BARCELONA: Barcelona knocked holders Sevilla out of the King's Cup on the away-goals rule on Tuesday after a battling 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp.

Frank Rijkaard's side, which drew 1-1 in last week's first leg, was put under heavy pressure by Sevilla but held its nerve to book its place in the quarterfinals.

Barca will now meet the winners of Wednesday's tie between Recreativo Huelva and Villarreal.

"It was a titanic effort from both teams," said Barcelona president Joan Laporta. "In the end, we had the luck to go through, but Sevilla are a great team and we saw two of the best sides in Europe competing out there."

Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez said the tie had turned on Thierry Henry's away goal in the first leg.

"It was a very evenly balanced tie, but a great piece of skill from Henry proved to be decisive and that was what allowed his team to get through."

The game got off to a high-tempo start with Sevilla keeping Barca on the rack in the opening minutes as they went in search of an early goal.

Striker Ernesto Chevanton had a great opportunity with seconds on the clock, just failing to connect when Daniel Alves curled a cross behind the Barca back four.

Barca refused to wilt under the pressure, however, and had several chances of their own with Andres Iniesta lashing over the bar after a jinking run into the area and Henry and Eidur Gudjohnsen both going close with shots from distance.

Alves almost broke the deadlock with a fierce dipping shot late on in the second half, while winger Jesus Navas had the ball in the net minutes later only to see the goal ruled out for offside.

Barca's arch rival Real Madrid will need to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit when it host Real Mallorca at the Bernabeu on Wednesday if it is to join the Catalans in the last eight.

Le Monde hit with doping bill

French newspaper Le Monde and one of its journalists were handed a court order here on Tuesday to pay 300,000 euros ($443,242) in damages to Barcelona football club after the paper published a defamatory article on alleged doping practices at the Catalan club.

Le Monde and journalist Stephane Mandard have also been ordered to publish the court's decision in both the newspaper and its internet site, Barcelona football club added, saying Le Monde has also been told to correct the information in the way demanded by Barcelona football club in December 2006.

Later Le Monde said it would appeal the decision. The newspaper's assistant director Laurent Greilsamer told AFP it was a "completely excessive judgement.".

Barcelona sued the newspaper in December 2006 for having claimed there was a link between the club and Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who was at the center of a blood-doping network, which scandalized the world of professional cycling.

In the December 8, 2006 edition of Le Monde, the newspaper said that, apart from cycling, there were also four Spanish football clubs linked with Fuentes, including both Barcelona and Real Madrid. The clubs fiercely denied the accusations and Real Madrid also sued Le Monde.

AFP

(China Daily 01/17/2008 page22)