An “angry” Xavi said things have to change at Barcelona after they were knocked out of the Champions League following a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.
Barca have failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since the 2003/04 season when they competed in the UEFA Cup.
Goals from Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala completed a 3-0 victory for Bayern Munich over Barca at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, ensuring Xavi’s side finished third in Group E and that they will compete in the Europa League round of 32 next year.
Xavi, who has overseen two wins, a draw and two defeats since being appointed first-team coach, lambasted his players after the final whistle and conceded that Barca are no longer at the same level as Bayern.
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La Liga TV presenter Semra Hunter says Xavi’s first defeat as Barcelona boss ‘exposed the problems’ with the team following their 1-0 home loss to Real Betis
“Bayern dominated us,” he said. “We always want to dominate but it was the opposite here. We must demand more. We’re Barca. This must be a point of inflection to change the dynamic and many more things.
“This is the Champions League, but this is also our reality. It’s the situation we’re in. I’m angry. This is the reality and it p***es me off. We have to tackle it face on. There’s nothing else for it.
Image: Bayern Munich proved too good for Barcelona on Wednesday
“A new era starts today. We start from zero. Our objective is the Champions League, not the Europa League, but that is our reality now and we have to try and win it.”
“I’ve seen how tough the reality is,” Xavi added.
“I hoped we would compete better. Bayern are better. That’s the reality. But we’re going to work hard and give our all so that this doesn’t happen again. It’s a feeling of helplessness.
“We have to start to get Barca back where they belong, which is not in the Europa League. This is also a hammer blow for me as a coach. We will work hard to bring Barca back, but we have to change a lot, of course.”
Barca now face Osasuna, Elche and Sevilla in La Liga before the league’s short winter break, with Xavi’s side seventh in the Spanish top flight and trailing leaders Real Madrid by 16 points.
Robert Lewandowski scored twice, including a second-half penalty, to guide the German champions Bayern Munich to a crucial 3-2 victory at title rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday and a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
The Pole opened his account in the ninth minute to level after Dortmund had taken an early lead through Julian Brandt, and then converted a controversial 77th-minute spot-kick to seal victory with his 16th goal of the campaign.
Kingsley Coman had put Bayern in front a minute before the break before Erling Haaland equalised for the hosts with a superbly curled effort in the 48th.
Image: Robert Lewandowski was the difference again
In an action-packed encounter, Dortmund coach Marco Rose was sent off with a second booking for dissent following the penalty decision.
Bayern, chasing a record-extending 10th league crown, move up to 34 points with this sixth straight league win over their rivals, leaving Dortmund in second place on 30. Bayer Leverkusen are in third place on 27.
Image: Julian Nagelsmann celebrates with Lewandowski
“I think we deserved to win but I also understand the discussions over the two penalty situations,” Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said.
Dortmund were fuming about the penalty decision in favour of Bayern after having been denied a VAR review in a penalty claim of their own earlier.
“It was a very tight game that was worthy of its reputation. We could have scored more in the first half,” Nagelsmann said. “Dortmund did it well early in the second half but we found our rhythm again and had good control.”
Elsewhere, Patrik Schick scored four times in 27 minutes as Bayer Leverkusen crushed Greuther Fuerth 7-1 to make it three wins in a row and climb into third place in the Bundesliga.
The 25-year-old Czech striker took his season tally to 12 league goals after scoring all of his four goals in a remarkable second-half performance, to stretch Leverkusen’s unbeaten run to four consecutive league games and lift them to 27 points.
Serie A: Inter thrash Roma as Mourinho suffers reunion to forget
Image: Jose Mourinho suffered a heavy home defeat
AS Roma collapsed to a 3-0 defeat at home to manager Jose Mourinho’s former club Inter Milan on Saturday as the champions climbed to second in Serie A and inflicted a fourth defeat in six league games on the capital club.
Mourinho led Inter to an unprecedented treble in 2010 but his first meeting with them as an opposing coach ended with the second Serie A home defeat of his career in his 46th match — the other coming against AC Milan in October.
The Portuguese pointed to his side’s absentees, who included the suspended Tammy Abraham and Rick Karsdorp and injured captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, after a comprehensive defeat.
“Inter are stronger than us in normal circumstances, in these circumstances, they are much stronger,” Mourinho told DAZN.
