Barcelona followed up its rout of Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final with a comfortable 5-1 victory over Real Betis in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. Gavi and Jules Koundé scored a goal each in the first half-hour and Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal added to the lead in the second half to give the Catalan club the win and a spot in the quarterfinals. It was the fourth straight victory in 2025 for Barcelona, which on Sunday defeated Madrid 5-2 in Saudi Arabia to win the Spanish Super Cup. “We wanted to keep the momentum from the Super Cup here at home in front of our fans,” Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí said. “We continue like this and keep the foot on the throttle. The (Christmas) break did well for us, we were able to refresh.” Barcelona had lost its last two games in 2024 before going on a winning streak against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey and Athletic Bilbao and Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup. Playmaker Dani Olmo, registered in the last minute after a long battle between Barcelona, the Spanish league and Spain's federation because of a missed deadline by the club, helped set up Gavi's opening goal in the third minute at Montjuic stadium. Yamal gave the pass for Koundé's goal in the 27th. Koundé thought he had added to the lead in first-half stoppage time but his effort was disallowed by video review because he was offside. Yamal also had one called back by the VAR because of offside early in the second half. Barcelona's third goal finally counted when Raphinha found the net in a breakaway in the 58th. Torres scored the fourth from inside the area in the 67th, a few minutes after coming off the bench, and Yamal sealed it after a nice run in the 75th. Read: Bayern Munich wants to retain forward Mathys Tel amid Chelsea links. Vitor Roque scored Betis' lone goal by converting an 84th-minute penalty kick. Atletico keeps winning Atletico Madrid, playing without many regular starters, routed second-division club Elche 4-0 to extend its record winning streak to 15 matches. The club had never won more than 13 games in a row across all competitions before. Alexander Sorloth scored from close range in the eighth and converted a 29th-minute penalty kick. Rodrigo Riquelme scored the third from long range in the 61st, and Julián Álvarez closed the scoring in the 75th. Elche played a man down from the 50th after Nicolás Fernández was sent off with a second yellow card. Other results Álvaro Rodríguez scored two minutes into the match as Getafe won 1-0 at fourth-division club Pontevedra. Read more: Real Madrid begins 3-game home stretch after Barcelona loss The visitors played a man down from the 41st after a straight red card was shown to Rodríguez. An 86th-minute goal by Diego García gave Leganes a 3-2 win at second-division club Almeria. In other round-of-16 matches on Thursday, defending champion Athletic Bilbao hosts Osasuna and Real Madrid welcomes Celta Vigo.

Real Madrid aims to bounce back from their recent 5-2 loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final with the help of a three-game home streak, reports AP. The sequence of matches begins on Thursday with a Copa del Rey last-16 clash against Celta Vigo, followed by a La Liga fixture against Las Palmas on Sunday and a Champions League encounter with Salzburg on 22 January. Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior banned for two matches after red card Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed disappointment over the loss but emphasised the importance of looking ahead. “We are sad and disappointed,” Ancelotti said. “We must focus on regaining the momentum we had before this match against Barcelona.” Before the defeat, Madrid had won five consecutive matches across all competitions. However, Barcelona has consistently been a challenging opponent, also defeating Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu in October during La Liga. Midfielder Luka Modrić urged the team to rally together and respond positively. “We need to stick together and react as we did after losing to them in La Liga,” Modrić said. “It’s tough to see your biggest rival score nine goals across two matches, but I’m confident we’ll recover. There’s still a long season ahead, and we’ll give our fans plenty to celebrate.” Currently, Madrid sits second in La Liga, one point behind Atlético Madrid and five points ahead of third-placed Barcelona at the halfway mark of the season. In the Champions League, they rank 20th in the 36-team league phase. Ancelotti will face additional challenges, including the absence of Vinícius Júnior for the Las Palmas game due to a red-card suspension, which the club failed to overturn on appeal. Defensive issues also persist, with injuries to players like Éder Militão and Dani Carvajal forcing makeshift solutions, particularly at right back. Ancelotti hinted at potential signings during the transfer window to address these vulnerabilities. Injured Mbappé to travel with Real Madrid to Qatar with hopes of playing Intercontinental Cup final Reflecting on the Super Cup loss, Ancelotti acknowledged defensive lapses. “We didn’t defend well, and it cost us. They scored too easily,” he said. Meanwhile, Copa del Rey matches are in full swing. Barcelona hosts Real Betis on Wednesday, aiming to build on their three-match winning streak this year under Hansi Flick. On the same day, Atlético Madrid, currently on a club-record 14-game winning streak, visits second-division Elche. Defending champions Athletic Bilbao will play Osasuna on Thursday, while Real Sociedad hosts Rayo Vallecano.

