BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The best thing for Real Madrid about this season is that it is finally over.
A humiliating 2-0 loss at home to Real Betis on the last day of the Spanish league on...
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Spanish league has only four complete rounds remaining, and some coaches may not make it to the end.
Real Betis manager Quique Setién and Girona's Eusebio...
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — After Lionel Messi scored a wonderful third goal to complete his 51st career hat trick, Real Betis supporters did what only true fans can do when in the presence of genuine...
MADRID (AP) — Francisco "Isco" Alarcon has been left out of the Spain squad, paying the price for not playing often enough for Real Madrid under coach Santiago Solari.
MADRID (AP) — There will be no final at home for Real Betis.
The team's Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville will host the Copa del Rey final this season, but Betis won't be there after...
MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid lost its first Spanish league game since September on the day of Alvaro Morata's much-anticipated debut.
The newly signed striker had a lackluster debut as second-placed Atletico lost 1-0 at Real Betis on Sunday to miss its chance to move closer to league leader Barcelona.
MADRID (AP) — Real Betis' Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville will host the Copa del Rey final this season.
The Spanish federation picked the venue Monday over Valencia's Mestalla Stadium for the match on May 25.
Real Betis is in the quarterfinals. It drew 1-1 with Espanyol in the first leg. The second leg is Wednesday at the 61,000-capacity Villamarin.
SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — Substitute Dani Ceballos scored from a free kick in the final minutes to save Real Madrid from another setback in the Spanish league title race on Sunday.
Ceballos sent his strike through a gap in the defensive wall to claim the winning goal in a 2-1 victory at Real Betis.
Ceballos, who joined Madrid from Betis before the start of last season, went on in the 74th minute to jeers from Betis fans and with Madrid on the defensive.
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema had to be substituted at halftime of Sunday's Spanish league match at Real Betis after hurting his right hand.
Madrid coach Santiago Solari said Benzema had fractured his hand.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Real Betis coach Quique Setien likes to say that he would give his little finger to have had the honor of playing for Johan Cruyff.
That didn't stop him for masterminding a 4-3 victory Sunday at Barcelona, a team that claims Cruyff as the creator of its playing style.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Not even two goals by Lionel Messi could save Barcelona from its first Spanish league home defeat in more than two years on Sunday when Real Betis won 4-3 at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid took advantage of Barcelona's unexpected slip by winning 4-2 at Celta Vigo to close the gap on the leaders.
Betis never trailed as it ended Barcelona's run of 42 unbeaten home games in the league that dated back to a 2-1 defeat to Alaves in September 2016.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi scored twice on his return from a broken arm but Barcelona conceded four goals and was reduced to 10 men in a 4-3 home defeat to Real Betis in the Spanish league on Sunday.
The loss ended an unbeaten run of 42 consecutive home games for Barcelona in the league dating back to a 2-1 defeat to Alaves on Sept. 10, 2016.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona and Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho will be sidelined for two to three weeks with a left leg injury.
Barcelona says on Thursday that medical tests revealed Coutinho has a "small tear" in an unnamed muscle.
Coutinho apparently was injured on Tuesday during the 1-1 draw at Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Coutinho will miss a Spanish league match on Sunday against Real Betis, and the international break when Brazil has friendlies against Uruguay and Cameroon.
ROME (AP) — Gennaro Gattuso's ability to transmit his own combative spirit to his AC Milan players didn't just save his job during the Rossoneri's roughest stretch of the season, it also propelled the team into the Champions League places.
A week ago, Milan was in crisis following a last-gasp derby defeat to Inter Milan and a discouraging loss at home to Real Betis in the Champions League.
Its next two matches, however, were hard-fought victories over Sampdoria and Genoa in the Italian league.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek became the first England player in 47 years to score a hat trick in European competition for Chelsea on Thursday.
The 22-year-old midfielder, who featured when his country reached the semifinals of the World Cup in Russia in July, forgot about his frustrations at being unable to win a regular starting place at Chelsea by bagging all three goals as the London club swept to a 3-1 victory over BATE Borisov in the Europa League.
MONACO (AP) — Seven-time European champion AC Milan's reward for being reinstated in the Europa League includes a trip to Luxembourg.
Milan, which won a Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal to overturn expulsion for breaking financial rules, was drawn Friday into a group with newcomer Dudelange. The group also includes Olympiakos and Real Betis.
In a September 1972 trip to Luxembourg, Milan beat Red Boys Differdange 4-1 to start its run to the European Cup-Winners' Cup title.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan midfielder Takashi Inui was introduced by La Liga team Real Betis at the Spanish Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday after impressing at the World Cup.
The 30-year-old Inui, who played for Spanish club Eibar for three seasons, said he has a three-year contract with Betis.
"Betis' football last season was very attractive for me," Inui said. "I had a strong feeling that I wanted to be a part of the team."
MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid lost 3-0 at Real Sociedad on Thursday, leaving Barcelona one victory away from clinching the Spanish league title.
Barcelona, which drew 2-2 at Celta Vigo on Tuesday without most of its regular starters, can secure its 25th crown at Deportivo La Coruna on April 29.
The Catalan club faces Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Atletico Madrid stayed within sight of Barcelona while Real Madrid's attack bailed out its porous defense in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Diego Costa and Kevin Gameiro scored second-half goals to give Atletico a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao and keep it seven points behind Barcelona at the top of the table.
Atletico will visit Barcelona on March 4 in what could be its last chance to inject some drama into the title race.
BERLIN (AP) — Borussia Dortmund dominated the end of the transfer window in Germany with a flurry of activity that saw star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave and Michy Batshuayi take his place on Wednesday.
The Bundesliga club also made what it called a "big concession" on the transfer fee to allow defender Marc Bartra to go to Real Betis after a tumultuous Bundesliga spell, while it signed promising winger Sergio Gomez from Barcelona.
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Spanish defender Marc Bartra is leaving Borussia Dortmund to join Real Betis.
Dortmund said it made a "big concession" on the transfer fee to allow Bartra return to Spain after what has been a tumultuous spell in the Bundesliga.
SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored twice as Barcelona won 5-0 at Real Betis on Sunday with five second-half goals to increase its Spanish league lead.
Ivan Rakitic also scored for the Catalan club, which moved 11 points ahead of Atletico Madrid at the start of La Liga's second half.
After 20 rounds, Barcelona has a 14-point lead over third-placed Valencia, and is 19 points in front of rival Real Madrid, which has a game in hand.
MADRID (AP) — Despite watching Cristiano Ronaldo go off covered in blood, Real Madrid fans got to celebrate at home again with the team's biggest win of the season in the Spanish league.
Ronaldo, who left the game late with a cut to his face, scored twice as Madrid routed Deportivo La Coruna 7-1 Sunday, ending a three-match winless streak at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and easing the pressure on coach Zinedine Zidane and his players.
MADRID (AP) — Real Betis became the latest top-tier casualty in the Copa del Rey this week, failing to advance to the last 16 after a 5-3 loss to second-division club Cadiz on Thursday.
Betis was eliminated 6-5 on aggregate, joining Malaga, Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao as top-flight teams eliminated by lower-tier opponents in the Round of 32.
It was a thrilling match at Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville, with both teams pressing forward from the start.