Image: Inter Milan celebrate their comfortable away win
“Today between injuries and suspensions it was a very limited selection. Our attacking potential was practically zero, we had three chances and didn’t score,” Mourinho added.
“When you play with a new defensive system you can’t concede goals like the first and third.”
Elsewhere, Napoli surrendered the lead to lose 3-2 at home to Atalanta, dropping from first to third as the gap between the top four sides in Serie A was squeezed to four points.
Luciano Spallettis hosts recovered from a goal down and went in front early in the second half, only for the visiting Bergamo club to mount a comeback of their own and inflict a second league defeat of the season on the hosts.
The result saw Napoli, who had led the title race since week four, remain on 36 points, two behind new leaders AC Milan, one behind Inter Milan and two ahead of fourth-placed Atalanta.
Meanwhile, AC Milan climbed to the top of the Serie A table with a comfortable 2-0 win over bottom side Salernitana, thanks to early goals from Franck Kessie and Alexis Saelemaekers.
The Rossoneri dominated at San Siro to gain a victory that sent them provisionally into first place on 38 points, two clear of second-placed Napoli, who host Atalanta later in the day.
Milan’s current points tally of 38 is their highest after 16 league games since 2003/04, when they won the title.
La Liga: Barcelona, Atletico beaten as Real win
Image: Xavi on the touchline during the Real Betis loss
Barcelona were stunned by Juanmi’s late goal for Real Betis that secured a 1-0 win in LaLiga on Saturday and ended home coach Xavi Hernandez’s honeymoon at the club as he suffered his first defeat since coming back to the Nou Camp three weeks ago.
It was Betis’ first win at Barca in more than three years and took them up to third place with 30 points, six points behind leaders Real Madrid who play later on Saturday at Real Sociedad. Barcelona are languishing in seventh on 23 points.
With Barca’s decisive Champions League match away to Bayern Munich coming up on Wednesday, Xavi rested three of his most important players – Gerard Pique, Frenkie de Jong and Ousmane Dembele – but the decision backfired.
Image: Memphis Depay responds to Juanmi’s goal
Betis were dangerous on the counter-attack and Juanmi, who earlier had a goal disallowed by VAR for a close offside call, struck a clean finish past keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen after fine build-up play by Sergio Canales and this one did count.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid conceded a goal by Mallorca’s Takefusa Kubo in added time in a shock 2-1 La Liga home defeat that will be remembered on the Mediterranean island for years.
In an electrifying match in the Spanish capital, Atletico went in front through a Matheus Cunha strike in the 68th minute.
However, with 10 minutes left and Atletico looking in control of the match, Mallorca equalised with a header from Argentine defender Franco Russo, who outjumped Mario Hermoso from a free-kick and finished with precision past Jan Oblak.
Eight of the 15 goals conceded by Atletico this season have come when they have been defending set-pieces.
As the clock ticked down in stoppage time substitute Kubo, on loan at Mallorca from Real Madrid, received a perfect through pass from Angel Rodriguez behind the defensive line and the 20-year-old Japan striker calmly slotted the ball under Oblak.
Image: Real Madrid’s team players celebrate after scoring their side’s second goal
Meanwhile, Real Madrid travelled north to San Sebastian and left with a statement 2-0 win against Real Sociedad on Saturday to move eight points clear at the top of La Liga.
With Karim Benzema forced off after 17 minutes with a hamstring injury, it was once again Vinicius Jr who stood out by scoring his 10th goal of the season and driving the home side’s defence crazy with his boldness and audacity.
Real’s man of the hour, 21-year-old ‘Vini’ has been one of the standout players in Europe during this campaign and is two goals behind Benzema at the top of LaLigas scoring charts.
Luka Jovic, who replaced the injured Benzema, enjoyed his best game as a Real Madrid player, assisting Vinicius for the first goal and scoring the second with a diving header.
Ligue 1: Wijnaldum salvages draw for PSG
Image: PSG’s Marco Verratti and Lens’ Jonathan Clauss in action
Georginio Wijnaldum came to the rescue with a last-gasp goal as Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain salvaged a fortunate 1-1 draw at RC Lens on Saturday.
The Dutch midfielder headed home two minutes into stoppage time to cancel out Seko Fofana’s second-half opener and put PSG on 42 points from 17 games.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who once again looked severely short of ideas, lead second-placed Olympique de Marseille by 13 points after OM slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home against Stade Brestois earlier on Saturday.
