Football / News / Sports

Champions League draw: Liverpool face Real Madrid, Bayern Munich vs. PSG

Defending champions Real Madrid will face Liverpool in the Champions League round-of-16, a repeat of last season’s final, while Paris Saint-Germain will play against Bayern Munich.

Madrid are seeking to win a 15th European title in June’s final in Istanbul, having claimed a 1-0 win over Liverpool in last year’s final in Paris. Madrid also beat Jurgen Klopp’s side in the 2018 final in Kyiv.

“It’s a repeat of the last final, they’re two historic teams. It will be an electric, fascinating tie for the fans,” Madrid director Emilio Butragueno said.

“We’re the champions, and we want to defend our title, while being aware of the opponent we face. We’ll do everything we can to be in the quarterfinal draw.”

Meanwhile, PSG, who finished second in Group H, remain on the hunt for their first Champions League title and will have to go through familiar foes to do so, having last met Bayern in the 2020 final where they suffered a 1-0 defeat.

Elsewhere, Chelsea drew Borussia Dortmund, meaning forward Christian Pulisic will return to face his former club for the first time since leaving for Stamford Bridge in 2019.

Manchester City eased their way to top Group G were rewarded with a draw against RB Leipzig, while Tottenham Hotspur face AC Milan.

The round-of-16 first legs will take place on Feb. 14-15 and Feb. 21-22, with the second legs due to be held on March 7-8 and March.

The final is scheduled for June 10 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

Champions League Round of 16 draw:

RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City

Club Brugge vs. Benfica

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid

AC Milan vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Napoli

Borussia Dortmund vs. Chelsea

Inter Milan vs. Porto

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich…

Football / News / Sports

Benzema wins Ballon d’Or

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema poses with the Ballon d’Or trophy at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France on Oct. 17, 2022.

French striker Karim Benzema claimed the 2022 Ballon d’Or here on Monday after a dazzling season with Real Madrid which saw the Spanish giants win both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the women’s trophy for the second year in a row following another stellar season with Barcelona.

The first French player to win the prestigious individual football prize since Zinedine Zidane in 1998, Benzema had his best season ever at Madrid, finishing with 44 goals in 46 matches and becoming the top scorer in both domestic and continental tournaments.

A highlight for the 34-year-old came in the knockout stages of the Champions League when he grabbed two consecutive hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, and Chelsea in the quarterfinals.

“It’s a collective victory. It’s an individual trophy but without your teammates, you can’t score. Sometimes you might get a screamer but, for me, football is a collective sport and I will always be a team player,” Benzema said.

For the first time in the award’s history, the Ballon d’Or was awarded based on the performance of the past season, not according to achievements in a calendar year.

Senegalese forward Sadio Mane, who moved to Bayern Munich from Liverpool this summer, came second, while Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium was third.

Barcelona’s summer signing Robert Lewandowski was named the best striker for the second year in a row, with the Pole also ranking fourth in the overall Ballon d’Or list. Fellow Barcelona midfielder Gavi won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player.

Benzema’s club teammate Thibaut Courtois was awarded the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper.…

Football / News / Sports

Real Madrid Take El clasico win against Barcelona

Real Madrid welcomed Barcelona to the Bernabeu with plenty to lose at the top of the La Liga table, but Los Blancos emerged with all to gain as goals from Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde, and Rodrigo secured a 3-1 victory.

Instead, it’s Barcelona who leave Madrid with yet another black eye, following the midweek Champions League calamity that likely sees them out of Europe’s top competition. Xavi’s sorrows are compounded after suffering through similar defensive mistakes to the ones made against Inter just days prior.

With the victory, Real Madrid take control of the La Liga title race, moving three points clear at the top of the standings. Barcelona are passed, only in the lead on goal differential before kickoff at the Bernabeu.

Karim Benzema was the first on the scene for Madrid, bagging the opener just 12 minutes in. He made way for others in the team, as big-game star Federico Valverde doubled the lead past the half-hour mark with a solid long-range strike.

After halftime, Barcelona pushed hard to get back in the game, and Real Madrid hung on until Ferran Torres brought the visitors back within one after great work from Ansu Fati. Yet it was not to be, as Real Madrid ran to victory as Rodrygo deposited a dubious penalty in stoppage time to secure the points.

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona final score

1H 2H Final
Real Madrid 2 1 3
Barcelona 0 1 1

Goals:
12th min — RMA — Karim Benzema
35th min — RMA — Federico Valverde
83rd min — BAR — Ferran Torres
90+1 min — RMA — Rodrygo (pen)

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona post-match analysis

Toni Kroos, Luka Modric run midfield in El Clasico

The two midfield stars for Real Madrid were yet again showing their ageless beauty as they completely ran Barcelona’s midfield off the pitch.

