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Yamal shines as Barcelona thrash Betis
Barcelona's teenage forward Lamine Yamal was in inspired form, scoring once and making two assists, as they thrashed Real Betis 5-1 on Wednesday to book their spot in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
Flying high after their 5-2 demolition of rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, Barcelona didn't even need their full arsenal to swat aside fellow LaLiga outfit Betis.
Coach Hansi Flick rested several starters such as Robert Lewandowski, Marc Casado and Alejandro Balde.
They dominated proceedings from the start and it took three minutes for them to open the scoring with Gavi slotting in a low strike from Dani Olmo's assist.
Olmo almost extended Barca's lead with a fine strike from inside the box that hit the post in the 20th minute, before Jules Kounde put them 2-0 up in the 27th, firing home a volley from close range after a stunning lobbed pass by Yamal.
After efforts from Kounde and Yamal were ruled out by the VAR for offside, Raphinha scored Barca's third in the 58th minute, netting from a counter-attack started by Yamal.
Substitute Ferran Torres netted the fourth in the 67th minute with a strike from inside the box from an Olmo cross and Yamal scored the fifth from a quick counter-attack in the 75th.
The goal was first ruled out for an offside but the decision was quickly corrected by the VAR.
Brazilian forward Vitor Roque, who is on-loan from Barcelona, scored a consolation for Betis from the penalty spot in the 84th minute.
Earlier on Wednesday, Getafe, who finished the game with nine men, beat fourth-tier Pontevedra 1-0 thanks to an early goal scored by Alvaro Rodriguez, who was sent off in the 41st minute with a straight red card for punching an opponent in the face.
Getafe then had Diego Rico sent off for a second booking in added time.
Leganes fought back to knock Spanish second division leaders Almeria out with a 3-2 victory, while Atletico Madrid dispatched Elche with a 4-0 win.
After Valencia knocked out third-tier side Ourense 2-0 on Tuesday, the Copa del Rey quarter-finals will feature eight teams from LaLiga as Athletic Bilbao will face Osasuna and Real Sociedad play Rayo Vallecano in the two remaining last-16 matches on Thursday.
Leaders Bayern thump Hoffenheim
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich scored three times in 19 minutes in the first half to crush Hoffenheim 5-0 on Wednesday and restore their four-point advantage at the top of the standings.
The Bavarians did not need long to open their account with Leroy Sane drilling in for the lead from a Thomas Mueller assist in the seventh minute.
Raphael Guerreiro doubled it after a one-two with Harry Kane five minutes later and they killed off the game with a 26th minute penalty by the league's top scorer, Kane, who bagged his 16th goal in the competition.
The Bavarians picked up where they left off after the break with Sane scoring the second goal of the match three minutes after the restart before substitute Serge Gnabry tapped in their fifth in the 66th.
The league leaders are on 42 points, four ahead of champions Bayer Leverkusen, who beat Mainz 05 1-0 on Tuesday.
Inter drop points in home draw against Bologna
Inter Milan were held to a 2-2 home draw by Bologna in Serie A on Wednesday, with the visitors snapping Simone Inzaghi's side's six-game winning run.
Bologna took a shock lead after 15 minutes when forward Santiago Castro deflected the ball into the net from close range before the hosts fired back four minutes later through defender Denzel Dumfries from a rebound.
Lautaro Martinez gave Inter the lead in first-half stoppage time with a superb shot into the roof of the net, but Emil Holm levelled for Bologna in the 64th minute after his low strike deflected off Inter's Nicolo Barella and bounced in off a post.
Inter, who last week lost the Italian Super Cup final against AC Milan, remained second in the standings on 44 points, and trail leaders Napoli by three points.
They still have a game in hand after their December fixture at Fiorentina was suspended when midfielder Edoardo Bove collapsed before undergoing heart surgery.
Champions League side Bologna, also with a game in hand, are eighth on 30 points.
Inter last dropped points in the league when they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Napoli on November 10.
The visitors were off to a quick start thanks to Castro, who provided the last touch after Bologna midfielder Nikola Moro unleashed a shot from outside of the box.
Inter were even quicker to respond, with Dumfries scoring low inside the far post in the 19th minute.
Marcus Thuram recovered the ball on the halfway line before leaving it inside the box for Federico Dimarco, who forced Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski into a terrific save before the Dutch defender netted on a follow-up.
Martinez put Inter up 2-1 just before the interval from Dimarco's neat horizontal pass from the left flank that the Argentine striker netted with first touch.
The hosts were deservedly leading at the break but slowed down their pace significantly after the restart.
After Bologna's Sweden defender Holm equalised, Inter struggled to threaten Skorupski for another goal and ended up settling for a draw.
Inter host 14th-placed Empoli on Sunday ahead of their trip to Sparta Prague in the Champions League next Wednesday.
Bologna next host bottom side Monza on Saturday before welcoming Borussia Dortmund in Europe's elite club competition on Tuesday.
PSG overcome Espaly to reach French Cup last 16
Paris St Germain booked their place in the last 16 of the French Cup on Wednesday with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over fifth-tier side FC Espaly.
Espaly sprang an early surprise when Kevis Gjeci capitalised on a mistake by Arnau Tenas to score inside three minutes. PSG dominated but could not find the breakthrough and midfielder Fabian Ruiz looked to have levelled in the 20th minute, only for his goal to be disallowed for offside.
Luis Enrique's side finally equalised in the 37th minute when Warren Zaire-Emery unleashed a stunning long-range strike.
Espaly goalkeeper Jordan Etienne put in an impressive performance after the break but was unable to prevent Desire Doue from scoring in the 67th minute. The hosts pulled one back four minutes later through Maxence Fournel.
"It was complicated. We were taken by surprise right from the start. After that, we stayed serious, pushed hard and came back to score. We were able to score and be a little more effective, even though we missed a lot of chances," Doue said.
PSG, determined to find a winner, continued to attack and with two minutes remaining Bradley Barcola was on hand to strike home Nuno Mendes' cross. Goncalo Ramos added the icing on the cake with a penalty in stoppage time.
"We started the game badly and were taken by surprise. But fortunately we managed to get back on track a bit at the end and make up for it. All we can take away from today is the win," Barcola said.
The next round of the French Cup will take place in February.
PSG are seven points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and travel to Lens on Saturday. They are also bidding to progress to the next round of the Champions League and face Premier League side Manchester City next week.
