MADRID: Barcelona needed only seven minutes to get back on track in the Spanish league.
After losing to Real Madrid in the “clasico” on Sunday, Barcelona rebounded by scoring three goals in a seven-minute span in the first half of a 3-0 win over Villarreal on Thursday.
Robert Lewandowski scored in the 31st and 35th minutes, and Ansu Fati added one in the 38th to give Barcelona the victory and move the Catalan club back within three points of defending champion Real Madrid.
Madrid had taken their lead to six points after a 3-0 win at last-place Elche on Wednesday. The rivals had entered the first “clasico” of the season tied on points and Madrid won 3-1 at the Bernabeu to take sole possession of first place.
Sunday’s loss had compounded Barcelona’s disappointment after they saw their hopes of advancing in the Champions League all but end with a 3-3 home draw against Inter Milan last week.
“After the bad results against Inter and Madrid we needed a victory,” Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong said. “Winning always helps to boost the team’s morale in the locker room.”
Coach Xavi Hernandez said Barcelona had to quickly change their dynamics, and the squad responded.
Lewandowski opened the scoring with a low shot from near the penalty spot after clearing two defenders with a nice first touch off a cross by Jordi Alba.
The Poland striker added to the lead with another beautiful goal as he moved away from a defender and a fired a curling right-footed shot from outside the area into the far corner.
Fati sealed the victory from close range after a buildup started by Ferran Torres. It was Fati’s first goal since September.
It was Barcelona’s eighth win in 10 league matches so far, with the other setback in addition to the “clasico” loss being a 0-0 home draw against Rayo Vallecano in the first round.
Barcelona next host Athletic Bilbao before welcoming Bayern Munich in the Champions League in a match in which it might already be eliminated depending on Inter Milan’s result earlier in the day.
Villarreal dropped to ninth place. Unai Emery’s team had beaten Osasuna in the previous round to end a four-game winless streak in the league.
The three goals Villarreal conceded matched the number of goals it had allowed in all other league games so far. It had arrived at the Camp Nou with the league’s best defense.
“Nothing worked for us from the start,” Villarreal midfielder Manu Trigueros said.
There was a moment of silence before the match because of the death of Villarreal vice president Jose Manuel Llaneza, considered the architect of Villarreal’s project that led the club to its recent glories.
Elsewhere, Almeria opened a three-goal lead then held on to a 3-2 win over Girona at home in a match between promoted clubs.
Girona thought they had completed its comeback but a goal seven minutes into stoppage time was disallowed for a foul.
The visitors dropped into the relegation zone with the loss, while Almería jumped to 13th place.
Seventh-place Osasuna defeated Espanyol 1-0 at home with a 55th-minute winner by Ante Budimir.
Espanyol dropped to near the relegation zone with the away loss.
FORT WORTH, Texas: Aryna Sabalenka ended top-ranked Iga Swiatek’s 15-match winning streak against top-10 opponents, winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 on Sunday night for a spot in the championship of the WTA Finals.
The stunner put Sabalenka in the final against Caroline Garcia, who beat Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2 and has a chance to be just the second Frenchwoman to win the title at the season-ending event.
Swiatek, the French Open and US Open champion and runaway leader with eight tour victories, cruised through three round-robin victories, losing just 13 games to give her the longest winning run against top-10 opponents since Steffi Graf won 17 straight in 1987.
Just like that, it was over when the 21-year-old from Poland lost the last five games against a player she had beaten in all four meetings this season.
Sabalenka didn’t make it to the semifinals with the No. 1 ranking in the eight-player event last year. She was in as the seventh-ranked player, and showed how comfortable she was on the temporary indoor hard court at Dickies Arena. Nine of her 10 career victories have come on hard courts.
“I just want to make sure that every time she plays against me, she knows that she really has to work hard to get a win,” Sabalenka said. “Only because of this thinking, I was able to play at this amazing level tonight.”
Swiatek fell behind one break in the final set with two wide forehands before another one put her down two breaks.
Defending doubles champs Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova also advanced to the title match with a 7-6(5), 6-2 semifinal victory over Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko.
Just 24 hours after beating Daria Kasatkina in a tense 80-minute third set to secure the last spot in the semifinals out of group play, Garcia needed just 74 minutes total for a career-best fourth victory over a top-five opponent this season.
Garcia never trailed, dominating the fifth-ranked Sakkari in winners (21-8) and aces (6-0). Amelie Mauresmo (2005) is the only woman from France to win the WTA Finals.
