IMAGE: Atletico Madrid players celebrate a goal by Gelson Martins against Sant Andreu durinng their Copa del Rey round of 32 first-leg match on Tuesday. Photograph: Atletico de Madrid/Twitter
Gelson Martins netted his first goal for Atletico Madrid to help Diego Simeone’s side scrape a 1-0 win at fourth-tier Sant Andreu on Tuesday in a Copa del Rey round of 32 first-leg match.
Close-season signing Martins broke the deadlock after 33 minutes, the lively Portuguese winger bundling home after a quick team move that saw him break through the middle.
The Catalan minnows nearly produced a late equaliser, but goalkeeper Antonio Adan denied Elhadji Bandeh and Joan Noguera struck the crossbar.
Valencia’s Santi Mina struck twice on his return from injury to help them avoid an embarrassing defeat at CD Ebro, as Marcelino’s side came back to win 2-1.
The third division team had Tiago Portuga sent off after 29 minutes for two yellow cards but took the lead through Jon Ander just after the hour mark.
Mina, however, curled in a fine equaliser in the 71st minute, adding a second in the 80th to hand Los Che the advantage.
La Liga side Levante stumbled at second-tier Lugo, drawing 1-1, while Leganes fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with local rivals Rayo Vallecano.
Real Madrid head to Melilla on Wednesday and Cultural Leonesa host Barcelona. The second leg matches take place from Dec. 4-6.
Superb Stanislas strike helps Bournemouth into League Cup quarters
A superb goal from Junior Stanislas helped Bournemouth reach the League Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over NorwichCity on Tuesday while third tier Burton Albion beat NottinghamForest 3-2 to reach the last eight for the first time.
Bournemouth, who are flying high in sixth in the Premier League, opened the scoring in the 39th minute when Stanislas weaved into the area with a couple of stepovers and then rifled the ball into the net.
It was a fantastic goal but harsh on second-tier Norwich, who had played well in the first half and went close when Dennis Srbeny’s effort came back off the inside of the post.
Norwich were level with 20 minutes remaining through Onel Hernandez, but parity lasted only two minutes as a Bournemouth corner resulted in Steve Cook’s shot finding the net via a deflection on the line.
Burton’s victory was particularly sweet for manager Nigel Clough, who made more than 400 appearances for four-times LeagueCupwinnersForest over two spells.
“To get to the last eight as a League One club is pretty special,” he told Sky Sports.
LeicesterCity’s fourth round match against Southampton was postponed after the chairman of the Midlands club Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday.
Lacklustre Bayern struggle to beat fourth-division club
IMAGE: SV Roedinghausen’s Kelvin Lunga and Azur Velagic vie with Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery during their DFB Cup second round match at Stadion an der Bremer Brucke, in Osnabruck, Germany, on Tuesday. Photograph: Leon Kuegeler/Reuters
Champions Bayern Munich were made to work hard before edging amateurs SV Roedinghausen 2-1 on Tuesday to advance to the German Cup third round.
Missing half a dozen players through illness or injury, Bayern were far from their best against their fourth-division opponents on a rainy and cold evening in east Westphalia and had to endure a nervous finale before booking their spot in the next round.
Quick goals from Sandro Wagner in the eighth minute and Thomas Mueller, who scored with a penalty five minutes later, put the visitors in the driving seat.
Bayern, second in the Bundesliga, were awarded a second spot kick in the 22nd minute but Renato Sanches’s effort bounced off the crossbar.
The hosts cut the deficit four minutes after the restart with Linus Meyer beating Rafinha to connect with a cross as the home crowd erupted in wild celebrations.
Franck Ribery had a rare chance in the second half but his low drive was palmed wide by keeper Niclas Heimann as Bayern took their foot completely off the gas and looked short of ideas and Roedinghausen pressed for an equaliser.
The Bavarians, who have now won four matches in all competitions after a four-game winless run, may have to make do without Thiago Alcantara in the coming matches after the Spaniard suffered a leg injury.
Fellow Bundesliga clubs Hertha Berlin and VfL Wolfsburg also advanced by beating Darmstadt 98 and Hanover 96 2-0 respectively.
Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund host second tier Union Berlin on Wednesday.
World Cup expansion possible for 2022: FIFA chief
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that football’s governing body is looking into the possibility of increasing the number of teams at the 2022 World Cup and sharing the hosting rights of an expanded tournament with other nations in the region.
FIFA decided earlier this year to expand the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, to 48 teams from 32 while leaving the door open to raising the number playing in Qatar in four years’ time.
“We have decided to increase the number of teams participating in the World Cup final tournaments from 32 to 48 and this will happen in 2026,” Infantino said in an address to the Asian Football Confederation’s annual congress.
“Will it happen in 2022? We are looking at it. If it is possible, why not?”
Infantino said an expanded tournament would see Asia’s allocation rise to 8.5 places from 4.5.
“We have to see if it is possible, if it is feasible. We are discussing with our Qatari friends, we are discussing with our many other friends in the region and we hope that this can happen,” he added.
“And, if not, we will have tried. We will have tried because we always have to try to do things in a better way.”
Former Ghana FA president Nyantakyi banned for life by FIFA
Former Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi was handed a life ban from all football-related activities by FIFA on Tuesday following various violations of the governing body’s ethics code, including bribery and corruption.
Nyantakyi, a former member of FIFA’s General Council, was found guilty after being filmed by an investigative journalist in a hotel room appearing to take a $65,000 bribe from a supposed businessman seeking to sponsor the Ghanaian football league.
He was also fined 500,000 Swiss Francs (391,495 pounds).
“The adjudicatory chamber found Mr Nyantakyi guilty of having violated art. 19 (Conflicts of interest), art. 21 (Bribery and corruption) and art. 22 (Commission) of the FIFA Code of Ethics,” FIFA said in a statement.
“As a consequence, Mr Nyantakyi is banned for life from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level.
“Additionally, a fine in the amount of CHF 500,000 has been imposed on Mr Nyantakyi.”
Nyantakyi, who was also a former vice-president of the Confederation of African Football, resigned in June after a recording by undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas appeared to show him demanding kickbacks to pass on to top government officials, including the presidency.
Nyantakyi later apologised to Ghana president Nana Akufo-Addo and the government for what he called his “indiscretion”.
He denied any wrongdoing regarding match-fixing.
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