European soccer news: Man United do just enough, Girona return to the top, more

Saturday was another fun day across European soccer, with talking points galore in the English FA Cup, Spain’s LaLiga and the German Bundesliga among others. The highlights: Maidstone United shrugged off their minnows status to shock Ipswich Town 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round, Barcelona came back from 2-0 down vs. Villarreal only to lose 5-3, and Harry Kane scored as Bayern Munich held on to defeat Augsburg 3-2.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid continued their status as comeback kings to retake top spot in LaLiga, Chelsea thumped Brighton in the Women’s Super League with Lauren James scoring twice, and a pitch invader stopped play in England’s League One.

Twenty-four hours later, Manchester United moved on to the FA Cup fifth round with a win at fourth-tier Newport County, Anfield kicked off the long farewell to Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool beat Norwich City in the fourth round, and Girona again undid Madrid’s efforts to lead LaLiga once more.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Here is what you missed on another roller-coaster weekend in European football.

SUNDAY REVIEW

The Sunday lead: Man United do enough … just

It’s on to the FA Cup fifth round for Manchester United after a harrowing scare by … Newport County? The jokes and the memes about the opposition rolled off the tongue of social media, but the reception from Rodney Parade ensured that the League Two hosts would be no pushovers.

You wouldn’t know it by the opening quarter hour, though. United were two goals to the good, thanks to finishes from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, and the final 75 minutes should’ve been a formality.

If you’ve watched much of Erik ten Hag’s side this season, though, you’ll know how unlikely that was to be the case. Bryn Morris halved the deficit nine minutes before the interval, and two minutes after the restart, Will Evans had levelled the score.

A chant of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” was directed at Ten Hag before the match, and had the tide continued to turn in favour of Newport, the sentiment wouldn’t have been as fanciful as it so often is when suggested by those in the terraces.

Eventually, though, Man United got hold of themselves. Antony put the visitors in front with 22 minutes of the match remaining before Rasmus Hojlund delivered an insurance goal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time in the 4-2 win.

The Red Devils had done enough to move on to the fifth round. Ten Hag did enough to save himself from uncomfortable questions about his future. If only just. — Austin Lindberg

Sunday talking points around the leagues

Girona retake their spot at the top

Girona beat Celta Vigo 1-0 to return to the top of LaLiga on Sunday, leapfrogging Real Madrid to set up a potentially season-defining few weeks in the Spanish top flight. Portu scored the only goal of the game as the Catalan side extended their unbeaten streak in the league to 14 games, moving on to 55 points from 22 matches.

They could have scored more at Balaidos, too, but for the heroics of goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, who ensured LaLiga’s joint top scorer, Artem Dovbyk, did not add to his 14-goal haul. Celta also had chances. Jørgen Strand Larsen hit the bar and Anastasios Douvikas missed a one-on-one in the first half, but the home side rarely threatened after the break as the pressure increased on under-fire coach Rafa Benítez.

Benítez’s situation could not be more different from Míchel’s. However, the Girona coach is still refusing to place his team in the title race. He does, finally, acknowledge they are in a good position to qualify for Europe for the first time next season — and that the UEFA Champions League is looking increasingly like a possibility.

What they can aspire to might become clearer in the next few weeks. Madrid play their game on Thursday against Getafe and then host Atlético Madrid, while Girona welcome Real Sociedad next weekend. Then, on Feb. 10, it’s time for Madrid vs. Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu. Who had that down as a potential title decider back in August? — Sam Marsden

Miedema’s first goal since 2022 inspires Arsenal

Arsenal extended their perfect record away to Liverpool with a dominant win on Sunday to wrap up the weekend’s football and keep themselves within touching distance of Chelsea at the top of the WSL.

A little flat at times, the Gunners saw most of the ball but needed a moment of brilliance from Vivianne Miedema to break the deadlock on the hour. Against a changed Liverpool team that focused on trying to stem the Arsenal flow rather than going forward with their best attackers, Miedema’s strike not only gave the visitors a deserved lead but marked the striker’s first goal since suffering an ACL injury in December 2022.

Miedema was the second of Arsenal’s ACL club to return to action, and the second to find the scoresheet, following on from Beth Mead earlier in the season. Her goal caps off a strong week for the Gunners that also saw Leah Williamson return after her own ACL layoff, Arsenal’s captain making her first appearance in their midweek league cup win with an assist.

On Merseyside, Caitlin Foord added to the scoring as the visitors hit their stride with Emily Fox playing a key role on the right side of the Arsenal defence/attack, first teeing up Miedema before grabbing the second assist on Foord’s goal. The United States international already is proving her worth in just her second league start since making the move this window.

