Real Madrid, Tottenham get vital wins in Champions League

Just when some of Europe’s top teams risked failing to advance from their Champions League groups, they steadied the ship.

Real Madrid and Tottenham both earned their first European wins of the season Tuesday against overmatched opponents — but in very different style.


Real had to work hard to win 1-0 against a Galatasaray team with its own problems, while last season’s finalist Tottenham swept aside Red Star Belgrade 5-0.

That emphatic win was sorely needed for Tottenham, which had won just two of its last 11 games and conceded seven against Bayern Munich in its last Champions League outing. But Tottenham isn’t out of the woods yet.

“We still know we’ve got a long way to go,” striker Harry Kane said. “We can hopefully build on this.”

Juventus came within 13 minutes of a loss which could have endangered its hopes of reaching the knockout stage before Paulo Dybala scored twice to beat Lokomotiv Moscow 2-1.


Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are all firmly on course to advance after recording their third wins to top their groups.

REAL SCRAPES A WIN

Having won just one of its last four games, Real Madrid was looking to regain some momentum with a big victory over Turkish champion Galatasaray. It had to settle for a narrow win.

A deflected goal from Toni Kroos gave Real a 1-0 win but it was far from a sure thing.

On his return to the squad after missing Saturday’s loss to Mallorca, Eden Hazard was Madrid’s most effective attacking threat, setting up the goal for Kroos and hitting the bar in the second half. However, like the rest of Madrid’s team, he wasn’t consistent enough to dominate in Istanbul.


Madrid was fortunate to get away with poor defensive positioning which handed two good chances to Florin Andone, whose shots were saved by Thibaut Courtois. The Turkish club, sixth in its domestic league, could have snatched a draw with headed efforts at corners late on.

Paris Saint-Germain is headed for qualification after a drama-free 5-0 win over Club Brugge, which drew 2-2 with Madrid in the previous round.

PSG only had a 1-0 lead with a half-hour remaining before substitute Kylian Mbappe scored a hat trick to turn it into a rout.

SPURS STIRRING

After being humiliated 7-2 by Bayern in its last game, Tottenham responded with a big win of its own.

While Red Star was hardly of Bayern’s caliber, scoring five goals for the first time since January could be a solid morale booster for Tottenham.

Son Heung-min and Harry Kane scored two goals each, while Erik Lamela marked his 200th appearance for Tottenham with a goal and two assists.

Bayern briefly risked dropping Champions League points for the first time this campaign, but two goals from Robert Lewandowski helped it recover from 1-0 down against Olympiacos to win 3-2.

DYBALA SAVES JUVENTUS

Juventus nearly suffered its first loss of the season in all competitions before Dybala took matters into his own hands.


With Juventus 1-0 down to a goal from Alexei Miranchuk, the Argentine forward curled a 77th-minute shot into the net and followed up shortly after by slotting home a rebound for the second.

Despite Juventus being on a seven-game winning run across all competitions, all but two of those wins have been by a one-goal margin.

Juventus is level with Atletico Madrid on seven points at the top of Group D after Alvaro Morata’s header lifted the Spanish club to a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Morata broke the deadlock in the 78th minute to avert what would have been Atletico’s fifth consecutive home draw in all competitions.

CITY SLICK IN WIN

Things are going far from smoothly for English clubs this season in the Champions League— except for Manchester City.

The Premier League champion is cruising in first place in Group C after earning its third win in emphatic style with a 5-1 demolition of Atalanta. The other three English clubs in the Champions League — Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool — have all taken losses so far.

Ruslan Malinovskyi gave Atalanta the lead from the penalty spot, but that lasted just six minutes before Sergio Aguero leveled with the first of his two goals. Raheem Sterling scored a hat trick inside 11 minutes in the second half.

Atalanta has lost all three of its games in its debut Champions League campaign but could still qualify if it can beat Shakhtar and Dinamo Zagreb in the second half of the group stage campaign.

The Ukrainian and Croatian clubs played out a 2-2 draw Tuesday which meant neither took full advantage of Atalanta’s struggles in the fight for second place.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Real Madrid go head-to-head with Barcelona for Neymar

Real Madrid will rival Barcelona in the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar this summer, according to reports in the Spanish press on Friday.

Madrid has shifted focus to Neymar after the close of the English Premier League’s transfer window on Thursday ended their hopes of signing Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.


According to Marca, Neymar has “returned to the scene” with the club “believing for some time that the team is lacking a big star up front”.

Sports newspaper AS claims the Brazilian has been offered to Madrid by PSG, who are open to selling if they can either recoup the 222 million euros they spent on him in 2017 or receive half that amount, with players included in the deal.

It means La Liga’s two greatest rivals are set to go head-to-head in the battle to sign Neymar before the Spanish transfer window closes on September 2.

Barcelona newspaper Mundo Deportivo says the 27-year-old will wait until August 20 for Barcelona to make a decisive move, after which “PSG’s number 10 does not rule out any option in order to leave the French champions, where it is clear he does not want to stay any longer.”


