Real Madrid fought back from the brink of elimination to beat Manchester City 3-1 after extra time and 6-5 on aggregate in an enthralling and dramatic Champions League semi-final on Wednesday. City led 1-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate when Riyad Mahrez scored after 73 minutes but Real substitute Rodrygo equalised in the last minute of normal time and headed home one minute later to level the tie at 5-5. Five minutes into extra time Karim Benzema converted a penalty awarded
After one of the greatest of Champions League semi-final clashes, Manchester City will take a 4-3 lead into the second leg of their tie against Real Madrid following an extraordinary encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. A breathtaking and relentlessly fast game, packed with chances, moments of individual brilliance and a smattering of defensive lapses, was a treat for the spectators but leaves City, who had the better of the game, with the slenderest of leads to defend at the Santiago Bernabeu
Barcelona's faint hopes of catching LaLiga leaders Real Madrid suffered a huge blow as they slipped to a shock 1-0 home defeat by relegation-threatened Cadiz on Monday. Real's last-gasp victory at Sevilla on Sunday extended their advantage over Barca in second to 15 points, but Xavi Hernandez's in-form side were expected to close the gap by beating Cadiz at the Camp Nou. The hosts never really got going, however, in front of a disgruntled crowd and Cadiz had the better first-half openings with
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone was happy with his side's defending in Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat at Manchester City but said they must get a bigger share of possession in the return leg if they are to advance. Kevin De Bruyne's 70th minute strike was the only goal in a game that featured few clear-cut chances, with Atletico failing to produce a single shot on target after spending much of the contest camped in their own half. "In the
Real Madrid moved 10 points clear at the top of La Liga thanks to a comfortable away victory at Mallorca. Following a goalless first half, Vinicius Jr scored 10 minutes after the restart, converting a pass from Karim Benzema to put Real ahead. Benzema, who scored a hat-trick as Real beat Paris St-Germain 3-1 to seal a 3-2 aggregate win in the Champions League last 16, then scored twice himself. He converted a penalty after Vinicius had been fouled and headed in a
Real advanced to Sunday’s final against the winners of Thursday’s clash between holders Athletic Bilbao and LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. Federico Valverde finished off a stunning move in extra time to give Real Madrid a 3-2 victory over arch-rivals Barcelona in an exhilarating Spanish Super Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Real advanced to Sunday’s final against the winners of Thursday’s clash between holders Athletic Bilbao and LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. Vinicius Jr.
Second-placed Sevilla were held to a 1-1 draw by Barcelona on Tuesday, a result that helped Real Madrid to open a five-point lead at the top of LaLiga. Playing under heavy rain, a much-improved Barcelona desperately tried to score a second goal after Ronald Araujo drew them level with a header in the 45th minute but they were thwarted by an equally determined Sevilla, who were reduced to 10 men after Jules Kounde was shown a straight red card in the 64th. Sevilla
Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League following a 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich on Wednesday, failing to make it past the group stage of the competition for the first time since the 2000-01 season. First-half goals from Thomas Mueller and Leroy Sane put the Germans, who won all six matches to top Group E, firmly in the driving seat before Jamal Musiala tapped in the third just past the hour. Barcelona had advanced to at least the round of 16 every time
Xavi is currently coach of Al Sadd but prising him away from the Qatari club is not expected to be a problem, with the Spaniard eager to complete a sensational return. Barcelona are close to finalising Xavi Hernandez's long-anticipated return as coach, according to various reports in the Catalan press on Thursday, with B team coach Sergi Barjuan put in temporary charge following the sacking of Ronald Koeman. Barca president Joan Laporta was reportedly in talks with Xavi about the vacant position on
Uefa has ended its legal fight against Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid over their involvement in the proposed European Super League. The clubs were among the 12 "founding" members of the breakaway league, which later collapsed. The trio, who have refused to renounce the project, were being investigated for "a potential violation" of Uefa's legal framework. Uefa says it is now "as if the proceedings had never been opened". "The Uefa Appeals Body has declared today the proceedings null and void," a statement
Barcelona made it three games without a victory on Thursday as a goalless draw with Cadiz further weakened Ronald Koeman's position as coach. Barcelona made it three games without a victory on Thursday as a goalless draw with Cadiz further weakened Ronald Koeman's position as coach. Frenkie de Jong was sent off in the 65th minute at the Ramon de Carranza stadium but holding on for a draw will earn little credit for Koeman, who was also shown a red card in injury-time.
