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Late Winner by Alba Moves Barcelona Closer to League Title

Barcelona's Spanish defender Jordi Alba celebrates scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 2, 2023. (AFP)
Barcelona's Spanish defender Jordi Alba celebrates scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 2, 2023. (AFP)
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Late Winner by Alba Moves Barcelona Closer to League Title

Barcelona's Spanish defender Jordi Alba celebrates scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 2, 2023. (AFP)
Barcelona's Spanish defender Jordi Alba celebrates scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 2, 2023. (AFP)

Barcelona kept wasting its chances against 10-man Osasuna at Camp Nou.

Its top attackers all squandered good opportunities to break the deadlock, with Ansu Fati, Pedri, Ousmane Dembélé and Robert Lewandowski failing to find the target despite clear chances.

It took a veteran defender to come through and move the Catalan club a step closer to its first Spanish league title in four years.

Jordi Alba scored an 85th-minute winner not long after coming off the bench to give Barcelona a hard-fought 1-0 win against 10-man Osasuna on Tuesday.

The victory gave Barcelona a 14-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, which later lost 2-0 at Real Sociedad. The combination of results means that the Catalan club can clinch the title as early as next weekend.

“It was a very big step for us, but we suffered too much, wasted too many clear chances to score,” Barcelona coach Xavi said.

Both Madrid and Osasuna are focused on Saturday’s Copa del Rey final between the clubs in Seville. Madrid is also focused on the semifinals of the Champions League against Manchester City, with the first leg taking place in Madrid on May 9.

Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate rested several regular starters against Barcelona ahead of the club's first Copa final since 2005.

Barcelona last won the league in 2019 to cap a run that included eight league titles in 11 seasons. That was the team's last league trophy with Lionel Messi, who left in 2021 amid the club's financial struggles to join Paris Saint-Germain.

It was Barcelona's third straight win at home. It had gone through a tough stretch recently but victories against Atletico Madrid and Real Betis at Camp Nou helped it maintain its comfortable lead at the top.

Osasuna played a man down from the 26th after central defender Jorge Herrando, who was making his first-division debut, was shown a straight red card for pushing Pedri from behind to stop a breakaway. The ensuing free kick taken by Raphinha glanced off the crossbar.

Pedri had nearly scored from close range before the red card, but Barcelona wasn't able to create many more significant chances in the first half after going a man up, finishing with no attempts on target going into the break.

Frenkie de Jong, Fati, Dembélé and Lewandowski all came close in the second half before the 34-year-old Alba finally broke the deadlock with a low shot with the outside of his left foot after a set up by De Jong inside the area. Alba had entered the match less than 10 minutes earlier.

It was the 25th clean sheet in the league for Barcelona, which had lost playmaker Gavi in the 36th with an apparent muscle injury. He was replaced by Fati.

Osasuna had won three of its last five league matches but was coming off a home loss against Sociedad.

Sociedad later hosts Madrid hoping to strengthen its hold on fourth place and the final Champions League place. It has a five-point gap to fifth-place Villarreal, which visits relegation-threatened Valencia on Wednesday.

Madrid falls

Former Madrid player Takefusa Kubo scored in the 47th and Ander Barrenetxea added another goal in the 85th as Sociedad gave Madrid its second loss in three league rounds and strengthened its hold on the final Champions League place.

Madrid played a man down from the 61st after defender Dani Carvajal was sent off for a foul. The defending champions were coming off a 4-2 win against Almeria but had lost 4-2 at Girona in the previous round.

It was the second straight win for fourth-place Sociedad, which is unbeaten in four consecutive games. It opened an eight-point gap to fifth-place Villarreal, which visits relegation-threatened Valencia on Wednesday.

Elche relegated

Last-place Elche became the first team relegated to the second division after a 2-1 loss at Almeria.

The result left the club with 16 points, 17 behind 17th-place Valencia, the first team outside the relegation zone.

Elche, with only three wins from 33 matches, hadn't played in the second division since 2019-20. It routed Rayo Vallecano 4-0 in the previous round to end a run of six consecutive losses.

Almeria, which had lost three of its last four matches, moved to 14th place, three points clear of the relegation zone.

