LEWANDOWSKI AND YAMAL FIRE BARCA INTO THE UCL KNOCKOUTS AFTER 4-1 COPENHAGEN COMEBACK
Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski inspire a 4-1 comeback win over Copenhagen to send Barcelona into the UCL Last 16.
Barcelona punched their ticket to the Champions League last 16 with a 4-1 win over Copenhagen on Wednesday night. Hansi Flick’s team looked comfortable in the end, racking up second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Marcus Rashford. But honestly, that first half was a real headache—they actually went behind early, thanks to a fourth-minute strike from 17-year-old Viktor Dadason.
Barca controlled possession right from the start, but one sharp Copenhagen counter turned everything upside down. Mohamed Eyenoussi slipped a perfect pass between the centre-backs, and Flick’s high defensive line left Dadason all alone with Joan Garcia. The teenager stayed cool and slotted his shot past the keeper. Simple as that.
After that, Barcelona started to crank up the pressure. Lewandowski almost levelled things after a sloppy back pass handed him an open look, but he wasted it—something you don’t see from him often. Eric Garcia came close to, but Dominik Kotarski in the Copenhagen goal pulled off a sharp save on his deflected shot.
Even though Barcelona ended the half with a whopping 75% possession, they just couldn’t break Copenhagen down. Eric Garcia rattled the crossbar with a rocket, and Yamal fired wide, but that was about it.
Things finally turned right after halftime, and Yamal was at the heart of it. Dani Olmo sliced open the left side of Copenhagen’s defence with a gorgeous pass, sending Yamal racing toward goal. Instead of shooting, the Spanish youngster set up Lewandowski with a clever outside-of-the-boot pass, and the Polish striker did the rest—goal number 106 for him in the Champions League.
That fired up Yamal even more. In a six-minute burst, he basically decided the match on his own. First, he let fly from the edge of the box; the shot took a nasty deflection and looped over Kotarski for the lead. Moments later, Yamal whipped in a cross that Lewandowski chested down, then got clipped by a defender. Raphinha stepped up and buried the penalty.
Rashford, coming off the bench, capped it off with a sneaky free kick that caught Kotarski napping at his near post. Barcelona almost let one in at the end, but Pereira’s header was scratched off for offside interference by Chatzidiakos.
Barca finished the group stage in fifth, locking in a spot in the round of 16. Next up? They could face defending champs Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, or a few others. The big games are coming.
MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ MISS FINAL TRAINING; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES FADING
Arsenal's Champions League hopes are in doubt as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz miss final training ahead of the Atletico tie.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz didn’t show up for Arsenal’s open training on Monday, just a day before the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Both missed Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham because of injuries: Odegaard with his knee and Havertz with a muscular problem.
Odegaard hurt his knee in last week’s draw with Atletico, while Havertz hasn’t played since picking up an issue against Newcastle. After beating Fulham, Mikel Arteta sounded confident they’d be ready for Atletico, but on Monday neither player was seen with the first team. That’s a big hint they won’t be involved at the Emirates.
Arteta is set to speak to the media soon, though don’t expect him to spill much; he’s known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to team news.
There were a couple more missing faces at London Colney. Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) were also absent. Timber hasn’t featured since before the international break, and it’s unclear when he’ll return, but Arsenal hope it’s before the end of the season. Merino’s been out nearly three months since foot surgery. He might not play again this month.
On the upside, Bukayo Saka was back in training after getting subbed at halftime against Fulham, where he started his first Premier League game since mid-March.
Now, Arsenal really have a headache. Odegaard, who scored 15 goals last season, just hasn’t looked the same. Staff are increasingly worried about him; he’s missed 25 games in all competitions this year, thanks to a pileup of injuries: two freak shoulder issues, two muscular injuries, and the recurring knee problem. When he’s fit, Odegaard can still make magic happen; just look at his four assists across six games in January, but right now, his body keeps letting him down.
Havertz’s story isn’t much brighter. He’s managed only 20 appearances this season, mostly because of a serious knee injury in the summer and more muscle problems afterward. He’s Arsenal’s top earner at £280,000 a week, while Odegaard sits fourth at £240,000. Having two high-paid players sidelined so often is not ideal, and Arsenal need answers.
To try to sort out this ongoing injury crisis, Arteta has reportedly brought in a trusted expert from the medical field to lead an investigation. Arsenal hope this move finally sheds some light on their troubled injury record.
DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
_1777554856.webp)
Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
Must Read
