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Valencia Wins 2-1 at Sevilla on Spanish League’s Opening Day

Valencia's Guinean defender #04 Mouctar Diakhaby celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Spanish Liga football match between Sevilla FC and Valencia CF at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville on August 11, 2023. (AFP)
Valencia's Guinean defender #04 Mouctar Diakhaby celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Spanish Liga football match between Sevilla FC and Valencia CF at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville on August 11, 2023. (AFP)
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Valencia Wins 2-1 at Sevilla on Spanish League’s Opening Day

Valencia's Guinean defender #04 Mouctar Diakhaby celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Spanish Liga football match between Sevilla FC and Valencia CF at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville on August 11, 2023. (AFP)
Valencia's Guinean defender #04 Mouctar Diakhaby celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Spanish Liga football match between Sevilla FC and Valencia CF at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville on August 11, 2023. (AFP)

A Valencia team featuring young players earned a 2-1 win at 10-man Sevilla on the opening day of the Spanish league on Friday.

Twenty-year-old substitute Javi Guerra, who emerged as a talent last campaign, scored the 88th-minute winner after Sevilla had lost defender Loic Badé to a red card.

“I am very happy not just for the goal but for the win by the team," Guerra said. “There is no better way to start the season.”

Hugo Duro was key to the win. He was breaking clear when Badé fouled him from behind with only the goalkeeper to beat and saw the direct red card in the 80th. And the striker helped recover the ball near Sevilla’s box before he assisted Guerra to slot home the winner.

Valencia barely avoided relegation last campaign and lost several players in the summer with Samuel Lino, Edinson Cavani, Yunus Musah, Justin Kluivert, Ilaix Moriba, and Nico González all leaving the club. Few signings were made by the club owned by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim, who is repeatedly criticized by Valencia's fans for his lack of investment in the squad.

Valencia coach Rubén Baraja surprised by aligning central defender Mouctar Diakhaby as a box-to-box holding midfielder. The move paid off. Diakhaby was found by André Almeida arriving late to the area to score in the 59th minute.

“It was a position that I think he can play in because he has energy and likes to dispute the ball,” Baraja said about Diakhaby. “He did a great job for us and the goal was a bonus that we did not expect. We deserved this prize.”

Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri equalized for the hosts in the 69th by heading in a cross by Suso.

Valencia also got impressive performance from attacking players Diego López (21) and Fran Pérez (20) to help pull off the upset at Sevilla, last season’s Europa League winner.

Sevilla next faces Manchester City in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.

No offer for Bounou

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou started for Sevilla amid speculation in the local media that Real Madrid could be interested in signing him to replace the injured Thibaut Courtois, who will miss several months after tearing a knee ligament on Thursday.

Sevilla president Pepe Castro said that Madrid has not made any moves to sign his club’s goalie.

“Sevilla has not received any offers (for Bounou) from any club,” Castro said.

Rayo wins

Rayo Vallecano forward Randy Nteka scored one goal and helped produce another in a 2-0 win at Almeria.

Rayo took control of the league’s inaugural match thanks to two early penalties in the debut of coach Francisco Rodríguez, who replaced the successful Andoni Iraola after he took over Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Midfielder Isi Palazón, Rayo’s leading scorer last season, converted a 20th-minute penalty after Almeria defender Edgar González fouled Nteka in the area while disputing a ball.

Nteka, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Elche, fired a second spot kick into the corner of the net eight minutes later after Almeria’s Sergio Akieme used his arm to block a cross by Nteka in the area.

Last season, Rayo flirted with a Europa League berth before finishing 11th. This summer it reinforced its squad with the arrival of central defender Aridane Hernández from Osasuna and left back Alfonso Espino from Cádiz.

Madrid opens its season on Saturday at Athletic Bilbao, while Barcelona is at Getafe on Sunday.

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Neymar Says He May Retire by End of 2026

Santos' forward Neymar #10 looks on during the Campeonato Paulista football match between Santos and Botafogo de Ribeirao Preto at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on February 5, 2025. (AFP)
Santos' forward Neymar #10 looks on during the Campeonato Paulista football match between Santos and Botafogo de Ribeirao Preto at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on February 5, 2025. (AFP)
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Neymar Says He May Retire by End of 2026

Santos' forward Neymar #10 looks on during the Campeonato Paulista football match between Santos and Botafogo de Ribeirao Preto at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on February 5, 2025. (AFP)
Santos' forward Neymar #10 looks on during the Campeonato Paulista football match between Santos and Botafogo de Ribeirao Preto at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on February 5, 2025. (AFP)

Brazil striker Neymar, ‌who extended his contract with his childhood club Santos last month, said that he may retire by the end of the year.

The 34-year-old forward returned to his boyhood club Santos in January 2025 and played a key role in their survival in the Brazilian top flight, scoring five times in their last ‌five matches.

But Neymar, ‌who has struggled with ‌injuries ⁠in recent seasons, ⁠remains doubtful for participation at the World Cup this year.

"I don't know what will happen from now on, I don't know about next year," he told Brazilian online channel Caze on Friday.

"It ⁠may be that when December comes, ‌I'll want to ‌retire. I'm living year to year now."

