Raphinha’s second-half goal helped Barcelona edge out 10-man Las Palmas 1-0 to close the gap on LaLiga leaders Real Madrid to five points.

Barcelona saw two goals chalked off for offside and Robert Lewandowski hit the bar but Las Palmas had goalkeeper Alvaro Valles red carded for a crude challenge on Raphinha outside his box after 25 minutes.

Xavi’s side were unable to initially capitalise on the extra man but Joao Felix came off the bench and provided a delicately-weighted ball over the top for Raphinha to head into the net in the 59th minute.

Felix could have given Barcelona some breathing room but conspired to hit the goal frame from point-blank range. However, the hosts extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 11 matches.

The Catalan giants were far from their best against mid-table opposition who are now winless in their last half-dozen league games but they have kept pressure on Real, who welcome Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Barcelona started strongly on Saturday night as Lewandowski was flagged offside before chipping over and then again after slotting home in the fifth minute, denying him a 21st goal of the campaign.

They had the ball in the net once more after 20 minutes when Lewandowski bore down on goal before teeing up Raphinha, who slipped inside and slotted beyond Valles only for the assistant’s flag to go up.

While Raphinha was onside when given the ball by Lewandowski, the Brazilian was clearly offside when his team-mate was originally put through and VAR upheld the official’s original decision.

If the hosts felt hard done by, they were given a boost when Valles was given his marching orders after rushing out of his goal and upending Raphinha, who had sprung the offside trap as he tried to latch on to Sergi Roberto’s through ball.

Valles and Las Palmas bitterly protested referee Mateo Busquets’ red card but the goalkeeper got none of the ball before cleaning out Raphinha and VAR backed the decision, leaving the visitors down to 10 players for more than an hour.

The dismissal led to the withdrawal of Munir El Haddadi and introduction of Aaron Escandell, who was soon beaten by Lewandowski’s header but the frame of the goal came to the goalkeeper’s rescue.

Raphinha drilled wide but despite all their dominance, Barcelona were given a major scare on the stroke of half-time when Saul Coco’s free-kick flashed fractionally wide.

Felix was sent on for Fermin Lopez shortly after the resumption and the on-loan Atletico Madrid forward had a near instant impact as his deft chip behind the defence led to Raphinha sweeping in and heading beyond Escandell to finally break Las Palmas’ resistance.

Barcelona went in search of a second and another teasing delivery from Felix was met by fellow substitute Ferran Torres, although his effort was well saved by Escandell.

Felix blotted his copybook by thudding against the crossbar inside the six-yard area, with the ball cannoning off Escandell’s right leg, the post then the substitute goalkeeper’s left leg before being cleared.

That miss might have come back to haunt him had substitute Alberto Moleiro found the right side of the net after cutting inside and lashing towards goal, but Barcelona were able to hang on and remain within distance of Real with eight matches of the season remaining.

Wales suffered heartbreak in their first-ever penalty shoot-out as Poland booked their place at Euro 2024 after a goalless 120 minutes.

Spot-kicks were needed on a tense evening in which Ben Davies had a first-half header disallowed for offside but chances were scarce in this play-off final.

Wales were reduced to 10 in the final seconds as Chris Mepham was banished for a second yellow card and Cardiff City Stadium held its breath following an impromptu rendition of the national anthem.

Poland converted five perfect penalties with Robert Lewandowski, Sebastian Szymanski, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Nicola Zalewski and Krzysztof Piątek successful against Danny Ward.

Wales matched them as Ben Davies, Kieffer Moore – via the underside of the crossbar – Harry Wilson and Neco Williams scored.

But Daniel James saw his effort pushed out by Wojciech Szczesny as Wales lost 5-4 on penalties and wild Polish celebrations began.

It was a cruel end for the hosts who had given everything to qualify for a third consecutive European Championship.

Wales had beaten the visitors only once – a maiden meeting in 1974 World Cup qualifying – and suffered seven defeats in 10 games, including six successive losses.

They also had to nullify the threat of Lewandowski with the 35-year-old striker in rich scoring form for Barcelona and seeking to add to his record 82 Poland goals.

Wales made one alteration from Thursday’s 4-1 semi-final thumping of Finland, with Moore replacing David Brooks in the forward line.

Poland were unchanged from the side that put five past Estonia in their Warsaw semi-final but Aston Villa’s Matty Cash was missing from the substitutes’ bench after damaging a hamstring.

