Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is reserving “the right to take legal action” against his own club after his team posted a bizarre video to TikTok seemingly mocking the player.
The odd video comes after Osimhen helped the Italian team secure a first league title, the club’s first in three decades.
Despite Osimhen singlehandedly bolstering Napoli with 31 goals across all competitions, he became the target of a strange, now-deleted video, shared to the Serie A club’s official TikTok account.
Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda issued a statement on Tuesday night about the incident.
He wrote on Twitter: “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.
“A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.”
Calenda added: “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor”.
The video featured a clip of the striker’s penalty miss from their match against Bologna on Sunday, with an odd, sped-up voice dubbed over the top.
The strange social media clip comes after there appeared to be tension between Osimhen and Napoli manager Rudi Garcia during the game.
The 24-year-old Nigerian striker was seen berating Garcia as he was substituted off with four minutes remaining of the goalless draw.
The bizarre social media scrap comes after Osimhen, who captured the interest of Manchester United this summer, did not sign a new contract with the Italian team.
Osimhen’s current deal runs through to the summer of 2025.
Erik ten Hag says Alejandro Garnacho was “not good enough” in his previous starts this season after the Manchester United teenager scored in the Carabao Cup victory against Crystal Palace.
Having secured a much-needed Premier League victory at Burnley on Saturday evening, the Red Devils ran out comfortable 3-0 victors against Roy Hodgson’s south Londoners on Tuesday night.
Casemiro scored and then crossed for Anthony Martial’s goal on a night started by Garnacho impressively putting the Carabao Cup holders ahead from Diogo Dalot’s cutback.
The 19-year-old began United’s first two matches of the season, but this was the first time he was named in the starting line-up since the defeat to Tottenham five weeks ago.
“You have seen at the start of the season we played him and then his contribution was not good enough,” manager Ten Hag said of the Argentina international.
“But he also had some good actions. You see always he is a threat in the game even when he is not playing that well.
“He has to learn when he does his job in defending he will always have his moment and he will always be decisive because he has great qualities.
“As well, it’s not only off the ball. But I want to see like today, he is entering the box in the right spot to finish.
“But I think it is quite normal for a player of his age that there is space for a lot of improvement.
“Everyone likes him, the fans like him, the team likes him, I like him but we also have to demand from him and push him because he can act on a very high level but he has to show it every day.”
United made seven alterations, as did Palace, ahead of Saturday’s Premier League reunion at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag will hope Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay can return from what the United boss called illness, so too left-back Sergio Reguilon.
The on-loan Tottenham full-back’s absence meant Sofyan Amrabat filled in there on his first start for the club, before stepping into midfield at half-time.
“Sofyan is a player, and that was one of the reasons we signed him, where the team needs him, he will play and he can play in more positions,” Ten Hag said.
“Every player has his best position but he gives a certain dynamic in the game. We have seen today but also for him and many players, we just started.
“That process was a little bit interrupted by the many injuries we have because when you can play a long time with the same team then you get routines, the players learn each other and it’s more automatic.
“You see Mason (Mount), Amrabat, you see also others, they can contribute to our game and they will do.”
As for Palace, Roy Hodgson had no arguments with the result as his side made a meek Carabao Cup exit in the third round.
“I thought we were well beaten, basically,” said the Eagles boss, who saw Dean Henderson go off injured on his debut at former club United.
“I thought they attacked better than we did, defended the few attacks we were able to mount quite comfortably.
“As a result, unfortunately, you tend when that happens to only be looking at one possible result and that was the result they came up with.”
Gary O’Neil painted a bleak picture of the situation at Wolves and admitted “no magic wand” will fix their problems after a 3-2 loss at Ipswich in the Carabao Cup third round.
Wolves slumped to a fifth defeat in eight matches under the former Bournemouth manager, who only took over on August 9 following the departure of Julen Lopetegui by mutual consent.
O’Neil made 10 changes for the Portman Road clash and despite taking a 2-0 lead via goals by Hwang Hee-chan and Toti, the Premier League outfit were on the end of an upset after Championship high-flyers Ipswich responded through Omari Hutchinson, Freddie Ladapo and Jack Taylor.
Asked for a message to disgruntled Wolves supporters, O’Neil insisted: “To stick with the group.