But Mundo adds that “it is clear Neymar wants to play for Barcelona” while Diario Sport agrees, writing that “the winning card Barca continues to hold is the will of the striker to reunite with players like Leo Messi and Luis Suarez. With them, he has a great understanding on the pitch and also a strong friendship off it.”

Marca believes Madrid also have factors in their favor. “Neymar’s priority is not to go to Barcelona. His priority is to leave the PSG,” wrote Marca, also citing their “magnificent relationship” with PSG, “quite the opposite” of how the French club view Barcelona.

Luka Modric is mentioned as a possible makeweight while Philippe Coutinho, who reportedly rejected an offer from Tottenham this week, could be included in an offer from Barcelona.

Sport admits whichever team signs Neymar will “inflict a blow on their rivals by snatching a star player from the other’s grasp”.

“From now on, it will be Neymar that decides,” Sport added. “Barcelona wants the player to go public but he understands such a move would be risky. If Barca and PSG do not reach an agreement he would be stuck in the French capital for a third year.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Once indisputable, Real Madrid’s Marcelo a target of critics

MADRID — It’s not a good sign that nearly every time Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari is asked about Marcelo he mentions the player’s great past with the club.

Clearly, it has become harder to talk about the player’s current achievements.


Marcelo was an indisputable starter for more than a decade with Real Madrid, considered by many the best left back in the world. But this season, the Brazilian’s performances have come in for criticism.

The clamor for dropping Marcelo only increased after a lackluster display on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona. He struggled on defense and added little in attack.

Solari again avoided talking about Marcelo’s performance.

“Marcelo is our second captain (after Sergio Ramos), he is 100 percent committed to Real Madrid, always puts the club first,” Solari said briefly. “We always work to make sure that all of our players are at their best.”

Marcelo’s fitness is often brought up by his critics, who say the 30-year-old player hasn’t been able to keep up with opposing attackers like he used to. Some blamed him for not doing enough to keep Barcelona from scoring the second-half equalizer at Camp Nou Stadium. He didn’t follow Malcom into the area and the forward was free to pick up a loose ball and score.

Marcelo never seemed comfortable against Malcom and had trouble containing him. He also made little impact on attack, which has been one of his greatest attributes.

Marcelo’s struggles aren’t new. Last year, Solari didn’t hide his frustration with the player’s performances, saying he wanted to see “greater effort,” especially on defense.

It seemed a vote of confidence by Solari to pick Marcelo for Wednesday’s clasico, but the Brazilian wasn’t able to make the most of it. He hasn’t played as often since the coach took over and started giving more minutes to young left back Sergio Reguilon from the youth squad.

Marcelo has played only three league matches this year, with most of his appearances in the Copa del Rey. He was ordinary against Girona in the Copa round of 16, where Madrid conceded three times in the two-game series.

Not long ago there were widespread rumors about Marcelo joining his friend Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, and talks about him trying to move to midfield, where his physical condition wouldn’t be so crucial and he would be able to make better use of his great skills with the ball.

Marcelo joined Real Madrid from Brazilian club Fluminense in 2007 and quickly became the obvious substitute to fellow Brazilian left back Roberto Carlos. Marcelo helped Real Madrid win four Spanish leagues and four Champions Leagues, in addition to four Club World Cups. He played in two World Cups for Brazil, being one of the captains in the 2018 tournament in Russia.

Solari gave no hints about whether he would keep Marcelo in the lineup on Saturday for the league derby at Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid can pass Atletico for second place with a win at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. The club then travels to the Netherlands to face Ajax in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

“We are going step by step,” the coach said. “We just finished this match and now we will have a few days to work and start thinking about the league match.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Real Madrid re-sign Mariano Diaz for 33 million

Real Madrid said Wednesday they have re-signed striker Mariano Diaz from French side Lyon for 33 millions euros ($39 million) on a five-year deal having only last summer allowed him to move to France for eight million.

Diaz, a Spain-born Dominican Republic international, is a product of the Real academy, but had looked initially set to sign for Sevilla before Real made their move having decided to exercise a buy-back option negotiated last year.

The 25-year-old was a hit in France as he scored 18 times and provided seven assists to help his side finish in the top three and gain a Champions League qualification berth.


Real said he would be presented Friday.

Under the terms of the deal, Lyon will receive 15 percent of any surplus Real make in a future deal for the player.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ronaldo goal gives Real Madrid its 3rd Club World Cup title

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Cristiano Ronaldo scored from a free-kick as Real Madrid claimed its third Club World Cup title after beating Brazilian team Gremio 1-0 Saturday.

The Ballon d’Or winner fired his right-footed shot between two players in Gremio’s defensive wall, leaving goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe no hope of reaching the ball before it bounced inside the post in the 53rd minute.

“(Ronaldo) is always there at the key moments,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “Nobody can do what he does.”

Madrid became the first team to retain the FIFA Club World Cup title, and collected its fifth trophy of 2017, along with the Champions League, Spanish league, European Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup.

Ronaldo celebrated the goal by rushing to Madrid’s dugout where he was embraced by his teammates. The goal increased Ronaldo’s record to seven goals in the competition. He also scored in Madrid’s 2-1 comeback win over Al Jazira in the semifinals.

