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MADRID — Having dented Real Madrid’s lead in the Spanish league, Villarreal face a bigger task of having to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Barcelona to advance past the semifinals in the Copa del Rey.

Three things are in their favour: It’s at home, they have an away goal, and they have a fiercely competitive team, as Madrid learned when Gerard Moreno’s equaliser silenced the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

The advantage still lies with Barcelona and their strikeforce of Lionel Messi, Neymar and an increasingly confident Luis Suarez.

Barcelona’s crosstown rival, Espanyol, host Athletic Bilbao in the other more evenly matched return leg, although the hosts enjoy the benefit of an away goal after a 1-1 draw at San Mames.

Suarez beds in

Although Barcelona fans never lost hope, it has taken longer than most anticipated for Suarez to adapt to coach Luis Enrique’s squad. However, changing teams is never always smooth and Suarez started late because of his biting ban from the World Cup.

But he’s warming up well. After scoring just three times last year, Suarez has this year found the back of the net seven times from 18 shots on goal in 13 matches, including both in the 2-1 Champions league win at Manchester City.

Suarez scored his third goal of the week on Saturday and had a part in both others in a 3-1 league win at Granada on Saturday.

All Catalan hopes 

Athletic come to their semifinal buoyed by a regionally important 1-0 win in a gruelling Basque derby at Eibar on Sunday.

The copa is Athletic’s remaining hope of glory this season, after crashing out of the Europa League 3-2 against Torino last week — the Italian team progressed 5-4 on aggregate — and remaining stubbornly glued to La Liga’s mid-table.

Two factors weigh against Ernesto Valverde’s team. If the game goes into extra time, Espanyol will be more rested, having played on Friday, and beating Cordoba 1-0.

And Espanyol will guard their away goal, encouraged by the prospect of a lucrative and locally appealing all-Catalan final.

Full strength 

Luis Enrique will have a full-strength squad available against Villarreal, as centre back Gerard Pique has returned from suspension.

The coach’s main concern will be whether to risk key midfielder Javier Mascherano and Suarez, who are both on two yellow cards in the competition, and would miss the final should they pick up another and Barcelona advanced.

Pique and Sergio Busquets, who rested against Granada, could substitute for the in-form Mascherano and Pedro Rodriguez could go on for Suarez.

Vital away goal

Villarreal initially played a cautious game at the Camp Nou, hunkering down in the first half, then countering after the break and scoring thanks to Manuel Trigueros blistering shot.

At El Madrigal Stadium, coach Marcelino Garcia will look for an explosive start to subdue Barcelona.

LONDON — Sepp Blatter and his three FIFA presidential election rivals have been invited to participate in a television debate by the BBC and Sky.

The London-based broadcasters have written to the candidates proposing a one-hour “fans’ congress” live on their globally available channels, websites and Facebook ahead of the election in May.

The 78-year-old Blatter is seeking a fifth, four-year term running football. FIFA Vice President for Asia HRH Prince Ali, Portugal great Luis Figo and Dutch Football Association Chief Michael van Praag want to end Blatter’s reign, which began in 1998.

Prince Ali and Figo have already said publicly they are willing to participate in a debate. In a letter to Blatter seen by The Associated Press, Sky and BBC wrote: “There is significant interest from other candidates.”

The broadcasters would invite supporters representing the 209 FIFA member nations to the debate, with questions coming from the audience and viewers worldwide. They want to air the debate in April or May and a moderator is yet to be decided.

Unlike his rivals, Blatter has not published any details of his plans for FIFA if he wins the secret May 29 election of the 209 national associations.

“We believe this will present an unprecedented opportunity for the candidates to set out their plans and communicate directly with fans from around the world,” Sky News said in a statement. “We hope for a positive response from all four candidates.”

The English Football Association, which has been one of the most vocal anti-Blatter voices in world football, offered its national stadium as a debate location.

“I would love to see the four candidates for this election get in a room together and be questioned,” FA chairman Greg Dyke said. “We would happily host it at Wembley.”

