Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

European roundup: Messi sent off as Athletic beat Barca in Super Cup

sportsmole.co.uk, 18 January 2021, 08:55

Lionel Messi was sent off for the first time in his Barcelona career as his side were beaten 3-2 after extra time by Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup final.

The Argentinian was pulled up by VAR for lashing out at Asier Villalibre in the final minutes of the additional 30, after Inaki Williams had netted the decisive goal in the fourth.

Antoine Griezmann had opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 40th minute, slotting past Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon to give his side the lead, only for Oscar De Marcos to find the leveller just two minutes later.

Barca looked to have secured victory when Griezmann turned home his second goal of the game from seven yards out in the 77th minute, but Bilbao substitute Villalibre volleyed in a 90th-minute equaliser.

Williams curled the ball into the top corner to put Bilbao ahead for the first time in the game, before things went from bad to worse for Ronald Koeman 's side as Messi saw red.

Arturo Vidal scored in a 2-0 win over his former club Juventus to move Inter Milan level on points with city rivals AC Milan at the top of Serie A.

In the Derby d'Italia, Cristiano Ronaldo struggled to make his mark as Vidal put the home side ahead in the 13th minute with a header past former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Just after the interval, Nicolo Barella put the ball in the top corner to double his side's lead and secure an important three points for Inter.

Napoli thrashed Fiorentina 6-0 in a dominant display at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Lorenzo Insigne opened the scoring after five minutes, before the second and third came in quick succession in the 37th and 38th minutes, with Diego Demme and Hirving Lozano adding their names to the scoresheet.

Piotr Zielinski added a fourth, before Insigne converted a penalty in the 72nd minute and Matteo Politano capped off the scoring one minute from time.

Elsewhere, Crotone comfortably beat Benevento 4-1, while Sassuolo drew 1-1 with Parma and there were no goals in the clash between Atalanta and Genoa.

Robert Lewandowski netted his 21st goal of the season as Bayern Munich beat Freiburg 2-1.

The Poland striker has racked up his tally in the first 16 games of the season, breaking a Bundesliga record when he struck in the seventh minute.

Nils Petersen levelled with a header in the second half, before Thomas Muller struck the winner in the 74th minute to claim all three points for Bayern.

Also in the Bundesliga, Luka Jovic made a triumphant return to Eintracht Frankfurt as he netted two late goals to earn a 3-1 win over Schalke.

Jovic is back at the club on loan from Real Madrid having enjoyed an impressive previous loan spell with the Bundesliga club during his time with Benfica.

In Ligue 1, Lille moved to level on points with league leaders Paris St Germain after coming from behind to secure a 2-1 win over Reims.

Lyon missed an opportunity to take top spot after they fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Metz.

Bordeaux won 3-0 at Nice, while Nantes and Lens played out a 1-1 draw and a late Clement Grenier penalty gave Rennes all three points in a 2-1 win at Brest.

Top News

4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and West Ham United will be looking to strengthen their bid to qualify for Europe when they square off at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Still in the running for European football next season, deposed Serie A champions Napoli meet relegation-threatened Udinese on Monday evening. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Still in the hunt for two trophies this season, Atalanta BC will aim to keep the pressure on Serie A's top five when they visit relegated Salernitana on Monday. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min - like many of his teammates - was found wanting in Spurs' 2-0 Premier League loss to London rivals Chelsea in midweek, where the Lilywhites' fleeting Champions League chances suffered another crushing blow. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Marcus Rashford will reportedly hold showdown talks with the Manchester United hierarchy in a bid to address his struggles during the 2023-24 campaign. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England boss Gareth Southgate is reportedly not considering including Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho in his squad for this summer's European Championship. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Atlanta vs. Minnesota Utd (Sunday, 12.30am) Two sides currently in contrasting form go head to head in the MLS as Atlanta United play host to Minnesota United at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides separated by just one point in the Primeira Liga standings go head to head on Sunday as SC Farense play host to Estoril Praia at the Estadio de Sao Luis. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Sociedad vs. Las Palmas (Saturday, 1.00pm) Real Sociedad will be bidding to bounce back from their defeat against Real Madrid when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Las Palmas on Saturday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Monza vs. Lazio (Saturday, 5.00pm) Still vying for a place in Europe thanks to their recent revival, Lazio visit mid-table Monza on Saturday evening. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dortmund vs. Augsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm) Three days on from their Champions League semi-final first-leg victory in midweek, Borussia Dortmund return to Westfalenstadion to welcome Augsburg for a Bundesliga clash on Saturday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Le Havre vs. Strasbourg (Saturday, 2.00pm) Le Havre face Strasbourg at the Stade Oceane on Saturday afternoon in Ligue 1, a game between two sides who are battling against relegation with just three fixtures remaining in the season. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic vs. Hearts (Saturday, 3.00pm) Celtic play host to Hearts on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will move them a step closer to defending their Scottish Premiership title. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal vs. Bournemouth (Saturday, 12.30pm) Bidding to temporarily go four points clear at the top of the Premier League standings, Arsenal kick off Saturday's action with the visit of Bournemouth to the Emirates Stadium for the lunchtime kickoff. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Braga will be looking to bounce back from last week's loss at Benfica when they play host to Casa Pia at the Estadio Braga Municipal in round 32 of the Primera Liga on Sunday. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lille host Lyon on Monday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, knowing that a single point would be enough to officially claim a spot in the Europa League next season at the very least. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Table-toppers Galatasaray will look to maintain their lead in the Turkish Super Lig title race when they host Sivasspor on Sunday evening at Rams Park. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim has refused to rule out the suggestion that he has held talks over succeeding Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea boss. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly placed Newcastle United's Alexander Isak at the top of their list of forward targets for the summer transfer window. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The fight to avoid relegation intensifies as Gaziantep take on Hatayspor at Gaziantep Stadium on Sunday evening. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides vying for a top-four finish go head-to-head when Istanbul Basaksehir host Kasimpasa at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Feyenoord boss Arne Slot remains confident an agreement will be finalised for him to become Liverpool boss despite his admission that nothing is confirmed yet. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Famalicao and Benfica draw the curtains on round 32 of the Primeira Liga when they go head to head at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Sunday. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk It will be a crucial match towards the top of the Eredivisie table this Sunday as AZ Alkmaar faces FC Twente, with both continuing to push for a third-place finish. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women will attempt to get their title bid back on track when they face Bristol City Women in Sunday's Women's Super League contest. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Luton Town missed the chance to move out of the Premier League relegation zone on Friday evening, as they drew 1-1 with Everton at Kenilworth Road. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could match a club winning record in the Premier League when they welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates for Saturday's lunchtime kickoff. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has selected a strong squad for Saturday's La Liga clash with relegation-threatened Cadiz at Bernabeu. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After suffering a rare home defeat in midweek, Roma will try to retain their grip on a top-five place in Serie A when welcoming Juventus to Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.