South Wales Police had promised a zero-tolerance approach to anyone attempting to take pyrotechnics into Cardiff City Stadium after Poland’s previous visit in September 2022.

But the Polish end was lit up with flares as the two teams gathered for the pre-match anthems.

Poland sought to take the sting out of a fever-pitched atmosphere by frustrating Wales with their ball possession.

Karol Swiderski narrowly failed to get on the end of a Bartosz Slisz cross and Jakub Piotrowski fired over from 25 yards as Poland settled quickly.

Wales’ best moments were from set-pieces: Davies heading over a Wilson corner and Moore planting another chance wide.

Moore also came close to being the beneficiary of Joe Rodon’s flick-on from a Connor Roberts long throw but ran out of room by the byline.

Wales had edged their way back into the contest as the interval approached and had the ball in the net in the final moments of the half.

Moore met Williams’ cross at the far post and Davies guided his knockdown beyond Szczesny in the Poland goal.

The assistant referee’s flag cut short Welsh joy and VAR showed it was a correct call with Davies offside by a matter of inches.

Wales did manage the first on-target effort four minutes after the restart when Szczesny superbly clawed away Moore’s header from under his crossbar.

It looked as if Poland were wobbling but composure was rediscovered and crosses began to be swung into the Wales penalty area with increasing regularity.

Jakub Kiwior cleared the crossbar from six yards and Swiderski sent Piotr Zielinski’s free-kick wide.

The tension was also palpable as Szczesny held headers from Moore and Mepham and Lewandowski almost prevented extra time by fizzing just wide from 25 yards.

Piotrowski and Szymanski had openings in an additional 30 minutes that Poland dominated, but Ward did not have a single save to make in the entire match.

Daniel James was delighted to celebrate the birth of his new baby by scoring on his 50th Wales appearance in the Euro play-off win over Finland.

Wales’ 4-1 victory set up a home play-off final against Poland on Tuesday, with a Euro 2024 place at stake in Germany this summer.

James’ second-half appearance from the bench came after a busy few days for the Leeds winger following the birth of his second child with partner Ria.

The 26-year-old had arrived late into the Wales camp on Monday before adding to the best scoring season of his career with a 13th goal for club and country.

“It was my newborn’s first game here and I’m delighted to have my 50th cap,” James said after acknowledging his new arrival with a thumb-sucking goal celebration in front of a capacity Cardiff City Stadium crowd.

“It’s an honour for me and my family so hopefully there’s many more.

“To score four here shows we’ve got goals all over the pitch.

“Everyone’s come into camp whether playing or not fit and ready. We really gelled as a team and we’ve got to take that into Tuesday.”

Poland will certainly represent a far tougher test in Cardiff than outgunned Finland did on Thursday.

They had an indifferent Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, losing three of their eight group games to finish behind Albania and the Czech Republic, but there is plenty of top-level European experience in Michal Probierz’s squad.

Robert Lewandowski remains their star turn at the age of 35 and has scored an incredible 82 international goals, although the Barcelona striker was not on the scoresheet in Thursday’s 5-1 semi-final rout of Estonia in Warsaw.

Poland have beaten Wales in their last six meetings, including a 2022 Nations League double-header when they won 2-1 in Wroclaw and 1-0 in Cardiff.

“We’ve played them before and they’re a very good team,” James told S4C.

“It’s going to be a tough game. We’ve got a couple days now to settle from this one and then we’ll be straight on it.

“To win 4-1 here is great, but the manager (Rob Page) said after the game that it’s only half-time.

“We’ve got a massive game on Tuesday now and we’re looking forward to it.”

Page is currently blessed with attacking options and had James, Kieffer Moore and Nathan Broadhead in reserve after choosing Brennan Johnson, David Brooks and Harry Wilson to fill his forward line.

Brooks and Johnson repaid Page’s faith by scoring, while Wilson was also sharp and went close on a couple of occasions.

“The biggest selection headache I had was at the top of the pitch, as was well documented,” said Page.

“It was a hard decision to make, but I knew having looked at the analysis that pace would hurt them.

“We’ve got Nathan, who’s playing really well at the top of the Championship scoring goals.

“Brooksy’s outstanding. Harry Wilson in the Premier League. Kieffer, Brennan, DJ. We’ve got competition for places.

“We’ve got a young and fitter squad now and we’ve got players playing regularly.

“So now it’s about getting a recovery session into them. Then back on the grass with a game plan ready to go Tuesday.”

Robert Lewandowski scored a crucial late goal as a nervy Barcelona edged into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Napoli.