“We are six weeks into a process and there is no magic wand. I can guarantee you when I arrived the place was not running perfectly and ready to go into a Premier League season.
“There are a lot of things that need fixing and of course I am willing to take responsibility, but the facts are you need some time to put things in place. That does not look like a team that I have worked with for very long at this moment, which it isn’t.
“Do I accept that we need to get results? Of course. Do I want the fans to enjoy every game we play and come away and support the players? Of course and we will work tirelessly to make sure we get it there and we will get it there.
“But there is no transfer window. The transfer window is closed and we are together as we are and need to get the maximum out of the group.
“We’ve named a strong team with 11 players that should be capable of winning here and we don’t, so it is my responsibility to make sure we get some more out of them.”
Life does not get any easier for Wolves with Manchester City set to visit on Saturday and it will be a return to Molineux for Matheus Nunes, who left in a £53million deal last month.
O’Neil pointed out the club’s net spend this summer when asked to reflect on the issues at the Midlands outfit.
“I think when I arrived the culture of the club needed a shift and some of it needs to move towards more togetherness,” O’Neil admitted.
“Yeah, there is a big list of things that need fixing. Of course I understand it is my responsibility and people will say, ‘they did fine last year,’ but the truth is they got 41 points and we made an £80million profit on players in the summer.
“So, we’re £80million short of where we were and last year we got 41 points.
“We need to move it from that in a more difficult situation now than the club was then player-wise, so that’s the facts of the job.
“I understood that when I took the job, I understand it now and every weekend is not going to be rosy. We’re going to suffer some tough weekends and we’ll need to crack on and go again.”
While Wolves were left to reflect on a sorry defeat, Ipswich’s highly-rated manager Kieran McKenna toasted his own first win against top-flight opposition.
After Hwang and Toti netted within 15 minutes, the Championship’s second-placed club continued their terrific form with three unanswered goals.
Chelsea loanee Hutchinson started the comeback with a right-footed effort from eight-yards before Ladapo fired home inside the area before half-time.
Taylor completed the turnaround with a 25-yard thunderbolt and the 58th-minute strike sent Ipswich into the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 2010.
“We need to enjoy tonight because it is the first time we’ve had a Premier League team here in quite a few years,” McKenna acknowledged.
“It is 11 years since we beat a Premier League team so a good night for progress and the regrowth of this football club again, but it is a cup game.
“The result tonight does not win us anything but it is really significant as a marker point for the development of the squad, so we’ll take it as that and enjoy it for a sign of progress.”
LaLiga leaders Barcelona twice had to battle from behind as Fermin Lopez’s first goal for the club earned a hard-fought draw at Real Mallorca.
Xavi’s side have been the early pace-setters as they look to defend their league title but the visitors had to settle for a 2-2 draw at the Iberostar Stadium.
Vedat Muriqi and Abdon Prats goals had twice had the hosts in front but Raphinha cancelled out the opener before substitute Lopez struck to earn Barca a share of the spoils.
Two early goals set Sevilla on their way to an emphatic 5-1 home win over Almeria.
Youssef En-Nesyri headed home with seven minutes on the clock after Loic Bade had hit the woodwork and just a minute later the lead was doubled courtesy of a fine solo strike from Dodi Lukebakio.
Suso’s curling effort wrapped up the win before the interval with Erik Lamela adding a fourth before a Luis Suarez penalty reduced the arrears, only for Kike Salas to make it five in stoppage time.
In Italy, Juventus moved two points behind early leaders Inter Milan with a 1-0 win over a Lecce side who finished with 10 men.
Arkadiusz Milik’s close-range effort proved to be enough for Juve, who saw out the game to wrap up the win as the visitors had Mohamed Kaba sent off in injury time after picking up a second yellow card for simulation.
Meanwhile, Lille’s inconsistent start to the Ligue 1 season continued as they fell to a 2-1 home defeat to Reims.
Paulo Fonseca’s side have won just two of their six opening league games and early goals from Mohamed Daramy and Keito Nakamura saw them slip up once again despite Benjamin Andre’s second-half consolation.
Elsewhere, a much-changed Bayern Munich side made light work of third-tier Preussen Munster in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting put the Bundesliga giants ahead early on and they were out of sight by the break as Konrad Laimer and Frans Kratzig got in on the act.
