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Tag: Real Madrid

  • UCL: Ronaldo scores as Madrid see off PSG 2-1 in France

    European champions Real Madrid moved into the Champions League quarter-finals as they beat Ligue 1 leaders Paris St-Germain at Parc des Princes.

    Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the first leg at home, which Real won 3-1, and he headed in from Lucas Vazquez’s cross to extend Real’s lead in France.

    PSG had midfielder Marco Verratti sent off for two bookable offences, before Edinson Cavani pulled a goal back.

    But Casemiro’s heavily deflected strike sealed Real’s victory.

    For PSG, 14 points clear at the top of Ligue 1, it is the second successive season where they have gone out at the last-16 phase.

    They were without injured forward Neymar and were not helped by Verratti’s needless dismissal in the 66th minute. He was booked when he fouled Casemiro in the first half and was shown a second yellow card when he sprinted after referee Felix Brych and was cautioned for dissent.

    Madrid are now into the Champions League quarter-finals for an eighth successive season and remain on course for a third title in a row.

  • PSG can upset Real Madrid without Neymar – Dani Alves

    Paris St-Germain are capable of beating Real Madrid’s strongest side even without injured talisman Neymar, says defender Dani Alves.

    The Brazilian forward is out for the rest of the season after having surgery on a broken bone in his foot.

    Ligue 1 leaders PSG lost the first leg 3-1 as a Cristiano Ronaldo double helped Real come from behind to win.

    “Either we sit down and cry, or we get up and do what we have to do,” said Alves.

    Neymar suffered a sprained ankle in addition to his foot break during PSG’s 3-0 league win over Marseille last week.

    “With Neymar, PSG are stronger, and without Neymar we are still strong because there are other players,” Alves added.

    “For sure, we will feel his absence. But I insist that between sitting down and crying and getting up and getting on with it, I always opt for the second option.”

    PSG are unbeaten in all competitions at Parc des Princes this season, but they have failed to defeat Real Madrid in their three previous Champions League encounters.

    Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema could make his 100th Champions League appearance as his side continue to chase their third successive title.

  • Asensio scores double as Madrid win eight-goal encounter

    Marco Asensio scored twice as Real Madrid beat Real Betis to secure a third successive victory.

    Zinedine Zidane’s side took the lead when Asensio nodded in, but Betis equalised through Aissa Mandi.

    Nacho’s own goal put Betis ahead at the break but Sergio Ramos, Asensio and Cristiano Ronaldo scored to put the defending champions in control.

    Sergio Leon’s late goal caused a few nerves at 4-3 before an injury-time fifth from substitute Karim Benzema.

    Real had come from behind to beat Paris St-Germain 3-1 in the first leg of their the Champions League last-16 tie last week.

    There was plenty of determination about that performance, and this one owed much to the quality of their finishing after Ramos headed in following a corner.

    The third and fourth goals in particular – scored by Asensio and Ronaldo – were clinical strikes.

    Substitute Leon pulled one back for Betis with five minutes left when he got on the end of Junior’s cross, but Real held on but any nerves were eased by Benzema.

    Zidane’s side are 10 points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid and a point behind Valencia in third.

  • UCL: Ronaldo double revived Madrid against PSG

    A Cristiano Ronaldo double helped Real Madrid come from behind to boost their hopes of a third straight Champions League crown during a pulsating last-16 encounter with Paris St-Germain.

    The Portuguese forward scored a late close-range strike after his penalty had cancelled out Adrien Rabiot’s opener at the end of a thrilling first half.

    Brazilian left-back Marcelo wrapped up the victory minutes after Ronaldo’s tap-in with a goal created by Marco Asensio.

    The emphatic spot-kick meant Ronaldo became the first player in Champions League history to score 100 goals for the same club.

    Last season, Zinedine Zidane’s Real became the first team to retain the Champions League and won La Liga for the first time since 2012.

    This term they are already out of the Copa del Rey and fourth in La Liga, 17 points behind leaders Barcelona as pressure on their French manager has mounted.

    PSG played their part in an end-to-end contest, with Neymar’s delicate assist for Rabiot a highlight and Kylian Mbappe forcing a strong save from Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

    But the result puts Real in control heading into the second leg at Parc des Princes on 6 March.

    However, Zidane’s side also survived a second-half penalty claim with the scores level when Rabiot’s shot hit Sergio Ramos high on the arm.

  • Real Madrid suffer humiliating Copa del Rey exit

    Real Madrid suffered a humiliating 2-1 home defeat by Leganes on Wednesday to exit the King’s Cup at the quarter-final stage on away goals.

    A much-changed Real side, missing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, held a 1-0 advantage from the first leg.

    But their troubled season hit a new low as they were outplayed by a team lying 13th in La Liga.

    Leganes started brightly and Claudio Beauvue sent a free kick against the post in the opening exchanges, and the visitors were deservedly level on aggregate after half an hour.

    A mishap between Achraf Hakimi and Nacho allowed Javier Eraso the space to produce a stunning finish from outside the box.

    Beauvue sent a volley into the side netting on the stroke of half-time as a shell-shocked Real were jeered off the pitch at the break.

    That appeared to bring about a reaction from the home side and Karim Benzema produced a neat finish from an acute angle immediately after the restart.

    This put Zinedine Zidane’s men ahead on aggregate.

    Leganes centre-back Dimitris Siovas missed a gilt-edged chance as he headed back across the six-yard box with the goal gaping.

