Bilbao to face Barca in Super Cup final after ousting Madrid
MADRID: Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat in the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday as Athletic Bilbao pulled off a 2-1 victory in Malaga to reach Sunday’s final against Barcelona.
Raul Garcia scored twice in the first half, the second a penalty, and while Karim Benzema pulled one back for the defending champions, Bilbao held on to complete a statement win under their new coach Marcelino Garcia Toral. “We are 90 minutes from winning a title,” said Marcelino. “It would be amazing, and even better to do it beating Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
Real coach Zinedine Zidane was defiant in defeat. “It is not a failure,” he said. “You can’t win every game.”
Arsenal lack spark in Palace stalemate
LONDON: Arsenal’s three-match winning streak in the Premier League ended with a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace as the Gunners missed a chance to keep their momentum going and climb up the table. Arsenal remained rooted in 11th place with 24 points, while Palace stayed in 13th with 23 points.
“We’ll take it,” Palace winger Eberechi Eze said on Thursday. “It’s a good point to take.”
India camp in Dubai
KOLKATA: India’s remaining three games in the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifying cycles are likely to be held in Dubai in March and April, said Kushal Das, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary, on Friday. Pending confirmation from the Asian Football Confederation, India will play Afghanistan on March 27, Bangladesh on March 30 and Asian champions Qatar on April 6, said Das. AIFF is likely to host a preparatory camp in Dubai in March. India did not play an international in 2020 due to Covid-19 so the camp will be the first for the senior side in 16 months.
ISL: East Bengal grab late equaliser vs Blasters
VASCO: Scott Neville scored a late equaliser, deep into second half stoppage time, as East Bengal extended their unbeaten run in the Indian Super League to six games with a 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters here on Friday. Blasters had taken the lead in the 64th minute through Jordan Murray.