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Barcelona Inches Closer to Madrid Rivals in Spanish League with 4-1 Win at Sevilla

Barcelona's Polish forward #09 Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Spanish league football match between Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville on February 9, 2025. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)
Barcelona's Polish forward #09 Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Spanish league football match between Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville on February 9, 2025. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)
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Barcelona Inches Closer to Madrid Rivals in Spanish League with 4-1 Win at Sevilla

Barcelona's Polish forward #09 Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Spanish league football match between Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville on February 9, 2025. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)
Barcelona's Polish forward #09 Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Spanish league football match between Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville on February 9, 2025. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)

Barcelona is making sure there will be a three-way fight for the Spanish league title.
The Catalan club moved closer to rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the top of the standings on Sunday by routing Sevilla 4-1, The Associated Press reported.
Robert Lewandowski, Fermín López, Raphinha and Eric García scored a goal each as Barcelona took advantage of the 1-1 draw between Madrid and Atletico in the capital derby on Saturday.
Third-placed Barcelona is now two points behind leader Madrid and one point behind Atletico.
Barcelona had a comfortable away win despite playing with 10 men from the 62nd when López was sent off for a hard foul. The red card was shown after a video review.
It was the third straight league win for Barcelona, and its ninth victory in 11 matches across all competitions.
Sevilla, in 13th place, has won only one of its last five league games.
Lewandowski put Barcelona ahead in the seventh minute with his eighth goal in his last nine games in all competitions. Ruben Vargas equalized a minute later for the hosts before López put Barcelona back in front in the 46th. Raphinha added to the lead in the 55th and García sealed the win in the 89th.
“We needed to win to stay in contention and put some pressure on our rivals,” Barcelona defender Iñigo Martínez said. “The team is playing with a lot of confidence right now and we know that we can still improve. We need to stay on this track.”
Defender Jules Koundé made his 124th appearance for Barcelona, equaling the mark of Ludovic Giuly in fifth place for the most appearances for Barcelona by a French player. Éric Abidal tops that list with 193 appearances.
Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo had to be substituted about 20 minutes into the match with a right ankle injury.

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Sports

Sport Ministry Launches Ticketing Platform Accreditation Service Through Riyadhi Platform

Sport Ministry Launches Ticketing Platform Accreditation Service Through Riyadhi Platform
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Sport Ministry Launches Ticketing Platform Accreditation Service Through Riyadhi Platform

Sport Ministry Launches Ticketing Platform Accreditation Service Through Riyadhi Platform

The Saudi Ministry of Sport announced on Sunday the launch of a service to accredit platforms that sell and resell tickets for sports competitions and events in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The service is available through the ministry’s Riyadhi Platform (riyadhi.sa) and aims to regulate ticket sales and resale in accordance with ministry-approved regulations while streamlining accreditation procedures for investors and platform operators, according to SPA.

The ministry previously granted ticketing platform operators a 90-day grace period, starting from October 26, when the regulations governing ticket sales for sports competitions and events were issued, to update their systems and align their operations with the approved technical and regulatory requirements.

Sports

Sabalenka Apologizes for Outburst During Loss to Svitolina

13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Sabalenka Apologizes for Outburst During Loss to Svitolina

13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Aryna Sabalenka apologized on Saturday for her angry outburst during her defeat by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the WTA Finals.

Television footage appeared to show the Belarusian swearing during Friday's round-robin match, with some social media users interpreting her remarks as being directed at Svitolina or Ukrainians. The loss eliminated Sabalenka from the season-ending tournament.

"My comment was not directed at Elina," Sabalenka said in a social ⁠media post.

"I was ⁠frustrated with a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering my mistakes, and I reacted emotionally in the moment.

"That said, I should have handled my frustration differently, and I apologize to anyone I offended.

"Elina played a great match, ⁠and I wish her all the best for the rest of the tournament."

Svitolina did not shake hands with Sabalenka after the match, maintaining her policy of not doing so with Russian or Belarusian opponents following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow launched with Belarus as a staging ground.

Asked about her reaction to Sabalenka's apology, Svitolina called for mutual respect, acknowledging that fans' passions ⁠can ⁠sometimes run high.

"We've played many times with Aryna. She has her fans, I have my fans," she told reporters after her semi-final win over Linda Noskova on Saturday.

According to Reuters, she expressed hope that matches between the two of them would be respected, "because yes, sometimes in some matches that we've played, also been not great comments towards me in regards of the war."

Svitolina, the 2018 WTA Finals champion, faces Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in Sunday's final.

Sports

Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)

The Portugal football team is making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as “CR7,” retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

“Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify “Greatest Of All Time.”

It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.

Portugal, already assured of reaching the quarterfinals, was hosting Denmark in the Nations League later Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team’s training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.