06/02/2026

SPORTS FRIDAY | FEB 6, 2026

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I NAKI WILLIAMS came off the bench to thump home a 96th-minute winner as Athletic Bilbao edged Valencia 2-1 yester day to reach the Copa del Rey semifinals. Valencia forward Umar Sadiq had an event ful first half, scoring at both ends. He first headed into his own goal in the 26th minute while trying to clear a freekick, before making amends nine minutes later when Athletic goalkeeper Alex Padilla spilled a rou tine ball and Sadiq pounced to fire in the equal iser. Athletic were on top for long spells but wasted a golden chance in the 75th minute when Mikel Jauregizar missed a penalty. They eventually made the breakthrough deep into added time, springing forward on the counter as substitute Nico Williams broke down the right and crossed for his brother Inaki to steer home a first-time finish from close range. Athletic head coach Ernesto Valverde backed Black Stars forward Inaki to score more goals after yesterday’s heroics.

Brothers star for Bilbao Williams late strike sends Athletic into Copa del Ray semifinals

the eighth minute, but Mikel Oyarzabal levelled seven minutes later. Toni Martinez restored Alaves’ lead from the penalty spot in the 29th minute and had the chance to extend it with another spot kick in the 67th, only for Real Sociedad keeper Alex Remiro to save. Real Sociedad then struck twice on the break, with Goncalo Guedes equalising in the 76th minute before Orri Oskarsson slid the ball under the keeper’s legs four minutes later. They will be joined in the last four by Barcelona, who on Tuesday beat second-tier Albacete 2-1, and the winner of Real Betis vs Atletico Madrid, who meet in the final quarter final overnight. – Reuters

coach Valverde after the win, saying: “Ernesto Valverde) is very important to Athletic Club. The dressing room is 100% behind the coach, and we can’t imagine having any other man ager. “He deserves all our respect. We deserved a moment of joy like this, the players, the fans, and the coaching staff. The first goal that I can dedicate to my son. The season has been diffi cult, but what happened today could be a major turning point.” In the other quarterfinal, Basque rivals Real Sociedad came from behind twice yesterday to beat Alaves 3-2 and also advance to the Spanish Cup semifinals. Abderrahman Rebbach put Alaves ahead in

“Imagine, when you score at the end… and the emotional boost that gives you; We’d been looking for it from the beginning,” Valverde said via citisportsonline . “Goals are always good for the forwards and especially for the team because we need those players to start putting up numbers so we can get results.”

The goal was Inaki’s second in 21 games in all competitions after dealing with an abductor injury that forced him to miss two months of action. The Bilbao captain voiced his support to under fire head

Lens cruise into French Cup quarters

LENS reached the quarterfinals of the French Cup yesterday courtesy of a 4 2 win over Troyes, while an Endrick inspired Lyon fought past second-divi sion Laval. Goals by Florian Sotoca and Andrija Bulatovic, as well as a Abdallah Sima

Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav (left) and Holstein Kiel’s goalkeeper Timon Weiner vie for the ball during the German Cup quarterfinal match yesterday. – AFPPIC

brace, saw surprise Ligue 1 title contenders Lens through their last-16 tie. Martin Adeline had lev elled before half-time for second flight leaders Troyes before three goals in eight minutes early in the second period put Pierre Sage’s side firmly in charge.

Undav pokes Stuttgart past Kiel into German Cup last four

AN UNCONVENTIONAL Deniz Undav toe-poke put Stuttgart on track for a 3-0 win at Holstein Kiel yesterday and the semifinals of the German Cup. With Stuttgart leading 1-0 and Kiel chasing an equaliser in the dying stages, Undav set up Chris Fuehrich’s final-minute goal to put the match out of reach. Stuttgart added another in slap stick fashion when Atakan Karazor fell in the box and squeezed the ball over the line with his hip in stop page time. “The conditions were very, very difficult – difficult pitch, difficult weather and an opponent who made us uncomfortable, but all that counts is we made it to the next round,”Fuehrich told ZDF .“That was our objective, that’s what we pre pared for.” It is the third time in four sea

and under the crossbar.

