Tag: Real Madrid

MADRID: Real Madrid filed a criminal complaint Monday with Spanish prosecutors over the racist abuse its Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior received during a weekend La Liga match, calling it a “hate crime”.

The 22-year-old Brazilian international forward was targeted by a home supporter during the 1-0 defeat at Valencia on Sunday and was later sent off.

“Real Madrid strongly condemns the events that took place yesterday against our player Vinícius Junior,” the Spanish giants said in a statement.

The club said it belives the abuse “constitutes a hate crime” and had filed a complaint with the prosecutors’ office “in order for the facts to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable.”

Vinicius has frequently been singled out for racial abuse in La Liga and the latest incident came at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.

He stood in front of fans behind the goal and pointed to the apparent culprit. Play was delayed for several minutes in the second half.

Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea spoke to stadium officials, who made an announcement calling for racist insults to stop before play resumed 10 minutes later.

The referee wrote in his post-match report that a fan shouted “monkey, monkey” at the player.

Vinicius was sent off in added time at the end of the game for hitting Valencia player Hugo Duro during a brawl.

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VALENCIA: Valencia beat Real Madrid 1-0 in a La Liga game on Sunday marred by an ugly racism episode targeting Vinicius Junior. 

The Brazilian forward was subjected to racist chanting from the crowd at the Mestalla stadium and was sent off in the final minutes of the game following an altercation with Valencia player Hugo Duro.

“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists,” Vinicius wrote on Instagram.

The incident happened in the second half and the game was paused for a few minutes when the 22-year-old pointed out fans in the stand for the alleged racial abuse.

He was ushered away by teammates and Valencia players and brought the incident to referee Ricardo de Burgos’s attention and spoke to his manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The referee’s official report said, “In the 73rd minute, a spectator from the southern ‘Mario Kempes’ tribune directed himself towards player No. 20 of Real Madrid CF Mr. Vinicius José De Oliveira Do Nascimiento, screaming at him: ‘Monkey, monkey’ which led to the activation of the racism protocol.”

.”I don’t want to talk about football today, there is no meaning in talking about football today,” said Ancelotti after the match.

Real Madrid, however, slipped to third place, one point behind city rivals Atletico Madrid following the defeat.

Diego Lopez struck from close range in the 33rd minute to give Valencia crucial points and keep them well above relegation with only three games to spare.

Barcelona have already won the title last week when they beat Espanyol 4-2.

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MANCHESTER: Manchester City produced a landmark performance to reach the Champions League final as Bernardo Silva’s double put Real Madrid to the sword in a 4-0 thrashing that secured a 5-1 aggregate win for the English champions on Wednesday.

Eder Militao’s own goal and Julian Alvarez’s strike in stoppage time rounded off a memorable night for Pep Guardiola’s men as they moved to within three wins of matching Manchester United’s treble in 1998/99.

“To play like that against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals is a huge satisfaction,” said Guardiola.

A fifth Premier League title in six seasons appears a formality with City needing just three points from their final three games, while United await in the FA Cup final on June 3.

But it is a first ever Champions League that City crave the most and they will be strong favourites to finally conquer Europe against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.

Seven years into Guardiola’s reign as City boss, the home fans were sent into seventh heaven by the quality of a display that rivalled the former Barcelona boss’ Champions League final wins in charge of the Catalan giants in 2009 and 2011.

Madrid dashed City’s dreams at this stage last season with a remarkable comeback from two goals down in the dying seconds of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

But Carlo Ancelotti’s men this time had no answer to City’s excellence.

“I had the feeling we had the pain of last year in our stomach,” added Guardiola.

“Today it all came out in our energy and desire. Sport always give you a second chance to take revenge. We had the luck to get that chance this year and we took it.”

Were it not for Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the defending champions would have been on the end of a hiding before half-time.

The giant Belgian needed all of his two-metre (6ft 7in) frame to claw Erling Haaland’s header round the post.

