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New Zealand great Kane Williamson hailed Mohammad Siraj’s outstanding bowling performance against his former franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru and said the right-armer bowled with real fire in his belly” and led Gujarat Titans’ attack with aggression in securing the eight-wicket win at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Siraj delivered an exceptional spell of 3-19. The effect of his early burst, later fetching him the Player of the Match Award, was such that RCB were reduced to 42-4 before posting 169/8 in their 20 overs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

“Siraj is obviously familiar with the conditions at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He bowled with real fire in his belly, led the attack with aggression, and bowled with some excellent pace. He was deservedly named Player of the Match. While Jos Buttler was outstanding and back to his best in the second innings, Siraj set the tone early on, making a significant impact for GT,” Williamson said on JioHotstar.

In the chase of 170, captain Shubman Gill (14) and Sai Sudharsan (49) got GT off to a quick start. Later, wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler played a dazzling knock at the other end, clobbering Livingstone for a six to notch up his fifty off 31 balls.

Meanwhile, Rutherford contributed with an eye-catching cameo of an 18-ball 30 while Buttler remained unbeaten on 73 to help chase down the target in just 17.5 overs to guide GT to their second straight victory in IPL 2025.

“There’s always something refreshing about joining a new team, and that’s what Jos Buttler got here at Gujarat Titans. It’s a great environment. What I’m really enjoying about Jos at the moment is that, while many big hitters in other teams are looking to hit every ball for six, he remains totally committed to and trusting of his game plan.

“Over the last eight years, he has consistently been one of the top batters and a match-winner in world cricket. We saw that again this evening, and it bodes really well for GT going forward in the tournament,” Williamson added.

With four points from three matches, GT are currently placed fourth in the standings. They will now look to keep the winning momentum against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rishabh Pant has had a poor start in IPL 2025. He has failed to shine in batting, while his captaincy has also not been impressive either. Pant has scored only 17 runs across three matches in the ongoing season. To add insult to injury, his team Lucknow Super Giants have lost two of the three games. The franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka, who has developed a reputation of asking questions to his team’s captains, was involved in intense chats after the defeats LSG suffered in IPL 2025. Last year, Goenka had come under fire for verbally bashing KL Rahul after the then LSG captain had suffered an embarrassing loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

As soon as videos of Goenka’s intense chat with Pant after LSG’s defeats in IPL 2025 surfaced, many fans started comparing it to his viral conversation with Rahul from last season.

LSG’s most recent defeat in IPL 2025, that came against Punjab Kings, was no exception as Goenka was once again involved in a serious discussion with Pant.

Former India pacer Madan Lal, who is also the 1983 World Cup-winner, has shared a piece of advice for Goenka. He has asked him to let the boys play freely and also have such discussions away from the public eye.

“I don’t know the discussion between Rishab and Mr Sanjiv’s Goenka. All this can happen inside. Let boys enjoy the game let them play freely.20/20 cricket very unpredictable,” wrote Madan Lal on X.

I don’t know the discussion between Rishab ad Mr Sanjiv’s Goenka . All this can happened inside.Let boys enjoy the game let them play freely.20/20 cricket very unpredictable.

— Madan Lal (@MadanLal1983) April 2, 2025

The pint-sized Prabhsimran Singh packed a mean punch in his enthralling 34-ball 69 as Punjab Kings outclassed Lucknow Super Giants by 8 wickets with an commanding all-round performance in an IPL game in Lucknow on Tuesday.

In the match, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opt to bowl. Nicholas Pooran top-scored with 44 off 30 as LSG posted 171 for 7 in their stipulated quota of 20 overs.

Chasing a target of 172 on a track that offered grip and variable bounce, Punjab were off to a rollicking start, courtesy Prabhsimran, who hammered the LSG bowling attack into submission in the first 10 overs with nine fours and three sixes, to effectively kill the contest.

It was then a cakewalk for his skipper Shreyas Iyer (52 not out off 30 balls) with the chase being completed in 16.2 overs to increase the woes for an out-of-form LSG captain Rishabh Pant, who looked bereft of ideas.

Young Nehal Wadhera (43 not out off 25 balls) after initial struggle also picked up some confidence boosting easy runs towards the end.