sons that Cup holders Stuttgart, winners on four occasions, have reached the semifinals of the com petition. In subzero conditions in Germany’s frozen north, Kiel impressed against their heavily fan cied opponents but were unable to make it count in a match with few clear chances for either side. “We knew what awaited us with the cold. It was a hard game. The Kielers are used to the cold – not us,” Undav said. With 56 minutes gone, Angelo Stiller swung in a freekick and Undav made space in a crowded box before getting his toe to the ball, which drifted over the defence

At home to Ligue 2 strugglers Laval, Lyon struggled to break down their opponents until a moment of individual excellence by Real Madrid loanee Endrick. Following a surging run from mid fielder Pavel Sulc, the 19-year-old Brazilian burst through a challenge before unleashing a rasping drive from the edge of the box to open the scoring in the 80th minute. It was Endrick’s fifth goal in as many outings for Lyon since arriving from the Santiago Bernabeu in late December. “It’s really important to have scored my first goal on our home turf. This start at Lyon is truly a dream come true,” the forward said. Lyon wrapped up their 11th consecu tive victory in all competitions when Laval ‘keeper Maxime Hautbois inadver tently turned Afonso Moreira’s effort into his own net late in added time. Struggling Nice pulled off a remark able comeback in their last-16 tie against Montpellier to win 3-2. The hosts found themselves trailing 2-0 midway through the second half before Kail Boudache halved the deficit with 18 minutes remaining on the clock. Antoine Mendy netted on 89 minutes and looked to have forced extra-time, until Sofiane Diop shaped a fine curling effort beyond Montpellier goalkeeper Mathieu Michel seven minutes into injury time. Lorient saw off fellow Ligue 1 outfit Paris FC with a 2-0 win thanks to a sec ond-half goal by Noah Cadiou and a late Moustapha Mbow own goal. Toulouse beat Ligue 2 Amiens 1-0 with Yann Gboho netting the winner six minutes before the interval. – AFP

Kiel had a late chance to level things up when Aldin Jakupovic broke free with just Stuttgart goal keeper Alex Nuebel to beat, but scuffed his shot wide. Fuehrich and Karazor’s late goals added Stuttgart gloss to the victory. Winners in 2025, Stuttgart join 2024 winners Bayer Leverkusen in the final four. Next week, 2022 and 2023 winners RB Leipzig travel to 20-time champions Bayern Munich, while Hertha Berlin host Freiburg. The draw for the semifinals will be held in Dortmund on Feb 22, with the final to take place at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on May 23. – AFP

Inter squeeze into Italian Cup semifinals

INTER MILAN qualified for the Italian Cup semifi nals yesterday with a 2-1 win over a battling Torino. French duo Ange-Yoan Bonny and Andy Diouf, both 22, put Inter 2-0 up as they threatened to run away with the tie, but Torino rallied after Croatian striker Sandro Kulenovic’s towering header set up a nervy finale. Inter coach Cristian Chivu rested star striker Lautaro Martinez and the game was played in Monza as their San Siro stadium hosts the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. Inter are the first to qualify for the semis with Atalanta hosting Juventus overnight, while next week Napoli take on Como and Bologna await Lazio. Centre-forward Bonny put Inter ahead with a powerful, angled header that flew straight through

“I’m happy with the performance, with what was put on the pitch, with the energy put into a game like this. “In the final stages, you suffer a bit because the pride of the opposition comes out when they’re 2 1 down, which can cause you problems. But they didn’t do that too much. We’re all happy with the win and advancing to the next round.” He explained his decision to bench several first team stalwarts for yesterday’s match “These are games where you need energy,” Chivu added. “You have to give everything you have based on your energy levels. “We made our choices based on who had energy; we had to manage our energy considering our January and February schedule.” – AFP/Agencies

the arms of Torino goalkeeper Alberto Paleari on 35 minutes. Inter then raced out of the blocks in the second half as Diouf tapped home a Marcus Thuram cross in the 47th minute. The Serie A leaders were dominating the pos session and passing with Torino struggling to con tain them when Kulenovic pulled Torino back into the contest just ahead of the hour. But Inter held out with a disciplined defensive display as Torino went down fighting. Chivu praised his team’s performance after Inter won their four consecutive games in all competi tions, including a 2-0 league triumph at Cremonese at the weekend. “I don’t give ratings, I don’t play fantasy football, and I’m not a journalist,” Chivu said after the game.