Lewandowski’s 83rd-minute effort finally finished off the Italians at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium with Barca progressing 4-2 on aggregate.

Barca had stormed ahead with goals in quick succession from Fermin Lopez and Joao Cancelo but Napoli hit back through Amir Rrahmani and were threatening an equaliser before Lewandowski had the last word.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen had the first chance of what proved an open game but failed to trouble Marc-Andre Ter Stegen before Lopez dragged a shot wide at the other end.

That proved a sighter for Lopez, who opened the scoring after 15 minutes following a flowing Barca move.

Cancelo was involved on the left before Raphinha reached the byline and pulled the ball back invitingly in front of goal. Lewandowski cleverly left the ball for the inrushing Lopez and he sidefooted firmly home.

Barca doubled their lead just two minutes later after Lamine Yamal controlled a high ball on the edge of his own box and launched a rapid counter-attack.

He broke deep into Napoli territory and then released Raphinha, who cut inside on to his right foot and thumped a shot against the post. As the ball rebounded, Cancelo was on hand to tuck away.

It seemed the Catalan giants were cruising but Napoli served warning they were not out of the contest as Osimhen tested Ter Stegen, although he was given offside.

The Italian side grabbed a goal back after 30 minutes as Matteo Politano pulled the ball back across the area and Rrahmani met it with a nice left-foot finish.

They then threatened an equaliser before the break as Giovanni Di Lorenzo got forward but Ter Stegen tipped over his dipping header.

Napoli pushed again after the break and wanted a penalty after Osimhen went down following a challenge from Pau Cubarsi but nothing was given.

Barca were forced to defend deep and struggled to get out of their half until Raphinha forced Alex Meret to save from a free-kick after 67 minutes.

Yamal then turned the ball into the net after a Lewandowski header was saved but it was ruled out for offside.

Ilkay Gundogan had a shot on the turn saved by Meret as Barca began to regain control but they were almost caught out when Jesper Lindstrom planted a header narrowly wide for Napoli.

Lewandowski claimed Barca’s decisive third goal seven minutes from time with a close-range finish after neat interplay between Gundogan and Sergi Roberto.

Napoli were not quite done as substitute Mathias Olivera rattled the woodwork and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sent a ferocious drive inches wide, but Barca had done enough.

Record-breaking Harry Kane scored his fourth hat-trick of the Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich hammered Mainz 8-1.

Kane’s move to Bayern looks set to coincide with the first time in 12 years they will not win the title, but he is breaking all sorts of individual records.

Another treble saw him take his tally to 30 league goals for the season, with Robert Lewandowski’s seasonal record of 41 under severe threat with nine games to go.

Four hat-tricks is a record in a debut Bundesliga season and reaching 30 means he is just the second-ever player to reach that tally in his debut season, with Uwe Seeler also doing it in the league’s inaugural season in 1963-64.

Leon Goretzka (two), Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, who Kane assisted with an outrageous crossfield pass, and Serge Gnabry also scored as Bayern cut the gap to seven points on leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who have a game in hand.

Kane’s goals have not been able to keep Bayern on the coat-tails of Leverkusen, who had opened up a huge lead at the top of the table.

But the England captain cannot stop scoring and he needed just 13 minutes to open his account when he converted from Musiala’s pass.

Six minutes later Goretzka made it two as he bundled home a rebound after Kane’s header glanced the post.

Kane looked primed to have a chance to add another from 12 yards after they were awarded a penalty for handball, but VAR overturned the decision – and then Mainz got themselves back into the game when Nadiem Amiri rifled home from 25 yards.

But Bayern were in no mood to drop more points and put their visitors to the sword.

Former Tottenham striker Kane made it 3-1 in first-half injury time with a brilliant finish, superbly controlling Goretzka’s cross and firing home.

Muller got in on the act two minutes after the restart as he tapped home Musiala’s cross before the 21-year-old got on the scoresheet himself just after the hour.

He had Kane to thank, though, for delivering a brilliant arching ball that sent him clear and he did the rest.

Gnabry joined in the fun five minutes later with a mesmerising finish, flicking home Goretzka’s cross with his back to goal.

Kane added another match ball to his collection when he got on the end of Eric Dier’s header at the far post to create history.

Goretzka completed a good afternoon’s work in added time as he headed home Joshua Kimmich’s cross.

Teenager Lamine Yamal struck a fine winner as Barcelona beat Mallorca 1-0 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to move into second place in the LaLiga table.