“What am I going to say? The numbers speak for themselves. I am very happy. The team played fantastically well and it has won another title,” Ronaldo said. “We played a very good game and deserved the victory.”

Madrid equaled Barcelona’s record of three titles for the short knockout tournament between the champions of FIFA’s six continental confederations and the host nation’s league winner.

European clubs have won 10 of the last 11 Club World Cups, with only Brazil’s Corinthians interrupting that streak in 2012 when it defeated Chelsea.

Zidane played the same starting 11 from last season’s Champions League final in June, when Madrid crushed Juventus 4-1 — led by Ronaldo’s double.

The European champions outclassed Gremio throughout the match, but the closest they got to scoring in the first half was Dani Carvajal’s goal-bound volley in the 20th that was cleared by Pedro Geromel.

Gremio had to scramble on several occasions to stop Madrid inside its own area. At the other end, a free-kick by Edilson for the South American champions swerved onto the top netting near the half-hour mark.

Geromel had tried to set the tone early on with a hard tackle that left Ronaldo writhing in pain, and hoping for a booking that never came.

Ronaldo had a poor first half. He twice erred in short passes with his back heel that failed to reach his teammates, and he squandered a good opportunity when he took too long to shoot when a loose ball fell to him close to the net.

All that changed after the interval. Ronaldo baited Jailson into fouling him outside the area with some fancy dribbling, setting up his winner.

Ronaldo thought he had another goal moments later, but Karim Benzema was ruled offside before he passed the ball back to Ronaldo.

Marcelo Grohe kept his side in the game by pushing Luka Modric’s shot onto his post and denied Ronaldo a second goal, but Gremio never mounted a serious response to get the equalizer.

Mexico’s Pachuca beat Al Jazira 4-1 in the third-place match earlier Saturday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Bayern sign Rodriguez on loan deal from Real

Colombia’s hot-shot James Rodriguez has joined Bayern Munich on a two-year loan from Real Madrid, the Bundesliga club announced on Tuesday.

The two clubs have agreed on a two-year deal until June 30, 2019, with the option for Bayern to buy the 25-year-old midfielder who was the top scorer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“We’re delighted we’ve been able to complete this transfer,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

“Signing James Rodriguez was our coach Carlo Ancelotti’s biggest wish, following their successful spell working together in Madrid.

“James is a very versatile player.

“He’s a goalscorer himself, he sets up a lot of goals and on top of that he’s great from set-pieces.

“There’s no question that this transfer further increases the quality in our team.”

The attacking midfielder has been recruited by the Bavarian giants with a few of their star-studded squad threatening to leave.

Brazil forward Douglas Costa is negotiating a transfer with Juventus while winger Serge Gnabry, 21, who has only just signed from Werder Bremen, wants to be loaned out to gain experience.

James joined Real in July 2014 for 75m euros from Monaco on the back of his outstanding performances at the Brazil World Cup, where he scored six goals in the finals as Colombia reached the quarter-finals.

His best season at Real was in 2014/15, under current Bayern boss Ancelotti, when he scored 17 goals, with 18 assists, in 46 matches.

But Rodriguez struggled to break into Real’s star-studded first team under Ancelotti’s replacement Zinedine Zidane.

He made just 13 starting appearances last season in the Spanish league with a further nine off the bench.

Matters came to a head in April when James expressed his frustration after being replaced in a 4-2 win at Leganes.

“I am satisfied with James and find it perfectly normal for him to get upset in such a situation,” said Zidane at the time.

The writing was on the wall for the Colombian at the Bernabeu from then on and he expressed his desire to move long before Bayern came calling.

He played against his future employers for just seven minutes when Real beat Bayern in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and was left out of the squad which beat Juventus 4-1 in the final.

James will get straight down to business at Bayern.

He flies with Ancelotti’s squad on their tour of China and Singapore, which leaves on Sunday, and will include stars Thomas Mueller, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.

James will be joined by fellow new signing Corentin Tolisso, 22, who has just joined Bayern from French side Lyon for 41.5 million euros ($47.3m).

Alongside Tolisso, Gnabry and James, the German champions are set to add two new names to their squad for next season with Germany internationals Niklas Suele and Sebastian Rudy signed from Hoffenheim.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Barcelona hoping Ramirez can spoil Madrid’s title march

BARCELONA, Spain — A year ago, Sandro Ramirez wasn’t good enough for Barcelona.

Now, the Catalan club is hoping the cast-off forward can upend Real Madrid’s march to the Spanish league title.

For Barcelona to win a third consecutive league title it needs to beat Eibar at home on Sunday and have Malaga defeat Madrid, which enters the final round needing only one point to claim its first title since 2012. And the in-form Ramirez is Malaga’s biggest threat.

Told last May there was no room for him alongside Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, Ramirez could understandably savor Barcelona’s struggles this season. But the 21-year-old Spaniard said he would love nothing more than to give back something to the club that made him into a professional at its “La Masia” academy.

“I really hope I can score a goal and give Barca the league,” Ramirez told BEIN television. “I really hope that this dream comes true. I owe them everything.”