(With PTI Inputs)

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill left fans intrigued with a cryptic social media post following his side’s win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Wednesday. Following the victory, Gill took to social media to share a seven-word post.  “Eyes on the game, not the noise,” The GT captain wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). While no explanation was provided by the star batter, several social media fans were of the opinion that the ‘noise’ referred to Virat Kohli‘s celebrations after his dismissal. 

Eyes on the game, not the noise. pic.twitter.com/5jCZzFLn8t

— Shubman Gill (@ShubmanGill) April 2, 2025

 Following his team’s win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill hailed his team’s bowling efforts during first seven to eight overs which allowed them to get early wickets.

Context: Virat Kohli was making too much noises when Bhuvi got Shubman Gill out. pic.twitter.com/QQNSFeYhs0

— V (@BelgianWaffle) April 2, 2025

After two away wins, two absolute statement-delivering matches against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), RCB fell flat at the start of their home run against GT, losing by eight wickets as GT put on a clinical show with both bat and ball.

Virat Kohli giving sendoff to Shubman Gill pic.twitter.com/sbTd2igumZ

— Pari (@BluntIndianGal) April 2, 2025

Following the match, skipper Gill said during the post-match presentation, “We have seen on this ground, that restricting them to 170 was a good effort. The wicket has something in it sometimes; you can score 250 as well as get early wickets, there was something for the fast bowlers in the first 7-8 overs and we knew if we pick early wickets then we are in the game. You are disappointed (on his team’s dropped catches), but you need to keep coming back and grab the next opportunity. We batted professionally, considering the wicket. It is all about adapting to the situation and playing according to that.”

Coming to the match, RCB was put to bat first by GT, who won the toss and opted to field. As ex-RCB star Mohammed Siraj (3/19) reduced RCB to 42/4, a 52-run stand between Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma (33 in 20 balls, with five fours and a six) and a 46-run stand for the seventh wicket between Livingstone (54 in 40 balls, with a four and five sixes) and Tim David (32 in 18 balls, with three fours and two sixes) helped RCB make 169/8 in their 20 overs.

Sai Kishore (2/22) and Prasidh Krishna (1/26) were also impressive with the ball.

During the run-chase, GT lost their skipper Shubman Gill (14) early, but top knocks from Jos Buttler (73* in 39 balls, with five fours and six sixes), Sai Sudharsan (49 in 36 balls, with seven fours and a six) and Sherfane Rutherford (30* in 18 balls, with a four and three sixes) took GT to a win with 13 balls and eight wickets in hand.

(With ANI inputs)

Sai Sudharsan (Photo Source: X)

Sai Sudharsan continued his good batting form for Gujarat Titans (GT) in their win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Wednesday, where the 23-year-old opening batter once again showed his pedigree.
Chasing RCB’s 169 for 8, Sudharsan scored 49 off 36 balls and added 75 runs for the second wicket with Jos Buttler (73 not out off 39 balls) to ensure an emphatic eight-wicket victory for his team.
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Facing media’s questions after the match, Sudharsan credited his development as a T20 player to his experience in “difficult conditions”.
“It’s my fourth year (in the IPL), so I feel it has given me a lot of experience. I got exposed to a few difficult conditions. I got exposed to a lot of fast bowling in the nets with GT,” Sudharsan said in the post-match press conference.
“I feel the most important thing which has helped my evolution or the way I’ve improved my T20 batting is the game-time I get here and the practice time I get here with the Titans, with the bowlers, all quality international bowlers,” he added.
“So, I feel that has helped me even from the nets, I would say. I got exposed to a lot of things, a lot of difficult conditions. I’ve learnt a lot in these three years. I feel it has helped me understand the game better and the basics of the game as well,” he said.
Sudharsan has climbed to the second position in the list of top run-scorers so far in this IPL season, accumulating 186 runs. The southpaw has maintained an impressive average of 62 while scoring at a brisk strike-rate of 158.
Talking about RCB’s first defeat of the season in their third match, the team’s head coach Andy Flower rued losing wickets in heaps during the Powerplay, which never allowed them to recover.
The hosts were reduced to 42 for 4 in 6.2 overs.
“We played very aggressively in the powerplay and lost some wickets…So that was obviously a big swing in the game – if you lose powerplay, you’re in trouble,” he said.
Siraj was the wrecker-in-chief and got among the wickets after an average show in the first two matches as he took 3 for 19 in his four overs.
“It definitely wasn’t a typical Chinnaswamy wicket, where you’d expect the ball to come on a little bit quicker than that. In the first innings, the ball did rip off the seam with the drier ball. So I think that was fairly important in the context of the game,” said Flower.
“It’s also important to acknowledge that’s not the reason for the result. Siraj bowled very well, didn’t he? He bowled an outstanding spell with the new ball. His lines were really tight, lengths were good and he threatened the stumps a lot,” said the Zimbabwean.
The RCB coach also praised Sudharsan’s effort with the bat.
“Sudharsan played beautifully, I thought. You know, the choice of shots, he played spin nicely, he chose the areas he wanted to hit the spin, I thought, really well. So, you know, he’s had a good start to the competition,” said Flower.