The 16-year-old beat Predrag Rajkovic with a delightful curling effort in the 73rd minute, having seen the Mallorca goalkeeper tip his shot against the crossbar earlier in the second half.

That was among a number of impressive saves made by Rajkovic, which also included keeping out Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half penalty.

Having avoided a second successive 0-0 draw, Xavi’s men leapfrog Girona into second place, lying two points in front of them and five behind leaders Real Madrid ahead of those sides hosting Osasuna on Saturday and Celta Vigo on Sunday respectively.

Barca’s starting line-up showed four changes from last weekend’s goalless stalemate at Athletic Bilbao, with those coming out of the XI including midfielders Frenkie De Jong and Pedri after they were injured in that game, and Robert Lewandowski, who was on the bench.

The suspended Ronald Araujo was the other man dropping out of the team as 18-year-old Marc Guiu, Yamal, Joao Felix and Inigo Martinez came in.

The hosts had the chance to take the lead midway through the first half when Raphinha was brought down in the area by Jose Manuel Copete and the outcome after a VAR review was a penalty, but Gundogan saw Rajkovic push away his strike from 12 yards.

After Felix put an attempt wide, Barca saw their injury issues increase as Raphinha was forced to come off in the 37th minute, with Fermin Lopez taking his place.

The visitors then brought a save out of Marc-Andre ter Stegen as he dealt with Manu Morlanes’ header, before Rajkovic did well to deny Gundogan and tipped over Lopez’s headed effort.

Rajkovic produced more good work shortly after the break to keep out a deflected Felix shot.

Vedat Muriqi nodded against the Barca crossbar moments later, albeit with the flag going up for offside, and Yamal then saw his shot touched against the woodwork at the other end by Rajkovic just prior to the hour mark.

Xavi introduced Lewandowski and Vitor Roque soon after, and the latter put a header of his own just over the bar in the 69th minute.

Lewandowski then provided the assist as Yamal broke the deadlock in superb fashion, collecting the Poland striker’s pass just outside the box, moving into it and sending a wonderful strike into the top corner.

Yamal then teed up a Lopez effort that was skewed wide late on as Barca claimed the three points.

Robert Lewandowski scored an injury-time penalty at the second time of asking as Barcelona secured a nail-biting late win over Celta Vigo to stay in touch with the LaLiga title race.

Lewandowski had already given his side the lead with an emphatic finish on the stroke of half-time but Iago Aspas put his struggling side on course for a draw with a deflected effort soon after the restart.

Lewandowski eventually won it from the spot in the seventh minute of added time, but only after the referee ordered a retake when his first attempt was saved by an encroaching Vicente Guaita. The result leaves them two points behind Girona in second and seven shy of rivals and leaders Real Madrid, having played one game more than both.

At the Metropolitano Stadium, fourth-placed Atletico Madrid ran out 5-0 winners over Las Palmas. Marcos Llorente and Angel Correa scored two apiece and Memphis Depay rounded things out in a one-sided contest.

Osasuna beat Cadiz 2-0 and Sevilla took a goalless draw from Valencia on their visit to the Mestalla.

In Ligue 1, departing Paris St Germain striker Kylian Mbappe found himself left out of the starting XI against Nantes only to step off the bench and bury a penalty.

Having announced his summer departure from PSG, Mbappe had to wait until the 62nd minute to see action but was ready to slot home from the spot to put the finishing touch to a 2-0 win. Lucas Hernandez had earlier put the runaway league leaders ahead on the hour.

Elsewhere, Lille moved back into third on goal difference as hat-trick hero Jonathan David put away Le Havre 3-0.

In Germany, Bundesliga’s relentless leaders Bayer Leverkusen banked another three points with a 2-1 away win at Heidenheim.

Xabi Alonso’s title-chasers have now won seven of their last eight matches, with Jeremie Frimpong and Amine Adli on target this time. Tim Kleindienst set up some late tension with an 87th-minute reply but the hosts could not force a second.

Third-placed Stuttgart fought for a 2-1 win at bottom club Darmstadt despite Pascal Stenzel’s red card at the end of the first half. They now sit five points above Borussia Dortmund, with the latter held 1-1 at Wolfsburg after substitute Yannick Gerhardt responded to Niclas Fullkrug’s early effort.

RB Leipzig won 2-0 against Borussia Monchengladbach, Union Berlin scored the only goal away to Hoffenheim and strugglers Mainz recorded a 1-0 win over Augsburg.

