Sports world daily: Karim Benzema set to leave Real Madrid; Barcelona win women’s Champions League

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema will leave the club at the end of this season. The French striker has played for the Spanish giants for 14 seasons.

Barcelona won their second women’s Champions League title in three years after a comeback win over Wolfsburg. The Catalans trailed 0-2 at the end of the first half but managed to claim the trophy in a 3-2 win.

In England, Manchester City beat local rivals Manchester United 2-1 to win the FA Cup final, and keep their dreams of a Treble season alive.

Staying with football, Lionel Messi played his last match as a Paris Saint-Germain player, however it ended in a loss.

At the French Open, defending champion Iga Swiatek cruised to the fourth round.

Meanwhile, 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal has had a successful keyhole surgery on his hip.

Here’s a look at the key stories from international sporting events through the day for 4 June, 2023:

Benzema to leave Real Madrid

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has agreed a deal to end his glittering era at the club, the Spanish side said Sunday.

The forward, 35, has been heavily linked this week with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.

“Real Madrid and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to put an end to his brilliant and unforgettable era as a player at our club,” said Los Blancos in a statement.

“Madrid want to show their gratitude and all their love to someone who is one of our greatest legends.”

Barcelona clinch women’s Champions League

Patri Guijarro struck twice as Barcelona produced a stunning comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 and clinch a second Women’s Champions League trophy on Saturday.

The Catalans were two goals down at the break but hit back strongly to triumph in Eindhoven, with Fridolina Rolfo stroking home the winner with 20 minutes remaining.

Jonatan Giraldez’s side have now won two of the last three finals after earning their first triumph over Chelsea in 2021, continuing to establish themselves as the main rivals to record eight-time winners Lyon.

Barcelona secured victory with two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas on the bench until the final stages, as she continues to find form after the knee injury which sidelined her for most of the season.

“I’m so emotional, I never thought this would happen, at two zero (down) at the beginning I felt we could do it, but it was so hard,” match-winner Rolfo told DAZN.

“We showed so much mentality today, I’m so proud of the team.”

Manchester City win FA Cup

Manchester City are one game away from a historic treble after Ilkay Gundogan scored twice to beat Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s men completed a domestic double at Wembley and can become just the second side, after United in 1998/99, to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season should they beat Inter Milan to become European champions for the first time on June 10.

Manchester City’s dominance: How Pep Guardiola has created a powerful identity for English champions

“We are in a position we will probably never be in again,” said Guardiola.

“To win the FA Cup, the emotions are so special and to celebrate it with our people is really great.”

Gundogan scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history after just 12 seconds.

United levelled on 33 minutes through Bruno Fernandes’ penalty after Jack Grealish was harshly penalised for handball.

But the City captain, in what could be his final game for the club on English soil with his contract expiring at the end of the season, volleyed home the winner six minutes into the second-half.

“Everyone knows the FA Cup is the most beautiful domestic club competition in the world, so to win this trophy again and complete the double is amazing for us,” said Gundogan.

“We have a chance to do something special and win the treble and we do not want to let this opportunity pass us by.”

Swiatek cruises to fourth round

World No 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek took just 51 minutes to reach the French Open fourth round on Saturday as Coco Gauff ended 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva’s memorable Paris debut.

Swiatek blitzed 80th-ranked Wang Xinyu of China 6-0, 6-0 on the back of 21 winners as the 22-year-old Pole took another step closer to becoming the first woman since Justine Henin in 2007 to win back-to-back titles at Roland Garros.

Of the six sets she has played so far, four have been to love. In all she has dropped just eight games through three rounds.

“It was a really solid performance from me. It’s not easy to stay disciplined and keep your focus,” said Swiatek, who also won the title in 2020.

Her path to the final was made easier earlier on Saturday by the withdrawal of Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, a possible last-four opponent, due to illness.

World No 6 Gauff, the runner-up to Swiatek last year, came back from a set down to defeat Andreeva 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1.

Andreeva, ranked a lowly 143, had come through qualifying and was the youngest player to make the third round since 2005.