After India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s decision to make a shock switch to Goa from Mumbai due to personal reasons, the star batter opened up on the reason behind his decision on Wednesday. “It was a very tough decision for me. Whatever I am today is because of Mumbai. The city has made me who I am, and all my life, I will be indebted to the MCA,” Jaiswal told The Indian Express. “Goa has thrown me a new opportunity and it has offered me a leadership role. My first goal will be to do well for India and whenever I’m not on national duty, I will be playing for Goa and try to make them go deep into the tournament. This was an (important) opportunity which came my way and I just took it.”

However, a report by news agency PTI, has given an entirely different reason. “It is also believed Jaiswal’s decision to move to Goa could be due to his displeasure with the Mumbai team management,” the report said.

“In the contest against J&K last season, sources said Jaiswal had a rift with a senior member of the side in the second innings after the latter questioned his shot selection as Mumbai were battling to save the game. In reply, Jaiswal shot back at the senior questioning his shot in the first innings.”

Jaiswal wrote to the Mumbai Cricket Association on Tuesday, expressing his wish to leave Mumbai for Goa, and the governing body swiftly accepted his request.

Jaiswal’s shock move will see the left-handed 23-year-old play for Goa from the 2025-26 season where he could be appointed captain, though it remains to be seen how much time he would be able to give to the state side given the packed international calendar.

“Yes, it is surprising. He must have thought of something to make such a move. He has requested us to relieve him and we have accepted his request,” a senior MCA official said.

While Jaiswal rose swiftly through the ranks in Mumbai cricket to emerge as one of the brightest batters in the country and duly earned a spot in the national side, it wasn’t always a smooth ride for the youngster.

Moving from native Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh at the age of 12 to pursue his cricketing dream, Jaiswal went through several hardships. He spent nights in a tent before he was spotted by coach Jwala Singh who took him under his wings and developed his game.

In September 2022, Jaiswal was sent off the field by West Zone captain Ajinkya Rahane during the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone for disciplinary reasons.

Jaiswal had struck a double century — 265 off 323 balls with 30 fours and four sixes in the second innings of the game but on the final day of the clash the West Zone skipper sent him off the field for excessively sledging South Zone batter Ravi Teja.

Fielding close to the batter, Jaiswal was reported to have fired verbal volleys at Teja. In the 57th over, one of the on-field umpires had a word with Jaiswal over his sledging, following which Rahane had a word with his teammate who appeared animated before leaving the field.

“He wants to play for us and we welcome him. He will be playing for us from the next season,” Goa Cricket Association’s secretary Shamba Desai told PTI talking about Jaiswal’s move.

With PTI inputs 

Three-day international surfing festival is India’s only global surfing competition. (REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE)

The second edition of the International Surfing Festival Kerala — Varkala organised by the Kerala Tourism Department and Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) is set to begin at Edava Beach in Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram, on April 10 after a successful outing last year, marking the coastal town as a surfing destination. This three-day surfing festival is also India’s only global surfing competition.

The carnival to be inaugurated by Kerala Tourism minister PA Mohammed Riyas is organised in collaboration with the District Tourism Promotion Council, Thiruvananthapuram, the Surfing Federation of India and the International Surfing Association.