Lens, who missed several chances to wrap it up before Wijnaldum’s equaliser, stayed fifth on 27 points.
With Kylian Mbappe on the bench as Pochettino sought to rest the France forward, PSG had the first clear chance when Lionel Messi’s curled shot struck the post in the 19th minute.
But it was Lens who dominated, with opportunities through Jonathan Clauss and Arnaud Kalimiuendo before the interval.
The hosts were rewarded in the 62nd minute when Keylor Navas’s blunder allowed Fofana to score with a floating strike from just outside the box.
Seven minutes later, Pereira Da Costa’s shot hit Navas’s post before landing in the PSG keeper’s arms as Lens continued to push.
Przemyslaw Frankowski tested Navas again at the end of a sharp counter-attack but PSG held out.
Florian Sotoca’s attempt went just wide nine minutes from time and it proved to be Lens’s last clear chance before Mbappe, who came on as a 70th-minute substitute, found Wijnaldum with a fine cross.
The Dutchman timed his jump to perfection to beat Jean-Louis Leca with a header that went into the top corner to give PSG their only satisfaction of the night.
On Sunday, Stade Rennais could move into second place, 11 points off the pace, if they beat bottom side St Etienne at Geoffroy Cuichard.
Fourth-placed Nice host Racing Strasbourg and could themselves go into second place if they win and Rennes do not.
Memphis Depay and Philippe Coutinho scored late on at Villarreal as Barcelona won 3-1 to finally end their winless streak away from home under new coach Xavi.
Prior to Saturday’s game, only three teams across the division had picked up fewer points on the road this season, after Barcelona were winless in their first five league matches away from the Nou Camp.
The long-awaited win came in Xavi’s third match in charge since replacing Ronald Koeman.
Frenkie de Jong broke through for the visitors minutes after half-time when he turned in a rebound.
But Villarreal equalised through substitute Samuel Chukwueze 15 minutes from time and were pressing for a winner themselves when Depay struck against the run of play two minutes from time.
Depay brought down a long goal kick from Marc-Andre ter Stegen, dribbled around Rulli and coolly put the ball between the legs of defender Pervis Estpuinan on the line.
Coutinho sealed the three points in stoppage time when he converted a penalty he had earned himself.
Barcelona remain in seventh place, but reduced the gap to early leaders Real Madrid to seven points.
Rayo Vallecano continued to impress as the promoted team fought back to draw 1-1 at Valencia.
Rayo, who have the league’s best home record, inched into fifth place after taking the point on the road.
Iago Aspas and Santi Mina scored as Celta Vigo won 2-1 at Alaves, while Mallorca and Getafe drew 0-0 on the Balearic Islands.
Serie A: Juventus’ misery compounded by Atalanta
Image: Duvan Zapata has now scored nine goals in 12 Serie A games this season
There was more misery for Juventus as they were jeered off following a 1-0 home defeat by Atalanta, four days after losing 4-0 at Chelsea in the Champions League.
Duvan Zapata scored the only goal in Turin, with a powerful effort in the 28th minute which went in off the underside of the crossbar.
Juventus almost levelled in the second half but Adrien Rabiot’s effort was denied by a fingertip save from Juan Musso.
Juventus players Federico Chiesa and Weston McKennie went off injured during the match, to cap a miserable night for the Bianconeri.
Inter Milan kept up the pressure on the top two in Serie A as the defending champions won 2-0 at Venezia.
Hakan Calhanoglu opened the scoring in the first half, before Lautaro Martinez sealed the result with a stoppage-time penalty. Third-placed Inter moved to within two points of AC Milan and Napoli. Napoli hoss Lazio on Sunday, while Milan welcomes Sassuolo to the San Siro.
Image: Hakan Calhanoglu opened the scoring for Inter Milan at Venezia
Both teams struggled to create chances in the early stages and Inter’s best opportunity came in the 30th minute when Venezia goalkeeper Sergio Romero did well to parry an Ivan Perisic header.
Inter took the lead six minutes later as Calhanoglu unleashed a powerful effort from outside the area which flew into the bottom-left corner.
Venezia almost levelled shortly after with a screamer from Mattia Aramu that Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic kept out.