Ramirez left his home in the Canary Islands to join Barcelona’s academy when he was 14. His road wasn’t easy, however. He had to recover from injuries to both knees before he earned his debut with the first team under Barcelona coach Luis Enrique in 2014.

But not even Pedro Rodriguez’s departure for Chelsea opened up consistent playing time. With six goals in two seasons playing limited minutes, Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez decided not to renew Ramirez’s contract last May.

So, for nothing in return, Barcelona let Ramirez walk away while it paid Valencia 30 million euros (then $33.5 million) for striker Paco Alcacer.

“Last season was the most difficult one for me,” Ramirez said. “But you know that the guys in front of you are the best, so I don’t regret anything.”

Ramirez found a spot on Malaga, signing for three seasons. After a slow start, he is finishing the season in spectacular form. Malaga has won six of its last eight matches, with Ramirez scoring seven of his 14 goals this season in those recent victories.

None was bigger than his opening goal in a 2-0 win over Barcelona on April 8 that robbed it of the chance of capitalizing on Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid just hours before.

Ramirez said the goal against his former team “helped vindicate me.”

“I didn’t celebrate it like a goal scored against the best team in the world, but I must give it my all for Malaga,” he said.

Malaga’s surge has come under coach Michel Gonzalez, a former Madrid player who took over in March with the team in danger of being dragged into a relegation fight.

The players responded and reeled off wins over Sevilla, Valencia and Celta Vigo, in addition to the upset of Barcelona, to settle into 11th place.

“From the very first day (Michel) said that I was fundamental for him and that is what a football player needs to hear,” Ramirez said. “Confidence is critical in football. I am ambitious and I know I can give a lot more. We are playing well. It’s my desire to finish this in the best way possible.”

No doubt Barcelona shares that wish as well.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Euro 2016: Ronaldo hails ‘insane’ draw as Portugal progress

Man-of-the-match Cristiano Ronaldo called Portugal’s 3-3 draw against Hungary “insane” as his side scraped into the last 16 of Euro 2016, thanks to his two record-breaking second-half goals.

Ronaldo opened his account in style with a deft backheel flick on 50 minutes before a bullet header 12 minutes later to twice equalize at the Stade de Lyon.

The goals made the 31-year-old the first player to score in four European Championships.

The result made Hungary unlikely Group F winners in their first international tournament for three decades.

Portugal squeezed through as one of the best third-place finishers but now face a tough last 16 match against Croatia in Lens on Saturday.

“It was an insane match,” said Ronaldo as Portugal equalized three times in sweltering conditions.

“We had to chase down the match, it was very hot, but the main goal was to qualify.

“Of course, we wanted to win and qualify in first place, but the main thing is we’re through.”

Following their draws with Iceland and Austria, Portugal’s captain showed signs he was feeling the pressure, throwing a TV reporter’s microphone into a lake on the morning of the game in Lyon.

But he delivered when it mattered as Portugal equalized three times in a match that was not for the faint-hearted.

The Real Madrid ace set another record by making his 17th appearance at Euro tournaments.

“These are just more records, but like I always say that comes naturally,” he said.

“I can’t say I’m not happy, these are good records, but the priority was to make it through to the 16.”

Ronaldo rated his side’s chances as “50/50″ in the last 16 as a talented Croatia side shocked defending champions Spain to reach the knock-out phase on Tuesday.

“We made it and now we face a very good team, but the odds are 50/50,” he said.

“Croatia are a tough team, with good players. Not every team manages to beat Spain.

“We respect them, but we know our strength and we’ll look them in the eye when we face them.”

Ronaldo praised his side for fighting back each time they were facing elimination.

“The bottom line was to qualify, we thought we’d done it in second place, but Iceland scored late on and we finished third,” he said,

“We attacked, Hungary attacked.

“The team was in dire straits, three times we were about to go home, but we came back each time.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Barcelona, Madrid play last games with title in the balance

BARCELONA, Spain — It all comes down to the last match.

With the title still up for grabs, Barcelona and Real Madrid have one game to play on Saturday with only one point separating them.

Barcelona can retain its title, making it eight in 12 years and 24 in club history, with a victory at Granada. At the same time, Madrid visits Deportivo La Coruna hoping to culminate a spectacular comeback and get a huge boost of confidence for its Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on May 28.

“This match is custom made for Barcelona’s players. This type of game is what inspires teams,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said Friday. “There are games when you have to motivate players, but there is more than enough motivation for this game. It is more about controlling the emotions.”

Barcelona holds a one-point advantage and the tiebreaker over Madrid, so the team coached by Zinedine Zidane needs to beat Deportivo and hope Barcelona drops points to add to its record 32 titles.

Zidane has asked his players to concentrate on their match, and said he would not follow the score from Barcelona’s game from the dugout while his team plays.

“I’m not going to find out what has happened (with Barcelona’s match) until the end,” Zidane said. “We don’t depend on ourselves, but we have to think only about our match and how we can win and get the three points. Then we will see.

“We have faith. We have won 11 games (in a row) and we are within one point with one match to go. We have to believe until the very last second.”

