup.The FIFA Club World Cup 2020 will be the last version to be played in its current status after FIFA confirmed its plans to update it to the 2021 edition, with the aim of expanding the competition to include 24 teams.Which teams qualified for the 2020 Club World Cup?Bayern (UEFA) is participating in the competition after winning the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.TBC (CONMEBOL). The winner in South America, the winner of the 2020 Copa Libertadores, will be confirmed on January 20, 2021. Boca Juniors, River Plate, Palmeiras, and Santos are all in dispute.UANL (Concacaf) participates as CONCACAF Champions League 2020 winners.Auckland City (OCF) was ready to participate but withdrew due to complications from Covid-19.Al-Ahly (CAF) enters the 2019-20 CAF Champions League winner.Al Duhail (AFC) will participate as the host of the tournament.Also Read: Top 10 Fantasy Cricket Websites in IndiaWhich venues will be used for the 2020 Club World Cup?The matches will be held in three stadiums in Al Rayyan City: Khalifa International Stadium, Education City Stadium and Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium.The three stadiums are set to host the 2022 World Cup matches.2020 Club World Cup fixtures & datesFirst-roundNo.DateMatchTime (local / GMT)Location1Feb 1Al-Duhail vs Auckland City (Withdrew)8:30pm / 5:30pmAhmed bin Ali StadiumSecond roundNo.DateMatchTime (local / GMT)Location2Feb 4UANL vs Ulsan Hyundai5pm / 2pmKhalifa / Education City Stadium3Feb 4Al-Duhail vs Al Ahly8:30pm / 5:30pmKhalifa / Education City StadiumSemi-finalsNo.DateMatchTime (local / GMT)Location5Feb 7CONMEBOL vs Match 2 Winner9pm / 6pmKhalifa International Stadium6Feb 8Match 3 Winner vs Bayern9pm / 6pmAhmed bin Ali StadiumFinalNo.DateMatchTime (local / GMT)Location7Feb 11Match 5 Winner vs Match 6 Winner9pm / 6pmEducation City StadiumThird-place play-offNo.DateMatchTime (local / GMT)Location8Feb 11Match 6 Loser vs Match 5 Loser6pm / 3pmEducation City StadiumFifth-place play-offNo.DateMatchTime (local / GMT)Location9Feb 7Match 2 Loser vs Match 3 Loser6pm / 3pmEducation City StadiumHow can I watch the 2020 Club World Cup?Full details on how to watch the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 will be available in due course.How to buy tickets to the 2020 Club World CupNo information has been provided on how tickets were purchased for the tournament, but it is possible that the matches will be held behind closed doors due to the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.Also Read: BRAZIL BEATS URUGUAY 2-0 TO STAY TOP OF QUALIFYING GROUP
French and Spanish media reported on Tuesday that Real Madrid made an offer of 160 million euros ($ 188.11 million) to buy Paris Saint-Germain France forward Kylian Mbappe.There were no immediate comments from either club and the France daily L'Equipe said that Paris Saint-Germain's position remained unchanged, Ligue 1 club decided to keep Mbappe until at least the end of his contract in June next year even though he could leave for nothing. Marca from Spain said the move was a first by Real Madrid, who had always its sights on the 22-year-old World Cup champion who scored 42 goals in all competitions for PSG last season and said he wanted to move to Spain. The As.com website quoted actual sources as saying that the fact money was not an issue for wealthy Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain was an obstacle for Real Madrid. Any sale of Mbappé would allow Paris Saint-Germain to recoup some of Lionel Messi's salary package after they signing the Argentine forward and six-time Ballon d'Or winner from Barcelona earlier this month. Paris Saint-Germain finished last season with just one major title, the French cup, after losing the league title by one point to Lille and losing in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Real, now managed by Italian Carlo Ancelotti were runners-up at the domestic level last season against Atletico. Mbappe joined Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco in 2017, initially on loan and then permanently a year later with a 180 million euros contract.Also Read- India interested in hosting 2036, 2040 Olympics: IOC President Thomas Bach