“I don’t know,” Garcia said when asked where she found the energy to dominate after the quick turnaround. “Yesterday, I was a little bit tired, but it was nothing unusual after such a big match.”
Garcia has advanced out of group play in both WTA Finals appearances. The 29-year-old lost in the semifinals in the eight-player event five years ago, which also was the most recent time a player older than Garcia reached the semis (Venus Williams).
“I guess I’m five years older, maybe five years wiser,” said the sixth-ranked Garcia, who was No. 74 about this time last year. “You try to learn from everything. I’ve got a good team behind me, supporting me when I was a little bit doubting myself.”
Sakkari also was among the five players who have reached the semis their first two times since the round-robin format was reintroduced in 2003. She lost in the semis last year.
Garcia used a 120 mph ace to help erase a break chance for Sakkari and extend her lead to 4-0 in the second set.
Garcia’s sixth and final ace — and tournament-leading 14th — answered a double fault that gave Sakkari another break point. Garcia closed out that game for a 5-1 lead on the way to a 3-0 career record against Sakkari.
Sakkari had three straight-set victories in the tournament after coming in with just one win over a top-10 opponent this season.
The 27-year-old from Greece never recovered after dropping her first set of the week, finishing with 11 more unforced errors (19) than winners.
“Not taking away anything from her, I played a very average match from my side,” said Sakkari, who didn’t qualify for the WTA Finals until the final event of the regular season. “I wasn’t sharp. I wasn’t energized.”
The event was moved to Texas from China over concerns about the safety of Peng Shuai, a Grand Slam doubles champion who accused a former government official there of sexual assault. Coronavirus restrictions also played a part in the decision. It’s the first WTA Finals in the US since 2005.
NEW YORK: Evans Chebet completed a brilliant Kenyan clean sweep of the world’s major marathons on Sunday with a superb victory in the New York City marathon as compatriot Sharon Lokedi took the women’s crown in her first race over the distance.
Chebet — who also won the Boston Marathon in April — patiently waited for Brazilian front-runner Daniel do Nascimento to implode before hitting the front at the 20 mile mark.
The 33-year-old looked in total control over the closing stages, holding off the challenge of Ethiopia’s Shoura Kitata comfortably to win in a time of 2hr 08min 41sec.
Kitata trailed home in second place, 13 seconds adrift of the lead, while Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands was third.
Chebet’s win means Kenyan runners have won all six of this year’s major marathons — the first time that has happened since the circuit expanded in 2013 with the addition of the Tokyo Marathon.
“Boston was actually harder but it was good preparation for the win in New York,” Chebet told ESPN through an interpreter following his win.
The men’s race had seen a dramatic start with Brazil’s do Nascimento surging clear of the field early on in what always looked like an unsustainable pace.
The 24-year-old from Sao Paulo crossed halfway in a blistering pace of 1:01:22 — putting him firmly on track for a course record.
Yet although he led by more than two minutes at the 15-mile mark, he began to slow as Chebet separated himself from the chasing pack to set off in pursuit.
Do Nascimento took a portable toilet break at the 18-mile mark which cost him 18 seconds and then cracked in the 20th mile, stopping and walking before collapsing to the ground where he required treatment from paramedics.
Chebet passed the Brazilian as he lay stricken and never looked back to seal victory, becoming the first man to win the Boston and New York Marathons in the same season since 2011.
As well as the sweep of the men’s races, Chebet’s victory also completed a Kenyan double in New York after debutant Lokedi took the women’s race.
Lokedi produced a superb tactical performance to win in a time of 2:23:23.
The 28-year-old bided her time after breaking away alongside 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia and world championships bronze medalist Lonah Salpeter of Israel with a few miles to go.
After Gebreslase was dropped going through Central Park it became a duel between Lokedi and Salpeter.
Lokedi ramped up the pace in the final mile to build a gap of around 20 meters before surging home to take the tape.
“I’m just out of words, so happy, really excited — I just won,” Lokedi said afterwards.
“I don’t even know what to say. So happy that I did it here — it’s just a great day, great race. The course was amazing, the cheers, everything, I’m just thankful.”
Salpeter finished second in 2:23:30 with Gebreslase taking third place.
This year’s New York City Marathon is the first time the race has been held at full capacity since 2019, with an estimated 50,000 runners taking part.