Here are some more things to know about Saturday’s decisive matches:

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LUIS’S LEGACY

Last season, Luis Enrique matched Pep Guardiola’s treble of Champions League, Spanish league and Copa del Rey titles.

And his team was on course to repeat that feat until it fell to Atletico in the Champions League quarterfinals. That coincided with a three-game losing run in the Spanish league which let Madrid surge back into contention.

Now, Barcelona’s season, regardless of the outcome of the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla on May 22, rests on whether it can handle the pressure at Granada.

“I think we recovered the level of play that we are accustomed to several weeks ago,” Luis Enrique said. “Now, it is just like every week. We have to play better than Granada, create more chances and limit theirs to get as close as we can to taking the three points.”

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THE ZIDANE EFFECT

Zidane made his debut as a top coach against Deportivo in January, when his new team thrilled the Santiago Bernabeu with a decisive 5-0 win that its fans hoped was a sign of bigger things to come.

Since replacing the fired Rafa Benitez, Zidane has guided the team to the Champions League final and a strong record of 16 wins, two draws and one loss in the Spanish league.

“I am happy, not only my work, but that of all my players,” Zidane said. “But I haven’t won anything yet. We will see after the season is over. We have two very important finals to play.”

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TOP GUNS

Barcelona and Madrid claim six of the top seven goal scorers in the competition, and the title could depend on which trio has its day.

Barcelona’s Luis Suarez leads the league with 37 goals. The Uruguay striker is supported by Lionel Messi, who has scored 26 times, and Neymar with 24.

Suarez has scored 11 of those goals in the last four matches, helping Barcelona end a four-game winless slide that almost cost it the league lead with a run of four straight wins by the combined score of 21-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo tops Madrid’s scorers with 33 goals in the league. Karim Benzema has added 24, with Gareth Bale contributing 19, including a few critical winners in recent weeks.

Bale returned to practice after missing last weekend’s match with a leg injury. Zidane said that Ronaldo and Benzema were completely recovered from their nagging leg injuries as well.

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THE OPPONENTS

Both Granada and Deportivo are safe from the relegation fight and without options of earning a berth in European competition next season.

Madrid has won on its last four visits to Deportivo, but Riazor Stadium is traditionally a tough ground for Madrid, where it has won 13 times in 49 visits.

Barcelona has dropped points on nine of 21 trips to Granada’s Los Carmenes Stadium.

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THE PRECEDENTS

If history matters, it’s on Barcelona’s side.

This will be the eighth time the two powerhouses have both arrived to the final round with options to win the title. Barcelona came out on top in six of the previous seven occasions.

The Catalan club edged Madrid in the inaugural 1929 league and did so again in 1960.

It got much worse for Madrid during back-to-back debacles in 1992 and 1993, when it lost an advantage to Barcelona in the final round with losses at Tenerife.

Madrid finally outdid Barcelona in 2007, while a Barcelona side coached Guardiola protected its lead to win in 2010.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ronaldo hails Zidane as Real reach Champions League final

Cristiano Ronaldo lauded the impact made by Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane as the Frenchman led the Spanish giants into the Champions League final with a 1-0 win over Manchester City on Wednesday.

Brazilian midfielder Fernando’s first-half own goal was the only difference between the sides over two legs as Real set up a repeat of the 2014 final against local rivals Atletico Madrid in Milan on May 28.

Zidane replaced the sacked Rafael Benitez with Madrid in crisis in January, but has sparked just Real’s second run to the final in the 14 years since he scored the winning goal against Bayer Leverkusen for Real in 2002.

“Zidane is doing a great job,” said Ronaldo.

“I admire him as a coach and a person, I hope he continues in the job.

“We’ve always been behind Zidane because he is a humble person who likes to listen, and that always makes things easier.”

Ronaldo made his return after a three-game absence due to a thigh injury, but was unable to match his own record of 17 Champions League goals in a single season in a tight game short on clear-cut chances.

“It was a complete game, the team played really well and we could have finished them off with a second goal—1-0 is a tight scoreline but it’s enough,” added Ronaldo.

Zidane admitted he could bask in some of the glory for Real’s resurgence of 19 wins in his 24 games in charge, but reserved his praise for the players.

“I am the coach, so I am doing something right for sure, but it is not just me,” said the Frenchman.

“It is a question of all the people working with me and the most important people are the players. It is them that allow you to win in football.”

By contrast, City coach Manuel Pellegrini will give way to Pep Guardiola at the end of the season having failed to get them to a final in his three seasons in charge.

The Chilean lamented his side’s luck as Gareth Bale’s intended cross deflected off Fernando and looped over the helpless Joe Hart for the only goal of the tie.

However, Pellegrini admitted City hadn’t created nearly enough to merit a place in the final.

“Neither of the two teams deserved to win the game,” said Pellegrini.

“I don’t think we saw a superior Madrid, we pressed them, but with the ball we lacked the creativity to do damage.

“There was lot of work in the 180 minutes, but very little football.”

However, Pellegrini defended his record having taken City to the last four for the first time and believes they will have the potential to go all the way under Guardiola.

“I think it is a special season because we have reached the semis,” he added.

“We are not happy, but I don’t think we deserved to compete the final. They had that bit of luck.

