Tag: Real Madrid

Sergio Ramos has not played against Real Madrid since 2005 but on Saturday, his Sevilla team will welcome the La Liga leaders to the Sanchez-Pizjuan for a reunion.

New Sevilla coach Diego Alonso faces a stern test in his first game at the helm and in veteran centre-back Ramos who can offer plenty of insight into Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid side.

Ramos controversially left Seville for the Spanish capital at the age of 19, which some fans have never forgotten, even though the majority welcomed him back with open arms this summer.

“We believe that the mere proposal of this signing was already a lack of respect for the values that have made us great… and for the thousands of Sevilla fans who have suffered the scorn of this player in the past,” wrote Sevilla ultras group Biris Norte in an open letter.

In the years after his departure, Ramos was keen to goad his former side, while he was roundly booed on visits to face Seville.

However, the defender said he could “die happy” after playing for his boyhood club again, and has impressed since returning even though the team was struggling under Jose Luis Mendilibar.

“I had a few doubts at first but the reception I had on my arrival, I will take to the grave … now I can die happy,” said Ramos after his first match back at the Sanchez-Pizjuan, a win over Las Palmas.

One sour note was his own goal against old rivals Barcelona, handing the champions a 1-0 win at the Catalan club’s temporary Olympic Stadium home at the end of September.

Ramos will hope his first clash with Real Madrid goes better, although it promises to be an emotional affair for him.

He left Madrid for French side Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 but was injured when the sides met in the Champions League in March 2022.

The last time Ramos faced Madrid was for Sevilla in May 2005, and he scored in a 2-2 draw, hammering home a long-range drive after a free-kick was laid off to him.

Ramos has never lost a game against Real Madrid — the other time he faced them Sevilla won 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid will want to keep, or even extend, their three-point advantage over Barcelona ahead of the Clasico on October 28.

Barcelona host former coach Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao on Sunday in another reunion, with the Catalans currently third.

Girona, second, welcomes bottom-of-the-table Almeria on Sunday and will be confident of staying ahead of their more illustrious Catalan neighbours.

Sevilla are 14th, with only two wins in their first eight games and only two points clear of the relegation zone.

The Madrid clash is only the start of a tough run of games for Alonso and his side, with Arsenal visiting on Tuesday in the Champions League, and a derby clash against Real Betis in La Liga on the horizon.

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Jude Bellingham’s sensational start at Real Madrid, which continued in Naples on Tuesday night with a superb goal to earn Los Blancos another Champions League victory, has sparked comparisons with club greats Alfredo di Stefano and Zinedine Zidane.

The 20-year-old midfielder has been Madrid’s key player since his summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund and set up a goal for Vinicius Junior before scoring himself in the 3-2 win over Napoli at their Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Bellingham’s goal, a surge forward from just inside the Italians’ half, before weaving through the defence and finishing with aplomb, was compared in some quarters to a strike typical of the former Argentine great.

“There was no better way for Jude to pay homage to the Argentine star,” wrote Spanish newspaper Marca.

“It wasn’t Diego’s goal against England, but in any case, the legendary number 10 would have been proud to score it.”

However the publication, and the other major Madrid sports daily, AS, both ran headlines comparing Bellingham to former Los Blancos legends Di Stefano and Zidane.

“(Bellingham) seriously reminds me of Di Stefano, in the elegant dribbling and ball management, but fierce and tireless in combat, half-artist, half-warrior,” wrote AS columnist Alfredo Relano.

Bellingham won the ball back high up the pitch to create Vinicius’ goal, demonstrating his all-round excellence.

“I’m surprised he’s only 20 years old because he looks like he’s 30 because of his character and attitude,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“He has a lot of quality, physical strength and skill — he surprises me like he does everyone else.”

Despite his many qualities, at Madrid so far he has been used to fill the void left by Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema’s departure.

The French forward left to play in Saudi Arabia in the summer and although Madrid were heavily linked to Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham was their main purchase.

Madrid paid 103 million euros ($108 million) to Dortmund for the former Birmingham City midfielder and it seems they have got value for money.

“Madrid could not get Mbappe but they were absolutely spot on with Bellingham,” added Relano in AS.