Haaland had already been denied his 53rd goal of the season by Courtois with another downward header.

Rodri, John Stones and Jack Grealish also saw pot shots fly off target from the edge of the area, but Madrid’s luck finally ran out on 23 minutes.

Kevin De Bruyne unpicked the lock as his pass found Silva inside the area, and he smashed high past Courtois’ left hand.

– No ‘drama’ for Ancelotti –

The visitors had barely registered a touch inside the City half for the opening half hour, but were inches away from an equaliser 10 minutes before half-time when a piledriver from Toni Kroos rattled the crossbar.

Just as Madrid were beginning to settle, City grabbed the second goal their first half dominance deserved.

The in-form Ilkay Gundogan was denied a fifth goal in May by Militao’s block, but the ball looped up kindly for Silva to head into an unguarded net.

City had to show a different side to their game early in the second-half to weather Madrid’s reaction and ensure there was no repeat of last season’s late drama between the sides.

“We have played against a team that deserved to win,” said Ancelotti.

“We don’t have to make a drama of it. This squad did very well this year, did very well last year and we weren’t able to reach another final.”

The closest Real came to a lifeline was a dipping free-kick from David Alaba that Ederson tipped over.

At the other end Courtois continued to win his personal battle with Haaland by turning the Norwegian’s shot onto the bar when one-on-one.

But City won the war to move within one match of completing a transformation in the club’s fortunes since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008.

The next blow to the Spanish giants was self-inflicted as Militao deflected Manuel Akanki’s header past Courtois 15 minutes from time.

Haaland was replaced by Alvarez two minutes from the end and that was all the Argentine World Cup winner needed to make his mark as he slotted home from Phil Foden’s pass.

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MADRID: Real Madrid geared up for their crucial Champions League semi-final clash against Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Getafe on Saturday in La Liga.

The slim victory lifted defending champions to 71 points and restored their second position on the table, two ahead of city rivals Atletico who play at bottom side Elche on Sunday.

With five games remaining, Leaders Barca have 82 points and will get the chance to clinch their 27th LaLiga crown with four games to spare when they face Espanyol on Sunday evening.

Barcelona top the table with 82 points and have a chance to claim their 27th La Liga title when they local rivals Espanyol on Sunday. They need a single victory out of their remaining five games to secure the crown.

Carlo Ancelotti rested his key players ahead of the decisive battle with Pep Guardiola’s City, following the 1-1 draw last Tuesday in Madrid.

Marco Asensio scored the lone goal in the 70th minute with a deflected strike from distance, in a dull game that witnessed very few chances.

Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga was taken off in the final minutes limping with knee pain as fears surround the midfielder’s fitness ahead of Wednesday’s clash.

Earlier on Saturday, Villareal thrashed Atheltic Club 5-0 thanks to twin strikes from Nicolas Jackson and Alex Baena.

Osasuna beat Almeria 3-1 to take the ninth position with 47 points while Girona and Real Sociedad levelled 2-2 at Anoeta Stadium.

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SEVILLE: Rodrygo Goes fired Real Madrid to Copa del Rey glory with a clinical double in a 2-1 victory over Osasuna in Seville on Saturday, with Brazilian compatriot Vinicius Junior playing a part in both goals.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid earned their 20th Spanish Cup at La Cartuja in their 40th final, ending a nine-year wait to lift the trophy again.

Osasuna, who have never won a major trophy, fought well but ultimately fell short against the reigning Spanish and European champions, who face Manchester City on Tuesday in the Champions League semi-finals.

Madrid have now won all six of the trophies available to them during Ancelotti’s second reign at the club, after the Italian returned in 2021.

Rodrygo fired Madrid ahead inside two minutes after Vinicius’ run down the left, and Ancelotti’s team had the better chances in the first half.

However, Lucas Torro levelled for Osasuna in the 58th minute to give them hope of an upset in their first cup final since 2005, and second ever.