Meanwhile, Blatter is concerned by a study that highlighted the scale of Russian football’s racism problem ahead of the 2018 World Cup, warning there “must be some sanctions” if the extremism is not eradicated.

A report produced by the Fare network, an organisation that combats discrimination in football, and the Moscow-based SOVA Centre showed that Russia is plagued by a racist and far-right extremist fan culture.

“I am aware of the report,” Blatter told The Associated Press. “We are concerned, definitely.”

Blatter’s approach to combating racism faced criticism before FIFA eventually introduced tougher sanctions in 2013, which can see a team being banned from a tournament for repeat offences by a club or its fans.

Blatter spoke last July to Russian President Vladimir Putin about making the tackling of racism a priority, but cases have continued to blight the 2018 World Cup host nation, including in high-profile Champions League games.

“Education, definitely is required, and if it does not stop then there must be some sanctions,” Blatter said on the sidelines of meeting of football rule-makers. “We have started a big education programme with them. They are aware of the situation.”

The “Time for Action” report on Russian racism, which the AP revealed on Friday, details dozens of cases of discriminatory behaviour linked to Russian football over two seasons and warned that “it will be difficult to ensure the safety of visitors” to the World Cup.

LONDON — A decade on from the first trophy from the Roman Abramovich-era, Chelsea collected the League Cup with just three survivors from the 2005 matchday squad.

After scoring the first goal in the 2-0 victory over Tottenham, captain John Terry was followed up to the Wembley Stadium royal box by goalkeeper Petr Cech and striker Didier Drogba on Sunday. Then came Jose Mourinho to raise aloft the trophy — the same one that kick-started his trophy-laden first spell as Chelsea manager in 2005.

“It’s given us a taste of where we want to be at the end of the season, lifting more trophies obviously,” Mourinho said. “This is our first one collectively, and looking back in 2004-05 it definitely had that effect on the squad. Hopefully it can have the same effect again to this new and upcoming squad.”

Mourinho sees this as a new era for the Blues in his second season back.

“It’s the first [trophy] of a new team,” Mourinho said. “You have Petr Cech, John Terry, Didier Drogba and, after that, everybody belongs to a new generation of players.”

Such as 20-year-old Kurt Zouma, who was pushed forward into midfield as a defensive shield as Nemanja Matic was suspended for the final, and helped Chelsea stifle Tottenham striker Harry Kane. And Eden Hazard, fresh from signing a new contract until 2020, helped to unsettle the north London club with his dribbling and creativity.

It was Diego Costa’s strike — deflected in by Tottenham defender Kyle Walker — that ensured Chelsea would take its first trophy since the 2013 Europa League back to Stamford Bridge.

Further success could come on two fronts this season. In the Champions League, Chelsea is locked at 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain after the first leg of their Round of 16 match. In the Premier League, Chelsea has a five-point lead over Manchester City — and now with a game in hand after the champions lost at Liverpool on Sunday.

After Mourinho’s longest trophy drought — Sunday’s success came almost three years after his 2012 Spanish title triumph with Real Madrid — the relief for the Portuguese manager was evident at Wembley.

“Two seasons without a trophy... looked like I was 20 years without a trophy,” the 52-year-old Mourinho said. “This is a good problem, to have that feeling that two years is a long time. That’s a good feeling.

“For me, it’s important to feel that I’m a kid. Before the game, that I had the same feelings as my first final however many years ago.”

And the oldies are there to share in the success, and help to deliver further trophies before June.

“After that [2005 League Cup final] we got more experience in big moments, big games, big finals like this one,” said the 36-year-old Drogba, who was a late substitute on Sunday. “It’s a step forward for this team. We want to grow up... and I’m really happy to be part of this team and help them to become better and stronger.”

HOLYWOOD, Northern Ireland — Faced with football’s “biggest decision ever”, FIFA said on Saturday it would not be rushed into approving — or even testing — video technology to improve the accuracy of referees’ decisions.

But an incident in the English Premier League then highlighted why the English Football Association (EFA) pushed FIFA to embrace technology beyond existing goal-line aids, at a meeting of the game’s rule-makers on Saturday.