“The attack revolves around him, but although he is always there at the start of the move, it doesn’t mean he’s not there to finish it.”

Ancelotti has generally deployed Bellingham in attacking midfield, behind two strikers.

It sometimes limits the impact he can have deeper on the pitch, which he has shown with Dortmund and England, but has helped him supply the Spanish league leaders with vital goals.

Bellingham also snatched a last-minute winner in Madrid’s Champions League opener against German minnows Union Berlin.

In La Liga, the midfielder has netted six goals in seven matches, as well as laying on two assists.

Madrid’s 3-0 triumph at Girona on Saturday was inspired by Bellingham, who set up the first goal with a delicious pass using the outside of his boot, a la team-mate Luka Modric.

“I’ve been watching Modric every day for three months, I just want to be creative,” said Bellingham.

Madrid fans have taken to him quickly, singing the chorus of the Beatles song “Hey Jude” to him in tribute.

Against Napoli and Girona, with Vinicius’ return to the starting line-up after injury, Bellingham’s role has started to expand with some more defensive duties added — but it has not diminished his attacking edge.

“Where is Bellingham’s ceiling?” wondered Marca, with Real Madrid fans excited to find out.

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GIRONA: Real Madrid jumped to the top of the La Liga 2023/24 points table after thumping second-ranked Girona 3-0 at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday.

Girona started the game on song with three attempts within the first ten minutes. However, they were unable to take the lead before Real Madrid turned the game around and gained an advantage over the home side as they managed to score in the 17th minute through a pass from Bellingham to Joselu, who turned it in past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

The visitors did not wait much and extended their lead to 2-0 four minutes later when Aurelien Tchouameni headed in from a corner.

Girona failed to make a comeback after that and Real Madrid sealed the victory with a third goal in the 71st minute as Jude Bellingham, fired in a volley during a counter-attack.

Watch LA LIGA 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

Jude Bellingham has scored six goals in the ongoing La Liga season after arriving from Borussia Dortmund in the summer following a huge transfer deal.

The only negative for Real Madrid in this match was that defender Nacho was sent off for an ugly high tackle on Portu, who went off injured towards the end of the match.

In other La Liga fixtures, Real Sociedad outclassed Atheltic Club with a thumping 3-0 victory at Anoeta Stadium, which helped them jump to the fourth spot in the ongoing season, while Getafe and Villarreal settled for a goalless draw.

Robin Le Normand opened the scoring for Real Sociedad in the 30th minute before Takefusa Kubo extended their lead three minutes into the second half.

Mikel Oyarzabal then scored the third goal for the home side from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner courtesy of an assist by Martín Zubimendi with a through ball.

Meanwhile, the La Liga fixture between Rayo Vallecano and Mallorca ended in a 2-2 stalemate at Estadio de Vallecas after Radamel Falcao of Rayo Vallecano converted a penalty in the final moments of the game to script a comeback draw for the home side.

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Real Madrid registered a comfortable victory 2-0 over Las Palmas and moved to the second position, however, Girona jumped to the top of the La Liga 2023/24 points table after edging Villarreal 2-1 on Wednesday.

Coming off the La Liga derby defeat, Real Madrid dominated visitors from the first whistle at Santiago Bernabeu and came close to opening the scoring after just eight minutes as Joselu picked out Rodrygo in the box, who made a fierce attempt but Alvaro Valles made the save.

They kept the pressure on, but Las Palmas did not let them score throughout a thrilling first half until Brahim Diaz netted to give Los Blancos the lead in the stoppage time.

Real Madrid doubled their lead early in the second half as Joselu scored off a header on Rodrygo’s cross, with the ball hitting the far corner of the net to make it 2-0.

Meanwhile, in another La Liga fixture, Girona came from behind to win after being at a goal deficit early in the second half against Villarreal at Estadio de la Cerámica.

The visitors conceded a penalty courtesy of Iván Martín’s foul in the penalty area four minutes into the second half, which was successfully converted by Dani Parejo.

However, visitors made a comeback and equalised only seven minutes later as Sávio’s cross found enough of Artem Dovbyk’s to hit the bottom right corner of the net.

Girona did not wait long and only four minutes later Eric García scored the match-winning header from very close range to the bottom right corner after finding Aleix García’s cross following a corner.