Registrations are open across six categories — national open (men’s and women), national groms 16 & under (boys and girls) and international open (men’s and women’s). Registration is free for the groms category while it costs ₹1,000 and ₹2,000 for national and international open categories, respectively. 

“Currently, we have received around 47 registrations and we are open till we get 70 applications,” says Binu Kuriakose, CEO of KATPS. The competitions will begin at 6.30am and go on till noon. 

ALSO READ | Surf’s up!

“The festival also offers an opportunity for 50 people to receive surfing training for free from certified instructors from surfing schools affiliated with the Tourism Department,” says Binu. This can be done by following the Instagram handle of the department, @keralaadventuretourismp, and participating in the online competition for five categories such as general public, people in education fields, IT professionals, other working professionals and vloggers/content creators/photographers. 

“Varkala is an important destination for surfing in Kerala. We can train surfers representing India at international tournaments here. The students we find here with good skills can be given advanced training, preparing them for state and national level competitions,” says Binu. 

Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad will aim to get back on the winning track when they face each other on Thursday in a rematch of Indian Premier League 2024 final. Both the teams have had a poor start so far in the 2025 season. While both of them have won just one of their three matches played so far, KKR sit at the bottom spot in the points table, courtesy their poor net run rate. Both the teams will be desperate to revive their campaigns when they lock horns at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

KKR’s squad composition has raised questions following the mega auction.

Their batting and bowling units have looked out of sync, with key players failing to deliver.

Notably, four players KKR released before the auction — former skipper Shreyas Iyer (PBKS), his deputy Nitish Rana (RR), Phil Salt (RCB), and pace spearhead Mitchell Starc (DC) — have all excelled in the first 10 days of the IPL.

Starc’s departure has particularly hurt KKR, as their pace attack appears toothless in his absence.

To compound the frustration, Starc registered a match-winning 5/35 for DC against SRH in their last outing — the Aussie’s first T20 five-wicket haul and the best bowling figures of the season so far.

Australian pacer Spencer Johnson, brought in to replace Starc, has failed to impress, while Anrich Nortje remains sidelined with a back injury.

Meanwhile, KKR’s big-money re-signing, Venkatesh Iyer, has managed just nine runs from two innings, adding to the team’s woes.

Among retained players, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh have struggled to find their touch.

The team’s aggressive batting approach — assuming 200 is the par score on all pitches — has also backfired as a tactical re-evaluation is also the need of the hour before it’s too late.

The case for Sunrisers Hyderabad is not much different. After a record-breaking 286/6 in their season opener, SRH have struggled to breach the 200-run mark in their last two games.

Their ultra-attacking batting approach has led to collapses against Lucknow Super Giants (190/9) and Delhi Capitals (163 all out), resulting in consecutive defeats.

Pat Cummins’ side will also need to reassess the strategy as they look to avenge their loss in last season’s IPL final.

The pace duo of Cummins and Mohammed Shami could pose a significant threat at Eden Gardens, where the India senior pacer, who represents Bengal at the domestic level, will be keen to make an impact in familiar conditions.

With both teams looking to turn their campaigns around, it promises to be a high-stakes battle where adaptability to conditions could be the deciding factor.

KKR Predicted XI vs SRH: Quinton de Kock (w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Impact substititues: Vaibhav Arora/Manish Pandey

SRH Predicted XI vs KKR: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari.

Impact substititues: Wiaan Mulder/Adam Zampa.

(With Agency Inputs)

Yashasvi Jaiswal (Reuters Photo)

MUMBAI: India’s Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has left the cricket fraternity stunned with his decision to switch from domestic powerhouse Mumbai to Ranji Trophy minnows Goa. The 23-year-old will lead Goa in the 2025-26 season.
Jaiswal sent an email to Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Wednesday requesting a no-objection certificate (NOC) for his transfer from Mumbai to Goa starting next season.
“We have accepted his request,” MCA secretary Abhay Hadap told TOI.

