FC Barcelona’s forward Robert Lewandowski has suffered an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left thigh, putting his participation in the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid on April 27 (IST) in jeopardy.

While the club hasn’t officially provided a timeline for his recovery, it is anticipated that Lewandowski will be sidelined for two to three weeks, potentially missing the upcoming semifinal against Inter Milan, with the first leg scheduled for May 1 (IST).

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According to the club’s statement, “Tests conducted on Sunday confirmed that Robert Lewandowski sustained an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left thigh. His return to team training will depend on the recovery process of the injury.”

This injury caused the top scorer to miss out on marking his 100th La Liga appearance with a goal, a milestone he achieved in his third season with the club, having played in Barcelona’s dramatic 4-3 victory over Celta Vigo on Saturday.

During his 77 minutes on the field, the Galician side successfully contained the Polish striker. He had an early opportunity with a curling shot that didn’t find the target, which could have marked his 100th goal for FC Barcelona.

Lewandowski is experiencing his most fruitful season in a Barca shirt, scoring 40 goals across 48 appearances in La Liga, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup: 25 in La Liga, 11 in the Champions League, 3 in the Copa del Rey, and 1 in the Super Cup.

With 25 league goals, he currently leads the race for the Pichichi trophy, outpacing Kylian Mbappe by three goals, Ante Budimir by nine, and Raphinha and Oihan Sancet by ten. Only time will reveal how much further the FC Barcelona striker, now a La Liga centurion, can enhance his goal tally.

On Saturday, Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian coach of Real Madrid, chose not to comment on his future amidst speculation about his potential departure before the season’s end. Following his team’s loss to Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals, there are indications that Ancelotti’s tenure at Madrid may be nearing its conclusion, particularly with rumors suggesting he could resign after next weekend’s Copa del Rey final against Barcelona to take on the role of head coach for the Brazilian national team.

The Italian was asked about this matter during a press conference before Sunday’s match against Athletic Bilbao, who recently advanced to the semifinals of the Europa League, according to Xinhua reports.

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When asked about Brazil, Ancelotti simply stated, “There’s no need to discuss that,” and added, “I don’t wish to address my future today. After the season concludes, we will have a conversation with the club.”

Ancelotti emphasized his strong relationship with the club, asserting, “What we have achieved and what we will achieve, we’ll do together. There have never been any conflicts, and there won’t be any.”

He highlighted that Real Madrid has the Copa del Rey final approaching against Barcelona and that they are only three points behind the Catalan club in La Liga. Moreover, this summer, the team is set to enter the FIFA Club World Cup as one of the favorites.

“We must evaluate the future at the conclusion of the season or whenever it wraps up. However, as long as we are still in contention for significant titles, discussing this topic is premature,” he stated.

Ancelotti also refuted claims of conflict with some players or with club president Florentino Perez.

“We share the same disappointment as the fans over our elimination from such a major competition, but such events happen in football. Victories aren’t guaranteed. We are aligned in our vision and there is no discord with the club; we’re in this together during both good and challenging times. Anyone claiming otherwise is not being truthful,” Ancelotti remarked.

He concluded by expressing his gratitude to his players, saying, “I’ve had a wonderful experience here, and I hope to keep enjoying it.”

Pacer Avesh Khan showcased his skills by taking 3 wickets for 37 runs, successfully defending nine runs in the last over, as the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) triumphed over Rajasthan Royals by two runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday. With the score at 156/2 in 17 overs, RR appeared poised to chase down the target of 181, needing just 25 runs from 18 balls. However, Avesh’s accurate yorkers dismissed the well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, who scored 74 and 39 runs, respectively.

In a nail-biting final over, Avesh removed Shimron Hetmyer while conceding only six runs, restricting RR to 178/5 and securing what turned out to be a thrilling comeback victory for LSG, leaving the crowd in disbelief.

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For RR, this loss marked another frustrating chapter, having failed to finish what seemed like straightforward chases in consecutive matches. The defeat in Jaipur highlighted Sandeep Sharma’s costly final over, where he leaked 27 runs, including four sixes to Abdul Samad, contributing to RR’s fourth lost game in a row.

In their chase of 181, Jaiswal started aggressively, hitting Shardul Thakur for a four, while the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi made an impressive debut, striking a six off Thakur with a dazzling off-drive on his first ball, followed by another six down the ground off Avesh.

Suryavanshi managed a top edge on a mistimed pull, but Prince Yadav failed to secure the catch, allowing the ball to go for a boundary thanks to a ricochet off Ravi Bishnoi. After scoring a couple of boundaries off Thakur, Jaiswal reached RR’s fifty with back-to-back sixes off Aiden Markram, followed by another six against Prince, propelling RR to 61/1 during the power-play.

As the partnership thrived, boundaries flowed from both Jaiswal and Suryavanshi, with Jaiswal bringing up his fifty off 31 balls. However, LSG struck back by breaking RR’s 85-run opening stand when Suryavanshi misplayed a delivery from Markram, resulting in a wicket as Rishabh Pant swiftly dislodged the bails. The momentum shifted dramatically for LSG when Nitish Rana fell to Avesh’s bowling, catching the ball directly to deep backward square leg.

Jaiswal continued to impress with his shots through the backward point but saw the return of Riyan Parag, who provided solid support. Parag hit Prince for a six and a four, while also finding success with a glove edge off Digvesh for another four, and smashing Avesh for yet another six.

Avesh, however, turned the tide for LSG as he bowled Jaiswal clean with a precise yorker and trapped Parag lbw in swift succession. With the equation standing at 19 runs off 11 balls, Hetmyer struck two boundaries off Prince, but fell to Avesh in the last over, flicking to short fine leg.

Despite a dropped catch by David Miller off Shubham Dubey, LSG managed to keep RR from scoring the boundary they needed off the last ball, with Avesh conceding just one run to secure vital points for LSG, elevating them back into the top four of the standings.

Earlier, after stumbling to 54/3, Aiden Markram and Ayush Badoni had a remarkable recovery, scoring 66 and 50 runs, respectively, in a four-wicket partnership that added 76 runs in just 49 balls. Abdul Samad then closed the innings off Sandeep with four powerful sixes in a final over that cost 27 runs, leaving LSG with a total of 180.

Choosing to bat first, LSG faced early setbacks as Mitchell Marsh’s pull off Jofra Archer resulted in a top edge to square leg, and Nicholas Pooran was dismissed lbw by a clever slower ball from Sandeep. Rishabh Pant’s attempt to end his struggles ended similarly when he edged a reverse sweep off Wanindu Hasaranga, with Dhruv Jurel holding onto the catch on his second attempt. Badoni, stepping in as an impact player, escaped a close LBW shout and joined Markram, who had already hit five boundaries, to significantly revive LSG’s innings.

Markram hit consecutive sixes off Hasaranga and added runs off Sandeep to complete his fifty from 31 balls. Badoni joined the fray with aggressive boundaries, but Hasaranga finally broke the partnership, sending Markram back to the dugout after his 66 runs. Badoni continued to shine with his own fifty from 33 balls before falling to a catch at deep point, just before Abdul Samad’s explosive finale propelled LSG to a total of 180, which ultimately secured their narrow victory.

Brief Scores:

Lucknow Super Giants 180/5 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 66, Ayush Badoni 50; Wanindu Hasaranga 2-31, Tushar Deshpande 1-26) beat Rajasthan Royals 178/5 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 74, Riyan Parag 39; Avesh Khan 3-37, Aiden Markram 1-18) by two runs.