Toni Kroos was instrumental in the opening goal, somehow managing to deliver a pinpoint through-ball while being dragged back by a helpless Sergio Busquets. He finished 49-of-55 passing, including 6-of-8 on long balls and …

Football / Sports

Vinicius Jr. ignores racist chants, keeps dancing in Madrid derby vs. Atletico; Real Madrid stay perfect in LaLiga

A tense, chippy affair ended in a 2-1 win for Real Madrid, who stay perfect in LaLiga this season amid jeering for Vinicius Junior from Atletico’s fans.

Goals from Rodrygo and Federico Valverde put Real Madrid ahead early, and a goal from Atletico’s Mario Hermoso followed by a red card eight minutes later didn’t do much to help the hosts’ cause.

Rapid Reaction

1. Rodrygo, Valverde and Vinicius are Madrid’s future

It’s happened fast, but this season already feels like the beginning of a new era at Real Madrid, with Rodrygo (21 years old), Vinicius Junior (22) and Fede Valverde (24) as this team’s new stars.

It’s a process that began during last year’s Champions League run and is now impossible to ignore. One or more of Rodrygo, Vinicius and Valverde have scored in each of Madrid’s last seven games — Rodrygo’s opener made it three league games scoring in a row for him — and together they sum up this fast, direct, clinical Madrid team.

Veterans like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are still very much present — both were excellent against Atletico — and of course Karim Benzema will come back into the team when he returns from injury. But this was a night that was all about Madrid’s vibrant, irrepressible front three.

After a positive start from Atletico, it was Rodrygo who opened the scoring, firing Aurelien Tchouameni’s floated pass beyond Jan Oblak, and when Vinicius’ low shot hit the post and rebounded across goal, Valverde was there to make it 2-0 and effectively end the contest, despite Atletico’s late fightback. Amid all the noise of a frantic Madrid derby, those two moments of quality made the difference.

2. Appalling racist chants demand action from Atletico

The footage of a group of Atletico Madrid fans singing a full-throated racist chant directed at Vinicius outside the Metropolitano stadium before this game was sickening, dispiriting and, unfortunately, nothing new.

Atletico’s hardcore group of ultras, the Frente Atletico, have been guilty of such incidents on numerous occasions before — …

Football / Sports

Rudiger signs four-year contract with Real Madrid

Antonio Rudiger has signed a contract with Real Madrid until 2026 after undergoing a medical with the club on Tuesday.

The German center-back, whose contract with Chelsea expires in June, completed the deal via his agents with Real Madrid, and will arrive at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on a free transfer.

However, Rudiger‘s move to Real Madrid is not yet official, with the club expected to make an announcement after the Champions League final in Paris on May 28.

It will most likely be the following week as it is intended to be made before the player starts training with the German national team for the Nations League.

Real Madrid and Rudiger had already reached an agreement, but only a few details were still to be finalized, and that happened on Tuesday.

The center-back was at one point distanced from Los Blancos due to his high salary demands, but the two parties resumed negotiations after the center-back relented on his salary demands and a deal was reached.

Carlo Ancelotti also insisted on signing Rudiger as it gives him more options in defence.

With the German and Militao as center-backs, David Alaba can also play at left-back, a position he already occupied at Bayern Munich.…

Football / Sports

Thibaut Courtois’ clutch saves cement Real Madrid’s UCL winning pedigree

Real Madrid might not be leaving the French capital with Kylian Mbappe in their luggage but they are taking a 14th UEFA Champions League trophy home with them after a 1-0 win over Liverpool at Stade de France on Saturday.

Vinicius Junior scored the only goal of the game on the hour mark, but the Saint-Denis spectacle was unfortunately marred by the chaotic scenes of supporters unable to enter the venue in time for kickoff with questions already being asked by the Reds.

As finals go, it was far from pretty and the atmosphere was deflated further once it became clear that there were major issues going on in and around the stadium and it was an opportunistic Real who came out on top thanks to a Thibaut Courtois masterclass between the sticks. Karim Benzema had a first-half strike disallowed for offside after a VAR check but Vinicius’ effort from a Federico Valverde assist just before the hour was Los Blancos’ only shot on target over the 90 minutes as the Spanish giants somehow kept Liverpool at bay.

Jurgen Klopp’s men created plenty with nearly double figures in terms of efforts on target, but they found Courtois in inspired form and the Belgium international once again showed his value for Carlo Ancelotti’s side as he earned his UCL crown.

“Back in England, I do not get enough respect,” said Courtois after the final whistle. “So, well, I showed it today. I wanted to put some respect on my name there.”

Courtois’ nine saves on the night were the most on record since 2003-04 by any keeper in a single Champions League final, according to Opta. Liverpool won the xG battle 2.14 to 0.88 but came away empty-handed due to Courtois’ heroics.