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The reason for this sudden decision is known best to the player, but it is understood that he has had differences with some senior members of Mumbai Ranji team.
In his communication to MCA, Jaiswal stated: “I have had the privilege of representing Mumbai in domestic cricket and have immensely benefited from the opportunities provided by the association. However, after careful consideration of my career aspirations and personal circumstances, I decided to seek a transfer…”
“I assure you that this decision is made in good faith and with due respect to the association that has supported my development. I am willing to comply with all necessary formalities as per the BCCI’s player transfer regulations and will ensure a smooth transition. Thank you for your support and guidance throughout my time with Mumbai. I sincerely appreciate all the opportunities given to me and hope to maintain a positive relationship with the association in the future,” Yashasvi Jaiswal wrote to MCA.
BCCI joint secretary Rohan Desai, former secretary of the Goa Cricket Association (GCA), told TOI, “It’s a big development for Goan cricket. Goa’s cricketers, especially the youngsters, will get to learn a lot from Jaiswal, who is a part of India’s Test team. It’s a blessing that a player of his stature will be a part of Goa’s dressing room. It’s a good decision by the GCA management to include Yashasvi in the squad. I’m looking forward to an exciting season for Goa.”

Goa, who played in the Plate division of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season and won the final, have been promoted to the Elite division for the coming season.
Jaiswal began his first-class career for Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in Jan 2019 against Chhattisgarh in the Ranji Trophy. He has scored 863 runs at an average of 53.93 with four centuries and two fifties in 10 First-Class matches for Mumbai. In June 2022, he scored consecutive centuries (100 & 181) against Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.
His performances for Mumbai led to his national selection. In October 2019, at age 17, he became the youngest cricketer to score a List A double century, making 203 off 154 balls against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In 25 List A games for Mumbai, he has scored 1296 runs at an average of 58.90. He has also represented Mumbai in 28 T20s, scoring 648 runs at a strike-rate of 136.42.
Several Mumbai players, including Arjun Tendulkar, Siddhesh Lad, Eknath Kerkar and Kshemal Waingankar have previously represented Goa. Other prominent Mumbai players who left the association to play for other sides include Sarfaraz Khan (played for UP before coming back), Munaf Patel (to Maharashtra), Sairaj Bahutule (to Maharashtra), Amol Muzumdar (to Assam) and Wasim Jaffer (to Vidarbha).
Following BCCI’s directive for players to participate in domestic cricket, Jaiswal played for Mumbai in the 2024- 25 Ranji Trophy, scoring 4 & 26 in their loss to Jammu & Kashmir in January. Though selected as a non-travelling substitute in the team for the Champions Trophy, he was included in Mumbai’s Ranji squad for their semifinal against Vidarbha in Nagpur on Feb 17. However, an ankle injury prevented his participation.
Despite his origins in Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh, Jaiswal shares a strong connection with Mumbai. During his early days, he resided in the Muslim United SC tent at Azad Maidan before coach Jwala Singh provided him with an accommodation.
Currently, Jaiswal is going through a lean run in IPL 2025 with Rajasthan Royals, managing only 34 runs in three matches so far. However, he performed admirably in the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, logging 391 runs in five Tests at an average of 43.44, including one century and two half-centuries.

Playing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the first time after seven years with them was a bit emotional for Gujarat Titans’ pacer Mohammed Siraj. But the pacer, after picking 3-19 and helping his team win by eight wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, said he was all fired up after getting the ball in hand. Siraj brought the heat on with his pace going above 140 and attacked stumps while hitting good length areas consistently to pick a superb 3-19 in his four overs. He rattled RCB in the power-play by castling Devdutt Padikkal and Phil Salt, before taking out a rampaging Liam Livingstone in the fag end. “It was emotional because I played for seven years here (for RCB). There was some nervousness and some emotion, but the moment I got the ball in my hand, it was full-on (intensity). That I am here (ready for the contest through my celebration), and I am a Cristiano Ronaldo fan as well.”

“As a bowler, I want to always have belief – that is an important thing. If that is not there, you panic (when you get hit). I have a belief that I can do well, irrespective of wherever I am playing, and that is my mindset,” said Siraj after getting the Player of the Match award.

In the run-up to the competition, Siraj was out of India’s white-ball scheme of things and added that he used that time to work on where he was making mistakes. “I was playing matches consistently, so I was not realizing the mistakes I was making. In the break, I focused on my bowling, on my fitness.”

“When I joined GT, I spoke to Ashu bhai (Ashish Nehra), and the ball is coming out nicely now. He asked me to just enjoy myself and do whatever I wanted. I talk to them (Rabada, Ishant, and other bowling partners) and get feedback, which is really helpful,” he added.