Barcelona was defeated 2-1 at home by Las Palmas on Saturday, marking its first home loss of the season. Sandro Ramirez and Fábio Silva scored for Las Palmas, while Raphinha netted an equalizer for Barcelona, but it wasn't enough to prevent the surprise defeat. Las Palmas claimed its first victory at Barcelona in over 50 years, with their last win at Camp Nou dating back to the 1971-72 season. Barcelona had been in excellent form under new coach Hansi Flick, with victories over Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and had won all eight of its home games. However, their recent form has dipped, as they have gone without a win in the last three rounds of La Liga, following losses to Real Sociedad and a draw with Celta Vigo. Raphinha, who scored Barcelona's only goal, expressed frustration after the match. “I don’t care about scoring, I care about winning,” he said. “We have to take a hard look at what we are doing wrong. We have slipped in our form and are letting games slip away from us. We need to turn this around to win the league.” Read: Lamine Yamal set to make his return for Barcelona following ankle injury The defeat allowed Atletico Madrid, which crushed Valladolid 5-0, to close the gap to just two points behind Barcelona, with the same number of games played. Antoine Griezmann's brilliant goal in the win further underlined Atletico's strong position. Las Palmas' historic win was built on solid teamwork, as they outplayed Barcelona's high-pressure tactics. After Raphinha hit the crossbar in the first half, he equalized with a fine strike in the 61st minute. However, Las Palmas capitalized on Barcelona's push for a second goal, with Silva scoring the decisive goal in the 67th minute. Barcelona's anniversary celebrations were overshadowed by the loss, which also saw left-back Alejandro Balde injured early in the game and replaced by Gerard Martín. Atletico Madrid's Griezmann was hailed for his stunning performance in a 5-0 victory over Valladolid, where he scored one of the season’s best goals. Meanwhile, Espanyol ended its four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over Celta, and Alaves drew 1-1 with Leganes. Source: With inputs from agencies  