Inter had several opportunities to double their lead before eventually doing so in stoppage time. Venezia left-back Ridgeciano Haps was penalised for a handball, and Martinez fired the resulting spot kick into the bottom-left corner.
Elsewhere, two late goals saw Empoli complete an extraordinary turnaround and beat Fiorentina 2-1.
Fiorentina seemed to be heading for the win after Dusan Vlahovic’s 57th-minute opener but substitute Filippo Bandinelli levelled three minutes from time, and Andrea Pinamonti netted the winner in the final minute of the game.
Sampdoria came from behind to beat Hellas Verona 3-1.
Bundesliga: Haaland scores on return from injury
Erling Haaland scored on his comeback with a second-half volley as Borussia Dortmund came from a goal down to beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 in the Bundesliga.
The Norwegian striker scored in the 81st minute after coming on as a second-half substitute following his recovery from a hip flexor muscle injury that had sidelined him since mid-October.
With their sixth win in the last seven league matches, Dortmund – having crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday after a 3-1 loss to Sporting Lisbon – moved up to 30 points, one behind Bayern Munich, who beat Arminia Bielefeld later in the day.
The Bundesliga’s top two teams face each other next weekend.
Image: Haaland was a second-half substitute for Dortmund
“A lot has happened in the past few days. But we played a good game and the result stands above everything else,” Dortmund’s Julian Brandt said.
“We are extremely happy. Now we have a good full week to prepare for Bayern and we will go into that game with a lot of confidence.”
The Wolves took a second-minute lead through Wout Weghorst, who headed in at the near post to complete a textbook break that had left the Dortmund back line exposed.
The Ruhr valley club levelled with an Emre Can penalty in the 35th minute after captain Marco Reus was brought down in the box by Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix.
Donyell Malen put them in front by rifling in from a Reus pass to score for the third consecutive game in all competitions.
There was more good news for Dortmund, with Haaland making a second-half substitute appearance and looking as sharp as ever ahead of the big game against the Bavarians.
He needed only eight minutes on the pitch to bag his 10th league goal in seven appearances, volleying in from close range to become the youngest ever player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals at 21 years and 128 days.
Image: Leroy Sane’s winner was his fourth Bundesliga goal of the season
Bayern laboured for long periods against a defensive-minded Bielefeld team, who had earned a 3-3 draw on their previous visit to Munich.
Substitute Jamal Musiala provided the key with a brilliant diagonal pass forward to Thomas Muller, who laid it off for Leroy Sane to fire in the winner from outside the penalty area in the 71st minute.
It ensured Bayern set a record of 102 Bundesliga goals in a calendar year, previously held by Cologne who plundered 101 in 1977.
Sebastian Andersson scored in injury time as Cologne beat Borussia Monchengladbach 4-1 in their Rhine derby in front of 50,000 fans.
Augsburg substitute Michael Gregoritsch scored in the seventh minute of injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw at Hertha Berlin, and extend the hosts’ winless run to four games.
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim routed bottom side Greuther Furth 6-3 away, while Bochum came from behind to beat visitors Freiburg 2-1. Milos Pantovic scored the winner from barely inside the Freiburg half.
Ligue 1: Bottom side Metz stun second-placed Nice
Bottom side Metz stunned second-placed Nice 1-0 in Ligue 1.
Nice’s second straight defeat at Allianz Riviera Stadium could see Rennes, who play on Sunday, jump above them into second place.
The hosts gave a listless performance in the first half and Metz capitalised on a lack of urgency to take the lead in the 31st minute when Fabien Centonze converted a low cross from Nicolas de Preville.
Goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja protected Metz’s lead by saving Andy Delort’s close-range header with his legs on the stroke of half-time, before pushing behind a cross-cum-shot from Pablo Rosario in the 63rd minute.
Champions Lille failed to convert a late penalty and remained in the bottom half of the Ligue 1 table when they were held to a 1-1 home draw by 10-man Nantes on Saturday.
The result left Lille stuck in 12th spot, with 18 points from 15 matches, one point behind their visitors who remained in 11th.
Jonathan David had his 80th-minute penalty saved by Alban Lafont after Fabio had given away the spot kick, and been sent off, for tugging on the shirt of Mehmet Celik.
It was an unconvincing effort from the Canadian international and proved a comfortable stop for the Nantes goalkeeper.