In Manchester United’s game against Sunderland, it appeared the wrong player might have been sent off when a penalty was awarded. Sunderland defender John O’Shea pulled back Radamel Falcao in the penalty area but Wes Brown, who appeared to make no contact with the United striker, was dismissed.

Referee Rogers East believed Brown committed a foul as Falcao was shooting, the English referees’ body said.

“The match referee consulted with his team of officials but none were better placed to offer guidance,” the statement said.

Technology already being developed might have cleared up the confusion. The Dutch federation has been testing a system where officials watching on television feed live information to referees, but the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on Saturday wouldn’t approve any trials in games.

“It’s a question of making the biggest decision ever in the way football is played,” FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke said.

“It needs a lot of discussion, in terms of what we are looking at. We talked about the fact if the referee relies on information he is getting [from the video referee], is there a risk that the referees become not as strong as they are today because they will always ask for confirmation of any decision in the course of the game?”

FIFA controls half of the eight votes on IFAB, which also features four United Kingdom football associations. A motion requires six votes to be approved. Although the English and Scottish FAs were keen to push ahead with video trials, Northern Ireland and Wales were more cautious.

“We shouldn’t, as IFAB, allow experiments to be carried out willy-nilly,” Welsh FA chief executive Jonathan Ford said.

The English FA believes IFAB is dragging its heels on expanding the use of technology just like it did before approving goal-line aids. After years of lobbying for goal-line technology, the FA gained FIFA approval following a glaring error at the 2010 World Cup when England’s Frank Lampard was denied a clear goal.

“Instead of waiting until you get a ‘Frank Lampard’ to change the rules, as with goal-line technology, we should go on the front foot,” Dyke said, advocating trials with a video referee.

“We’re going to look back in 20 years’ time and say, ‘Wasn’t it quaint that we didn’t use video technology when it was available.’”

Dyke was speaking before the incident during United’s 2-0 victory over Sunderland and declined to comment later because he hadn’t seen a video. The red card could be transferred to O’Shea, who would then serve the one-match ban. But a rule change that IFAB on Saturday did tentatively endorse would see the offending player not serve a sanction.

IFAB agreed in principle to relax the so-called “triple punishment” rule where a player can make a challenge that results in a penalty kick, a red card and suspension. 

A proposal to allow an additional fourth substitute in extra time was not approved, but will be looked at in further depth by IFAB advisory panels.

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Sunderland in the English Premier League on Saturday was overshadowed by referee Roger East appearing to dismiss the wrong Black Cats player.

East pointed to the spot in the second half after Radamel Falcao was felled by John O’Shea. However, it was his teammate Wes Brown who was sent off.

East’s decision occurred on the same day that football’s rule-makers ruled out the imminent use of video technology.

The English Football Association backs the wider implementation of technology — three years after goal-line aids were approved for use — but FIFA is blocking any moves to allow referees to defer to video replays.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited — the board that manages the referees, released a statement hours after the final whistle.

“From his position Roger East, the match referee, believed he saw contact from John O’Shea and Wes Brown on Radamel Falcao,” the statement read. “As he thought Brown made a foul on Falcao while he was in the act of shooting, he dismissed Brown. After the incident the match referee consulted with his team of officials but none were better placed to offer guidance.”

Wayne Rooney converted the subsequent penalty, ending his eight-game spell without a league goal, since another brace in the 3-1 win over Newcastle in December.

The United captain netted from close range in the 85th minute as the hosts temporarily leapfrogged Arsenal into third place in the table.

“It’s great to score but the three points are the most important thing after last week. We deserved the three points,” Rooney said.

United laboured in the first half with Sunderland creating chances for strikers Jermain Defoe and Connor Wickham. Neither managed to capitalise on their chances, with goalkeeper David De Gea foiling the pair inside the opening 10 minutes. Defoe spurned another opportunity in the 16th minute with De Gea gathering his tame effort.

The hosts almost took the lead courtesy of one of their former players. O’Shea deflected Ashley Young’s shot against his own bar in the 25th minute, with Young curling another effort just wide of Costel Pantilimon’s left-hand post in the 33rd minute.