When Joan Monfort took photos of Lionel Messi with a baby for a charity calendar almost 17 years ago, he knew the long-haired young man would make it big in soccer. He could not have imagined the little boy would as well. The baby in the photos — which have gone viral — was none other than Lamine Yamal, the Spanish wunderkind, who at 16 is showing such promise that he’s already being compared to the greats. The youngest to have played for Spain, he became the youngest player ever in the ongoing European Championship in Germany. Messi’s 109th goal leads defending champion Argentina over Canada 2-0 and into Copa America final One of the long-forgotten photos from 2007 resurfaced after Yamal’s father posted it on Instagram last week with the text “the beginning of two legends.” Monfort, 56, who works as a freelance photographer for The Associated Press and others, said the photo shoot took place in the visitors’ locker room at Barcelona’s Camp Nou in the autumn of 2007, when Yamal was just a few months old. Barcelona players posed with children and their families for a calendar as part of an annual charity drive by local newspaper Diario Sport and UNICEF. Monfort was in charge of the photo shoots — and it just so happened that Messi was paired with Yamal’s family. His mother, who is from Equatorial Guinea, is next to Messi and the baby in one of the photos. “We made the calendar with the help of UNICEF. So UNICEF did a raffle in the neighborhood of Roca Fonda in Mataró where Lamine’s family lived. They signed up for the raffle to have their picture taken at the Camp Nou with a Barca player. And they won the raffle,” Monfort said. It wasn’t an easy assignment, he recalled, mainly because Messi wasn’t sure how to interact with baby Lamine, who was in a plastic tub for the shoot. “Messi is a pretty introverted guy, he’s shy,” Monfort said. “He was coming out of the locker room and suddenly he finds himself in another locker room with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it. It was complicated. He didn’t even know how to hold him at first.” Messi was 20 at the time and already considered a big talent, but it would take a couple of years before he made his mark as the most outstanding player of his generation for Barcelona and Argentina. Sr. Division Football : Mohakhali Ekadosh beat Bangladesh Boys by 1-0 goal Like Messi, Yamal has gone through Barcelona’s renowned La Masia youth academy. Despite his age, he’s been one of Spain’s best players at Euro 2024, where his team will play France in the semifinals on Tuesday. Yamal will turn 17 on Saturday, the day before the final in Berlin. Monfort, 56, had no idea it was Yamal in those photos from 2007 until a friend messaged him as they started trending online. He’s had a long career as a sports photographer since 1991, following Barcelona around the world, but said he’s never experienced this level of excitement around any of his photos. “It’s very exciting to be associated with something that has caused such a sensation,” he said. “To tell you the truth it’s a very nice feeling.”

Lenovo is one of the most well-known brands when it comes to design and innovation. It’s the same company that brought the world’s first foldable laptop with the ThinkPad X1 Fold. This year, Lenovo took things a step further by unveiling the world’s first transparent laptop at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2024. Here’s what we know so far.  The Story So Far  This year, the trend seems to be transparent. Earlier, at the CES 2024, both Samsung and LG showcased transparent televisions as the future of in-house entertainment systems. LG went a notch up with a retractable black screen for a more ‘normalized’ viewing experience.  Keeping up with that, Lenovo brought a proof-of-concept product Project Crystal in the CES 2024. It was a Concept Laptop with a transparent display.  Read more: Samsung Galaxy Ring: Specs, Features, and Probable Release Date The completely transparent laptop, called ThinkBook, was finally displayed by Lenovo at the MWS2024 event in Barcelona.   Making Transparent Laptop a Reality Tom Butler, the executive director of Lenovo’s Worldwide Product Management division talked in detail about the new transparent laptop. The 17.3-inch laptop uses micro-LED technology to achieve the transparent look of the ThinkBook. Lenovo incorporated a 55% transparency on the display to make it optimally visible for both indoor and outdoor use. The display can churn out up to 1000 nits with the screen resolution standing at 720P.  Lenovo talked about the limitations of OLED and why they had to opt for a micro-LED solution. With the currently available tech, the R&D team couldn't push beyond 480P with an OLED panel. There’s also the limitation of transparency as the laptop cannot incorporate a black screen for absolute contrast.  Read more: OPPO Air Glass 3: What's Special About It A Paradigm Shift For the Future  With its current set of limitations, it is clear that Lenovo isn’t planning to release the ThinkBook as a mainstream laptop. Instead, the proof-of-concept product would see its feature trickle down to the mainstream product lineup over the next 5 years. 