Juventus’ hopes of chipping away at Inter’s Serie A lead were stifled as they were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw at Verona. Juve twice dragged themselves back from a goal down, Dusan Vlahovic’s penalty and Adrien Rabiot’s second-half strike squaring efforts from Michael Folorunsho and Tijjani Noslin.

A point left Massimiliano Allegri’s men nine points behind the Nerazurri, who have a game in hand.

Napoli’s disappointing season continued to underwhelm as they were held 1-1 at home by Genoa. Morten Frendrup put the away side in front and it was not until the 90th minute that substitute Cyril Ngonge grabbed an equaliser.

Mario Pasalic, Teun Koopmeiners and Mitchel Bakker all found the target as Atalanta strengthened their grip on fourth spot at the expense of Sassuolo.

Robert Lewandowski snatched a dramatic late victory for Barcelona at Celta Vigo, converting a retaken penalty deep in injury-time for a 2-1 win.

The Catalan giants were on course for a second straight draw after old foe Iago Aspas cancelled out Lewandowksi’s first goal with a deflected effort just after half-time, his 200th career strike.

But with almost 97 minutes on the clock, the tension ramped up as the veteran striker stood over a last-gasp spot-kick and missed.

Lewandowski held his head in his hands but was offered a lifeline when the referee judged that goalkeeper Vicente Guaita had stepped off his line and ordered it to be taken again.

Unfazed, the 35-year-old repeated the same stuttering run-up as before and slotted it home to secure the points for his side and his 50th goal in Barca colours.

It was a much-needed result for Xavi’s men, who have endured a difficult campaign and would have been disappointed to let another result slip through their fingers after being held 3-3 by Granada last time out.

For Celta it was a harsh blow, denying them a hard-earned share of the spoils and leaving them just three points above the relegation zone.

Barca dominated the ball in the first half, but struggled to generate clearcut chances to make the possession count. Lamine Yamal was first to try his luck but could not beat Guaita, while Joao Cancelo screwed a shot wide.

Despite Aspas’ best efforts the hosts were unable to find a foothold and kept absorbing pressure, Andreas Christensen heading wide at a corner and and Ronald Araujo failing to get an effort away.

The dam broke with the interval approaching, Jules Kounde feeding the ball upfield and Yamal playing in Lewandowksi from the wing. The Poland star’s first touch was an instinctive flick off the outside of the boot, taking the ball away from his marker in an instant, and his second was a rifled finish from the edge of the penalty area.

That should have settled Barca but instead they held their lead less than two minutes after the restart. It was Celta’s smoothest move of the match, Jorgen Strand Larsen and and Oscar Mingueza both producing back-heeled touches to play in Aspas as he ran through on goal.

His shot left Marc-Andre ter Stegan with no chance, but only after a hefty deflection off Kounde. Aspas has been a nuisance for Barcelona’s teams for over a decade and took his tally against them to 11 goals in 19 games.

The 36-year-old looked to have settled the draw, with substitutes Raphina and Ilkay Gundogan unable to rally a winner for the visitors and Carl Starfelt marshalling a solid defensive response.

Added time was already well under way when Fran Beltran fouled Yamal in the box, ushering in the penalty drama that offered Lewandowski two bites at the cherry from 12 yards.

Barcelona returned to winning ways as substitute Vitor Roque secured a 1-0 home victory over 10-man Osasuna in the LaLiga champions’ first match since Xavi announced he is to stand down as boss.

Roque, the 18-year-old Brazil forward recently signed from Athletico Paranaense, opened his Barca account with a header just past the hour mark, a minute after coming off the bench.

Despite having Unai Garcia sent off four minutes later, Osasuna showed some threat as they sought an equaliser but Barca were able to see out the win.

Xavi’s men bounced back following successive defeats in the Copa del Rey at Athletic Bilbao and Saturday’s 5-3 home loss to Villarreal, after which the former Spain midfielder announced he would be leaving the club this summer.

The Blaugrana cut the gap between them and leaders Girona to eight points and, at least temporarily, moved up a place to third in the table ahead of Atletico Madrid.

Xavi made four changes from the Villarreal game, bringing in Ferran Torres, Pedri, Joao Cancelo and 17-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi.

One of the adjustments was enforced with Joao Felix dropping out after joining Barca’s lengthy list of unavailable players due to an ankle issue sustained in training.

And they were hit with another injury setback only a few minutes into the game as Torres suffered a thigh problem and had to be substituted, with Fermin Lopez coming on.