Seventh-ranked Ons Jabeur made sure five of the top seeds reached the last 16 by defeating Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

World No 4 Casper Ruud, the runner-up to Rafael Nadal in 2022, dropped the first set before easing to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 win against China’s Zhang Zhizhen.

Ruud will next face in-form Nicolas Jarry after the Chilean edged out Marcos Giron of the United States 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-3.

Jarry arrived in Paris having claimed the Geneva clay court title and will be making a first appearance in the last 16 of a major.

Daniel Altmaier, who won the fifth longest match in French Open history in the last round, succumbed in straight sets to Grigor Dimitrov.

The Bulgarian will next face Alexander Zverev who edged out Frances Tiafoe of the United States 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 7-6 (5).

French Open results on Saturday, the seventh day of the 2023 championships at Roland Garros (x denotes seeded player; players representing Russia and Belarus are banned from competing under the name or flag of their countries):

Men’s singles third round

Holger Rune (DEN x6) bt Genaro Alberto Olivieri (ARG) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3

Francisco Cerundolo (ARG x23) bt Taylor Fritz (USA x9) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5

Nicolas Jarry (CHI) bt Marcos Giron (USA) 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3

Casper Ruud (NOR x4) bt Zhang Zhizhen (CHN) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x28) bt Daniel Altmaier (GER) 6-4, 6-3, 6-1

Alexander Zverev (GER x22) bt Frances Tiafoe (USA x12) 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)

Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG) bt Borna Coric (CRO x15) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2

Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN x27) bt Thiago Seyboth Wild (BRA) 3-6, 7-6 (10/8), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0

Women’s singles third round

Iga Swiatek (POL x1) bt Wang Xinyu (CHN) 6-0, 6-0

Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt Bianca Andreescu (CAN) 6-1, 6-1

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) bt Kayla Day (USA) 6-1, 6-3

Coco Gauff (USA x6) bt Mirra Andreeva 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-1

Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) bt Elena Rybakina (KAZ x4) - walkover

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA x14) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (x23) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5

Bernarda Pera (USA) bt Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/2)

Ons Jabeur (TUN x7) bt Olga Danilovic (SRB) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

Nadal undergoes surgery

Rafael Nadal’s keyhole surgery on his injured hip was “positive” but he will require a five-month recovery period before playing again, his spokesman said Saturday.

The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Saturday, could in theory be back in time for the Davis Cup finals in November.

However, it is likely he will sit out the rest of the season before resuming in 2024 which he has already said will be the last year of his career.

“The surgery was positive,” said his spokesman of the procedure which was carried out in Barcelona.

“The normal recovery process is estimated at five months.”

Nadal said last month that the hip injury had not healed as well as he had hoped and therefore he was taking more time out of the sport.

Angel Ruiz Cotorro, the surgeon who carried out the operation, said “the chances of success of the intervention are high”.

Regarding the recovery time, Ruiz Cotorro, who works as the medical adviser to the Spanish Tennis Federation, told journalists on the sidelines of the French Open that any “rush” should be avoided.

“We set ourselves this deadline (of five months) because it is important for an athlete to have a goal to stimulate his will to fight and to recover,” he said.

“It is difficult to say whether in five months he will be able to play at 100 percent. He may have to take another month to recover.”

He admitted that Nadal “was not happy” with this new delay.

Messi’s last match at PSG ends in defeat

Lionel Messi was jeered by a section of Paris Saint-Germain supporters as he played his final game for the club in the Ligue 1 champions’ 3-2 home defeat by Clermont on Saturday.

Messi’s expected departure from the French giants after two seasons was officially confirmed by PSG in a statement shortly before Saturday’s game.

“His contribution to Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 cannot be underestimated and we wish Leo and his family all the best for the future,” said PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

Yet Messi’s name was jeered by some fans as the teams were announced at the Parc des Princes and the Argentinian World Cup winner was again whistled sporadically during the match.

There was little riding on the game itself after PSG wrapped up a record 11th French title last weekend.

With text inputs from AFP

Updated through the day