“In the Champions League it is a step more, but I think this team must always try to play the final in the next years.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ronaldo remains doubtful for 2nd leg vs Man City

MADRID — Real Madrid has been keeping quiet about Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury, and his presence in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals is likely to remain a mystery until just before next week’s game against Manchester City.

Ronaldo underwent new tests on his injured hamstring on Wednesday, but Madrid did not reveal the extent of the problem or how long the Portugal forward will remain sidelined.

He was expected to play in Tuesday’s first leg in Manchester, but watched the 0-0 draw from the bench after failing a physical just before the game.

There have been widespread rumors about the injury, but the only clue since the game has come from a post on Ronaldo’s official Instagram account, which simply said, “Don’t worry be happy,” along with a photo of him smiling. He later also posted photos of him exercising in a gym, including one where he is flexing his muscles.

Before the game in England, television cameras caught him saying that he still wasn’t fully fit.

“I’ll wait for the next match,” he said in Portuguese, apparently while talking to other players. “If it was a final, I would play.”

Spanish media has published various versions of the injury, from a full muscle rupture that will keep him out for the rest of the season to a minor ailment that should heal quickly. The sports daily AS suggested that Ronaldo would undergo “stem cell treatment” to try to recover in time for next week’s game at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

Coach Zinedine Zidane spoke only briefly about Ronaldo following Tuesday’s game.

“He felt something and wasn’t comfortable,” Zidane said. “Hopefully he will be fit for the second leg.”

The coach and other team officials had previously downplayed the problem, saying the forward would likely be ready for the first leg.

Ronaldo picked up the injury toward the end of a 3-0 win over Villarreal in the Spanish league on April 20, when he tried a volley inside the area and fell awkwardly. He seemed to be in pain and, after getting up, put his hand on the back of his right leg. Ronaldo walked off the pitch just before the final whistle, leaving the team with 10 men.

It’s almost certain he will miss Saturday’s Spanish league game at Real Sociedad, having been sidelined for last Saturday’s 3-2 win at Rayo Vallecano. His team is one point behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid with three rounds to play.

Ronaldo had played in every Spanish league game this season, and had scored seven goals in his previous seven matches in all competitions before missing the game against Rayo.

He is the leading scorer in both the Spanish league and the Champions League, where he has 16 goals from 10 games, one shy of the record he set in the 2013-14 season, when Madrid won its 10th European title.

Zidane may also be without forward Karim Benzema, who left Tuesday’s game because of a knee problem that has been bothering him for some time.

“They are two important players and we hope that they are back for the second leg,” Zidane said. “We’ll take it day-by-day and look at it with the doctors.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Real Madrid beats Las Palmas in Spanish League

MADRID — Casemiro scored in the 89th-minute to earn Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Las Palmas in the Spanish league on Sunday, keeping his team on course for an automatic spot in next season’s Champions League.

Casemiro headed the winner from a corner just two minutes after Las Palmas equalized with striker Willian Jose to ignite the local fans in the Canary Islands. Sergio Ramos had put Madrid ahead with another header in the 24th, before being sent off in injury time.

Las Palmas played better most of the match and goalkeeper Keylor Navas had to make several key saves to keep Madrid in the game.

“If we want anything from what’s coming up we have got to play better, that’s for sure,” Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “Like this, we’ll get nowhere.”

It was Madrid’s third league win in a row, leaving it 10 points in front of fourth-place Villarreal, which lost to Sevilla earlier Sunday.

Defending champion Barcelona routed Getafe 6-0 at the Camp Nou on Saturday to maintain an eight-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid, which kept pace by defeating Deportivo La Coruna 3-0 at the Vicente Calderon Stadium a few hours later.

Madrid is 12 points off the lead and virtually out of contention for the title with nine rounds left, but it needed the win on Sunday to stay ahead in the race to secure the final automatic spot for the Champions League. The fourth-place club has to play an extra qualifying round.

Madrid started well and moved ahead with Ramos’ firm header off a corner, but Las Palmas took over and created several chances until finally breaking through with Jose’s shot over Navas after a bad pass by Mateo Kovacic near the area. The hosts seemed satisfied with a draw, but defensive midfielder Casemiro was left unmarked near the far post to seal the victory.

Ramos was sent off after being shown a second yellow card just before the final whistle.

“We need to improve a lot,” Navas said. “To win titles we can’t play with this type of intensity.”

Las Palmas was trying to win its fourth game in a row. The loss leaves the Canary Islands team in 15th place, only four points above the relegation zone.

Earlier Sunday in Seville, Ukraine midfielder Yevhen Konoplyanka scored the decisive goal with a 65th-minute long-range shot as Sevilla beat Villarreal 4-2 to stay in the fight for a Champions League spot.

The team’s 13th straight home victory in the league helped it move within five points of Villarreal.

“We showed that we have character and that we will fight until the end for the fourth spot,” Sevilla defender Adil Rami said. “This club and these fans deserve to be in the Champions (League).”