The win, Arsenal’s fourth across three competitions since the turn of the year, displayed their ability to break teams down, although the Gunners are still a little on the wasteful side in front of goal. For Matt Beard, whose Liverpool team claimed a shock win at the Emirates on the first day of the season, the defensive gamble didn’t pay off with his team managing only one shot on target, late into second-half stoppage time. — Sophie Lawson

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Americans abroad: An unsatisfactory Sunday

If Saturday was solid but unspectacular for U.S. men’s national team players plying their trade in the Old World, then Sunday was, well, it was worse than that.

Josh Sargent didn’t make the squad in Norwich’s FA Cup defeat to Liverpool, although manager David Wagner said before the match that the 23-year-old Missouri native merely wasn’t physically ready for a third game in a week. Luca de la Torre played 66 minutes for Celta Vigo in their valiant defeat at league leaders Girona.

Gio Reyna appeared in his seventh straight match for Borussia Dortmund, coming off the bench in all of them, and his 24-minute cameo in the win over VfL Bochum was the second-longest appearance over that stretch. In the Championship, Reggie Cannon limped out of his fifth straight start for QPR after just 12 minutes, having just begun to establish himself at the west London club. — Lindberg

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News of the day

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And finally on Sunday …

Jurgen Klopp made it known after he announced this would be his final season in charge at Liverpool: he wanted the focus to be on football, not him. And as colleague Mark Ogden laid out earlier in the day, by and large, Anfield obliged.

There can be little doubt, though, that Sunday’s rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” carried with it a touch more emotion than usual. Even for the neutral, it was a moment to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. — Lindberg

You’ll Never Walk Alone ♥️#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/o6EOxJCf3T

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 28, 2024

SATURDAY REVIEW

The lead: Non-league Maidstone serve up some FA Cup magic

The FA Cup is the world’s oldest national cup competition and despite the best efforts of richer, stronger entities, it has managed to remain exhilarating for one devastatingly simple reason: anyone can play anyone in any round. For pub teams or semi-pro sides that have grafted through several qualifying rounds to reach the business end of the competition, there’s the potential to host a Premier League giant or, better yet, get a chance to play at an Anfield or Old Trafford.

And so it came to pass at Portman Road early on Saturday, as non-league Maidstone United — the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, exactly 98 places below their opponents — arrived to play high-flying Championship side Ipswich Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup … and beat them 2-1.

Destination: Dreamland.

It wasn’t just an enthralling end-to-end game that quickened the pulse far more than Spurs–Man City and Chelsea–Aston Villa had on Friday, either; it bore all the plot points of a Hollywood film in which Elijah Wood or Benedict Cumberbatch lead a ragtag bunch to victory. Maidstone had two shots in the entire game — to Ipswich’s 38 — and converted both the the cool, calm manner of a team many leagues above where they sit.

After a first half largely spent digging deep and clearing a barrage of action in their own penalty area, an elegant, Premier League-worthy counter-attack in the final seconds of the first half gave them a lead. An Ipswich corner was cleverly worked out quickly to the right flank, where Liam Sole had the vision to play Lamar Reynolds clean through on goal. With just the keeper to beat, he held his nerve to float the ball over his head and gently into the net. 1-0 Maidstone.

Normal order was briefly restored when Jeremy Sarmiento raced onto Jack Taylor‘s through-ball and fired beyond Lucas Covolan, but it wouldn’t remain tied for long as Maidstone conjured up their finishing move. Just 10 minutes later, another counter caught Ipswich flat-footed and Sam Corne held his nerve brilliantly to finish low at the near post.

From there, Ipswich threw everything at their non-league visitors — did I mention they had 38 shots to Maidstone’s 2? — but couldn’t find a way through, prompting delirium at full-time. George Elokobi (himself a former Premier League player) was a delight on the touchline as the architect of Maidstone’s success, which sees them become the first team outside England’s top five divisions to reach the FA Cup fifth round since Blyth Spartans managed it in 1978.

For all the rampant cynicism around the game’s hyper-capitalist mindset, Saturday’s scenes at Portman Road were a glorious reminder of just why we love this game so, so much. — James Tyler

Saturday talking points around the leagues

Barcelona’s doom deepens as Xavi announces he’s leaving this summer

Barcelona’s miserable run continued as they surrendered a 3-2 lead, having fought back from two goals down themselves, to lose 5-3 at home to Villarreal in an astonishing game at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday night. After an enthralling 90 minutes, Alexander Sorloth and José Luis Morales struck in the 99th and 102nd minutes respectively to seal the points for the away team and leave their host’s title defence in tatters.