Louis Van Gaal introduced Adnan Januzaj at the start of the second for the below-par Angel Di Maria, a move that galvanised the home side.

“The first half could be better, but the second half we controlled the match. I’m very pleased,” Van Gaal said.

“The players protested more because they felt the wrong player was sent off. That’s a mistake. You make mistakes as well, and so do I. It can happen,” United manager Van Gaal added on Brown’s dismissal.

LONDON — If Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen gets his hands on the League Cup after the final with Chelsea on Sunday he can thank his father who coached him and was his harshest critic.

The 23-year-old Danish international will walk out onto the Wembley turf with the hopes of trophy-starved Spurs fans on his shoulders.

The free-kick specialist with the knack of scoring late goals has been to Wembley before but did not play having been injured when his country faced England in a friendly last March.

This time he will have a key role for Spurs as they try to lift silverware for the first time since their 2008 League Cup triumph over Chelsea.

Tottenham have struggled against Chelsea in the league in recent years but thumped them 5-3 at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day which has given them belief they can repeat the feat.

“We showed that we can play against them and beat them, having played a few games before that where we tried but couldn’t succeed, and I think it gives us a lot of confidence that we are able to do it again,” said Eriksen.

The softly-spoken classic number 10, who wears 23, is the most important player to come out of Denmark since Michael and Brian Laudrup but he is comfortable with the pressure.

“A lot of players who start young always get the comparison from other people who are a bit older or from the Danish newspapers,” he told a pre-League Cup final news conference.

“With the Laudrups that started early, so they began to put a bit of pressure on me. I’ve been used to it since I started playing. Luckily I’m starting to make my own [reputation].”

Growing influence

Eriksen has been Denmark’s footballer of the year for the past two years and was his country’s youngest debutant since Michael Laudrup when playing against Austria in March 2010.

The midfielder joined Ajax Amsterdam from Denmark’s OB Odense in 2008, scoring 33 goals in 161 games as they won three straight Eredivisie titles through to the 2012/13 season.

Eriksen joined Spurs before the start of last season for 11 million pounds on the recommendation of the club’s Belgium central defender Jan Vertonghen who played with him at Ajax.

His influence at Tottenham has grown steadily under manager Mauricio Pochettino and he is now their key outfield player. He has scored 11 goals in 34 games in all competitions this season.

“If you have a plan from your manager you know what to do and what you’re capable of and you just want to show it and you get the confidence from the manager to do what you’re good at. I think that definitely helps you,” he said.

Eriksen has also had the support of his father Thomas, a former player who coached his son as a youngster and was not afraid to tell him some home truths when things went wrong.

“He was a footballer as well so he knew a lot of things and he knew what he wanted. But of course there were some times when I had a bad game and he would tell me to do better.

“After I spoke to him sometimes I’ve locked the door to my room but he has the discussion with me and I’m listening and after that it’s a new day. That’s football.”

Eriksen was speaking at a Tottenham Hotspur Foundation event highlighting the Education and Football Development Centre programme. 

LONDON — Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says his expensively assembled squad has not challenged for the Premier League title this season because they do not have a prolific striker like their rivals.

Despite spending more than £150 million ($231.48 million) in the close season, including a six-million pound season-long loan deal for Colombia striker Radamel Falcao, United have looked uncharacteristically subdued when going forward during the campaign.

Van Gaal has come under scrutiny for implementing a number of different formations and playing forward Wayne Rooney in central midfield as United have struggled to keep pace in the title race, with his team in fourth.

The Dutchman claims the club are 13 points adrift of leaders Chelsea and eight behind local rivals Manchester City in second because his strike force have failed to match the scoring exploits of Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero, who have 17 league goals each for their respective teams.

Netherlands captain Robin van Persie is United’s top scorer with 10 league goals, while Rooney and Falcao have struck eight and four respectively.

“We cannot deny that at this moment we don’t have a striker who scores 20 goals in the season,” Van Gaal told reporters ahead of Sunderland’s visit to Old Trafford in the league on Saturday.

“Robin van Persie cannot deny it, Falcao cannot deny it and Rooney — but he is not playing there so much any more.”

