Barca beat Barbastro in Copa del Rey

BARCELONA: Barcelona kicked off their Copa del Rey campaign with a 4-0 win at fourth-tier Barbastro on Saturday to progress into the last 16, with striker Robert Lewandowski scoring either side of the break.

Defender Eric Garcia put Barca in front with a bullet header in the 21st minute before Lewandowski nodded home from close range 10 minutes later.

The Poland striker added a third goal two minutes into the second half with a simple low finish from near the penalty spot and Pablo Torre made it 4-0 after capitalising on an error by Barbastro goalkeeper Arnau Fabrega.

Barcelona emergency signing Wojciech Szczesny made his debut in goal for the club. Defender Ronald Araujo also made his season debut as he returned from the injury he picked up in July.

Aragonian club Barbastro sit 16th in Group Two of the Segunda Federacion.

Barcelona will now face Athletic Bilbao in a Spanish Super Cup semi-final on Wednesday. But the debt-laden Catalans will be without their star signing Dani Olmo and Pau Victor as their desperate attempt to sign them were rejected by La Liga and Spanish football federation. The commission handling the case agreed not to grant the licences due to RFEF rules which “prevent a player whose licence is cancelled from obtaining a licence in the same team” during the same season.

In Saturday’s earlier matches, Antoine Griezmann’s goal gave Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win at third-tier Marbella to send them into the Copa del Rey round of 16 while Sevilla lost to second division Almeria 4-1. Osasuna edged Tenerife 2-1.

Napoli see off Fiorentina to top Serie A FLORENCE: Napoli took advantage of their Serie A title rivals competing in the Italian Super Cup by beating Fiorentina 3-0 on Saturday to move top of the pile.

Antonio Conte’s team are three points ahead of Atalanta thanks to a superb individual goal from David Neres in the 29th minute, Romelu Lukaku’s penalty not long after half-time and a cool Scott McTominay finish in the 68th minute.

Saturday’s win in Florence was Napoli’s fourth in a row in Italy’s top flight and further strengthened their claim for a fourth league crown after their disastrous Scudetto defence last season.

“We’re proud of what we’re doing, having 44 points after 19 matches wouldn’t have been imaginable at the start of the season,” said Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini to DAZN.

However Napoli have played a game more than Atalanta and two more than reigning champions Inter Milan, with that pair missing league action this weekend due to the Super Cup.

Inter, who trail Napoli by four points, will face local rivals AC Milan in the Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Monday after beating Atalanta in the semis.

Atalanta next host Juventus on Jan 14, with Bologna visiting Inter the following day.

Fiorentina are sixth and 12 points off the title pace.

Earlier Venezia stayed second-from-bottom after being held to a 1-1 home draw by Empoli, while 10-man Verona held Udinese to a goalless draw and pulled five points away from the relegation zone.—AFP

Lille keep heat on Ligue 1 leaders

PARIS: Lille remained on the heels of the Ligue 1 leaders after welcoming in 2025 with a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Nantes on Saturday while Olympique Lyonnias beat bottom side Montpellier 1-0.

Remy Cabella capitalised on one of the few chances of a drab game in Lille to put the hosts in control as half-time approached.

But any hopes of overtaking third-placed Monaco went out the window when striker Matthis Abline secured the 70th-minute equaliser from penalty.

Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne brushed away any lingering post-festive blues to record a 3-1 win over mid-table visitors Reims.

Saint-Etienne had to come from behind to reverse a run of four consecutive losses, with a brace from Augustine Boakye earning new coach Eirik Horneland his first win.

In Saturday’s late match, Lyon thought any title aspirations they still entertained had been dented by a feisty Montpellier but Khalil Fayad’s own goal in the first minute of stoppage time broke the away team’s heart and moved Lyon to within two points of third-placed AS Monaco.—AFP

Osaka retires injured from Auckland final

AUCKLAND: Naomi Osaka retired from the final of the Auckland Classic with an abdominal injury on Sunday, a blow to the Japanese star just a week before the start of the Australian Open.

Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physio after taking the opening set 6-4 and pulled out shortly.

Osaka’s sudden withdrawal came as a shock after playing with no apparent problem in the 35-minute opening set, unleashing some powerful groundstrokes to break her opponent in the third and fifth games. At the changeover, Osaka stood and performed a series of stretches during a timeout.

After consulting with the trainer she shook the hand of Tauson, who picked up a third career title and her first since 2021.

“I have to say I’m really sorry about this final. Naomi was playing some great tennis. I just feel sad about what happened today,” Tauson said.“Of course, when I process this, I’m going to be super happy about my week. I’m happy that I won, but not really.

Osaka didn’t divulge details of what forced her withdrawal in a short courtside interview.

“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city and I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m really sorry about how it ended,” Osaka said.—Agencies

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2025