Real Sociedad on the other hand, registered their third win in the ongoing La Liga season at the expense of home team Valencia courtesy of Carlos Fernández’s shot after an assist by Kieran Tierney following a set piece situation at Mestalla Stadium.

Meanwhile, two other La Liga fixtures ended at a stalemate Athletic Club drew 2-2 with Getafe, and Cadiz’s game against Rayo Vallecano ended goalless.

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MADRID: Alvaro Morata scored twice to end Real Madrid’s perfect start in the La Liga season 2023/24 as Atletico Madrid earned an inspiring 3-1 victory over the city rivals at Civitas Metropolitan Stadium on Sunday.

Real Madrid entered the game with a five-match winning streak in the ongoing season of La Liga, while Atletico Madrid were coming off an away loss against Valencia.

However, the home team wasted no time and gained an early advantage in the fourth minute as Morata scored off a header.

Real Madrid maintained possession and made several vain attempts to equalize before Antoine Griezmann got into the scoresheet as he netted a header to extend the lead for Atletico Madrid at the 18-minute mark.

Real Madrid finally managed to reduce the two-goal deficit, thanks to a brilliant strike by veteran Toni Kroos in the 35th minute, leaving no chance for goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Kroos attempted to equalize before half-time with an assist from Eduardo Camavinga, however, Oblak made the save in the bottom left corner to deny the comeback for Los Blancos.

Atletico Madrid continued their dominant performance in the second half, with Morata scoring off a header less than a minute after the restart to extend their lead to two goals once again.

They then defended well enough to keep Real Madrid’s aggression limited and ended the game at 3-1 to hand Real Madrid their first loss of the ongoing La Liga season.

Watch LA LIGA 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

On the other hand, Las Palmas registered their first victory in the La Liga season 2023/24, as they triumphed over Granada at Estadio Gran Canaria. Kirian Rodríguez scored a mere five minutes before the final whistle to lead his team to victory after being reduced to ten men.

Meanwhile, two La Liga games ended at a 1-1 stalemate, as Real Betis drew with Cadiz at Benito Villamarín, and, Rayo Vallecano drew with Villareal at Estadio de Vallecas on Sunday.

In another La Liga fixture, Real Sociedad made a stellar comeback to a 4-3 victory over Getafe at Anoeta Stadium.

The home side started the game with Takefusa Kubo scoring in the first minute, thanks to an assist by Brais Méndez, however, Getafe’s Carles Aleñá scored off a header from very close range in the 39th minute to level the scores.

Getafe further extended their lead as Borja Mayoral converted a penalty in the extra time after Álex Remiro was shown the yellow card. The first half ended with Getafe on top with 2-1.

Real Sociedad equalled in the 61st minute as Mikel Oyarzabal scored off the penalty, and got the lead only five minutes later with Brais Méndez scoring off a header from the centre.

Mikel Oyarzabal got his name in the scoresheet once again as he scored in the 88th minute, thanks to an assist by Mikel Merino to make it 4-2.

Juanmi Latasa scored one for Getafe to reduce the deficit to end the game at 4-3.

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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said winger Vinicius Junior would be in the squad to face Atletico Madrid in the ongoing season of La Liga on Sunday.

The Brazilian has been out since suffering a hamstring injury against Celta Vigo on August 25 but has recovered quicker than expected.

Vinicius, 23, may start on the bench in the Madrid derby at the Metropolitano where league La Liga table-toppers Real Madrid are looking to maintain their 100 percent start to the ongoing season.

“Vinicius trained yesterday with the team, he’s in good condition, the injury is forgotten, he trained today very well — he will be in the squad,” said Ancelotti.

“Later, we’ll decide what role he has in the game tomorrow.”

The Italian coach did insist the club would take no risks with Vinicius.

“He trained yesterday because the risk was zero, he trained today because the risk was zero,” said Ancelotti.

“If tomorrow there is one percent risk, we won’t play him.

“The important thing is that Vinicius has recovered, he’s lacking a bit of match fitness but that’s normal, they are things we’ll evaluate tomorrow.”

Last season a group of Atletico fans caused outrage with racist chants outside their stadium aimed at Vinicius before the derby clash in La Liga.