Robert Lewandowski nodded wide of the Osasuna goal soon after as he met a free-kick from Ilkay Gundogan, whose corner was then headed just over by Jules Kounde in the 35th minute.

The closing stages of the first half saw Lopez shoot too high and Kounde go close with another header.

There was further frustration for the hosts after the break with Lamine Yamal hitting a shot straight at goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez and a Gundogan header going wide before Roque, within seconds of replacing Lopez, connected with Cancelo’s cross to break the deadlock from close range in the 63rd minute.

Osasuna were then reduced to 10 men with Roque involved again, Garcia collecting a second booking having fouled the substitute.

That brought an admirable response from the visitors, with Raul Garcia’s shot hitting the post and Jon Moncayola bringing a good save out of Inaki Pena.

After Lewandowski saw an effort ruled out for offside, Pablo Ibanez then headed wide at the other end as Osasuna’s late push proved in vain.

Athletic Bilbao’s Williams brothers both scored in extra-time as Barcelona endured more Copa del Rey misery at the San Mames in a 4-2 humbling in their quarter-final.

Inaki came off the bench to put the hosts ahead right at the end of the first additional period before Nico, eight years his junior at 21, applied the finishing touch with the last kick of the game.

The Catalans’ previous two visits in the competition in 2020 and 2022 both ended in defeat and when Inaki Williams reacted brilliantly to a huge stroke of luck by converting his own shot which rebounded off a post, history repeated itself.

It was no less than they deserved after stunning Barca by taking the lead after just 36 seconds through Gorka Guruzeta.

The visitors turned things around with goals from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal in a six-minute spell midway through the first half but they never looked comfortable and Oihan Sanchet’s equaliser – from a sublime Nico Williams cross – just after the interval paved the way for former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde’s side to win the game over 120 minutes.

This was the 46th Copa match between the two teams, who have won the trophy a combined 54 times, and it turned into an occasion befitting that history as Bilbao delivered some payback for the four defeats by Barca in the six finals they have reached since their last Copa triumph in 1984.

Guruzeta’s goal – the third time this season Barcelona have conceded in the first minute – was a scrappy affair with Sancet’s knockdown headed back by the diving Malcom Adu Ares for Sancet to help it on to his team-mate to fire home.

Guruzeta’s volley on the run went marginally wide before, after losing left-back Alejandro Balde to a hamstring injury, the visitors struck back with Lewandowski’s 13th of the season.

Pedri tried to get on the end of Ferran Torres’ left-wing cross and the loose ball fell to defender Yuri Berchiche, who hammered a clearance against Lewandowski who pounced to equalise.

When Yamal cut in from the right on his left foot to drill a low shot inside the far post Barcelona appeared to be in control but just four minutes after half-time Nico Williams’ deep cross to the far post was headed down and in by Sancet.

Yamal could have twice restored the visitors’ lead; first he was sent clear by Lewandowski but although he dinked it past goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala his shot went wide.

Four minutes from time he blazed wide after robbing Aitor Paredes 35 yards out as he received a pass from his goalkeeper and with Lewandowski now subbed off Bilbao sensed their chance.

In the final minute of the first half of extra-time Inaki Williams fired against the far post but a lucky rebound behind the goalkeeper gave him a second chance and he stabbed home.

He then inadvertently provided his brother with an assist when his miscontrol saw Nico Williams score arguably the best goal of the night, a curling effort with the outside of his right foot.

Second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal for Barcelona set up an El Clasico against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.

The Polish striker netted just before the hour and then Yamal grabbed in time added on to ensure Barca deservedly beat Osasuna 2-0 in the semi-final.

They will now meet their fierce rivals, who beat Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, in Sunday’s final in Riyadh, bidding to win a 15th Super Cup.

Barca were on top from the start and could have had the game in the bag in the first 20 minutes, but they came up against a human wall in the shape of Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera.

Herrera kept out Andreas Christensen’s volley from a corner, got down well to stop a Lewandowski effort and then tipped over Ilkay Gundogan’s free-kick.

The one time he was beaten, Ferran Torres was just inches off target after Barca had won the ball back in a dangerous position.

The first-half chances kept coming as Sergi Roberto missed his kick from a golden position before Lewandowski put another header over.

Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena had to make a save of his own to keep out Ante Budimir’s close-range effort and then Raphina limped off injured in the lead up to half-time.

Xavi’s men were back on the front foot in the second half and got their reward in the 59th minute.

Christensen regained possession before Gundogan picked out Lewandowski, who found the bottom corner for his 11th goal of the season.

