Sports
Alexis Sanchez joins Marseille after leaving Inter
AFP
Marseille have signed former Arsenal and Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez on a free transfer following his departure from Inter Milan, the French club announced on Wednesday.
Marseille said the forward, with 143 caps for Chile, had signed a deal at the Velodrome after passing a medical. A club official told AFP he had agreed a one-year contract.
Sanchez, 33, recently terminated his contract with Inter and arrived at Marseille airport late on Tuesday to be met by several hundred adoring supporters.
His arrival is a major boost for Marseille ahead of their return to the Champions League.
They qualified for this season’s group stage after finishing as runners-up in Ligue 1 but then saw coach Jorge Sampaoli — who used to coach Chile — depart with ex-Croatia defender Igor Tudor replacing him.
Marseille will be Sanchez’s sixth club in Europe after Udinese, Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and Inter.
He spent three years at Inter, helping them win the Serie A title in 2021.
However, Sanchez started just nine games at San Siro last season.
Sports
AC Milan defeats Juventus to secure Supercoppa Italiana final spot
AC Milan will take on Inter Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana final on Monday following a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory against Juventus in the second semifinal held in Riyadh on Friday.
Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz, a late addition to Juventus’ starting lineup, opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a powerful strike that caught French goalkeeper Mike Maignan off guard.
However, AC Milan, under new Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição—who replaced his compatriot Paulo Fonseca earlier this week—delivered a much-improved second-half performance.
The ‘Rossoneri’ leveled the game in the 71st minute through a penalty converted by American star Christian Pulisic. Just four minutes later, their winning goal came via an own goal by Juventus defender Federico Gatti, who accidentally sent the ball past his goalkeeper, who was caught out of position.
Sports
Real Madrid clinches fourth Intercontinental Cup with 3-0 victory over Pachuca
Real Madrid crowned themselves champions of their fourth Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, defeating Mexican club Pachuca 3-0 in Doha, thanks to goals from Frenchman Kylian Mbappé and Brazilians Rodrygo and Vinicius.
The ‘Merengues’ thus capped off a spectacular 2024 year, winning five titles. Before this success in Qatar, they had already claimed the Spanish League, the UEFA Champions League, and the Super Cups of Spain and Europe.
Mbappé, who made his return after a minor muscle injury, capitalized on a pass from Brazilian Vinicius in the 37th minute, who dribbled past goalkeeper Carlos Moreno, to finish from close range. It was the first shot on target for Real Madrid.
The team doubled their lead with another brilliant goal from Rodrygo, who feigned a shot to beat his defenders and created enough space to take a strike from the edge of the area, beating Moreno in the 53rd minute.
For a few moments, the goal was under review after Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela was called to check a potential offside by Jude Bellingham.
However, the referee concluded that the Englishman did not interfere with the play and the goal was allowed.
Five minutes later, Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had to use his hand to stop a dangerous ball, which Salomón Rondón almost put into the net.
Mbappé, who had scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final that was lost to Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the same Lusail stadium, left the pitch in the 62nd minute on the decision of Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who lifted his 15th title with the club—one more than the legendary Miguel Muñoz.
When it seemed like the players of Uruguayan Guillermo Almada had gained some initiative, Oussama Idrissi fouled Lucas Vázquez inside the area, and the penalty was reviewed via VAR.
Vinicius converted the spot-kick in the 84th minute with a low, powerful shot that Moreno touched but could not save.
The newly named FIFA Player of the Year had another chance to score, while Ángel Mena managed to head the ball into the net before the 90-minute mark, but his goal was ruled offside.
Sports
Osasuna stuns Barcelona with 4-2 victory in La Liga showdown
In the eighth round of La Liga, FC Barcelona suffered their first setback of the season, losing 4-2 to a spirited Osasuna in Navarra. The Barça, who had won their previous seven matches, appeared disoriented due to rotations in their lineup, which the home team capitalized on to secure a well-deserved victory.
Despite the defeat, Barcelona remains at the top of the table with 21 points. However, their closest rival, Real Madrid (currently in second with 17 points), could close the gap to just one point if they defeat Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby on Sunday.
“Rotations are normal; there are many matches, but that’s no excuse. We needed to start focused as a team, and the halftime result affected us,” Pedri stated to Movistar+ after the match. “In the second half, we deserved more, but we conceded goals when we were playing better.”
Osasuna’s victory was solidified by a brilliant performance from Bryan Zaragoza, who first assisted Ante Budimir for the opening goal in the 18th minute and then finished expertly against Iñaki Peña in the 28th minute. For Zaragoza, Barcelona seems to be a recurring victim, as in October 2023, while playing for Granada, he scored a brace in a 2-2 draw against the Catalan side.
Although Barça reacted in the second half with a goal from Pau Víctor in the 53rd minute, it was not enough to turn the tide. Coach Hansi Flick, who fielded a lineup full of youngsters like Gerard Martín, Sergi Domínguez, Pablo Torre, and Pau Víctor, acknowledged his responsibility for the defeat due to making multiple changes to the lineup.
“If anyone should be blamed for this defeat, it’s me,” Flick explained. “We made many mistakes in the first half. We made a lot of changes to the team, and that may be one of the reasons, but it was necessary due to the accumulation of matches. It’s my responsibility.”
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