Jos Buttler, who made an unbeaten 39-ball 73, said he enjoyed batting, though the fielding and his keeping performance could have been better. “The bowlers were fantastic, the fielding could have been better, myself better, we might have been chasing 30 runs less.”

“I was embarrassed (on his dropped catch), Salty is a dangerous batter, I tried to celebrate in a Herschelle Gibbs style, tried to celebrate way too early. There was a bit of movement early on with the new ball, so credit to our openers for having played out the initial period. The fielding could have been better, but we have our bases covered, some fine bowlers, quality batters, and some dangerous hitters in our squad.”

Shubman Gill, the GT captain, said he was happy with keeping RCB to 169/8, after setting around 190 as a target. “Not 200, but we were targeting around 190. So, restricting them to 170 was a good effort. The wicket has something in it sometimes; you can score 250 as well as get early wickets, there was something for the fast bowlers in the first 7-8 overs, and we knew if we picked early wickets, then we are in the game.”

“Intent was good. Three wickets in the powerplay made a difference. You are disappointed, but you need to keep coming back and grab the next opportunity. We batted professionally considering the wicket. It is all about adapting to the situation and playing according to that.”

Rajat Patidar, the RCB captain, lamented the loss of early wickets, hurting his team’s chances of winning the match. “Not 200, we were targeting around 190 after the powerplay, but losing early wickets harmed this match. I think the intent was good, but we shouldn’t have lost as many as 3 wickets in the power-play; it was one wicket too many.”

“The conditions did get better, the bowlers were amazing trying to defend this total, to take this chase into the 18th over was amazing to watch. The way Jitesh, Liam Livingstone, and Tim David batted was positive for us. We’re confident about the batting line-up (coming good in the future), they’re showing some positive intent, which is very good for us.”

Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 on the night in the Copa del Rey semi-finals second leg and 5-4 on aggregate. (AP)

Barcelona advanced to the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid after securing a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano stadium on Wednesday, with Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal for a 5-4 aggregate win in the semi-final tie. The Catalans continue their impressive unbeaten run in 2025, now stretching to 21 games.
Barcelona, who have won the Copa del Rey a record 31 times, dominated the match following the entertaining 4-4 draw in the first leg.
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The defeat leaves Atletico Madrid with limited objectives for the remainder of the season, as they now trail Barcelona by nine points in La Liga with nine matches left.
“We can’t relax, we have to keep believing and working, with humility and I’m sure good things will come,” Torres told Movistar. “If a final is already a huge motivation, imagine playing against your most direct rival.”
Real Madrid secured their place in the final after a 5-4 aggregate victory over Real Sociedad, following a 4-4 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick reinstated Raphinha to the starting lineup, with the Brazilian winger becoming a target for Atletico’s defensive tactics.
Cesar Azpilicueta received a yellow card for a challenge on Raphinha, surviving a VAR review for a potential red card, while Rodrigo de Paul was also booked for a hard tackle.
Seventeen-year-old Lamine Yamal impressed on the opposite wing, creating chances and providing the assist for Torres’s goal with a well-weighted pass.
Atletico Madrid introduced Alexander Sorloth at halftime, who had scored in the previous three meetings between the teams this season.
Sorloth missed a clear opportunity early in the second half, opting to shoot instead of passing to an unmarked Antoine Griezmann.
The Norwegian striker later had a goal disallowed for offside as Atletico increased their pressure on Barcelona’s defense.
“We played really bravely here, it was not easy, especially in the second half,” Flick told Barca One. “(The job) is not done, we’re fighting, we’re trying everything to win titles and we’re in a good way, the team is doing great.”
Barcelona managed to hold on during four minutes of stoppage time, despite Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso joining the attack for a late free-kick.
The result eliminates Atletico’s most realistic chance of winning a trophy this season, following their Champions League exit to Real Madrid in the round of 16.
“We have to thank the fans who supported us, we’re as sad as them,” said Atletico defender Jose Gimenez. “We have to lift up our heads, finish the season in the best way possible and carry on.”
“We have to accept the reality, with rational thinking and knowing we’re a long way off (the top of La Liga), but we’ll try until the end.”