"This ‌year is a very important year, not ‌only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it's a World Cup year, and for me too," Neymar said.

Neymar, ‌who recently underwent successful knee surgery, has scored 79 goals ⁠for ⁠Brazil, the highest by any player, but he has not featured for the national side since October 2023.

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear over the past year that he will only include players who are fully fit for the World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Sports

Arteta Dismisses ‘Bottlers’ Talk Amid Title Wobble

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
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Arteta Dismisses ‘Bottlers’ Talk Amid Title Wobble

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on February 18, 2026. (AFP)

Arsenal manager Mikel ‌Arteta rejected the term 'bottlers' ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit to Tottenham Hotspur, as the title race heats up after their lead was cut short by successive Premier League draws at Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Arsenal have won just two of their last seven league games, with second-placed Manchester City now five points behind with a game in hand.

Under ‌Arteta, the ‌North London club has finished as ‌the ⁠runners-up in their ⁠last three campaigns.

"It’s not part of my vocabulary and I don’t see it like this because I don’t think anybody wants to do that as an intention," Arteta told reporters on Friday, when asked about ⁠the term being used regarding their ‌latest wobble in ‌the title race.

"That’s individual opinion, perspective. You have to ‌respect that. That’s what I said after ‌in the press conference. You lose two points against Wolves in the manner that the game played out, you have to take it on ‌the chin. It's part of our role."

"What I’m very interested in ⁠is ⁠the next one, what we are made of, what we love about this and how we write our own destiny from here."

Arsenal have also reached the League Cup final and the round of 16 in the Champions League and the FA Cup.

Meanwhile, Tottenham, who are 16th in the Premier League, will enter into Sunday's game under newly appointed manager Igor Tudor, who replaced Thomas Frank last week.

Sports

IOC Boss Coventry Hails Milano Cortina Games a Success

20 February 2026, Italy, Milan: President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry holds a press conference. (dpa)
20 February 2026, Italy, Milan: President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry holds a press conference. (dpa)
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IOC Boss Coventry Hails Milano Cortina Games a Success

20 February 2026, Italy, Milan: President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry holds a press conference. (dpa)
20 February 2026, Italy, Milan: President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry holds a press conference. (dpa)

The Milano Cortina Olympics exceeded expectations despite a shaky build-up, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said on Friday, hailing the first spread-out Winter Games a success.

"These Games are truly ... successful in a new way of doing things, in a sustainable way of doing things, in a way that I think many people thought maybe we couldn't do, or couldn't be done well, and it's been done extremely well, and it's surpassed everyone's expectations," Coventry told a press conference.

It was the International Olympic Committee chief's clearest endorsement yet of a format that split events across several Alpine clusters rather than concentrating them in one host city.

Her assessment came after two weeks in which organizers sought to prove that a geographically dispersed Games could still deliver a consistent athlete experience.

The smooth delivery ‌comes after years ‌of logistical and political challenges, including construction delays at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena ‌and ⁠controversy over building ⁠a new sliding center in Cortina against IOC advice.

Organizers have also faced isolated disruptions during the Games, such as suspected sabotage on rail lines and protests in Milan over housing and environmental issues.

Transport concerns across the dispersed venues have been mitigated by limited cross-regional travel among spectators, though some competitors had to walk to the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in heavy snowfall that stopped traffic.

Central to the success of the Games, Coventry argued, was the effort to standardize conditions across multiple athlete villages despite the distances separating venues from Cortina d’Ampezzo to ⁠Livigno and Bormio.

Italian athletes’ performances also helped ticket sales, which amounted to ‌about 1.4 million.

"And the athletes are extremely happy. And they're happy ‌because the experiences that the MiCo (Milano Cortina) team and my team delivered to them have been the same," she ‌said.

Mixed relay silver medalist Tommaso Giacomel did, however, lament the fact there was no Olympic village near ‌the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena and that competitors were dotted around different hotels near the venue instead of in one place.

TWO OPENING CEREMONIES

Two opening ceremonies were held - the main one at Milan’s San Siro stadium and a more low-key parade on Cortina d’Ampezzo's Corso Italia, where athletes and spectators were within touching distance.

Feedback from competitors suggested the more intimate ‌settings had in some cases enhanced the Olympic atmosphere, Coventry said, taking the Cortina opening ceremony as an example.

The Zimbabwean, presiding over her first Games ⁠as IOC chief after elections in ⁠2025, framed Milano Cortina as proof of concept for future hosts grappling with rising costs and climate constraints, while acknowledging adjustments would follow.

"It allows us to really look at ourselves and look at the things that we have in place and how we're then going to make certain adjustments for the future," she said.

Beyond logistics, Coventry pointed to the broader impact of the Games, highlighting gender balance - with women making up 47% of competitors - and global engagement as marks of progress.

"But it's been an incredible experience and we're all very proud to have gender equity playing a big role in the delivery of the Games," she said, describing a "tremendous Games" in which athletes have "come together and shared in their passion".

With the closing ceremony in Verona approaching, Coventry said the focus would soon shift to a formal evaluation process, but insisted the headline conclusion was already clear.

"So we look forward to doing that and to learning from all the incredible experiences that I think all of the stakeholders have had across these Games, across these past two weeks," she said.