When Joan Laporta was elected Barcelona president in March, one of the first things he did was make it abundantly clear that Ronald Koeman did not figure in his long-term plans. Six months later, he suggested he was on the verge of extending the Dutch manager's contract for a further year. But six months and two weeks later, it now looks as if the only thing keeping Koeman in the job is the fact he would be due a huge pay-off. And that
Luis Suarez scored twice, including an injury-time winner, as Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat 10-man Getafe 2-1 and move top of La Liga on Tuesday. Luis Suarez scored twice, including an injury-time winner, as Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat 10-man Getafe 2-1 and move top of La Liga on Tuesday. Hosts Getafe took the lead through Stefan Mitrovic on the stroke of half-time, but the game changed when Carles Alena was sent off in the 74th minute. Reigning champions
Ronald Koeman "won't answer any more questions about the future" after Ronald Araujo's injury-time header rescued a point for his poor Barcelona side against Granada. It did little to paper over the cracks of another poor home display as the pressure continues to build on Koeman. Centre-back Araujo - playing as a makeshift striker - found the net right at the end of a half Barca dominated. Granada had led from the second minute through Domingos Duarte's header. But having been humbled by
REUTERS VALENCIA, Sept 19 - Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his side for refusing to give in even when they were playing poorly, with his side snatching a 2-1 LaLiga win at Valencia after scoring two late goals on Sunday. Valencia took the lead in the second half with a strike from Hugo Duro but Vinicius Jr levelled in the 86th minute before sending in a cross for Karim Benzema to head the visitors in front two minutes later. Real also pulled
REUTERS BARCELONA, Sept 7 - Barca president Joan Laporta has insisted that the Super League project is still alive, despite the withdrawal earlier this year of the majority of founding clubs. The Catalans, along with Real Madrid and Juventus are the only three clubs remaining in the seemingly doomed breakaway competition, which was announced in April with 12 founding clubs. The other nine have all withdrawn and signed agreements with UEFA prohibiting them from repeating their actions, but Laporta said Barca were still
Real Madrid have signed highly-rated France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga from Rennes on a six-year deal. The 18-year-old had entered the final 12 months of his contract with the Ligue 1 club, who were not prepared to lose him on a free transfer next year. He completed his medical at France's Clairefontaine training centre on Monday. In April 2019, Camavinga became the youngest Rennes debutant aged 16 years and four months. He quickly established himself as a regular in their first team, making 60
La Liga champions Atletico Madrid have re-signed forward Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona on a one-year loan deal. Atletico will pay the player's wages and there is a compulsory clause to make the transfer permanent. The France international scored 133 goals in 257 games for Atletico, leaving in 2019 after Barcelona paid his £107m buyout clause. But the 30-year-old scored just 35 goals in 102 games and managed to win only won the Copa del Rey with Barca. He is the 11th player to
REUTERS ISTANBUL, Aug 26 - Lionel Messi's new club Paris St Germain will play Manchester City, managed by the Argentine's former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, after being drawn together in Champion's League Group A on Thursday. Messi joined Qatari-owned PSG, who will also face Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and Belgium's Brugge, from Barcelona this month after the Spanish side were unable to afford a new contract for the forward. The draw pits two of European soccer's wealthiest teams against each other once again
Real Madrid have made a 160m euros (£137m) bid to sign Paris St-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe. The French World Cup winner, 22, joined PSG in 2017 in a transfer worth £165.7m and his contract expires in June 2022. PSG sporting director Leonardo said the club would "not hold Mbappe back" but considered Real Madrid's bid to be "not sufficient". "We consider the offer as being very far from what Kylian is worth today," he told French radio station RMC Sport. Mbappe has scored