United will have to make do without injured Van Persie for Saturday’s match.

Van Gaal sold England striker Danny Welbeck to Arsenal and loaned Mexico’s Javier Hernandez to Real Madrid as part of a summer overhaul after taking over at Old Trafford, putting his faith in 19-year-old James Wilson as the fourth striker.

However, the Dutchman said a lack of goals from the current quartet did not mean he would look for more attacking reinforcements at the end of the season.

“This doesn’t tell anything about next year,” Van Gaal said on Friday.

“They can be having an unlucky year and I have to take account with these aspects and I have to decide, with my staff, if it is these aspects or other aspects.”

Manchester United could be without their first-choice striker for a critical stage of the season after van Persie was ruled out for a “long time” by manager Louis van Gaal on Friday.

The Netherlands international was hurt in United’s 2-1 loss at Swansea last Saturday and left the Liberty Stadium on crutches, with a protective shoe on his foot.

Van Gaal didn’t give an exact timescale of Van Persie’s absence but said it was an injury that “takes a long time — it’s not one week or two weeks”.

That would mean Van Persie definitely missing United’s next two Premier League games — against Sunderland on Saturday and Newcastle on Wednesday — and also the FA Cup quarter-final match against his former club, Arsenal, on March 9. After that, four of United’s next five matches are against Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea — all members of the current top seven.

Van Persie’s latest injury has come just as United cling to the final Champions League qualification spot in the Premier League, which is a minimum requirement for Van Gaal in his first season at Old Trafford.

United dropped to fourth in the standings after the Swansea loss, and Tottenham and Liverpool are one and two points behind, respectively.

“It is because of the rat race between five clubs that we have to win, we have to be there,” Van Gaal said ahead of the Sunderland match. “You have to win your matches because the other clubs are winning their matches.”

Van Persie has remained United’s first-choice striker, despite scoring just 10 goals this season — way down on his total from recent years. He was top scorer in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, with 30 and 26 goals respectively.

In his absence, Van Gaal has to decide who to recall out of Radamel Falcao, United’s expensive loan signing from Monaco, and youngster James Wilson. Wayne Rooney has recently returned to his usual role as a second striker after playing for two months in midfield.

United could also do with Argentina midfielder Angel Di Maria replicating the lively performances he produced at the start of the season.

“I’ve had a couple of games where things haven’t gone as well as they could have,” Di Maria said. “I think it’s part of that settling-in process to the English game.

“I started off quite well but I think that then made expectations rise and everyone thought I would just carry on in the same way. But football is like that, sometimes you have these ups and downs.”

LONDON — Inside Arsenal’s match-day programme was a cardboard cut-out of Arsene Wenger; a memento for visiting Monaco fans of their former manager. But not many Arsenal fans will want that model perching on their desks after a timid 3-1 loss in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Booing at the final whistle was a demonstration of the impatience towards Wenger, whose only titles in the past decade are two FA Cups.

Even Monaco’s ruler, Prince Albert, felt Wenger’s pain. After celebrating with his entourage on the London pitch, the prince said: “I’m sort of sad for him.”

Wenger’s Arsenal does at least always qualify for the Champions League — this is the Gunners’ 17th consecutive season in Europe’s top competition — but they have only come close to winning the competition once, as runners-up in 2006.

Unless the Gunners score at least three goals in the second leg in Monaco next month, it will be five successive seasons of failure in the round of 16.

Wenger, with a contract until 2017, appears secure in his job for the time being. But how much longer can fans endure the defensive naivety of Wenger’s team being repeatedly exposed against the top teams.

Discussing Wenger with shareholders in October, Arsenal Chairman Chips Keswick said: “If he has a plan we back it. If he doesn’t have a plan we keep quiet.”

Wenger’s plan against Monaco left Arsenal far too open to be exploited on the counterattack.

Manchester City losing 2-1 to the richly talented and experienced Barcelona on Tuesday was disappointing for English football but not entirely surprising. Arsenal’s capitulation against unfancied Monaco was much more humbling.

This was the team third in the world’s wealthiest league being outclassed by the fourth-placed team from the more modestly resourced French Ligue 1.