Watch LA LIGA 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

In January, Atletico supporters hung an effigy of the forward near Real Madrid’s training ground, with four fans later fined and banned from games.

“I think that something has changed after last year … there’s a more calm, respectful atmosphere, and I think tomorrow will be the same,” continued Ancelotti.

Ancelotti confirmed midfielder Jude Bellingham was fit for the game after a brief illness troubled him in the week, but Dani Carvajal was still out with a leg problem.

Atletico, seventh, have struggled at the start of the season and were beaten 3-0 last week by Valencia in what their coach Diego Simeone described as the “weakest” performance of his reign.

“Derbies are great opportunities,” added Ancelotti.

“They are special occasions. These are two teams from the capital, two teams with great quality, the game will be very high intensity.”

Atletico coach Diego Simeone believes his team can compete with their city rivals, despite the two sides’ differences.

“Madrid and Barcelona can always afford to have great players, but we’ve always been able to compete with them,” said Simeone.

“So we have to concentrate on ourselves and continue to compete with them as we have done for the last 11 years.”

Atletico have various injury problems, including Thomas Lemar who will be out for months after rupturing his Achilles tendon last weekend.

“As (Pep) Guardiola (the Manchester City manager) said, there are a lot of matches, a lot of travelling, three international breaks before December… but we have to adapt as best we can to this situation,” added Simeone.

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MADRID: Real Madrid continued their domination in the ongoing La Liga season as they extended their winning streak to five matches after a 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

Both teams entered the match undefeated as Real Madrid won all of their last four matches, while Real Sociedad defeated Granada 5-3, after two drawn games against Celta Vigo and Las Palmas.

Real Madrid also reclaimed the top spot in the La Liga 2023-24 points table with 15 points.

The visitors had a perfect start to the game with an early 5th-minute goal courtesy of Ander Barrenetxea’s right-footed shot from very close range.

However, Real Madrid came strongly and Rodrygo made an attempt in the very next minute but was saved in the bottom right corner by Alex Remiro.

Real Sociedad did not slow down either and made several attempts to extend their lead as well as defend the attempts to equalize by the home side. They ensure to close the first half with their lead intact at 1-0.

Real Madrid entered the ground in the second half with renewed aggression and equalized in the second minute with Federico Valverde’s right-footed shot from outside the box.

Joselu then scored off the match-winning header in the 60th minute to give Real Madrid the decisive lead which remained intact until the final whistle.

Watch LA LIGA 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

In another La Liga fixture, Sergio Ramos made his second debut for his boyhood club Sevilla against Las Palmas at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium.

Both teams entered the game winless in the ongoing La Liga season however, Sevilla came out victorious and registered their first victory in the season, thanks to Dodi Lukebakio’s brilliant goal in the 71st minute.

Meanwhile, in another La Liga fixture, Villarreal edged Almeria 2-1 courtesy of Alexander Sørloth’s extra-time header assisted by Alberto Moreno after a thrilling contest.

Getafe on the other hand defeated Osasuna in a five-goal thriller at Coliseum Alfonso Pérez to earn their second victory in the La Liga season 2023-24.

Stefan Mitrovic scored off a header from the centre, which was assisted by Damián Suárez with a cross following a corner to give Getafe the lead in the 36th minute.

However, visitors equalized nine minutes later thanks to Iker Muñoz’s right-footed shot off a corner by Aimar Oroz.

The first half ended at a 1-1 stalemate, but the home side scored in the 6th minute of the second half to get the lead, which was equalized a few minutes later as Ante Budimir converted a penalty after David Soria was shown a yellow card.

Nemanja Maksimovic then scored the match-winning-header for Getafe after a cross by Carles Aleñá following a corner.

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MADRID: Jude Bellingham said his legs were left “shaking” as Real Madrid fans serenaded him with The Beatles song ‘Hey Jude’ on Saturday.

The England international hit a 95th-minute winner for Madrid against Getafe in a derby at the Santiago Bernabeu, securing a 2-1 win with his fifth La Liga goal in four games.

“It’s the loudest moment I’ve heard in a stadium, happily it was for my goal,” Bellingham told Real Madrid TV.

“When they were singing ‘Hey Jude’ at the end, I got goosebumps.

