Barcelona coach Vilanova to have surgery after cancer relapse

BARCELONA, Spain — For the second time in two years, Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova is stepping aside from soccer to take care of his health.

Barcelona said Vilanova was to have surgery on Thursday and undergo several weeks of chemotherapy after doctors discovered a recurrence of a throat ailment, the club said Wednesday.

The 44-year-old coach underwent an operation to remove a tumor from the saliva gland in November 2011 when he was Pep Guardiola's assistant.

Vilanova will likely spend four days in a hospital before undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy for about six weeks, the club said.

The statement said Vilanova could be able to remain in charge of the team while undergoing treatment.

"During this time, depending on his evolution, Vilanova may be able to combine treatment with his work regime," the club said.

Assistant coach Jordi Roura is expected to take over the team in the meantime. Barcelona plays Valladolid in the Spanish League on Saturday.

Vilanova took over as Barcelona's team coach from Guardiola last summer after passing medical checks.

Wednesday's announcement came one day after the club solidified its future with all-time top scorer Lionel Messi, playmaker Xavi Hernandez and team captain Carles Puyol all signing multiyear contract extensions.

Under Vilanova's guidance, Barcelona has made its best-ever start to a season, winning a Spanish record of 15 of its first 16 league games. The club leads the standings with 46 points, nine ahead of Atletico Madrid and 13 in front of archrival Real Madrid.

Vilanova's son, Adria, used his Twitter account to give thanks for the support being offered his father.

"Thank you all for your support, you are truly great, everything is going to work out," he tweeted.

Earlier Wednesday, Barcelona canceled meetings with the club president and journalists after reports of Vilanova's illness emerged. Several hours later, the club issued the statement confirming the medical situation.

"Very sorry to hear the news," Xavi said on Twitter.

LEEDS, England — Chelsea scored five goals in a masterful second-half display to beat old rival Leeds 5-1 on Wednesday, setting up a meeting with Swansea in the semifinals of the League Cup.

A shock was on when Leeds went in at halftime 1-0 up thanks to Luciano Becchio's 37th-minute goal at a rain-soaked Elland Road.

However, Chelsea was clinical after the break, equalizing through Spain playmaker Juan Mata in the 47th before adding four more goals in a ruthless 19-minute spell. Branislav Ivanovic, Victor Moses, Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres were the scorers for the European champions, who have won the League Cup four times — most recently in 2007.

"We had a word with ourselves at halftime and the early goal gave us an impetus to go on and win it," Chelsea captain Frank Lampard said.

By moving into the last four, where it is also joined by Aston Villa and fourth-tier Bradford, Chelsea went some way to making up for the frustration of losing the Club World Cup final to Corinthians 1-0 on Sunday.

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Nadal triumphs again in Barcelona

Hungry for more: Rafael Nadal bites his trophy after winning the Barcelona Open on Sunday. AFP-JIJI

BARCELONA, Spain — Rafael Nadal became the first player in the Open Era to win two tournaments seven times after beating David Ferrer 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 in Sunday's Barcelona Open final.

The second-ranked Nadal's 21st straight victory on clay followed up his eighth straight win in Monte Carlo, as Nadal won the 10th all-Spanish ATP final for a 48th career win.

The sixth-ranked Ferrer lost his fourth Barcelona Open final to Nadal, who saved 12 of 15 break points for a 34th straight victory at Barcelona.

Nadal skipped toward the net in celebration after hitting a backhand winner on match point. The six-time French Open champion displayed his normal resilience and steady play to overcome Ferrer in a match marked by grinding rallies and spectacular shotmaking more reminiscent of a major final.

"This is the hardest match I had on clay court this season, David always takes you to the limit," Nadal told Spanish state TV. "A bit of it was lottery, luck fell on my side today."

With a warm sun bearing down, the players exchanged early breaks before settling into a slugfest of powerful groundstrokes with long rallies often won by magnificently struck winners to the line.

Neither player let a shot go unchallenged with the rhythm only disrupted in the fourth game when both players stopped as medical staff helped a spectator in the stands.

Nadal saved seven of eight break points in the first set, including five which were set points for Ferrer in the 12th game. He fired an ace to save the last before holding for the tiebreaker, and Ferrer's double fault allowed Nadal to get ahead 4-1 as he took the first set in a grueling 93 minutes.

STUTTGART, Germany — Second-ranked Maria Sharapova cruised past top-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to win the Porsche Grand Prix for her first title of the year.

Sharapova lost the finals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells this year to Azarenka, and the Russian had never beaten her rival from Belarus in four previous encounters in a final.

"I am really pleased to win such a tough tournament, against such tough opponents," said Sharapova, before collecting the white sports car donated by the sponsor. "Victoria could not perform at her best because of her injury."

Azarenka, who fell to 29-2 this year but will keep the No. 1 spot, had her playing, right wrist taped after the first set. She was seeking her fifth title of the year.

"I am disappointed to lose, but still I had a good week," Azarenka said.

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Barcelona celebrates latest triumph

BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona players rode through the Catalan capital in an open-top bus Sunday, showing off the Champions League trophy they won by beating Manchester United in the final.

Thousands of fans greeted the players as the bus — decked out in the club's red and blue colors with the word "Champions" on the sides — wound its way through the city.

The players later were introduced one by one before a packed crowd of more than 90,000 fans at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium, with coach Pep Guardiola carrying the trophy onto the field.

Lionel Messi, who scored in the 3-1 win at Wembley on Saturday night, told the crowd: "I don't have much to say other than to thank you all for your support during this amazing year. Hopefully, there will be many more to come. Long live Barca and long live Catalunya."

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