“We were a bit suicidal defensively,” Wenger said.

Arsenal’s spending in the transfer market was restricted for much of the past decade as the club paid off its new stadium, but with the financial prudence behind it, the club spent almost $100 million on new talent before this season. Gunners’ fans were therefore expecting an upturn in fortunes domestically and continentally, yet have received more of the same.

At the same time, Monaco has been going through a period of austerity under Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, with the majority owner offloading talent: Radamel Falcao on loan to Manchester United and James Rodriguez sold to Real Madrid.

Monaco did sign Dimitar Berbatov a year ago, and the former Tottenham and Manchester United striker defied his 34 years to upstage Arsenal’s younger forward line on Wednesday. The Bulgarian’s composed finish delivered Monaco’s second goal.

How Arsenal could have done with such a clinical striker. It was a wretched night for Olivier Giroud, who squandered three scoring opportunities before being taken off with 30 minutes to go.

“He missed easy chances and it looked like it was not one of his best days,” Wenger said.

As so often after losses, Wenger concluded Arsenal’s “weakness was more down to mentality”.

The first goal conceded could be excused, with Geoffrey Kondogbia’s deflected strike wrong-footing goalkeeper David Ospina.

Wenger, who coached Monaco between 1987 and 1994, has until March 17 to rectify Arsenal’s shortcomings or face a very miserable homecoming on the French Riviera.

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Bayer Leverkusen stunned last season’s runners-up Atletico Madrid 1-0 in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Wednesday courtesy of a fine strike by Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Turkey international scored the 57th-minute winner to set Leverkusen, who are struggling for form in the Bundesliga, on the way to their first ever win at this stage of the competition.

“This was a very, very good game from us,” goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who twice rescued his team in the first half, told reporters.

“We showed a reaction to the criticism of the past week. We had some bad games but tonight we bounced back.”

For Atletico, who were left with 10 men when Tiago was sent off following a second booking in the 76th minute, it was only their second loss in a Champions League away game since September 2013.

The Spanish champions will also be missing key defender Diego Godin for the return leg after the Uruguayan was booked and will be suspended in Madrid.

“They play as they do and they do it well,” said Atletico coach Diego Simeone.

“We each had a clear chance and they took theirs and we didn’t. It could have been a worse result. But I am confident for the return leg.”

Leverkusen had hoped the European stage would lift their game after a rocky start to the year sent them down to sixth in the Bundesliga.

They did not have to wait long for a chance with Atletico striker Mario Mandzukic clearing an Emir Spahic effort on the line in the 12th minute.

The Bosnian defender came even closer in the 26th minute when his thundering drive bounced off the crossbar.

The Spaniards needed almost 40 minutes to find their feet and responded with a chance of their own, Leno clearing a cross at the last moment with Antoine Griezman ready to head in.

Leno saved the hosts with a brilliant reflex effort on the stroke of halftime, palming away a powerful volley from Tiago.

In a very physical encounter in which coaches Simeone and Roger Schmidt had a heated argument on the sidelines, Leverkusen grabbed a deserved lead through Calhanoglu.

Karim Bellarabi drew three players on to him before cleverly flicking the ball on for Calhanoglu who lashed the ball into the roof of the net.

AMMAN — In an effort to demonstrate that all things are possible through play, the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), Chevrolet, Football for All in Vietnam (FFAV), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and One World Play Project are distributing 44,520 footballs to children in 26 cities/provinces in Vietnam, according to a statement from AFDP.

“AFDP is thrilled to continue its support for Vietnamese football and FFAV, especially after the success of our first collaboration which reached out to primary and secondary schools across all provinces,” AFDP Chairman HRH Prince Ali was quoted in the statement as saying.

“This year, AFDP returns to Vietnam to join One World Play Project and AFC to give thousands of children the opportunity to experience the joy of football, regardless of their age, gender or background.” The donation is part of a three-year partnership with One World Play Project and its official sponsor Chevrolet that pledges to place 1.5 million One World Futbols with youth in war-stricken zones, refugee camps, disaster areas and other underprivileged communities around the world.