Joao Felix could have made the game safe soon after but was the latest player to be denied by Herrera, who kept out the Portugal international’s curling effort.

Instead, Barcelona’s lead remained vulnerable and Pena had to pull off another good save to deny Budimir in the 77th minute, while Raul García volleyed over the bar.

They finally killed the game in the third minute of time added on as Yamal struck through Herrera after Felix’s mazy run.

Barcelona booked their place in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey despite an unconvincing display in a 3-2 victory over fourth-tier Barbastro.

Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski were on target for Xavi’s side in a match which also saw their opponents score twice through Adria de Mesa and Marc Prat.

LaLiga giants Barca lacked a cutting edge and presented chances to Barbastro in what turned out to be a hotly-contested tie.

Barca were camped in the attacking third before they took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.

The visitors won possession in midfield before Raphinha was found out wide. The Brazil winger stormed forward and picked out Lopez, who expertly scored with a first-time shot to give his side the advantage.

After 41 minutes the Spanish champions thought they had doubled their lead but Joao Felix’s effort was ruled offside.

Lopez turned creator and floated a ball on to the head of the potent Felix, who nodded his effort past Arnau Fabrega. The Portugal international appeared to have perfectly timed his run but Barca were denied the chance to add another.

The Catalan side strengthened their position in the 51st minute through Raphinha.

Seventeen-year-old full-back Hector Fort cut inside and sent a dipped ball to the back post where the former Leeds winger evaded his marker and volleyed home to make it 2-0.

But on the hour Barbastro scored an unlikely goal to halve the deficit.

The hosts sent men forward for a corner and a whipped delivery into the area challenged Barca’s defenders, who failed to clear their lines. Barbastro striker De Mesa was alert and got on the end of the loose ball to grab one back.

Xavi turned to the bench and brought on Lewandowski. The Poland striker instantly had an impact, winning a header and forcing an error from the defender whose backwards pass to keeper Manas was intercepted by Ferran Torres.

But typical of Barca’s day, Torres failed to hold his nerve and a poor touch saw the opportunity go begging.

Lewandowski sealed the tie when he scored from the spot in the 88th minute.

After a clear handball in the box, the former Bayern Munich star hopped, skipped, jumped and sent Manu the wrong way as he rolled his effort into the bottom-right corner.

Prat also scored from the spot in added-time but it was too late and Barca sealed a 3-2 win.

Sergi Roberto came to Barcelona’s rescue with a brace to finally see off rock-bottom Almeria 3-2 as the LaLiga champions returned to winning ways.

The hosts looked set to stretch their winless run to four games in all competitions after twice being pegged back by opponents still in search of their first league win of the season.

But the 31-year-old latched on to a through-ball from Robert Lewandowski in the 83rd minute to grab the points which take his side back within four points of second-placed Real Madrid.

Xavi’s men were overwhelming favourites as they aimed to shrug off their recent poor run, and they started on top.

Joao Felix floated a free-kick just over the crossbar then Sergi Roberto saw his first chance well saved by busy Almeria goalkeeper Luis Maximiano.

Joao Cancelo was next up with an effort that he drilled straight at the keeper, before Fermin Lopez headed over from Ilkay Gundogan’s pinpoint cross.

Sergi Roberto blasted over from long-range on the half-hour mark before Barca finally made their seemingly inevitable breakthrough three minutes later when Ronald Araujo’s deflected effort fell to Raphinha who fired it into an empty net.

Lewandowski almost doubled Barcelona’s lead before Almeria snatched their chance to level four minutes before the break, Leo Baptistao lofting the ball over advancing Barca keeper Inaki Pena and surviving a VAR check.

Baptistao had a chance to put his side in front before the break but dragged an effort wide and normal service resumed early in the second period with substitute Ferran Torres and Lewandowski both denied.

Sergi Roberto grabbed his opener on the hour when he met Raphinha’s corner with a header at the near post to put Barcelona back in front.

But the lead lasted barely 10 minutes before the hosts were undone by a calamitous error by Pena, who dropped the ball in a collision with Araujo, allowing the alert Edgar Gonzalez to slide it into an empty net.

The hosts responded well, Araujo making up for his part in the equaliser by heading just wide, before Gundogan contrived to somehow miss his chance with the goal at his mercy.

Sergi Roberto finally grabbed what proved to be the decider in the 83rd minute when he ran on to Lewandowski’s ball through the middle to seal three hard-earned points.

Lewandowski almost added a fourth and the captain was denied a hat-trick deep into added time when his effort rattled back off the woodwork.