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Arsenal Keen to End 20-Year Wait for Champions League Final When It Hosts Atletico Madrid

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (AFP)
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Arsenal Keen to End 20-Year Wait for Champions League Final When It Hosts Atletico Madrid

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (AFP)

Arsenal has waited 20 years to get back into another Champions League final, and 22 years for another Premier League title.

Now both are within reach, starting with the second leg of their semifinal at home against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

The first leg ended 1-1 in Madrid last week after offsetting penalties for two teams looking for a first European Cup title. Arsenal will be hoping its home field advantage at Emirates Stadium makes the difference in the return.

“After 20 years to be in this position again,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. "We are so hungry to get the game that we want (Tuesday) and go through to that final.”

Arsenal routed Atletico 4-0 at home in the league phase in October, but expect Diego Simeone's side to be a lot more solid defensively in the return to London.

“I’m going to try to tell the team to play like they did in the second half (in Madrid)," Simeone said. "If it’s that easy it would be great. We have a lot of faith in what we’re doing.”

Both teams have been boosted by injury returns as forward Julian Alvarez is expected to play for Atletico and Arteta said captain Martin Odegaard and forward Kai Havertz are both available.

Atletico reached the final twice under Simeone, in 2014 and 2016, losing both times to crosstown rival Real Madrid.

Arsenal lost its only final in 2006 to Barcelona. This time, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich will await the winner. Those two play their second leg on Wednesday after a pulsating 5-4 win for PSG in the first leg.

Arsenal's quest for a first Premier League title was also boosted on Monday by Manchester City drawing at Everton 3-3, meaning the Gunners can clinch the trophy by winning their last three games.

Atletico is only fourth in La Liga, 25 points behind leader Barcelona.

Sports

A Coaching Great? Luis Enrique Has PSG on Brink of Another Champions League Final

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient in Paris, France, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient in Paris, France, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
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A Coaching Great? Luis Enrique Has PSG on Brink of Another Champions League Final

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient in Paris, France, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient in Paris, France, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)

Luis Enrique will join a select group of coaching greats if he leads Paris Saint-Germain to Champions League glory again this season, and it is his remarkable management that has the French club tantalizingly close to reaching the final once again.

PSG head to Munich for the second leg of their semi-final against Bayern on Wednesday defending a 5-4 lead from an incredible first meeting which was one of the greatest matches in the competition's history.

"It was the best game I have been fortunate enough to be involved in as a coach," Luis Enrique said after that encounter at the Parc des Princes.

He nevertheless believes his side will need to score another three goals at the Allianz Arena in order to see off the German champions and secure a place in the May 30 final in Budapest.

But he and his side need not look too far back for inspiration -- their last visit to Munich ended in PSG hammering Inter Milan 5-0 in last season's final as they won the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Maybe, after all he has achieved in his career, Luis Enrique could have simply walked away following that triumph, his job done. But his motivation has remained intact this season.

"Last season we achieved the objective that everyone around us had been dreaming of. But we want to continue making history and that now means winning two Champions Leagues in a row," said the Spaniard on the eve of this campaign.

He has now taken PSG to the Champions League semi-finals for the third time in as many seasons since being appointed in 2023.

Thanks to him, PSG have moved on in spectacular fashion from the era of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Neymar, and of regular European disappointments.

To put their consistency under Luis Enrique into more context: before his arrival, PSG had reached the Champions League semi-finals three times in their history.

His success seems to come down to that motivation, and an intensity of personality which comes across in the way his team plays -- high energy, incessant pressing, terrifying pace.

"He is the most positive person I have met in my life. He is always motivated and always in a good mood. We all learn from him and his way of seeing things," said PSG's Qatari president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

- Intensity -

His side also stand on the verge of another Ligue 1 title -- albeit their financial advantage over the rest of France's clubs makes that far less remarkable.

Luis Enrique turns 56 on Friday, but that intensity also comes across in how he lives his life.

This is a man who has competed in triathlons and run several marathons -- once going under the three-hour mark in Florence. Sometimes seen walking around the training ground barefoot, in September he fractured a collarbone after falling off his bike.

He was quickly over that injury and fully focused on PSG. So much so that the man who played in three World Cups and coached Spain in Qatar in 2022, is apparently not remotely interested in the approaching tournament in North America.

"I am the coach of PSG. I don't care about anything else. I'm not interested," he said recently in response to one World Cup-related question.

The former Real Madrid and Barcelona midfielder really made his name as a coach when he led the Catalans, featuring Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, to a treble of Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey in 2015.