The 4-0 win was wrapped up by a late Mathys Tel effort as Thomas Tuchel’s side advance with ease.
Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson called his players ‘bottlers’ after they lost a Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out 3-1 at League Two Mansfield.
Posh came from behind to lead but the game ended 2-2 when Lucas Akins netted a stoppage-time penalty.
Former Peterborough goalkeeper Christy Pym then saved two spot-kicks before Davis Keillor-Dunn netted the winner as the Nottinghamshire team ensured they remain the only EFL side unbeaten this season, making the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 1975.
Ferguson said: “I don’t like criticising my players in public and I very rarely do as a manager. But I am not letting them get away with that one. They absolutely bottled it.
“For the first 65-70 minutes, the penalty aside, I thought we were really, really good and they couldn’t get near us.
“But all of a sudden Mansfield started going back to front a bit more and we just bottled it, pure and simple. I can’t dress this one up.
“It is terrible result, there is no other way of putting it, and it is a massive opportunity missed.
“It was a massive chance to get in the last 16 and I hope Mansfield now get Manchester United away or something like that so our players can see it tomorrow night.”
Will Swan put the Stags ahead from the penalty spot in the fifth minute but the visitors piled on the pressure and levelled when Jonson Clarke-Harris’ 25-yard free-kick went through the wall and past Pym on the half hour.
Clarke-Harris swept home a second in the 47th minute but Mansfield raised their game and began to dominate and were rewarded with Akins’ spot-kick success three minutes into added time, before emulating their shoot-out win at Sheffield Wednesday in the previous round.
Delighted Stags boss Nigel Clough said: “We are into the next round for the first time in nearly 50 years, which is a hell of an achievement, but so is going 12 games unbeaten.
“For quite long spells we were second best as they were so good. There wasn’t too much we were doing wrong. They were just very competent.
“The respect they showed us by naming a full side said everything. They are a top side in League One and you can see the big difference, the pace and the speed they move the ball.
“We just hung on in there, trying not to concede a third goal and at 2-1 anything can happen in the last 20 minutes.
“I thought the equaliser was coming after Lucas Akins’ goal that was offside. It was no more than we deserved for hanging on in there.
“We have been good taking penalties in training and at Sheffield Wednesday so we saw no reason why we couldn’t win the shoot-out.”
Serge Gnabry faces a period on the sidelines after suffering a fractured forearm in Bayern Munich’s 4-0 DFB Pokal win at Preussen Munster.
The 28-year-old fell awkwardly in an early challenge and was substituted shortly after Eric Choupo-Moting fired the Bundesliga champions into a ninth minute lead.
Bayern later revealed the extent of Gnabry’s injury on their social media accounts, writing: “Serge Gnabry is confirmed to have suffered a fracture of the ulna in his left forearm.. following an X-ray examination during the match.”
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel described the loss of Gnabry, who scored in his side’s Champions League win over Manchester United last week, as a “bitter blow”.
Tuchel confirmed: “Serge will undergo an operation tomorrow and will miss several weeks.
“It’s a bitter blow for him personally but also for us. He is an important player and a super character.”
Steven Naismith hailed match-winner Alex Lowry as a special talent after the on-loan Rangers player’s late goal sent Hearts into the Viaplay Cup semi-finals.
Kilmarnock were in the ascendancy as the match edged closer to extra time, only for Lowry to strike in time added on to the regulation 90 minutes.
Brad Lyons had earlier cancelled out Jorge Grant’s opener before Lowry claimed his first goal since moving on loan to Tynecastle last month to seal the victory.
Naismith praised Lowry as one of the best young Scottish talents in the game but said he wanted to see more from the 20-year-old on a consistent basis.
The Hearts manager said: “Alex has got brilliant ability.
“I’m not sure I’ve seen in my whole footballing career a young Scottish player that I have been working with that has got such good … he can do things with a ball that a lot of others can’t.
“I’ve challenged him to see more moments like that.
“He’s been frustrated at not getting more game time but I said to him, you need to show moments and when you are on the park, you need to do more.”
Naismith was pleased to have a Hampden Park semi-final to look forward to but warned that his team would need to follow up that result, starting with a trip to play Ross County this weekend.
