Europe

Barcelona has crashed out of the Copa del Rey in the Round of 16 for the first time in 12 years after Athletic Bilbao won in extra time 3-2 on Thursday. This was revenge for Athletic after losing in the final to Barcelona 4-0 last season.

The game got off to a thrilling start when rising star Nico Williams burned Jordi Alba down the right wing before sending in a dangerous cross. Iker Muniain picked up Nico’s ball to score a beautiful goal to send San Mamés wild.

What a past 12 months it has been for New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner. Once an undrafted free agent out of Fairfield University, in 2021 Turner:

Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembélé must leave the club before the January transfer window closes for both his sake as well as the Catalan club to ensure they get a fee as his contract ends in June, club director Mateu Alemany has said.

Dembélé, who joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, has failed to deliver on his potential that made the Spanish club pay $119.11 million for his services, scoring only 31 goals in 129 appearances.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a marvel; the 36-year-old continues to be one of the best forwards in the history of the beautiful game. But sometimes marvels can pout like spoiled kids, as happened when we saw Ronaldo benched by Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick on Wednesday. 

Alexia Putellas is the greatest player in the world after winning FIFA’s Best Women’s Player of 2021, the Ballon d’Or and a bountiful amount of trophies. After being inexplicably snubbed from FIFA’s FIFPRO World XI squad, she flexed on her doubters with a game-winning goal in the Supercopa de España Femenina semifinal vs. Real Madrid to win 1-0.

ROME — Italy's Supreme Court confirmed the conviction of former AC Milan and Brazil striker Robinho to nine years in prison for his involvement in a gang rape of an Albanian woman in 2013, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

The ruling cannot be challenged and is definitive.

In 2017 a Milan court found Robinho and five other Brazilians guilty of assaulting the woman after plying her with alcohol in a discotheque. The conviction was confirmed by an appeals court in 2020.

The English Football Association (FA) announced it’s looking into suspected abnormal betting patterns involving an Arsenal player during the 2021-22 Premier League season.

The FA is investigating a yellow card received by an Arsenal player in a Premier League fixture this season, amid concerns of suspicious betting patterns.

— The Athletic UK (@TheAthleticUK) January 19, 2022