#copa-del-rey

#copa-del-rey

Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio perhaps hasn't fulfilled his superstar potential, but the Spaniard has nonetheless been a serviceable option in the capital for a number of years.A productive loan spell with Espanyol was succeeded by a promising debut season with Los Blancos before his wondergoal against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup ahead of the 2017/18 season thrust Real supporters into a state of delirium regarding Asensio's talent.

Real Madrid's board were disappointed by coach Carlo Ancelotti's tactics in the side's 1-0 Copa del Rey semifinal first-leg defeat to Barcelona on Thursday, sources have told ESPN.Some senior figures at the club criticised the manager's lack of a plan B, sources said, after a performance in which Madrid dominated possession at the Bernabeu but were unable to muster a single shot on target.

Vinicius Junior believes the atmosphere around him with the Real Madrid forward being targeted by opposition players and fans has reached a critical stage, sources close to the player have told ESPN.The Brazil international was caught up in a running battle with Real Mallorca's players during Madrid's 1-0 LaLiga defeat on Sunday, after clashing with defenders Antonio Raillo and Pablo Maffeo in the two previous meetings between the sides.

Diego Simeone blamed the referee's decision to send off defender Stefan Savic for Atletico Madrid's 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in their Copa del Rey quarterfinal on Thursday.Alvaro Morata put Atletico 1-0 up in the 19th minute of the derby at the Santiago Bernabeu before Rodrygo Goes equalised late in the second half to take the game to extra time.

Carlo Ancelotti denied that there are any doubts about his future as Real Madrid coach after their 4-0 thrashing by Manchester City in Wednesday's Champions League semifinal second leg.Bernardo Silva scored twice in the first half to put City ahead at the Etihad Stadium, before Eder Militao's own goal and substitute Julian Alvarez's added-time strike made it 5-1 to City on aggregate.

Carlo Ancelotti praised Vinicius Junior as "unstoppable" and Rodrygo Goes as "spectacular" after the two Brazilian forwards combined to give Real Madrid a 2-1 Copa del Rey final win over Osasuna on Saturday.Rodrygo scored after just two minutes at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville -- Vinicius providing the assist -- and again in the second half following another Vinicius run, after Lucas Torro had levelled for Osasuna with an hour played.

Carlo Ancelotti blamed Real Madrid's "lack of efficiency" for the "strange" goal drought which continued with a 0-0 draw at Real Betis to leave them nine points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona.Madrid have followed last week's stunning 5-2 win at Liverpool in the Champions League round-of-16 with a 1-1 league draw with Atletico Madrid -- youngster Alvaro Rodriguez scoring with a header from a corner -- a 1-0 home defeat to Barca in the Copa del Rey, and now Sunday's goalless draw at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Real Madrid will be hoping to record their 115th win against city rivals Atletico Madrid when they meet in the Copa del Rey on Thursday.Los Rojiblancos make the short crosstown trip to the Santiago Bernabeu looking to reach the last four in the backyard of their greatest rivals.Carlo Ancelotti was still in his first spell as Real Madrid boss the last time they won this competition, with the now-retired Gareth Bale scoring the memorable clincher.

Carlo Ancelotti has called for "zero tolerance" for racism after Vinicius Junior was subjected to racist abuse by fans -- but stopped short of criticising LaLiga, after the Real Madrid winger accused them of failing to act on the issue.Videos posted on social media showed Vinicius, 22, being insulted as he walked past fans after being substituted in Madrid's 2-0 win at Real Valladolid on Friday.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has said there are few forwards better than Ousmane Dembele as the Frenchman prepares to return to action after a lengthy injury layoff.Dembele, 25, was expected to be out for up to six weeks after injuring his thigh against Girona in January but spent three months on the sidelines.

Barcelona comfortably made it through to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey by thrashing third-tier side Ceuta.Raphinha curled home in the first half, while Robert Lewandowski scored twice in the second period, converting from close range and stroking in for 5-0.In between, 20-year-old Ansu Fati added a superb solo effort and midfielder Franck Kessie powerfully headed home.

Manchester City are set to finish off a successful UCL Group G campaign against the foe they started with.Sevilla FC make a visit to the Etihad before heading off to the Europa League.Our good mate Chris Lail of Monchi's Men is back to catch us up on all that's happened with the Sevillistas since we last saw them in September.

6:26 AM ET



Graham HunterSpain writer

CloseGraham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team.When Fernando Torres, scorer of the winning goal in the final of Euro 2008 that brought Spain their first international trophy for 44 years, used to fly up to the Galician city of Vigo to visit his then-girlfriend, Olalla Dominguez, he'd be greeted in airport arrivals not by a mob of screaming fans attracted by his fame and boyish good looks, but by a gang of local lads with a gangly, bright-eyed, beanpole serving as the leader of their pack.