The race was scrapped in 2020 due to the pandemic and downsized significantly in 2021.
LIVERPOOL, UK: Jessica Gadirova claimed gold for Britain in the women’s floor to seal the hosts’ best-ever medal haul on the final day of the World Gymnastics Championship in Liverpool on Sunday.
The 19-year-old scored 14.2 points to beat the USA’s Jordan Chiles on 13.8, with Jade Carey and Rebeca Andrade sharing bronze with 13.7.
Victory made Gadirova only the fifth British world champion in history and lifted the host nation’s final tally to a record-breaking six medals from the championships.
Gadirova said she had struggled to focus before her performance as her twin sister Jennifer, who finished seventh in the same event, was also competing.
“I like to focus on myself and stay calm, so it did hurt me a little bit because I wished I could have seen her performance and scream for her as well,” said Gadirova.
“When I focus on the dance it takes my mind away from the crowd and the tumbles and the leaps, and it makes me feel alive.
“That’s what I am, I love to perform and floor is one of my favorite pieces to do.”
Japan’s Hazuki Watanabe produced the shock of the day as she won gold on the beam having initially only been named as a reserve for the championships.
“At first, I was the reserve for the team, but when there was an injury they changed it and I got a chance to come to the World Championships,” said Watanabe.
“That was my first surprise. Now I have a medal too. It is all a bit surprising.”
Canada’s Elsabeth Black took silver ahead of Japan’s Shoko Miyata.
China’s Zou Jingyuan was described as “not human” after claiming gold in the men’s parallel bars.
The Olympic champion produced an almost flawless display despite raising the difficulty of his routine.
Lukas Dauser claimed Germany’s first medal of the week with silver, while Carlos Yulo collected his second medal in quick succession with bronze after silver in the vault.
“He’s not human. How he does p-bars is not equal to anyone,” said the Philippines’ Yulo. “He’s the only one doing that.”
Yulo was second to Armenia’s Artur Davtyan in the vault with Ukraine’s Igor Radivilov claiming bronze.
Brody Malone ensured the US ended the championships on top of the medal table as he bounced back from difficult day in qualifying to win the horizontal bar competition.
Malone narrowly missed out on the podium with a fourth-placed finish in the all-around final on Friday but bounced back to claim his first world title.
Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto took silver with Brazil’s Arthur Mariano in third.
The Americans and China finished level on three golds each with the USA’s eight medals in total putting them on top of the table.
Japan finished third with two golds among their eight medals.
MILAN: Felipe Anderson won the first Rome derby of the season for Lazio on Sunday with the only goal in a scrappy 1-0 victory over Roma which moved his team third in Serie A.
Brazilian Anderson struck the winner just before the half hour mark in the Italian capital after Roma defender Roger Ibanez gave the ball away cheaply in his own area.
It was the 29-year-old’s third league goal of the campaign as he continues to play in the unfamiliar position of center-forward in place of injured Ciro Immobile.
Italy striker Immobile was on the bench supporting Lazio despite a thigh problem leaving him unable to play and he watched his team go into the top four with an assured performance.
“Immobile has been with us the whole time, even during the training camp... He’s a leader and I’m playing a role in which he is a master,” Anderson told DAZN.
“The second half in particular showed just how ready we are to fight, we’re a team that wants to challenge at the top of the table.”
Lazio are level on 27 points with fourth-placed Atalanta, eight behind league leaders Napoli, and will stay third regardless of how Inter Milan do against arch rivals Juventus in Sunday’s late match.
Inter sit three points behind Lazio in sixth place and will take fourth spot from Atalanta if they win at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
Known for his expansive brand of football, Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri has developed a team who are hard to beat and shorn of key man Sergej Milinkovic-Savic they soaked up Roma’s largely ineffectual attacking and claimed a seventh clean sheet from their last eight matches.
Roma were the nominal home side at the Stadio Olimpico but went closest to scoring four minutes after going behind when Nicolo Zaniolo’s deflected shot smacked out of the crossbar.
Jose Mourinho’s side failed to create enough to deserve a win and drop down a place to fifth following their fourth defeat of the season.
“It wasn’t easy to play against a team which sat back and managed time in an intelligent way,” Mourinho told DAZN.
“We didn’t have that bit of quality that top players bring, we were missing something.”
Earlier, Verona slumped to the bottom of Serie A on Sunday after losing 2-0 at promoted Monza, their eighth loss in a row.