He added: “I was delighted to get through. It was the next step we needed to take.
“At this club there’s a demand to get to semi-finals and finals and ultimately win silverware.
“It’s a big win and everybody’s delighted but we do need to back that up.
“Over the past few seasons we haven’t had good performances at Kilmarnock, and Ross County has been the same.”
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes admitted he was frustrated that his players had unnecessarily chased a winning goal rather than waiting for extra time.
He said: “I was angry [at full-time] that we’ve allowed that type of goal to decide the cup tie. We had Hearts where we wanted them. We were in charge of that tie in the second half.
“We played the last phase of play as if we needed a goal to get back in the tie. We were guilty of trying to win it then. We were too excitable, too gung-ho to win a game of football in 90 minutes when we could have won the game in extra time.
“It was all last-gasp and unnecessary, almost as if we were chasing a game to win it in 90 minutes when we didn’t need to. We could – and should – have won it in extra time. But we allowed an opportunity for Hearts and they took it.”
November 30, 2022 is forever etched in Anya Pilgrim's mind. It is one of the scariest days of her life and a day when all her fears and thoughts will always weigh heavily on her heart.
On that fateful day, Pilgrim, while preparing to represent University of Florida in Artistic Gymnastics, suffered a freak accident, which derailed her career progress, as she took her time to recover.
Now almost one year on, the American-born Pilgrim, who represents Barbados, has not only grown stronger, but is also one who takes her life and sport seriously, as her unwavering commitment to fulfilling a passion she always dreamed of, is clear for all to see.
"This past season had some ups and downs. At the beginning of the season after signing to the University of Florida, I had fell and landed on my neck and was out of the gym for about six weeks and had to recover from a concussion. It was not an easy road. I had to overcome my fears of injury to be able to even step back into the sport," Pilgrim told SportsMax.tv.
"Luckily I did, and only a week after I started training again, I decided to compete at my next competition where I achieved my personal best score of a 9.95 on the vault. So, these highs and lows have taught me that I am strong enough and more than capable of rise above any circumstances and come out successful," she added.
Pilgrim, who previously represented the United States national team in 2019, qualified to represent Barbados through her grandparents, who not only instilled life lessons to assist in her craft, but continues to inspire her path toward a fulfilling career.
"Both of my grandparents were athletes and represented Barbados in their respective sports, so I always looked up to them since they were high level athletes and wanted to follow in their footsteps, which I am now proudly doing," Pilgrim shared.
The 18-year-old, who earned a silver medal in the all-around competition at the United States National championships, along with a top five finish at the Nastia Liukin Cup, first donned the Barbados colours at PanAm championships in Colombia and from there, her appetite for more competition with the Caribbean Island became insatiable.
"It was also the first time Barbados was able to have a team at an event in gymnastics. I loved the experience and competing with my teammates. I was overall pleased with my performance, even though I had a mistake on one of the apparatuses, but considering I went to the competition right after Nationals, I did well, as the travelling resulted in missed training sessions," she said.
Pilgrim's performance at the PanAm Championships earned her an alternate for the World Gymnastics Championships in Budapest, and as fate would have, one of the qualified athletes has declined their spot and that opened the door for her to join Olivia "Storm" Kelly, as Barbados representatives in Antwerp.
The championship is scheduled to begin on September 30 and end on October 8.
Pilgrim knows all too well that this call up to fill the gap represents an opportunity to not only strut her stuff on one of gymnastics biggest stage, but also to possibly qualify for the Olympic Games, she is determined to make the most of it.
In fact, Pilgrim, having taken lessons from her PanAm performance, is hoping to polish up those errors to bring more success on this occasion.
"I am very grateful to have another opportunity to represent Barbados and am really looking forward to getting to share the experience with Olivia. We all had a great time at PanAm so I’m glad we will have another chance to not only compete together, but possibly create some history for Barbados," Pilgrim declared.
"Unlike PanAm, I am hoping to do much better with my routimes and just be present and enjoy every moment of the championships. When my mind is clear I perform at my best and I also added in a couple of different skills to help increase my scores. So, I'm really looking forward to it," she added from her base in Belgium.