This season his squad management has been remarkable, albeit undoubtedly helped by that margin PSG have in Ligue 1.

Captain Marquinhos, for example, has started more games in Europe than in Ligue 1. Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele has started just nine times in Ligue 1, as many as in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, the devastating Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been arguably the best player in this season's Champions League.

Up to now it has been a triumph of management, but the biggest test awaits in Munich on Wednesday.

If PSG can see off a brilliant Bayern team, Luis Enrique will be a step closer to becoming just the fifth coach to win three European Cups or Champions Leagues, after Carlo Ancelotti, Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola.

Sports

Bayern’s Kompany Promises Repeat Fireworks in PSG Champions League Semi

Bayern Munich's Belgian head coach Vincent Kompany arrives for the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and Heidenheim in Munich on May 2, 2026. (AFP)
Bayern Munich's Belgian head coach Vincent Kompany arrives for the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and Heidenheim in Munich on May 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Bayern’s Kompany Promises Repeat Fireworks in PSG Champions League Semi

Bayern Munich's Belgian head coach Vincent Kompany arrives for the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and Heidenheim in Munich on May 2, 2026. (AFP)
Bayern Munich's Belgian head coach Vincent Kompany arrives for the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and Heidenheim in Munich on May 2, 2026. (AFP)

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has promised to stick with his high-octane, high-risk approach in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against holders Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG hold a one-goal advantage from last week's incredible 5-4 first leg in Paris, where some of the game's leading attackers were given free rein to go for the jugular.

Despite the match in the French capital being lauded as one of the best games of the modern era, Kompany and his side have faced criticism for being too vulnerable at the back.

But the former central defender has repeatedly promised not to change a thing and even doubled down as six-time European Cup winners Bayern look to blast their way to the final in Budapest.

- 'Can't lose what makes us strong' -

Already Bundesliga champions, Bayern have scored 116 goals in 32 games -- a record in the league and among the best anywhere in Europe.

This approach does leave them vulnerable, however.

The Bavarians have conceded 16 goals in their past six games, with just one clean sheet.

And while Bayern's squad has been heavily rotated in some of those matches, the 21 goals they scored in that six-game run also shows the potency of their playing style.

Suspended for the opening leg, Kompany watched the match from the stands.

The Belgian, who is coaching just his second season in the Champions League, said he saw room for improvement.

"I'm not the kind of person who sees things in black or white. For me, what happened in Paris is perfectly logical," Kompany said on Friday.

"I also would be glad to keep a clean sheet, but what we absolutely cannot do is lose what made us strong."

The strategy has paid clear dividends in the competition so far.

Against Real Madrid in the quarter-final second leg, a Manuel Neuer blunder gifted Arda Guler an opener after just 36 seconds.

Real took the lead three times on the night, but Bayern fought back each time before delivering the knockout blow with two goals in the final five minutes.

Against PSG, the hosts looked to have taken the game away from Bayern with two goals in three second-half minutes.

But Kompany's team pushed upfield and scored two of their own in a four-minute spell to force their way back into the tie.

As someone many of the Bayern dressing room will have looked up to during his playing days, Kompany has built a strong relationship with his squad, who clearly back the supercharged strategy.

After Bayern came from 2-0 and 3-2 down to draw 3-3 with Heidenheim on Saturday with a Michael Olise goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time, Joshua Kimmich promised more of the same against PSG.

"We're not going to change our style of play in three days and just sit back and defend," Kimmich said.

"We have to win, regardless of whether it's another 5-4, a 3-2, or a 1-0 victory."

- 'PSG won't change' -

The Parisians return to Munich, where they won the title last year, and are expected to play as openly as their hosts.

Luis Enrique said his side would need "at least three goals" in Munich, despite already holding a one-goal advantage.

Kompany also cited PSG's swashbuckling run to the crown last season as an example of success following a courageous approach.

"PSG were never going to change the style that won them the Champions League last year," Kompany said.

"We come into the match as the team that has won the most games and scored the most goals in Europe.

"Is anyone going to take a backward step? Nobody will accept that."

Having served his suspension, Kompany will once again be on the touchline on Wednesday.

"Every team uses the tools at their disposal," he said on Saturday.

"We'll use ours. There's things we can improve on, but it's about winning, we won't forget that."