Second-half strikes from Carlos Augusto and Andrea Colpani handed Monza their first win in four matches and left 10-man Verona on five points from 13 matches.
Verona, who lost Giangiacomo Magnani to a red card midway through the first half, have shown no signs of improvement since sacking Gabriele Cioffi and promoting novice Salvatore Bocchetti from the youth team last month.
Verona have won just once, in stark contrast to last campaign which was one of the club’s best in years, and after the loss sporting director Francesco Marroccu apologized to supporters for the latest humiliation.
They are a point behind Sampdoria, who lost 2-0 at home to Fiorentina, and Cremonese who drew 2-2 at Salernitana on Saturday.
Monza stay 15th but are seven points clear of the relegation zone in their first ever Serie A season and were cheered on in the stands by stabbing victim Pablo Mari.
On-loan Arsenal defender Mari was one of several people attacked last week in a Carrefour on the outskirts of Milan by a man who killed an employee from the supermarket after grabbing a knife from a shelf.
Fragile Torino forward Pietro Pellegri suffered yet another injury blow when he fell over and injured his ankle at kick-off of his team’s 2-1 loss at 12th-placed Bologna.
Pellegri, who has one cap for Italy, slipped over just three seconds into the loss at the Stadio Dall’Ara and limped off the field in the fourth minute following treatment.
LORIENT, France: Danilo Pereira headed a late winner as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 at fourth-placed Lorient and strengthened their hold on first place in Ligue 1 on Sunday. The victory restored PSG’s five-point lead over Lens, who beat Angers on Saturday. PSG manager Christophe Galtier made four changes from the team that won at Juventus on Wednesday. One of the stars who kept his place, Kylian Mbappe, came off with five minutes left but Galtier said the France striker was not suffering an injury that could threaten his World Cup. “It is fatigue related to the sequence of matches,” Galtier said. “It’s a very busy schedule, with some anxiety. Everyone is listening to their body in this pre-World Cup period. There can be a fear.” PSG started by pressing aggressively. Neymar gave PSG the lead after nine minutes. The Brazilian closed down goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo and blocked his clearance. The ball ran wide to Hugo Ekitike, replacing Lionel Messi in the starting line-up. Ekitike rolled it back to Neymar, who danced round Mvogo and stroked the ball into the net. The goal was Neymar’s 11th in the league this season, taking him level as top scorer in Ligue 1 with Mbappe. Mvogo, a back-up goalkeeper for Switzerland who have qualified for the World Cup, was injured in the build-up to the goal. “There is necessarily a little concern but it is a little early to judge,” said Lorient coach Regis Le Bris. Mvogo was replaced by former Arsenal keeper Vito Mannone who stopped a header by Sergio Ramos, a shot on the run by Mbappe and a strike by Ekitike all before half-time. Gedeon Kalulu also cleared a shot from Achraf Hakimi off the line just before the break. The Parisians, who reverted to a five-man defense after playing four at the back in their previous four games, did not give the home team many chances in the first half. “The first one was to our advantage, we started quite high, we managed to win the ball quite quickly,” said Galtier. “We opened the scoring and we had three or four opportunities to score a second. “When you play one match after another, you have to start strong and try to hurt the opponent.” Lorient, who drew at home with PSG last December and beat them when lying last in Ligue 1 the previous season, did not give up. They levelled in the 53rd minute when Terem Moffi ran onto a pass from Vincent Le Goff and thumped a shot inside the near post and into the roof of Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal. The Nigerian striker came close to a second four minutes later when his shot bounced off the crossbar. PSG tightened their defense but struggled to move forward. They had to rely on set-pieces. From a pinpoint Neymar corner, Pereira took advantage of light marking to restore PSG’s lead with a powerful 81st-minute header. Neymar’s assist was his ninth this term, second in the league to absent team-mate Messi. “He’s making a lot of effort,” said Galtier. “Obviously he is very motivated for the World Cup... but for me there is no reason why he should not perform in the second part of the season.” The defeat means surprise early challengers Lorient have gone three games without a win. Marseille ended a four-match winless streak in the league to move above Lorient, who dropped to sixth, into fourth with a 1-0 victory over Laurent Blanc’s Lyon. Center-back Samuel Gigot scored the only goal shortly before half-time as OM bounced back from being dumped out of Europe by Tottenham in midweek. Rennes climbed to third despite a 1-1 draw at Lille, while Nice extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games with a 1-0 success against Brest.