While qualifying for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, remains her biggest goal and ambition, Pilgrim pointed out that just getting a chance to parade her skills at the World Championships, would suffice, if her dream doesn't come to fruition.
"Honestly, I would love to win a National Championship at the University of Florida, that is one of my biggest goals, along with being at the World Championships, which I am now. If I were to qualify for an Olympic Games, it would be icing on the cake of a fulfilling career," she ended.
Michael Carrick feels Middlesbrough are starting to finally find their form as they progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win at Bradford.
Boro, who only won for the first time in the Championship this season at the weekend, made seven changes from that victory over Southampton but started brightly and went in front through Emmanuel Latte-Lath.
Morgan Rogers’ close-range finish in the second half sealed the visitors’ spot in the next round and Carrick reckons his side are beginning to click.
He said: “The players’ approach to the game, their attitude to the game was right from the very start.
“I was really pleased, thought everyone looked really comfortable, did their jobs and looked dangerous.
“It was a good game for us, the atmosphere was good and the game certainly means a lot for the supporters. It is starting to come, I can see that clicking a bit.
“We controlled a lot of the game, dominated a lot of it, we kept them out of the box for the majority and thought we looked like a really good team.”
Carrick underlined the importance of building some momentum after making it back-to-back victories.
He added: “We backed it up, the habit of winning games and getting on a run is important for us.
“I think the level of performance was important for us, we felt that way on Saturday, so it was building on that a little bit but again.
“It’s not come as a surprise. We could see it coming, what the boys were doing day in and day out and felt we weren’t quite getting what we deserved, so tonight was a good sign for us moving forward.”
Bradford boss Mark Hughes was content to switch his full focus to the league as they focus on getting promotion from League Two.
He said: “Not the result we were looking for, but the cup is not a priority for us this year.
“We have done better than we have in recent years and we’ll take that, but the priority for us is the league and getting out of it.
“The second goal did not allow us the opportunity to win the game, so at that point it was about looking after players who are important for us and our league form.
“We’ve been able to protect a few players that are vitally important for us so we move on to the league.”
Skipper Millie Bright said England “gifted” the Netherlands their goals and were “not ruthless enough” after the Lionesses were beaten 2-1 in Utrecht in their second Nations League group game.
The hosts took the lead in the 34th minute when Georgia Stanway was closed down near her own box, the ball went to Danielle van de Donk and she teed up a Lieke Martens finish, which it appeared would have been ruled out for offside if VAR had been in operation.
After Alessia Russo’s 64th-minute equaliser, England were then punished after losing possession again in the 90th minute as Alex Greenwood gave the ball away and Martens fed substitute Renate Jansen, who rifled past Mary Earps.
Bright told ITV: “I think there were some really good parts of the game where we really dominated.
“I thought they were ruthless when they had their opportunities, and to be honest we gifted them two goals, which is really disappointing on our behalf.
“I think when you concede in that manner, that’s the most disappointing thing, especially when games like this really matter.
“They had probably less chances but were really, really clinical in those. We had a couple but were not ruthless enough in that area.”
Having threatened little for much of the first half, England went close to levelling in the 41st minute, Rachel Daly volleying against a post, and Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze then saw efforts saved by Daphne van Domselaar, before Linda Beerensteyn struck the bar for the home side.
Van Domselaar subsequently made an excellent save to deny Hemp early in the second half before Russo’s leveller and Jansen’s decisive late impact as the battle between England boss Sarina Wiegman’s current and former employers – both of whom she has guided to Euros glory and a World Cup final – proved an unhappy occasion for the 53-year-old Dutchwoman.
Wiegman afterwards expressed frustration at the opener, replays of which suggested Van de Donk had been in an offside position.
The manager described it as “obviously offside” as she voiced her disappointment at what is only the third loss of her 41-game England tenure.
Wiegman told ITV: “(It is) absolutely a tough one to take and a very, very unnecessary one.
“The first half they were the better team. I think second half we totally dominated the game, and of course we scored one goal – but before that we got lots of huge opportunities too. And it’s just one moment that we don’t manage the game and in the counter-attack they score for 2-1. That’s very, very disappointing.
“I also think – that’s disappointing too – when they scored their first goal, we didn’t do well, we didn’t play well, but it’s so obviously offside. That needs to be seen.
