Whoever comes through the Real Madrid-Barcelona matchup will be the favorite in the 2019 Copa del Rey Final, but if you didn’t know, that match is being staged at the Estadio Benito Villamarín in Seville, home of Real Betis, and the Béticos are using that inspiration to power through the competition.
For those who follow the Chinese Super League, this will come as little surprise. The rest of the footballing world, however, will be wondering who is Wu Lei after 40 million fans tuned in to watch his LaLiga debut with Espanyol on Sunday.
Because someone somewhere loves us, we’re being treated to three El Clásicos between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the next month. It started on Wednesday at the Camp Nou, the first leg in the Copa del Rey semifinals, with a Malcom goal vs Real Madrid leading to a 1-1 draw.
The match didn’t feature Lionel Messi or Gareth Bale in the starting lineups, though that didn’t worry Barça fans too much after they watched their side eviscerate Los Blancos 5-1 without Messi in October.
On Wednesday, FC Barcelona will host Real Madrid in a Copa del Rey semifinal first leg at the Camp Nou. This will be the 239th competitive meeting of the sides — and the 34th in the Copa — but it’s one that many feared Lionel Messi would miss. The Barça captain suffered a thigh injury during last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Valencia, and he only just returned to training today.
Cristiano Ronaldo turns 34 on Tuesday. Usually strikers start fading at that age. Maybe they lose a step of pace or that passion burns a little less. But three days shy of another Ronaldo birthday, the Juventus forward is still as hungry as ever for goals.
In physics, quantum tunneling explains how particles can pass through otherwise impenetrable barriers. It’s how quantum computers work, how the sun produces energy and, most importantly, the only reasonable explanation for this Lionel Messi goal vs Valencia on Saturday.
I’m no physicist, so here’s a proper explanation of quantum tunneling.
Now back to the football.
FC Barcelona’s No. 10 continues to prove his dominance in the world. His incredible career sparked interest for an unusual group of people. Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, Sony Music and Argentina’s PopArt Music are teaming up to premiere “Messi 10 by Cirque du Soleil” in Barcelona on October 10, 2019.
FC Barcelona is calling it the goal of the season. Deadspin called it “the platonic ideal of a Barcelona goal.” Ray Hudson said it was “kaleidoscopic football of the highest order." It was the crowning achievement of the club’s remarkable turnaround against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals — shifting a 0-2 first leg deficit into a 6-3 aggregate victory.
Atletico Madrid visited Athletic Bilbao for a Copa de la Reina quarterfinal match on Wednesday, pulling out a 2-0 victory despite going down to 10 women early in the second half. But the story of the day wasn’t the Madrid side’s resolve but the Bilbao fans in the stands. A record 48,121 fans turned out for the match at the San Mamés, a the highest attendance in women's soccer in Spain.
HISTORY.
After scoring only five league goals in 32 appearances last season — coupled with the celebration of his 31st birthday in December — the limelight had decidedly shifted away from Karim Benzema at Real Madrid and onto potential transfer targets like Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Eden Hazard.