Whether or not Real’s is a valid approach long-term given their ageing squad and inability to truly dominate opponents remains to be seen, but their failure to land Mbappe means that any planned summer rebuild will need to be reconsidered.

Based on this performance, the French superstar would not …

Football / Sports

Real Madrid mounts stunning comeback to beat Manchester City and reach Champions League final

Real Madrid battled back from the brink of elimination to overcome Manchester City and book its place in the Champions League final.

For the third knockout tie in a row, Real looked down and out. Though this is a team that has become accustomed to improbable heroics, even by its own absurd standards Wednesday’s late, late show to secure a 3-1 victory over City was cutting it fine.
With City leading 4-3 from the first leg, Riyad Mahrez’s second-half goal had seemingly booked his team passage through to the final in Paris.
However, two goals either side of the 90-minute mark from substitute Rodrygo turned the game on its head and sent the match to extra time.
In truth, it then felt as though there was going to be only one winner.
Just three minutes into extra time, Karim Benzema — who had been rather anonymous all game by his own high standards — was fouled by Ruben Dias inside the box and made no mistake dispatching the penalty. That goal secured Real’s 6-5 aggregate victory.
No matter how deep of a hole Real seems to find itself in, the magic inside the Bernabeu always seems to pull the team out.
For three successive rounds, Carlo Ancelotti’s side has been on the verge of elimination. Now, somehow, it finds itself with a chance to win a record-extending 14th title when it takes on Liverpool in Paris’ Stade de France on May 28.
It will be the fifth time Ancelotti has reached the Champions League final as a manager, the only man to have ever achieved that feat.
“A por la 14,” read the writing on the back of Real’s celebratory shirts. “Let’s go for number 14.”

Real down, but now out

It took less than eight minutes for tempers to flare for the first time, as Luka Modric and Aymeric Laporte both received yellow cards for their part in a scuffle that was sparked by Casemiro’s poor tackle on Kevin De Bruyne.
Casemiro, as he so often inexplicably manages to
…
Football / Sports

Man City vs Real Madrid final score: PL leaders win 7-goal thriller

Kevin De Bruyne had a goal and an assist and Manchester City thrice led by multiple goals in a 4-3 defeat of Real Madrid in a UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

City opened up a 2-0 lead and Real Madrid never made it level over 90 minutes as Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden, and Bernardo Silva all joined De Bruyne on the score sheet.

Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior scored on either side of halftime to bring the score to 2-1 and 3-2, but Carlo Ancelotti’s Real can be thankful to be down only two goals as City ran all over Madrid in the first half.

The second leg comes Tuesday at the Bernabeu, as City looks to return to the European Cup final for a second-successive year and Real looks to keep alive its hopes of a record 14th title.

Man City vs Real Madrid final score, stats

Man City 4, Real Madrid 3

Scorers: De Bruyne (2′), Jesus (11′), Benzema (33′), Foden (53′), Vinicius (55′), Bernardo Silva (74′), Benzema (pen. 82′)

Shot attempts: Man City 16, Real Madrid 11

Shots on goal: Man City 6, Real Madrid 5

Possession: Man City 60, Real Madrid 40

…
Football / Sports

Real Madrid lead Chelsea

Well… let’s just say few would’ve predicted that Wednesday afternoon of UEFA Champions League.

Karim Benzema can definitely do it on a rainy night in London, as the French center forward recorded a hat trick as Real Madrid feasted on Chelsea errors and benefited from poor Blues finishing in a 3-1 win.

Benzema bosses Blues backs, Chelsea wasteful in attack

This is not how Thomas Tuchel drew it up.

Karim Benzema scored a pair of first-half goals and completed his hat trick in the second half as Real Madrid rode a 2-1 first-half lead and will take a 3-1 advantage back to Madrid.

This wasn’t the case of supreme domination from La Liga’s leaders, as Chelsea out-attempted Real by more than double but learned what Europe’s seen on a weekly basis: Benzema’s as dominant as any forward In the world right now and that includes names like Mbappe and Kane.

Huge errors from Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, and Edouard Mendy will live in Chelsea fans’ minds deep into the night, but Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech missed huge chances off the bench on a day the European champions will want to forget as quickly as possible.

The Blues will be grateful that away goals don’t matter this season, but toppling Real by two goals at the Bernabeu will be a major ask next week.

Chelsea vs Real Madrid final score, stats

Chelsea 1, Real Madrid 3

Scorers: Benzema (21′, 24′, 46′), Havertz (40′)

Shot attempts: Chelsea 20, Real Madrid 8

Shots on goal: Chelsea 5, Real Madrid 5

Possession: Chelsea 57, Real Madrid 43…