“I just wanted to stand still and listen to them. My legs were shaking.

“I know I was brought in for these kind of moments, they’re the kind of moments I know I can deliver for this team.”

Madrid spent over 100 million euros ($108 million) in the summer to sign Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, and he has scored in all four matches they have played in La Liga so far this season.

“He’s out of the ordinary,” said Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz after the game.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised Bellingham for his strong start to life in the Spanish capital.

“His quality isn’t surprising anybody, but the number of goals he’s got is surprising,” said Ancelotti, who deploys Bellingham behind the forwards in a No. 10 role.

“He’s very professional, and he has a lot of examples for professionalism in this squad. He is learning very quickly.”

Bellingham joins a small group of players to have netted in each of their first four Liga matches, including Madrid’s all-time record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

The midfielder has scored five of Madrid’s eight La Liga goals this season, helping to fill the void left by Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema’s departure.

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MADRID: Jude Bellingham on Saturday scored a 95th-minute goal to seal a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid over Getafe in the ongoing La Liga season at the new-look Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

This victory maintained Real Madrid’s undefeated streak in La Liga 2023-24 season as they won all four games and are comfortably sitting at the top of the table.

Bellingham arrived from Borussia Dortmund in the summer following a huge transfer deal and has already surpassed Madrid’s hopes by settling in quickly.

The England international netted his fifth goal in four games to snatch three points from the derby clash, Madrid’s first game without injured forward Vinicius Junior.

Getafe started the game brilliantly with an early goal by former Madrid striker Borja Mayoral in the eleventh minute to send the visitors ahead.

However, Vinicius Junior’s replacement Joselu scored an equalizer early in the second half to help the home side level under a roof at Madrid’s remodeled stadium.

The match remained at that level and it appeared to end as a 1-1 draw, however, Jude Bellingham beats goalkeeper David Soria to the ball and pokes home for the winner a mere 6 minutes before the final whistle.

Bellingham joined a small group of players to have netted in each of their first four Liga matches, including Madrid’s all-time record goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Earlier in another La Liga fixture, Takefusa Kubo hit a brace to help Real Sociedad earn their first win of the ongoing La Liga season, beating promoted side Granada 5-3 in San Sebastian.

Meanwhile, Real Betis climbed to sixth position in the La Liga points table with a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano and Alaves edged Valencia by the same score.

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Real Madrid started the 2023-24 La Liga with back-to-back victories as they registered a thumping win over Almeria 3-1 on Saturday, thanks to Jude Bellingham, who scored two goals in his second La Liga game.

This victory rocketed Real Madrid to the top of the table, while Almeria sunk to the bottom after the loss.

Almeria finished 17th last season and lost to Rayo Vallecano 2-0 at home in their season-opener, however, they started off well against Real Madrid with an early advantage as Sergio Arribas scored off a header in the third minute to give the home side a lead of 1-0.

However, Jude Bellingham pulled his side back with an equalizer in the 19th minute to bring the scores to level.

Both sides fought well to close the first half at a solid 1-1 after a goal by Toni Kroos in the extra time was ruled out by VAR.

The second half started equally well for both times, however, Real Madrid pulled things back in their favour just before the 60th minute, when Jude Bellingham met a Toni Kroos’ shot and successfully scored the header to give his team the lead.

Jude Bellingham further added an assist to his tally when he assisted Vinicius Jr to score a decisive third goal for Real Madrid in the 72nd minute.

Almeria’s Luis Suarez made several attempts to score but to no avail, as Real Madrid kept their lead intact until the final whistle.

This was Jude Bellingham’s second game for Real Madrid, after making his La Liga debut with a goal in Real Madrid’s season opener against Atheltic Bilbao (Athletic Club).

Notably, the 19-year-old English midfielder Bellingham joined Real Madrid this summer from Borussia Dortmund at a base transfer fee of €103 million.

In another game, the aforementioned Atheltic Bilbao defeated Osasuna 2-0 to register their first win of the season. They scored the first goal in the eleventh-minute curtesy Inaki Williams, meanwhile, Gorka Guruzeta further improved the lead to 2-0 in the 20th minute before being reduced to ten men as Oihan Sancet was sent out in the 59th minute.

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