European football: Barcelona game called off after club doctor dies

Barcelona called off their match against Osasuna on Saturday night after their first-team doctor, Carles Miñarro Garcia, died. The game was scheduled to start at 9pm local time but an announcement was made shortly beforehand.

“FC Barcelona is deeply saddened to announce the passing of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia this evening,” the club statement said. “For this reason, the match between FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna has been postponed to a later date. The FC Barcelona board of directors and all staff extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.”

The 50-year-old Miñarro Garcia joined the medical staff of Barcelona’s first team last season after previously working with their futsal team.

Inter were given a real scare by bottom-placed Monza before coming back to earn a 3-2 win, where an own goal allowed the hosts to extend their lead at the top of Serie A.

Monza shocked the home crowd by taking a 2-0 lead in the first half, with Samuele Birindelli netting in the 32nd minute and Keita Baldé scoring with a stunning strike one minute before the break.

The hosts pulled one back before half-time from Marko Arnautovic’s header, Hakan Calhanoglu levelled in the 64th minute and Monza’s Giorgos Kyriakopoulos put the ball into his own net 13 minutes from time.

Inter move to 61 points, four ahead of Napoli who host Fiorentina on Sunday, while Monza remain rooted to the bottom of the table on 14 points, 10 from the last safe spot. After a 2-0 win away to Feyenoord in the Champions League last-16 first leg in midweek, Inter have one foot in the quarter-finals and they have a Coppa Italia semi-final against Milan to look forward to in April, sparking treble talk.

Calhanoglu told Sky: “We can’t underestimate teams, the opponents are good. In the end we dominated, we tried everything and we are happy with the victory. The coach’s mentality is right, we’ll try to win the treble. It’s a very long season, let’s take it step by step.”

Milan came from two goals down to win 3-2 at lowly Lecce, with the midfielder Christian Pulisic levelling for the visitors from the penalty spot before scoring the winner late in the second half.

Milan had two goals ruled out for offside inside 15 minutes, with Nikola Krstovic scoring for the hosts in between with a stunning shot from a distance for a 1-0 lead at half-time.

The Montenegro striker doubled Lecce’s advantage before the hour mark but the home side then scored an own goal through defender Antonino Gallo before Pulisic pulled Milan level from the spot in the 73rd minute and scored the winner from close range shortly afterwards.

Bayern Munich wasted a two-goal lead in front of a home crowd to slump to a 3-2 Bundesliga loss to Bochum, but second-placed Bayer Leverkusen were unable to take advantage, going down 2-0 at home to Werder Bremen.

Bayern, who beat Leverkusen 3-0 in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday, looked to be cruising to a comfortable win after Raphaël Guerreiro struck twice in 14 minutes to put them 2-0 up by the 28th minute. Bochum, however, cut the deficit three minutes later, with Jakov Medic drilling in.

Things got worse for Bayern when João Palhinha was sent off two minutes before the break after a rough tackle and Bochum made the extra man count when Ibrahima Sissoko headed in a 51st-minute equaliser. The visitors completed their stunning comeback in the 71st when Matus Bero slipped into the box and beat Jonas Urbig, in the Bayern goal in place of the injured Manuel Neuer.

“No excuses. We lost and we can analyse as much as we want but we have to take responsibility for everything,” said the Bayern head coach, Vincent Kompany. “So far we always reacted really well [to defeats]. In these moments you have to accept that the criticism will be there but we will focus on the reaction.”

Bayern are top on 61 points and remain eight points clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen. Werder, who had lost their previous five matches, took a surprise seventh-minute lead away to the defending champions, with Romano Schmid slotting in at the far post after a defensive error.

Aleix García came agonisingly close to an equaliser for the hosts but his first-half stoppage-time free-kick bounced off the bar.

To make matters worse for Xabi Alonso’s team, who host Bayern in the Champions League return leg on Tuesday, Florian Wirtz suffered an ankle injury in the 54th minute and the Germany attacking midfielder had to be substituted.

Alonso said Wirtz had been taken to hospital for a scan and there was no information yet on the extent of his injury or if he would be fit for Tuesday’s game against Bayern. “It is too early to say,” Alonso said. “We have to see what the feeling is, what the result of the scan is and then we will have the information.”

Despite some late pressure but only a handful of chances, Leverkusen could not find the equaliser and it was Werder who scored again, in stoppage time with Justin Njinmah.