    But moments later Gabriel Pires made no mistake as he thumped home a header to put Leganes through on away goals.

    They joined Valencia, who defeated last season’s finalists Alaves on penalties earlier on Wednesday, and Sevilla, who knocked out Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, in the draw for the last four.

    League leaders FC Barcelona host Espanyol on Thursday, trailing 1-0 from the first leg in the last quarter-final fixture.

  • Barcelona ‘very bad’ for Brazilians, Real Madrid far better-Ronaldo

    Real Madrid legend Ronaldo has given a scathing assessment of Barcelona’s “very bad” treatment of Brazilians ahead of the January transfer window.

    The striker spent a single year at Camp Nou before leaving for Serie A side Inter in 1997 and does not have fond memories of his time there.

    Neymar’s world-record €222 million departure in the summer for Champions League rivals Paris Saint-Germain stunned world football and Ronaldo claims his treatment there was reminiscent of his own negative experiences.

    “I felt much happier and more connected to Real Madrid, despite having lived a great year in Barcelona,” Ronaldo told Esporte Interativo .

    “In the end, my history with Barca was very bad, similar to the one Neymar had.

    “Barcelona have always had issues with Brazilian players: Neymar, Romario, Ronaldinho and me.

    “We were all treated badly by the club in the end, despite all our contributions and dedication.”

    Ronaldo’s comments are particularly apt due to Barcelona’s known pursuit of Liverpool’s talented Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

    The Reds were resilient in rejecting Barca’s advances in the summer but are widely expected to be open to negotiation in 2018, and Goal understands that it’s possible he could join as soon as January.

    In terms of Brazilians already on Barca’s books, the Catalan club signed Coutinho’s international team-mate Paulinho in the summer and fellow midfielder Rafinha has been with the team since 2006.

    Sporting News

  • Mbappe reveals Real Madrid talks ahead of PSG move

    Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe revealed he held talks with Real Madrid prior to moving to the French capital, though he insisted it is in the past.

    A move to Spanish and European champions Madrid appeared on the horizon for Mbappe amid intense speculation after helping Monaco win Ligue 1 in 2016-17.

    The 19-year-old scored 27 goals in all competitions and eventually joined the likes of Neymar and Edinson Cavani at PSG for a reported €180 million – on an initial season-long loan with a mandatory purchase clause – despite talks with Madrid, who he will come up against in the Champions League last 16.

    “It’s true that we spoke, but I think that’s now in the past for me and for Real Madrid,” Mbappe told Marca.

    The transition from the Stade Louis II to Parc des Princes has been seamless for Mbappe, who has scored 12 goals in all competitions.

    Mbappe’s eight Ligue 1 goals has helped PSG build a nine-point lead atop the table, while the France international has netted four times in the Champions League as his club won Group B over the likes of Bayern Munich, Celtic and Anderlecht, while also setting a group stage record with 25 goals scored.

    Sporting News

  • Ronaldo asks lawyers to negotiate his exit from Real Madrid

    Cristiano Ronaldo has tasked his lawyers with negotiating his exit from Real Madrid, according to new reports in Spain.

    Ronaldo The Los Blancos star has apparently been left unhappy since winning his fifth Ballon d’Or last week.

    While at the ceremony in Paris, Real president Florentino Perez was asked about whether Neymar could follow in the number seven’s footsteps.

    “Being in Madrid would make it easier to win the Ballon d’Or,” Perez confessed.

    “Real Madrid is a club which gives all you need as a big player, everyone knows that I already wanted to sign him at one point.”

    In the television report, Edu Aguirre reveals: “Well, the situation between Real Madrid and Ronaldo has not only failed to improve, it is worse than ever.

    “There has not been a single offer or renewal on the table from Real Madrid for Ronaldo, no offer for Ronaldo. And today, Ronaldo refuses to negotiate any kind of renewal with Real Madrid.”

  • Madrid’s captain Sergio Ramos breaks La Liga red card record

    Sergio Ramos broke a La Liga record for red cards when he was sent off for Real Madrid on Saturday.

    The defender’s red against Athletic Bilbao was his 19th in the league, surpassing the record held by Pablo Alfaro and Xavi Aguado, both of whom were dismissed 18 times.

    Ramos saw red on this occasion for elbowing Aritz Aduriz in the 86th minute, having already been booked for fouling Raul Garcia earlier in the goalless draw.

    It was the 24th red card of his career, which is twice as many as any other Real Madrid player in history. Fernando Hierro is closest to Ramos with 12 reds.

    Since he joined Real in 2005/06, Ramos has only gone one whole season without being sent off. His first season with the club was his worst as he was dismissed four times.

    Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane did, though, hint at a possible appeal for the latest red, saying afterwards: “Ramos is not happy as he thinks he didn’t make contact, that it was not a yellow.”

     

  • UCL: Gareth Bale set to miss Tottenham reunion

    Gareth Bale will not be reunited with Tottenham in the Champions League after missing out on a place in Real Madrid’s travelling squad.

     

    The Wales international is back in training but is not yet fit enough to return to Zinedine Zidane’s team for the Champions League clash against Tottenham at Wembley.

     

    The Los Blancos have named a 19-man party for the midweek clash at Wembley Stadium.

     

    Bale had been hoping to make the cut, allowing him to face his former club, but he has only been able to return to light training ahead of the contest.

     

    Zinedine Zidane has been forced to overlook him as a result, but Isco does make the grade after shaking off a knock which kept him out of training on Monday.