Sevilla opened the scoring at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium with a goal by Vicente Iborra in the 23rd minute. French striker Cedric Bakambu put Villarreal ahead with goals in the 29th and 37th, but the hosts equalized with an own goal by defender Victor Ruiz in the 51st before Konoplyanka netted with a powerful right-foot shot from about 30 meters (30 yards).

Substitute midfielder Jose Antonio Reyes sealed the victory after a breakaway in injury time.

Sevilla played with 10 men from the 79th after midfielder Ever Banega was sent off for a foul that earned him a second yellow card.

Sevilla has won every match at home since a 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo in the league’s third round. Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the teams it defeated at the Sanchez-Pizjuan.

It was the second straight loss for Villarreal, which has only one victory in its last five league games.

Villarreal and Sevilla are in the round of 16 of the Europa League. Sevilla will play the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on May 22.

Also Sunday, striker Giuseppe Rossi scored a 65th-minute winner to give last-place Levante a 1-0 win over Valencia in the city derby.

Gary Neville’s team has lost three of its last four league games and dropped to 12th in the standings.

“I accept responsibility for the defeat,” an upset Neville said. “It was an indefensible performance, not acceptable, not good enough. I apologize to the fans of Valencia. I can’t defend what I’ve just seen. And I need to take full responsibility for that.”

Sixth-place Athletic Bilbao defeated Real Betis 3-1 at home to win its fourth league game in a row and remain one point behind Sevilla.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Messi scores 2 as Barcelona strike force reaches 100 goals

MADRID — Lionel Messi continued his impressive form by scoring two goals in Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Eibar in the Spanish league on Sunday, as the strike force of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar reached a total of 100 goals this season in all competitions.

It was the fourth goal, scored by Suarez after Messi’s earlier brace, which brought up the scoring century, keeping the trio on track to beat the record of 122 set by them last season.

Messi scored with a great run in the 41st and added a penalty in the 76th, leaving Barcelona with an eight-point advantage over Atletico Madrid, which won 3-1 at Valencia to keep pace with 10 games to go.

Real Madrid remained 12 points behind Barcelona after trashing Celta Vigo 7-1 on Saturday with four goals by Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We are where we are thanks to our hard work,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. “Now we enter the decisive stages of the season and we are fighting for titles but there are still a lot of points left. There are no guarantees that we will keep playing at this level. We will not get distracted by those saying that we have already won the league.”

Messi is enjoying his best form of the season. The five-time world player of the year has scored 15 goals in the last 10 matches, and eight in the past four, staying on course to win his eighth league title with the Catalan club.

Munir El Haddadi opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a cross by Suarez, who netted his league-leading 26th goal in the 84th.

It was Barcelona’s 11th straight win in the league. It hasn’t lost in 36 consecutive games in all competitions. The last defeat for Enrique’s squad was a 2-1 loss at Sevilla in the seventh round in October.

“Our motivation is to keep this lead until the end and win the title,” Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano said. “We know there is still a lot of league left and any setback could give a chance to our opponents to move closer. It’s a good advantage but we have to keep playing like this and avoid mistakes.”

It was the fourth loss in a row for Eibar, which remains in eighth place in the standings.

Messi netted his 20th league goal with a remarkable run from near midfield that culminated with a low shot into the far corner. The Argentine star cleared two defenders before striking from inside the area.

He calmly converted the penalty kick prompted by a hand ball inside the area, sending his shot into the middle of the goal as the goalkeeper dived away.

Messi had scored a hat trick in the 5-1 rout of Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.

Munir, replacing suspended Brazilian striker Neymar, had opened the scoring with an easy goal from close range after a low cross by Suarez.

Suarez scored the fourth goal after sneaking the ball between the legs of a defender and firing a low shot from inside the box. The Uruguay striker hadn’t scored in three matches following a run of seven straight games with at least one goal.

Suarez had missed the last two penalty kicks awarded for Barcelona, which is the team with the most penalty calls in its favor in the league this season with 14.

Suarez, Messi and Neymar scored 122 times last season to surpass the 118 goals netted by Real Madrid strikers Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain in 2011-12.

Atletico Madrid defeated Valencia with goals by French forward Antoine Griezmann in the 24th, substitute striker Fernando Torres in the 72nd and midfielder Yannick Carrasco in the 85th. Russian striker Denis Cheryshev scored Valencia’s goal in the 28th.

Gary Neville’s team was trying to win for the sixth time in seven games in all competitions. It was Valencia’s second consecutive home loss in the league, dropping it to 11th in the standings.

Earlier Sunday, 10-man Real Betis defeated visiting Granada 2-0 to move further from the relegation zone. Betis defender Juan Manuel Vargas was sent off with a second yellow card in the 53rd.

Granada, 18th in the 20-team standings, had to use defender Cristiano Biraghi in goal in second-half injury time. That was after goalkeeper Andres Fernandez got a red card for touching the ball outside the area, a foul that led to Betis’ final goal.

Athletic Bilbao won 2-0 at Sporting Gijon to move to sixth place and leave its opponent second-to-last on the table, while 10th-place Real Sociedad drew last-place Levante 1-1 at home.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Outspoken Ronaldo gets Madrid back on track

Cristiano Ronaldo made amends for recent critical comments of his Real Madrid teammates with a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win at Levante on Wednesday to cut the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to nine points.