Adding to the club’s woes, Xavi announced after the match that he would not continue as Barcelona manager beyond this season.

This remarkable match summed up many motifs of Barça’s season so far. They have struggle dto get going in games and here was no different, going 2-0 down after goals from Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach, who left Barça for Villarreal last summer, either side of half time. However, when they take the handbrake off, this Barça team can still be fun to watch. Ilkay Gündogan‘s clean strike got them back in the game and with the crowd smelling a comeback, they turned things around in just 11 minutes as Pedri and an Eric Bailly own goal gave them the lead.

Perhaps their mistake was coming back too soon, though, because there was still plenty of time for Villarreal to mount a comeback of their own. Goncalo Guedes equalised in the 84th minute to set up an enthralling final 20 — yes, 20! — minutes. Barça had a penalty given for handball on the pitch overturned after the VAR suggested the referee take a look at the monitor, creating an incredible image as Xavi angrily roared “Disgrace” in front of the television cameras.

And then, Barça imploded. Some comical defending and individual mistakes — the real story of their season — allowed Sorloth to win the game in the ninth minute of stoppage time. There was still time for Morales to sweep home a fifth, too, and compound Barça’s misery at their temporary home in Montjuic while Camp Nou is being redeveloped. Whistles followed from the crowd as Villarreal, who play in yellow, walked off the pitch victorious to a curious choice of song from the PA: Coldplay’s “Yellow.”

“Barça have a big handicap in that they have to play here and not at home,” Marcelino, the Villarreal coach, said after the game, yet that is no excuse for some worrying statistics.

Barça conceded 46 goals in 53 games (all competitions) last season, yet they’ve already conceded that amount in 32 matches in the current campaign. What’s more, they have leaked four or more goals three times in January, a run that’s seen them exit the Spanish Supercopa and the Copa del Rey while also falling 10 points behind league leaders Real Madrid. It’s hard to imagine they will be good enough to save their season via the Champions League at this stage, with Napoli waiting for them in the last 16 next month.

As for the Villarreal loss, it was a defeat for the history books: Saturday marked the first time they have conceded five goals at home in LaLiga since 1963, when they lost 5-1 to Madrid. — Sam Marsden

Bayern Munich suffer next injury setback in win over Augsburg

Bayern Munich’s squad seems to be getting thinner every week, which isn’t ideal as they attempt to catch up to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen. The 33-time German champions had to digest several items of bad news ahead of their weekend trip to FC Augsburg, as Dayot Upamecano, Joshua Kimmich and Konrad Laimer all suffered injuries that will see them sidelined for some time. With a threadbare core remaining, manager Thomas Tuchel was forced to find a few creative solutions, in particular using left-footed Raphaël Guerreiro as a right-back in his 4-2-3-1 formation.

Guerreiro had never played that particular position since his arrival in Germany in 2016, yet he did a commendable job in an unfamiliar role as Bayern ran out 3-2 winners. Combined with Leverkusen’s 0-0 home draw with Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern are now just two points back in second place.

Someone else who did a commendable job as well was 19-year-old midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović, with the youngster scoring the go-ahead goal after a Guerreiro corner kick wasn’t cleared by Augsburg’s Phillip Tietz. Pavlović’s maiden goal might have laid the groundwork for Bayern’s win, but any joy was immediately overshadowed by another injury setback as Kingsley Coman hurt his left foot in the lead-up to the goal. Tuchel had to take him off immediately, increasing concerns that his squad isn’t deep enough to finish the 2023-24 campaign in winning fashion.

Throughout the game, the fearless hosts (mired in 13th place) attempted to make Bayern’s life difficult with constant pressure, but as time progressed the defending champions became increasingly confident and used their long spells of possession to maintain control of the tempo and territory. Only the final minutes of stoppage time became somewhat stressful after Augsburg skipper Ermedin Demirović was fouled by Thomas Müller inside the penalty area, which allowed Demirović to score from the spot and make it 3-2.

While Bayern secured three points, they may quickly turn their attention to the remaining days of the January transfer market: right-back Sacha Boey from Galatasaray is expected to sign a contract over the weekend as one of a few potential signings could follow until the window closes. — Constantin Eckner

James strikes twice as Chelsea thump Brighton in WSL

Having made a name as something of a bogey team for the Blues, Brighton again put in a good showing when they hosted the WSL champions on Saturday evening, keeping the visitors at bay for the first half. With the two teams deadlocked 0-0 at the break, the focus shifted to Chelsea’s bench — namely the player they brought in for a record amount on Friday, Mayra Ramírez.