Xavi Hernández won't continue as Barcelona's coach after this season, saying he can't get the team out of a slump. Xavi announced his decision on Saturday, minutes after Barcelona lost to Villarreal 5-3 in the Spanish league, leaving it 10 points adrift of leader Real Madrid. "I would like to announce that on June 30 I will cease being the coach of Barça," Xavi said. "As a Barcelona fan, I can't allow this situation to continue, we need a change of course and of dynamics." BPL Football: Both fixtures end goalless on Saturday Xavi said he made the decision "several days ago," and although the hard defeat to Villarreal set the scene for him to announce the decision, he "would have made" it soon enough. He said he hoped this decision will decrease the stress and tension his team is enduring. "The feeling of being the coach of Barcelona is cruel, it is unpleasant, you feel like you don't get the respect you deserve," Xavi said. "It wears you down, affects your mental health, your emotions, up to the point that you say you can't go on. My loved ones know that." Xavi returned to Barcelona as the coach in November 2021 with his only experience a stint in Qatar. He has a contract through the end of next season. The 44-year-old Xavi led Barcelona to the Spanish Super Cup title and the Spanish league title last season, the club's first trophies since the exit of Lionel Messi. The club mortgaged its future to help him do that by signing players like Robert Lewandowski. BPL Football: Holders Bashundhara Kings to play Dhaka Abahani Ltd in a titan battle on Friday But Barcelona has struggled this season and has shown severe signs of suffering a collapse this month. Barcelona saw its best two chances of getting a title in this campaign evaporate recently. Xavi's side exited the Copa del Rey quarterfinals after losing in extra time at Athletic Bilbao 4-2 on Wednesday, a loss that came two weeks after Barcelona was dismantled by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup. After the Villarreal debacle Xavi said his players' lacked the "maturity" to know how to hold onto leads, and after the Bilbao loss he also underscored that he was playing with several young players. But that seemed at odds with the fact that his starting side was led with veterans like Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan and players in their prime like Pedri González and Frenkie de Jong. Federation Cup Football: Sheikh Jamal DC assure knock out stage outplaying Rahmatganj MFS 4-1 Barcelona is set to play Napoli in the Champions League round of 16 next month. Xavi said he was still motivated to lead the team at what is no doubt a long-shot bid at ending his stint with a European Cup.

Huawei is offering a three-day tour to Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, scheduled to be held in Spain's Barcelona, through a social media contest. "Anyone can participate in the #SeedsTourMWC24 UGC Campaign. The top three winners will go on the tour from 25-28 February. Huawei will provide air tickets and accommodation for four nights," said a press release. Two-day long Islami Bank business development conference begins To participate in the campaign, in the first round, participants must share Huawei's campaign announcement (https://www.facebook.com/huawei/posts/pfbid02P6DSsd6AjUQaYRunPL9toKDyCGA...) post on their personal Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn accounts, accompanied by their response to the question, "What are you most excited to discover at MWC 2024 Barcelona?".

The football community was shaken on June 7 by the announcement that Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the all-time greats in the sport, will be joining Major League Soccer (MLS) and playing for Inter Miami CF following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain.  The Argentine football star is set to become the newest addition to the star-studded roster of Major League Soccer. Despite rumored offers from Saudi Arabia and a potential return to Barcelona, Messi has decided to make his way to Miami, Florida in the US, for the concluding phase of his illustrious career. Messi’s Contract and Salary Detail at Inter Miami Messi was earning an estimated $45 million per year (net) during his time in Paris. However, it’s important to note that MLS has a strict salary cap and roster regulations in place to prevent excessive contracts with individual players. As a result, the specific details of the deal Messi could potentially secure in MLS would be subject to these regulations. The terms of his contract would need to follow the salary cap and roster rules set by the league. Read Mission completed: Man City beats Inter Milan to end wait for first Champions League title  According to reports, Messi has reached an agreement on a two-and-a-half-year contract with Inter Miami, with the inclusion of a 12-month option for 2026. This complex agreement, reportedly involving contributions from Apple and Adidas, has been planned to facilitate the move, benefitting all parties involved in the long term. The contract entails Messi receiving a base salary along with additional bonuses. Messi’s contract is reportedly valued at around $125 million to $150 million. MLS sponsors Apple and Adidas are said to be working on agreements that will be tied to the revenue Messi generates as a prominent figure in the league.  Additionally, there is a possibility of Messi being granted an ownership stake, similar to the arrangement given to David Beckham when he joined MLS. Read more: No homecoming for Messi as Barcelona again fails to do enough to lure him back When is Messi’s First Match with Inter Miami? The specific date of Lionel Messi’s debut in MLS with Inter Miami CF has not been officially announced at the moment. Various reports suggest different dates, but it is widely believed that Messi’s proposed debut could take place on July 21. However, alternative timeframes such as “later in July, at the earliest” or even “August” have also been mentioned. The MLS regular season will end on October 21 and playoffs will start from October 25. And the final game is set to take place on December 9. So, Messi might get a few matches in the regular season. However, July 21 is a significant date as Inter Miami will host Mexican club Cruz Azul  for the Leagues Cup. Another date to keep an eye on is July 19, as it marks the grand unveiling event: the 2023 MLS All-Star Game at DC United’s Audi Field. On this occasion, the MLS All-Star XI will face English Premier League team Arsenal in the highly anticipated annual showcase match. If Messi is not participating in this game, it is highly likely that he will be introduced to a thrilled crowd during a prime-time presentation. Read more: Lionel Messi picks MLS's Inter Miami in a move that stuns soccer after exit from Paris Saint-Germain What Kind of Impact Can Messi Make? To begin with, Inter Miami is expanding DRV PNK Stadium by adding approximately 2,500 to 3,000 seats. This development indicates that the capacity will likely increase to 22,000 spectators. Moreover, Miami Freedom Park is set to debut in March 2025. Just envision the spectacle of opening night with Messi in the starting lineup.