Ronaldo’s penalty and an own goal from Levante ‘keeper Diego Marino put the visitors in command before Deyverson pulled one back for Levante before half-time.

However, Isco’s late strike from Ronaldo’s cut-back secured the points in stoppage time.

Real trail second-placed Atletico Madrid by four points, but do open up a four-point lead of their own on Villarreal after they were held 0-0 at Celta Vigo.

Barcelona can extend their lead over Atletico at the top to eight points with victory at Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.

Gary Neville’s Valencia moved into the top half of the table as they benefited from spectacular own goal by Malaga goalkeeper Carlos Kameni to win 2-1 at La Rosaleda.

Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane was without a host of first team regulars as the suspended Dani Carvajal and Sergio Ramos joined the injured Marcelo, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema on the sidelines.

However, Ronaldo started despite causing controversy with an outburst claiming Madrid “would be top” of the league if his teammates matched his standards after defeat to Atletico at the weekend.

“When there are changes you think it is going to be more difficult, but with the effort and commitment of everyone we managed to get the three points and a good performance,” said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.

Real had former Levante ‘keeper Keylor Navas to thank for not getting off to a terrible start as he produced a brilliant save low to his left to prevent Giuseppe Rossi giving the home side a shock lead.

Ronaldo opened the scoring from the spot on 34 minutes after Lucas Vazquez had been tripped inside the area by Lucas Orban.

Injuries to Benzema and Bale opened the door for 18-year-old Borja Mayoral to get his first league start and he took his opportunity when his shot from the edge of the box hit the post and cannoned into the net off Marino’s back three minutes later.

However, Levante were back in the game instantly as the Real defence were caught flat-footed appealing for an offside flag that never arrived and Deyverson slotted into the bottom corner.

Madrid had much better control of the game after the break and Ronaldo was desperately unlucky not to restore their two-goal lead when he struck the post from James Rodriguez’s fine through ball.

However, Zidane’s men needed to rely on Navas once more to secure the points as he made a flying save to parry Ruben Garcia’s shot from distance.

And Isco answered his recent critics with a calm finish from Ronaldo’s cut-back in stoppage time to round off the scoring.

Defeat leaves Levante still rooted to the foot of the table, six points off safety.

Villarreal’s hopes of temporarily usurping Real Madrid into third were dashed in a game of few chances in Vigo as the visitors registered a sixth consecutive clean sheet in La Liga.

Sevilla closed the gap on Villarreal to nine points in their quest for Champions League football as Fernando Llorente’s early strike handed the Europa League holders their 15th straight home win in all competitions, 1-0 over Eibar.

Valencia moved up to ninth as they recovered from Duje Cop’s early deflected opener to register just Neville’s third league win.

Kameni punched the ball into his own net under pressure from Denis Cheryshev just before half-time and Real Madrid loanee Cheryshev completed the turnaround when he fired into the bottom corner five minutes after the break.

Aritz Aduriz continued his push to be included in Spain’s squad for the Euro 2016 with a hat-trick in Athletic Bilbao’s 4-1 win over Deportivo la Coruna to take his tally for the season to 30.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Real Madrid beat San Lorenzo to lift Club World Cup

Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for the first time by beating San Lorenzo 2-0 on Saturday (Sunday, PHL time) with goals from Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale after being forced into a scrap by the feisty South Americans.

Real scored in each half to clock up a 22nd successive win in all competitions in a bruising encounter which Guatemalan referee Walter Lopez just managed to keep under control.

The Marrakech crowd gave the European champions fervent support and were expecting a gala exhibition, which San Lorenzo were not going to allow despite the obvious gulf in class.

"It's a special day and this is a reward for all the effort and work that we have put in as a team," said Ramos.

Real nearly scored on their first attack when Karim Benzema just failed to connect with Ronaldo's low cross from the right.

After that, San Lorenzo did well to restrict Real to a couple of chances in the opening half hour only for their resistance to be broken at a corner when Ramos outjumped the defence in the 37th minute to break the deadlock.

Ramos had already been booked and could have been sent off for an ugly face-to-face rant at the referee as the game, which featured 40 fouls and numerous confrontations between players, threatened to get out of control.

Bale increased Real's lead in the 51st minute when he was left unmarked to collect Isco's pass and diving keeper Sebastian Torrico allowed the Welshman's weak shot to slip under his arm.

Real stopper Iker Casillas had to wait until the 65th minute to be tested for the first time when he saved a low diagonal effort from Emanuel Mas.

He then made more difficult stops to deny Juan Mercier and Enzo Kalinski, although Real also missed several chances to score a third on the break.

"I told the players in the dressing room that I was proud to have led this team this year," San Lorenzo coach Edgardo Bauza said.

"Each defeat hurts, even when it is against a team as successful as Real Madrid, and we have to accept it."

Real had previously won the old Intercontinental Cup three times, with their last triumph coming in 2002.

"We deserved to win this title," added coach Carlo Ancelotti. "We can say that Real Madrid is the best team in the world at this moment." - Reuters