“I think the standards of the game are getting higher and higher, so (having VAR) would absolutely help. It’s just a little bit disappointing.”
The result leaves both England and Andries Jonker’s Netherlands on three points in Group A1. Belgium, who England face twice in October in their next group games, lead the pool with four points after drawing 1-1 with Scotland, who have one.
Wiegman’s side, 2-1 victors over Scotland in their opener last Friday, are attempting to secure a Paris 2024 Olympics qualification spot via this competition, and need to finish top of their group to have a chance to do so.
Bright said: “It’s still all to play for. We have to rest, recover, go again – (and) reflect. These opponents are getting better and better, and we have to reflect, evolve, get better as a team, develop.”
Vincent Kompany admitted his Burnley side had done nothing out of the ordinary in sweeping aside Sky Bet League Two Salford to reach the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.
The Clarets put their Premier League struggles to one side in a 4-0 victory at the Peninsula Stadium with all four scorers – Sander Berge, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Dara O’Shea and Wilson Odobert – getting their first goals for the club.
Kompany made 11 changes from the side that started Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United but saw Burnley put the result to bed early with the first three goals coming inside the opening half an hour.
“We can put this result in context,” Kompany said. “We know we’re the Premier League team, we’re supposed to win, we’re supposed to put in a performance but it’s easier said than done, especially when you have 11 changes.
“We showed good discipline, a professional performance. We got the goals, we got the clean sheet. We put it behind us now and focus on the Premier League and the next round…
“Eleven changes, some new players, some positional changes as well. You can always go back through it and say this and that could have been better but in the end we were disciplined, we created as many chances as we needed to win the game and we didn’t concede chances.
“Midweek, away from home, I’ve been in the game long enough to know it can be a different game and we kept it how it was supposed to be.”
In a season when Burnley, still winless in the Premier League, had only found the net five times in their previous six games, the goals and the fresh names scoring them will be a source of confidence.
“Goals (have been hard to come by), yes, but I think we’ve had chances,” Kompany said of his side’s season. “For a newly-promoted team you’re not going to go into the Premier League and all of a sudden start scoring two or three a game.
“We know that but we’re just delighted for the forwards to have scored some goals and for a lot of new players as well to be on the scoresheet. That’s something that’s going to matter this season.”
While the goalscorers were new the source was familiar, with Anass Zaroury having a hand in all four.
Berge headed in the Moroccan’s 12th-minute corner before Zaroury teed up Bruun Larsen’s lob. The winger then tried to beat Alex Cairns with a quick free-kick from a tight angle and when the goalkeeper could not hold it, O’Shea bundled home.
Nine minutes from time, Zaroury crossed for Odobert who cut back inside before finding the net.
It all added up to a sixth straight defeat for Salford as under-pressure Neil Wood deals with a lengthy injury list.
“Playing against a Premier League team, three levels above us, it’s always going to be difficult,” Wood said. “They’re very technical, very good players and tactically it’s a very good system that’s difficult to defend against.
“It’s disappointing to concede off two set pieces for us…All credit to them, they’re a very good team.
“It was a really difficult night but not a night that we weren’t expecting.”
LaLiga leaders Barcelona twice had to battle from behind as Fermin Lopez’s first goal for the club earned a hard-fought draw at Real Mallorca.
Xavi’s side have been the early pacesetters as they look to defend their league title but the visitors had to settle for a 2-2 draw at the Iberostar Stadium.
Vedat Muriqi and Abdon Prats goals had twice had the hosts in front but Raphinha cancelled out the opener before substitute Lopez struck to earn Barca a share of the spoils.
Mallorca were all but presented with the opening goal with just eight minutes gone as Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen gifted possession to Antonio Sanchez, who teed up Muriqi to break the deadlock.
Raphinha’s third goal of the season – a fine long-range strike – levelled the scores, only for Abdon to score in first-half stoppage time.
With the visitors chasing the game once more, Joao Felix hit the woodwork as Xavi’s side continued to threaten.
Their second equaliser of the evening would come with 15 minutes left on the clock, Lopez scoring his first senior goal for Barcelona having come off the bench shortly after the hour.