Robert Lewandowski got Barcelona out of jail as Alaves threatened to pile on further misery for the reigning LaLiga champions.

The 35-year-old Poland international headed home a second-half equaliser after Samu Omorodion had fired the visitors in front with just 18 seconds gone and then converted a late penalty to ensure an eventful afternoon at the Estadio Olimpico ended 2-1 to the hosts.

However, Samu was left to reflect on what might have been after passing up three further chances to add to his tally as Barca, who were without influential duo Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, turned in an abject first-half display before finally finding their feet.

The home side kicked off under some pressure after their their midweek Champions League defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk, which came in the wake of their El Clasico reverse and an unconvincing league win over Real Sociedad.

And they could hardly have got off to a worse start as they conceded inside the opening minute.

Ilkay Gundogan was robbed by Jon Guridi inside the Alaves half and he carved his way deep into Barca territory before picking out Javi Lopez, whose cross was swept past keeper Marc Andre ter Stegen by the 19-year-old Samu.

Things could have been significantly worse for Xavi’s men amid a shambolic start as they were repeatedly opened up by the visitors.

Samu fired into the side-netting after controlling Andoni Gorosabel’s pass, and then missed the target after the latter had split the home defence to send him one-on-one with Ter Stegen.

Shell-shocked Barcelona started to work their way into the game and Alaves keeper Antonio Sivera had to save from Lewandowski and Joao Felix.

But in the meantime, Lopez had scuffed a shot on the turn wide after catching defender Jules Kounde sleeping, and the France international was fortunate to escape for a second time when Samu fired after being muscled off the ball by the frontman.

Felix tried desperately to drag his side back into the game as time ran down, but Sivera remained largely untroubled and the locals made their feelings abundantly clear on the whistle.

Barca returned with much greater purpose and Joao Cancelo fired into Sivera’s midriff within three minutes, and they were back in it with 53 minutes gone when Lewandowski got ahead of defender Rafa Marin to power home a header from Kounde’s right-wing cross.

The visitors found themselves pinned back deep inside their own half, but almost profited from another Kounde error when he headed Ruben Duarte’s free-kick straight at Abdelkabir Abqar, although the defender was unable to convert.

Lamine Yamal tested Sivera with a swerving attempt, but the Catalans finally edged in front with 12 minutes remaining when, after Abqar had tripped substitute Ferran Torres in the box, Lewandowski emphatically dispatched the resulting spot-kick.

Emile Heskey cannot choose between Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski, as he claimed there are "parallels" between the duo.

Kane scored a hat-trick – his third for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga – in a 4-0 rout of Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker on Saturday.

The England captain has now scored 15 league goals for Bayern, setting a new record for goals from a player in the first 10 games of their maiden Bundesliga season. He is only the fourth player to score at least three goals in three different games in his debut season in the Bundesliga.

Bayern had been in search of a focal point to lead their line since Robert Lewandowski's departure to Barcelona in 2022, with Sadio Mane having failed to fill the Poland forward's boots following his switch from Liverpool.

Asked if Kane has been the ideal replacement for Lewandowski, who holds the record for the number of Bundesliga goals from a foreign player (312), former England striker Heskey told Stats Perform: "They're similar sort of players. When you're when you're talking about goals, I think it's a parallel.

"You can't really say there's an upgrade or downgrade or whatever it is. They're parallel, they're giving you goals.

"They might give you a different style of play, though, because I think Lewandowski is more runs in behind, he's really, really special with his movement off the ball when trying to get in and trying to get a one on one.

"Whereas Harry is more of a player who will come in, link, turn, have his shot, score goals from halfway line."

Kane has also scored twice in three Champions League games. He is just two goals from surpassing Paul Scholes as the third-highest English goalscorer in the competition. 

Heskey is unsure if Kane will prove the "missing piece" for Bayern's Champions League hopes, though the 30-year-old will do their chances no harm.

He said: "He'll perform but yeah, definitely, when it comes to goals, he'll definitely perform in that sense. Whether he's the missing piece and will take you to the final and eventually win it, only God will know.

"But he will definitely get you goals in any form of competition that he plays in. I remember Owen Hargreaves talking about when he first went to [Manchester] City, and they were talking about them winning the Champions League, and he said they were miles off it.

"He was saying, well, defensively, you can't be so open.

"Now I think if Bayern can be like what they're usually like, when it's quite close, quite compact, it's hard to beat with a Kane up front. You're going to get goals, you're going to get results."