The draw for the semi-finals of the FA Cup was conducted on Sunday evening, setting up two exciting fixtures as teams battle for a place in the final.
In the first semi-final, Chelsea FC will take on Leeds United. Chelsea booked their spot in emphatic fashion, thrashing Port Vale 7-0 at Stamford Bridge. Leeds, on the other hand, had to dig deep, overcoming Premier League rivals West Ham United via a penalty shootout.
The second semi-final will see defending champions Manchester City go head-to-head with Southampton FC at Wembley. City head into the clash in dominant form after a resounding 4-0 victory over Liverpool FC, and will be aiming to secure their eighth FA Cup title.
Southampton, however, will be no pushovers, having knocked out Arsenal FC to reach this stage of the competition.
Naija News reports that both semi-final matches are scheduled to take place on April 25 and 26, promising a thrilling weekend of cup football as the race to lift one of England’s most prestigious trophies heats up.
Meanwhile, Barcelona stretched their lead at the top of LaLiga to seven points after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on Saturday night.
The Catalan giants took full advantage of Real Madrid’s earlier 2-1 defeat to Mallorca, seizing the opportunity to tighten their grip on the title race with a hard-fought win at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Despite Barcelona’s dominance this season, it was the hosts who struck first in front of their home fans.
Giuliano Simeone handed Atletico Madrid the lead in the first half, finishing off a move that stunned Hansi Flick’s side and briefly shifted the momentum in favour of the home team.
Barcelona, however, responded before the break through Marcus Rashford, who capped off a flowing team move to bring the visitors level.
The equaliser ensured both sides went into half-time on even terms, setting the stage for a tense second-half battle.
Their resistance was eventually broken in the closing stages, as Robert Lewandowski struck in the 87th minute to hand Barcelona all three points.