Lille, whose domestic form has contrasted with their Champions League exploits where they top their group with one game to play, went ahead early when veteran Burak Yilmaz crashed home a right-footed shot.
The ninth-minute goal was set up by Jonathan Bamba and suggested Lille could break a spiral of disappointing Ligue 1 form.
But, as had happened six times previously this season, they failed to hold on to their lead as Nantes equalised in the 24th minute.
Ludovic Blas shrugged off the defensive attention of both Tiago Djalo and captain Jose Fonte to squeeze his shot inside the post and make it 1-1.
Nantes might have taken the lead six minutes later but the effort of former Manchester United full-back Fabio cannoned back off the upright.
Nantes’s Pedro Chirivella missed a good chance with some 30 minutes left before Lille came back strongly to dominate the closing stages but squandered their chance to take all three points.
Xavi Hernandez’s first Champions League match as a coach ended in frustration as third-placed Benfica stayed two points behind Barcelona after a 0-0 draw.
Barca have advanced from their group into the knockout stages every season for almost two decades but a goalless draw at home means the Spanish club might need to beat Bayern Munich in the final round of games to advance.
If Barca fail to beat Bayern away, Benfica could overtake the Spanish club with a win at home to already-eliminated Dynamo Kyiv. If they finish tied on points, Benfica would advance courtesy of their head-to-head record.
Helping Barca is the fact that Bayern have little to play for except, maybe, the chance to knock out a historic rival, albeit one that has lost their aura following the departure of Lionel Messi and other big-name players amid financial problems.
Bayern had already qualified for the last 16 before their 2-1 win at Dynamo Kyiv and the result secured the German champions first place in the group.
Robert Lewandowski with an overhead kick and Kingsley Coman scored the goals for a threadbare Bayern squad missing nine players, with seven unavailable because either they tested positive for coronavirus or were unvaccinated and had contact with a positive case.
Meanwhile, all four teams in Group G are separated by three points and could still qualify heading into their last games after wins for Lille and Sevilla over Salzburg and Wolfsburg, respectively.
Lille moved top of their group after Canada striker Jonathan David scored his 12th goal of the season to seal a 1-0 win over Salzburg.
Sevilla jumped into third place, above Wolfsburg, with a 2-0 victory over the German team thanks to goals by Joan Jordan and Rafa Mir.
In the final round of games, Wolfsburg host Lille and Salzburg are at home to Sevilla.
Energized by a change of manager and another opportunistic finish by Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League with a game to spare on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Villarreal.
United was led for the first time by Michael Carrick following the weekend firing of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and, just like his predecessor, the interim manager was left to be thankful for a goal by the Champions League’s record scorer.
More joy was to follow as Atalanta’s wild 3-3 draw at Young Boys meant United cannot be displaced as group leader courtesy of their superior head-to-head record against Villarreal.
Atalanta, who are a point further back, grabbed a point thanks to Luis Muriel’s 87th-minute free-kick with his first touch after coming on as a substitute.
Defending champions Chelsea, also advanced on the back of a 4-0 win over already-qualified Juventus, who slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in the Champions League. With Liverpool also qualified and Manchester City likely to join them, the Premier League will again be well represented in the knockout stage.
Barcelona midfielder Pedri has won the 2021 European Golden Boy award, beating Borussia Dortmund and England’s Jude Bellingham into second place.
The 18-year-old claimed the prize, which is presented annually by Italian publication Tuttosport to a European-based player aged 21 or under.
Bellingham’s inclusion as part of the England squad that made the final of Euro 2020, as well as his strong performances in the Bundesliga, were not enough to see him win top spot in the vote.
Image: Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham came second in the vote
Pedri secured 24 of the 40 first-place votes and 318 total points, with Bellingham finishing on 119 points, following a vote by a panel of football journalists.
He joins other former high-profile winners of the award, such as Wayne Rooney (2004), Lionel Messi (2005), Sergio Aguero (2007), Paul Pogba (2013), Raheem Sterling (2014) and Kylian Mbappe (2018).
The accolade caps a whirlwind year for Pedri, who joined Barcelona from Las Palmas in 2020, before going on to be named in the Euro 2020 team of the tournament and then win a silver medal with Spain at the Tokyo Olympics.
Last month, the midfielder agreed a new long-term contract extension at the Nou Camp, with his new deal running until the summer of 2026.
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