Despite pulling level on two occasions, Barca could not find a breakthrough to seal all three points and could now fall below both Real Madrid and Girona, who are in action on Wednesday against Las Palmas and Villarreal, respectively.
Port Vale boss Andy Crosby feels his side’s place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup is “reward for a lot of things”.
Vale reached the last 16 for the first time since 2006-07 with a 2-1 victory over Sky Bet League Two strugglers Sutton, with Funso Ojo coming off the bench to fire home a superb winner.
Swansea loanee Josh Thomas had earlier opened the scoring before his effort was cancelled out by Sutton substitute Hisham Kasimu.
Crosby said: “When you start in the first round of the Carabao Cup you want to go as far as you can.
“Every time you get through to the next round, you want to get through to the next one.
“That’s what we’ve done. We’re in the fourth round for the first time in a long time for the football club.
“It’s reward for a lot of things. It’s reward for Carol and Kevin (Shanahan) for investing the amount of money they do into the football club.
“It’s brilliant for our supporters, who haven’t seen the club in the fourth round for a long time. They keep turning up and I thank them a lot for the support.
“I think we have to preach to them what we’re trying to do. It might be different from what they’ve seen before. There may be some frustration at times with what we’re trying to do, but we have to play a way that suits our team.
“That’s going to take time, but when we get to utopia and we’re playing incredible football with and without the ball. We’re making progress.”
Sutton boss Matt Gray was left with mixed emotions after his spirited side were sucker-punched by the late winner.
He said: “There were so many things I was happy with, apart from the result sadly.
“It’s a result I don’t think we deserved.
“They couldn’t break us down when we were in our shape, so to concede a goal from a counter-attack from a corner is a hard one to take.
“It’s something we’ll be looking at, it’s really frustrating.
“It was a great response from their goal. We had some great chances. We had to bide our time and eventually got the goal.
“It felt a little bit similar to the first goal. We were pushing forward and got done on the break which was very disappointing.
“We’ve not had some good league results, we’re working tirelessly to get things right and we saw some positives on the pitch.
“We need to keep working on that, building on that and I’m sure the results will turn soon.
“You can see that from the fans’ reaction at the end. They’re completely with us.”
Luton boss Rob Edwards admitted his side deserved to be on the end of an upset as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 defeat at Exeter.
Demetri Mitchell scored the only goal of the game in the 83rd minute, poking in from close range from Yanic Wildschut’s cross, before he was sent off two minutes from time after collecting a second yellow card.
Toothless Luton, who made 10 changes from their Premier League draw with Wolves, rarely troubled League One Exeter, who reached round four for the first time since 1989 and claimed their first top-flight scalp since beating Leicester in the FA Cup back in 1981.
Edwards said: “It was a disappointing night for us clearly. Congratulations to Exeter, I have got to say that. With all of the possession we had tonight, we didn’t look like we were going to score.
“We need to be better, more aggressive, more clinical and have more desire to create chances and, when we do, be more ruthless.
“We can’t keep saying the same things at the moment. We have been sucker-punched out of a mistake on our part and we have not had the quality or desire to get the ball over the line and ultimately we got punished and don’t deserve to go through.
“I do want more. There wasn’t a lack of commitment or effort, I would never label that at our group, but I want to see more quality in that final third.
“As the game started opening up, we started to cause more problems for them, but they defended the box very well with high numbers and that is difficult to break down.
“We wanted to go deep into the competition, but we needed to make the changes we made.”
Exeter manager Gary Caldwell hailed a magnificent “team effort” from his side.
“I am really proud of the players, they were absolutely incredible tonight,” Caldwell said. “We had to come up with a game plan and we had one day to work on it and they performed it to the letter.
“In the beginning, I thought we understood it, but we weren’t quite aggressive enough and, as the game wore on, we got better, they got more frustrated and it was an amazing win.
“Full credit to the players for the effort, the desire to not concede, to fight for the team, to fight for each other – it was unbelievable.
“I said we were hoping for a special night under the lights at St James Park and I think we got it.
“Everyone was amazing tonight, the finishers that came on as well. It was a real team effort tonight and everyone deserves credit.
“This stadium is special and we want anyone to come here and we believe that, on our day, when we get it right, then we can be a real match for anyone.
“That’s the spirit and belief I want to get into these players and tonight will give them confidence.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