Real Madrid will side against Barcelona in the legal proceedings that the rival is facing over its payments of millions of euros over several years to a company that belonged to the vice president of Spain’s soccer refereeing committee, Madrid said Sunday after an urgent board meeting. The decision came two days after prosecutors formally accused Barcelona of alleged corruption in sports, fraudulent management and falsification of mercantile documentation. An investigating judge will decide whether the accusations should lead to charges. “Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system,” Madrid said in a statement after the board meeting. “The club has agreed that, in defense of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties.” It was the first time Madrid officially weighed in on the matter. Other clubs had already expressed their concerns over the Barcelona payments, as did the Spanish league and the Spanish soccer federation. The league also planned to take action against Barcelona in the legal proceedings. Barcelona has been under scrutiny since the payments to the committee official became public last month. The payments were initially investigated as part of a tax probe into the company. Barcelona has consistently denied any wrongdoing or conflict of interest, saying it paid for technical reports on referees but never tried to influence their decisions in games. Prosecutors said in court documents seen by The Associated Press that the payments by the club added up to 7.3 million euros ($7.7 million) from 2001-18. They added that this “quantity was not justified because it was not foreseen in the statutes of the club nor approved by its general assembly (of club members).” Prosecutors alleged that the former vice president of the committee, José María Enríquez Negreira, “in exchange for money, was to carry out acts tending to favor Barcelona football club in the decision-making process of referees in the games played by Barcelona, and in the results of the competitions.” There is so far no evidence that referees or game results were actually influenced.

A demonstration on how the use of 5G will make it possible to secure high-risk industrial management in the future has been exhibited at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. King Felipe of Spain on Monday inaugurated the four-day conference of all the telecom companies of the world. Some 80,000 delegates are expected at the annual gathering of the big players of the telecom industry. At the Mobile World Congress, many tech manufacturers are announcing 5G technology for virtual interactive applications, robot clusters, automated driving, smart wearables, automated patrol inspections, smart mining, smart tunneling, and other applications in coal mining. The 5G has been the centre of attention at this year’s congress. The industry giants have been demonstrating the necessary use of 5G technologies not only in industrial production but also in people’s lives. The demonstrations of 5 G-powered devices include, among others, unmanned helicopters and routers. T-Mobile is exhibiting unmanned helicopters. This helicopter can take off and land safely with passengers without a pilot. The helicopter can even make an emergency landing by choosing the nearest safe place if it detects any adverse conditions while flying in the sky. The 5G router will be completely different from the current routers. Meanwhile, the 5G technology will completely overhaul the routers we see today. The 5G-powered wireless routers will only connect to the network through a code from a specific operator. And with the bandwidth that this router will have, it will be possible to keep all kinds of smart devices in the family connected to high-speed Internet.