Ultimately, it was the starting XI Blues boss Emma Hayes had put out that made the difference when the two teams returned for the second half, with Chelsea running out 3-0 winners after a trio of goals in the 15 minutes after the break.

A game that could have been described as “flat” from a Chelsea point of view sparked into life when Lauren James superbly volleyed Niamh Charles‘ cross into the top-left corner. The second half was barely two minutes old and Chelsea doubled their lead five minutes later when Fran Kirby sent a second into the back of Sophie Baggaley‘s net.

The Seagulls attempted to respond, but the ball refused to cooperate and any hopes of a route back into the tie were dashed when James slotted a second beyond Baggaley, bringing her tally for the season to 12.

Ramírez did indeed make her debut for the Blues shortly after the hour in something of a show of strength from Hayes as the coach shuffled her side, attempting to save legs ahead of another midweek Champions League fixture. The Colombian’s cameo ended up being something of a footnote on another night when James stole the show for the champions. — Lawson

Real Madrid continue their run as comeback kings

Real Madrid also had to come from behind to win on Saturday, but they had no such problems holding on to their lead once going 2-1 ahead against Las Palmas. The win means Carlo Ancelotti’s side are now unbeaten in 15 games in LaLiga and look increasingly like Champions-elect as last season’s champions Barça continue to crumble. Girona, two points back, remain their biggest rival with 17 matchdays remaining.

With Jude Bellingham suspended — another loss on top of long-term absentees Thibaut Courtois, Éder Militão and David Alaba — there was some concern for Madrid when they fell behind in the second half at the Gran Canaria Stadium.

Javi Muñoz gave Las Palmas, one of the surprise packages in LaLiga this season, the lead. However, this is a Madrid side that does not panic. Speaking afterwards, Ancelotti said the “attitude and motivation” of the players on their bench is the key to their comeback ability. Vinícius Júnior drew them level in the 65th minute, setting the stage for substitute Aurélien Tchouaméni to head home the winner from a corner with just over five minutes to play.

This was the 10th time Madrid have come from behind to win a game this season and the second time in a week after last Sunday’s 3-2 win over Almería. They have turned a losing position into a winning one six times in LaLiga, three times in the Champions League and once in the Spanish Supercopa. — Marsden

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Americans abroad: Solid day with no standouts

There were no notable goals or moments for U.S. stars on the continent on Saturday, though several players turned in productive shifts to help their respective sides.

Cameron Carter-Vickers played the full 90 minutes as Celtic defeated Ross County 1-0 to remain top in the Scottish Premiership, Christian Pulisic (90 minutes) and Yunus Musah (second-half substitute) contributed as Milan drew 2-2 with Bologna, and Weston McKennie went the distance for Juventus in their 1-1 draw with Empoli. (Tim Weah came on around the hour mark for the Bianconeri, picking up a yellow card.)

In Germany, Joe Scally (90 minutes) and Jordan Pefok (subbed off after 79 minutes) battled gamely as Borussia Monchengladbach held on for an impressive 0-0 draw at Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. — Tyler

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News of the day

• Jurgen Klopp’s shock announcement that this will be his last season as Liverpool manager was hard to take for the players but will spur them on even more for the rest of the season, club captain Virgil van Dijk said Saturday.

• Manchester City midfielder Jill Roord has suffered a rupture to her anterior cruciate ligament, the Women’s Super League (WSL) club confirmed on Saturday. The 26-year-old, who joined City from Wolfsburg in July 2023 in a £300,000 ($381,269) deal to become the club’s record signing, suffered the injury during the team’s Continental Tyres League Cup trophy win over Manchester United on Wednesday.

• A fan had to be restrained by coaches and staff after running onto the pitch to confront the referee during the League One fixture between Port Vale and Portsmouth on Saturday.

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And finally on Saturday …

We’ll end with the FA Cup, and the scrappy fun at Goodison Park between Everton and Luton Town. The Hatters have had precious little to cheer about this season since being promoted to the Premier League, with just 12 points from their first 20 games in their first campaign back in the top flight since 1991. Yet Saturday brought them a 2-1 win over fellow relegation battlers Everton to vault them into the fifth round, and it was rather dramatic.

For those keeping score at home, that’s a gritty close-range goal in the 96th minute after some defensive pandemonium in the Everton box.

The other edge to this sword, however, is that Everton can now focus all their efforts on avoiding the drop while Luton’s calendar remains a little bit busier for now. — Tyler