Eden Hazard will leave Real Madrid this month, the club has confirmed, after reaching an agreement to rescind his contract a year early.Hazard, 32, joined Madrid from Chelsea in July 2019 as one of the Premier League's biggest stars, signing a five-year deal in a move worth an initial €100 million.- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) His four seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu have been marred by persistent injury problems, and he has made just six LaLiga appearances this season -- four of them as a substitute -- scoring no goals.

7:51 PM ET



Sam MarsdenBarcelona correspondent



Xavi Hernandez says LaLiga is Barcelona's to lose after they beat Real Madrid 2-1 at Camp Nou on Sunday to move 12 points clear at the top of the table.Franck Kessie came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner for Barca after Madrid's Marco Asensio had seen a late goal ruled out by VAR for offside on a dramatic day in the title race.

Thibaut Courtois admitted that Real Madrid's chances of winning LaLiga have all but disappeared after Barcelona's 2-1 El Clasico victory on Sunday left Madrid 12 points behind the league leaders.Madrid went ahead early at Camp Nou thanks to Ronald Araujo's own goal.Sergi Roberto equalised before half-time, and -- as both teams pushed for a late winner -- Marco Asensio had a goal disallowed for offside before Franck Kessie scored in added time.

Barcelona have included an option to sign Yannick Carrasco in the summer for a fee in the region of €15-20 million in the deal which will see Memphis Depay move to Atletico Madrid, sources have told ESPN.ESPN revealed on Wednesday that Barca and Atletico had reached an agreement for Depay, 28, to move to the Madrid club this month in a deal worth up to €4m including potential add-ons.

The latest incident of racist abuse towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has been reported to the Spanish prosecutor's office as a hate crime, the club says.Following the match, in which the 22-year-old Brazil international was later sent off for violent conduct, he said "La Liga belongs to racists".

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says the club have told him he will be staying in his role.The Italian, who has been linked with taking over as Brazil's manager, also said he wanted to see out his current deal with the Spanish club."Everyone knows really well what my situation is: I have a contract until the end of the 2024 season and I want to stay," said Ancelotti.

Roma boss Jose Mourinho is relishing a reunion with Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso when the two sides meet in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday.Mourinho was Alonso's manager at Real Madrid between 2010 to 2013.Together, they won the La Liga title, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

Rodrygo's double steered Real Madrid to Copa del Rey glory as they defeated a valiant Osasuna 2-1 in Saturday's final.The Brazil forward netted twice to guide Los Blancos to their second piece of silverware this season in front of a packed Estadio de La Cartuja.For Carlo Ancelotti's side, victory ends a nine-year drought in Spain's most prestigious cup competition, with Madrid having last won in 2014 during the Italian's previous spell in charge.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says his players' focus is fully on Saturday's Copa del Rey final and not the crucial upcoming Champions League clash with Manchester City.The Spanish giants host City in their semi-final first leg next Tuesday.But they have the chance to win a trophy before then when they take on Osasuna in Seville.

Barcelona announced on Tuesday that director of football Mateu Alemany will leave the club at the end of the season to embark on a new professional project.Sources have told ESPN the offer he has received from elsewhere "is too good to turn down," with various reports suggesting it comes from Premier League side Aston Villa.

It started with a hero's welcome.When he arrived as Valencia's new owner in October 2014, Peter Lim was greeted with glee by fans who hoped the Singaporean businessman would rescue their club from a perilous financial position caused by years of over-ambitious spending.Fans were optimistic Lim's takeover, through his Hong Kong-based Meriton Holdings company, would propel Valencia back to the summit of European football - the lofty heights they occupied at the turn of the century with consecutive Champions League final appearances in 2000 and 2001 and two La Liga titles in 2002 and 2004.

LaLiga have confirmed that an investigation is underway regarding a possible case of match-fixing during last season's Copa del Rey.The fixture in question is Levante's 8-0 first round win over Huracan Melilla, which was played on Dec. 2, 2021.- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) A statement from the Spanish league on Thursday said that second division side "Levante are completely unaffected and not under investigation."

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has said he believes red-hot Vinicius Junior will lead the team's attack for many years to come.Vinicius, 22, scored twice, set up another goal and was voted UEFA's player of the match in Madrid's come-from-behind 5-2 win at Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16 first leg.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone complained that Real Madrid receive preferential treatment from referees after a straight red card was shown to Angel Correa in a 1-1 draw against their rivals in Saturday's derby.Simeone was fuming over referee Gil Manzano's sending off of Atletico forward Correa in the 64th minute after an elbow to the chest of defender Antonio Rudiger with the score 0-0.

Mar 1, 2023 Real Madrid have a few injuries to contend with / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages The Copa del Rey draw has been kind to us this year with El Clasico rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid facing off over two legs for a place in the competition's showpiece event.Los Blancos overcame Atletico Madrid in the previous round to advance into the last four, but they were held by their crosstown rivals in La Liga at the weekend which meant they only gained a point on Barcelona at the top of the table.

