Yamal's acrobatic goal helps Barcelona beat Oviedo and regain Spanish league lead

MADRID (AP) — Lamine Yamal scored with an acrobatic volley and Barcelona beat last-place Oviedo 3-0 to regain the lead of the Spanish league on Sunday.

Dani Olmo and Raphinha also struck in the second half with both players taking advantage of defensive mistakes by the Oviedo defense.

Yamal scored his 73rd-minute goal with a bicycle kick from near the penalty spot. Yamal connected with Olmo's cross to swiftly send the ball into the far corner with his left foot.

It was the first league goal of the year for Yamal, and eighth in La Liga this season.

He received a loud ovation from the home crowd when he was substituted in the 79th.

It was Barcelona's 10th win in as many home matches in the league this season.

The victory moved Barcelona one point ahead of second-place Real Madrid, which won 2-0 at Villarreal on Saturday.

“We didn't play our best in the first half but we found our way in the second and could score the goals,” Raphinha said.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his team got off to a “tough start.”

“The most important thing was scoring the first goal, because from then on we were able to play our game,” he said.

Sunday's match ended under a hailstorm in Barcelona. The club presented the Spanish Super Cup trophy to the fans before the game.

Olmo opened the scoring with a low shot in the 52nd after the Oviedo defense failed to fully clear a ball inside the area.

Raphinha added to the lead five minutes later after Oviedo defender David Costas tried to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Aarón Escandell but left it short. Raphinha came in to intercept the pass and lobbed the ball over Escandell.

Barcelona had lost 2-1 at Real Sociedad in its previous league match, a result that had ended its 11-match winning streak across all competitions.

Oviedo is winless in 14 consecutive matches in all competitions. Its last win was a 2-1 victory over Valencia in September.

Atletico Madrid beat Mallorca 3-0 and is third in the league. It was the first time in six matches so far this year that Atletico scored more than one goal.

The victory moved Diego Simeone's team three points ahead of Villarreal, which remains with a game in hand.

Alexander Sorloth put the hosts ahead by scoring his fourth goal of the year in the 22nd minute.

Atletico's second goal was an unfortunate own-goal by Osasuna defender David López in the 75th. His teammate Mateu Morey attempted to clear a cross inside the area and his shot struck López in the face and ricocheted back into the net.

Midfielder Thiago Almada sealed Atletico's second straight league victory in the 87th.

Mallorca has only one win in its last five league games — 3-2 against Athletic Bilbao last weekend. It has three losses and a draw in this streak.

A minute of silence was held before kickoff in all of this weekend’s games for the victims of two deadly train wrecks in Spain this week.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored a goal in each half as 10-man Real Sociedad beat Celta Vigo 3-1 at home for its third straight league win.

Eighth-place Sociedad played the entire second half with 10 men after Duje Caleta-Car's red card in first-half stoppage time.

Celta, which is seventh, had won four in a row across all competitions.

Sixth-place Real Betis lost 2-1 at 15th-place Alaves, which was winless in five consecutive league games.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

A heavy rain falls on the field during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Oviedo in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, center, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Oviedo in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Oviedo in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal scores his side's third goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Oviedo in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal scores his side's third goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Oviedo in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal scores his side's third goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Oviedo in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.

Their summit in Seoul came as U.S. President Donald Trump slammed allies for not supporting the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017 as part of an Asian tour that already has taken him to Japan.

Macron told Lee at the start of the meeting that the two countries can play a role in helping to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korean media.

At a joint televised briefing afterward, Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and de-escalate Middle East animosities, while Lee said the two affirmed “their resolves to cooperate to secure the safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The two leaders did not take questions and did not elaborate on how they would help reopen the strait, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.

Lee said he and Macron agreed to expand cooperation in technology, energy and other areas. South Korean and French officials also signed agreements to cooperate on nuclear fuel supply chains, jointly invest in an offshore wind project in southern South Korea and to collaborate on critical minerals.

Macron’s Asia trip comes as Trump has ramped up his frustration with allies. In a speech Wednesday, Trump said Americans “don’t need” the strait but the countries who do “must grab it and cherish it.”

“Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force — let South Korea do it,” Trump said. “Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.”

Macron has said reopening the Strait of Hormuz through a military operation was unrealistic.

South Korean officials have said they were in contact with Washington on the issue and that Seoul wasn’t considering paying Iran transit fees to secure fuel shipments through the strait.

The United States stations about 28,000 troops in South Korea, not the 45,000 stated by Trump. The U.S. troops’ deployment in South Korea is meant to deter potential aggressions from North Korea.

French President Emmanuel Macron, front left, his wife Brigitte Macron, back center, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, front right, and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, right, attend the welcome ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, center, his wife Brigitte Macron, left, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, second left, attend the welcome ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, second right, during their meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during their meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)