BARCELONA – Holder Barcelona was drawn with 10-time winner Atletico Madrid in the King’s Cup semifinals Friday and Celta Vigo will play Alaves in the other tie.
Atletico hosts Barcelona in the first leg on Feb. 1 with the second leg at the Nou Camp on Feb. 8.
Barcelona has won the Cup a record 28 times and has lifted it in the last two seasons under coach Luis Enrique, who said this week his ideal final would be against his former club Celta.
Barca beat Real Sociedad 6-2 on aggregate to advance to the last four while Atletico saw off Eibar 5-2. Alaves beat Alcorcon 2-0 on aggregate and Celta knocked out La Liga leader Real Madrid 4-3 on aggregate.
Celta meets Alaves.
The final is on May 27 with the venue still to be determined, although Spanish media reported it will be at Atletico’s Vicente Calderon, which is set to close at the end of the season.
On Thursday, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were on target as Barcelona thrashed Real Sociedad 5-2 to reach the semifinals for the seventh successive year.
Former Manchester City trainee Denis Suarez gave Barca a commanding lead in the tie following last week’s 1-0 win in the first leg by scoring the opener in the 17th minute, while Messi practically ended the contest by converting a penalty early in the second half after Neymar had been fouled.
Luis Suarez restored Barcelona’s two-goal lead on the night a minute after Juanmi had netted for Real Sociedad in the 62nd minute. Willian Jose scored a second for the visitors before substitute Arda Turan put Barcelona 4-2 ahead in the 80th minute.
Two minutes later Denis Suarez capped a brilliant individual performance by netting his second with a sweeping run and finish.
United in League final
Manchester United reached the League Cup final but was made to sweat as Hull City won the second leg of their last-four encounter 2-1 Thursday to come within one goal of forcing extra time.
Hull’s Oumar Niasse scored in the 85th minute to reduce the aggregate deficit to 3-2, but there was to be no fairytale comeback for the Premier League relegation struggler which was spirited in its efforts to overturn its 2-0 first-leg defeat.
Tom Huddlestone had put the host ahead after 35 minutes from the penalty spot, but it was unable to turn the screw and allowed a much-improved United to claw its way back into the match after the break when Paul Pogba stabbed in an equalizer.
Niasse steered home a David Meyler cross from close range but Jose Mourinho’s side held on to set up a clash against Southampton in the final at Wembley on Feb. 26 after the Saints upset Liverpool Wednesday at Anfield.
It was Mourinho’s 54th birthday, but the Portuguese did not seem in celebratory mood as he cut short his post-match television interview after one question, having seemed visibly annoyed on the touchline with a number of referee Jon Moss’s decisions.
Jeonbuk appeals ban
Asian club champion Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against its ban from the 2017 Asian Champions League, CAS said Friday.
The Asian Football Confederation said last week that Jeonbuk was banned from the continent’s premier club competition over its involvement in a 2013 bribery scandal.
“Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors seeks an order staying the execution of the challenged decision in order to be able to participate in the competition,” CAS said in a statement, adding that it intends to issue a decision by Feb. 3. - Agencies