With another El Clasico meeting slated for today in the Copa Del Rey, we have put together a sports betting guide to show you how to bet on Real Madrid Vs Barcelona in Texas.Sports betting laws have not been passed in Texas but that doesn't mean that residents need to miss out on Real Madrid vs Barcelona betting.

Spain's eternal rivals meet once more in the Copa Del Rey, so get ready for today's game by reading how to bet on Real Madrid vs Barcelona in Arizona.Best Arizona Sports Betting Sites For Real Madrid vs Barcelona 1. $1000 Welcome Bonus 18+, T&Cs Apply.Available in ALL US STATES 18+, T&Cs Apply.

Ousmane Dembele fired Barcelona into the last four of the Copa del Rey with a hard-fought win over 10-man Real Sociedad.Dembele broke the deadlock at the Nou Camp with a powerful near-post effort after 52 minutes.Brais Mendez had seen red for Sociedad at the end of the first half following a VAR check for catching Sergio Busquets high on the ankle.

Injured Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has apologised for going to watch an NBA game in Paris on Thursday while his team were playing in the Copa del Rey against Villarreal.The France international, who is out with a calf injury, was spotted at the Chicago Bulls' 126-108 league win over the Detroit Pistons at the Accor Arena in Bercy, Paris.

Jan 21, 2023 Athletic Club beat Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey on their most recent trip to San Mames last February / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages Athletic Club host reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid in the Spanish top flight on Sunday night.Both clubs made commanding starts to the season but come into the weekend's showpiece event out of sorts.

Jan 14, 2023 Real Madrid won the first Clasico of the season 3-1 in October / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in the final of the Supercopa de Espana held in Saudi Arabia on Sunday night.Once the equivalent of England's curtain-raising, semi-friendly Community Shield, the Spanish Super Cup has been expanded and exported in the last four years.

Dani Ceballos' late goal saw Real Madrid beat Villarreal 3-2 and complete a stunning comeback in the Copa del Rey on Thursday.Madrid were beaten 3-1 by rivals Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final on Sunday and found themselves two goals down at the break at Estadio de la Ceramica after goals from Etienne Capoue and Samuel Chukwueze.

Real Madrid came from two goals down to beat Villarreal 3-2 in the Copa del Rey last 16 on Thursday thanks to a brilliant second-half performance by substitute Dani Ceballos.The 26-year-old midfielder delivered an assist for Madrid's first goal, created the opening for the second and scored the winner for the visitors who looked to be on the brink of elimination when they trailed 2-0 at half-time.

Nine-time winners Barcelona face being thrown out of the Copa de la Reina for fielding an ineligible side in Tuesday's 9-0 win over Osasuna.Brazil forward Geyse, who scored one of the nine goals, was sent off in the quarterfinals of last season's competition while playing for former club Madrid CFF.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The 24-year-old was supposed to serve a one-game ban in the first match of this season's competition, which for holders Barcelona was against Osasuna in the round of 16 on Tuesday.

Barcelona survived a scare in the Copa del Rey as Ansu Fati scored in extra-time to secure victory against Spanish third-tier side Intercity.Oriol Soldevila, released by Birmingham City last summer, threatened to upset the La Liga giants with a hat-trick.He first cancelled out Ronald Araujo's early opener before equalising again after Ousmane Dembele restored Barcelona's lead.

Former Barcelona junior Oriol Soldevila scored a hat trick against his old club but still ended on the losing side as third tier InterCity took the LaLiga giants to extra time before losing 4-3 in a dramatic Copa del Rey tie on Wednesday.InterCity, promoted to the third division last season, came from behind three times to force extra time after a 3-3 draw at the end of 90 minutes, but were then knocked out when substitute Ansu Fati netted a 103rd-minute winner in Alicante to put Barca in the round of 16.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Copa del Rey, more (U.S.) Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha were Barcelona's other scorers while the 21-year-old Soldevila netted his three goals in a 25-minute second-half spell including a dramatic third in the 86th minute to take the tie to extra time.

Real Madrid narrowly beat fourth-tier Cacereno to move into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr were both rested as boss Carlo Ancelotti made nine changes from Friday's La Liga win over Real Valladolid.And they were reliant on Rodrygo's second-half goal to progress, with the former Santos forward honouring Brazil great Pele in his goal celebration.

Cagliari have appointed the much-travelled Claudio Ranieri as head coach on a contract until June 2025, the Serie B club announced on Friday, 31 years after he left the role.The 71-year-old Italian is best known in England for guiding Leicester City to a fairytale Premier League title in 2016, but he failed to work his magic at Watford as they earned only seven points in three months before he left the job in January.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique says he is to leave the Catalan giants and his final game at Camp Nou will be on Saturday.The 35-year-old made the announcement in a video in which he suggested he would now retire from football.Barca will face Almeria in La Liga for Pique's last game."I've always said that there would not be any other team after Barca and that's how it will be," he said on social media.