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty but nevertheless broke the men's international scoring record before scoring the second goal as Portugal's 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Ireland on Wednesday. Ronaldo scored his 110th goal in the 89th minute to move ahead of former Iran striker Ali Daei. Six minutes into stoppage time, Ronaldo scored the 111th goal in 180 games to break the hearts of the Irish after defender John Egan gave his nation the lead in the 45th minute. "I'm very happy, not only because I beat the record but for the special moments that we had," Ronaldo said. "Two goals at the end of the game is so tough, but I have to appreciate what the team did. We believed until the end." But Ronaldo, who has rejoined Manchester United, is still 76 goals behind the most productive international scorer in the game. Christine Sinclair 38 years old, scored her 187th goal for Canada last month at the Tokyo Olympics. Ronaldo's night was frustrating until the late heroics. His 15th-minute spot kick was well saved by goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who was just two years old when Ronaldo scored his first goal for Portugal as a skinny winger at European championship in 2004. Ronaldo's only title came with Portugal at Euro 2016. Although he was the top scorer at this year's Euro Cup with five goals in four games, his team's title defense ended in the round of 16. On that note, here are the best Twitter reactions after Ronaldo's historic goalscoring feat. He's done it! @Cristiano (110) Ali Daei (109) A phenomenal run of 49 goals in his last 47 Portugal appearances makes the monster from Madeira the outright leading scorer in men's international history. Take a bow, legend pic.twitter.com/WFO7XbuKr8— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 1, 2021BREAKING: @cristiano scores twice for Portugal and becomes the greatest goalscorer in international football history. He is, indisputably, the pic.twitter.com/tLXXVHwApx— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 1, 2021Congratulations @Cristiano https://t.co/MYMvPPJiqO— Guinness World Records (@GWR) September 1, 2021Man Utd's @Cristiano Ronaldo makes history!He nets twice for Portugal to break the men's international goalscoring record pic.twitter.com/ZSqfptGXWJ— Premier League (@premierleague) September 1, 2021Also Read- Taliban will never change, they treat women like zeroes: Former Afghanistan footballer Fanoos Basir
La Liga may be shorn of its biggest name in Lionel Messi who left FC Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain but former Real Madrid player Fernando Morientes feels the Spanish league would not be "weakened" by the exit of the Argentine maestro.Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain's club last month is not the only high-profile exit from La Liga. In the last five seasons, players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Sergio Ramos have left Real Madrid or Barcelona."La Liga throughout its history has lost players, just like any other league... It is nothing new. Cristiano left, Neymar left, Messi and Ramos have also left," Morientes, who is also the La Liga ambassador, said during a virtual media interaction."Footballers will eventually leave, but clubs will stay. La Liga doesn't sell itself through a single player. La Liga is never going to have a problem to sell itself as a competition"."La Liga has done a spectacular job attempting to attract the best players to make it as competitive as always been."Morientes said it's an opportunity for the Spanish clubs to prove themselves at the marquee Champions League.“I would like to see a Spanish final in fact, because there are many people who think that Messi's departure has weakened the league. We have to show that this is not the case.Also Read- Lionel Messi signs two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Barcelona"In the last 10-15 years, La Liga teams have always been very competitive in all European competitions. And I'm convinced this coming season the Spanish teams will demonstrate their true potential in this competition," said the former Spanish center-forward.The 45-year-old said it was the responsibility of the clubs to change, adapt and sign great players."La Liga will continue to be a really attractive league that will bring in new players and I'm sure there are great players who will want to play here," said Morientes, who played 183 games for Real Madrid between 1997 and 2005."The Spanish league is strong enough to be attractive to everyone. I am convinced that you in India will continue to follow the league and continue to follow our teams as fans and not just as individual players."On the prospect of 'El Clasico' without Messi and Ronaldo, he said: "Real Madrid and Barcelona at the end of the day are much more than just two players. It's true that both Cristiano and Messi have made history in Spanish football."Obviously we would like to have players of this level. But we must remember that the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona goes back many years, and Messi and Ronaldo are not always at the club." Also Read- Cristiano Ronaldo becomes all-time highest goalscorer in international football with brace against Ireland