Rodrygo whisked it away, firing home after a rebound fell his way following another Vinicius charge, ensuring Madrid would take the trophy back to the capital.

“They made the difference, Vini unbalanced them and Rodrygo scored the two goals,” said Ancelotti of his Brazilian wingers.

Madrid beat both Atletico Madrid and then rivals Barcelona to reach the final and Ancelotti said it was time to celebrate, but not too heavily ahead of the clash with City.

“This Copa arrived at an important moment, we came through very tricky ties, it’s a deserved prize against strong opponents,” added the coach.

“This night we will celebrate, a little bit, not too much, and then we will get back to work for Tuesday.”

Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate deployed midfielder Jon Moncayola at right-back to try and stop Madrid winger Vinicius.

It didn’t work. Vinicius broke in down the left in the second minute and his dangerous cut-back was missed by Fede Valverde but slammed home by Rodrygo.

The Brazilian, in sparkling form, scored the earliest Copa del Rey final goal since 2006 — a year after Osasuna finished runners-up to Real Betis.

Karim Benzema should have doubled Madrid’s lead but Sergio Herrera saved brilliantly to deny the forward after another lightning Vinicius break.

Osasuna earned a foothold in the game and came inches from equalising when on loan Barcelona winger Ez Abde broke through on goal but Dani Carvajal cleared his effort off the line.

– Vinicius in wars –

Madrid continued to push for their second goal — David Alaba struck the crossbar with a free kick and Vinicius went down in the box under pressure from Osasuna defender David Garcia.

His appeals were waved away and Vinicius clashed with Garcia, who attended the 2005 final as a childhood supporter, who ruffled his hair to annoy him further.

Vinicius was booked just before half-time for complaining, and exchanged heated words with Osasuna substitute Chimy Avila as the players walked in at half-time.

Torro drilled Osasuna level from the edge of the box when Abde’s deflected cross fell into his path.

The club’s passionate supporters celebrated wildly, including letting off a flare which needed to be extinguished, and one fan was taken away on a stretcher, although he appeared to be smiling.

Osasuna’s joy did not last long though, with Vinicius making another dangerous burst in down the left — Madrid president Florentino Perez later calling him the best in the world in his position.

Vinicius fed Toni Kroos, whose shot was blocked, but Rodrygo was in the right place at the right time to finish with aplomb and put Madrid’s name on the trophy.

“I’m really happy, we were talking about this in the week, that it was a long time since Madrid had won this competition,” Rodrygo told Spanish television broadcaster La 1.

Osasuna departed with the taste of defeat but their heads held high.

“It’s very difficult to defend against (Vinicius) and on Tuesday I am sure City will suffer too,” said coach Arrasate.

“It’s not news that Vinicius stood out, Rodrygo scored two as well, we’re talking about two of the best players in the world.

“(Madrid) are champions because they deserve this cup, but we’re proud of the team, and let’s try to do it again.”

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SAN SEBASTIAN: Barcelona closed in on winning their 27th La Liga title after a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Osasuna at Camp Nou and Real Madrid’s disappointing 2-0 loss at Real Sociedad on Saturday. 

Jordi Alba scored the decider after 85 minutes of a see-saw contest as visitors Osasuna braved Barcelona’s solid attack despite getting reduced to 10-man in the 26th minute.

Later Madrid faced a powerful punch to their title defence as Sociedad came out dominantly at home, leaving the champions 14 points behind leaders Barcelona with five games remaining.

The results give Barca, who now moves to 83 points, the chance to bag their first LaLiga title since 2019 with a win in their next encounter against city rivals Espanyol on May 14. They only need a win in the remaining five games to clinch the title.

Real Madrid would only be able to reach 83 points if they win the rest of their games. However, they could slip to third place on Wednesday if their city rivals Atletico Madrid win their home match against lowly Cadiz.

Sociedad took control early in the game but were made to wait 47 minutes before scoring their first goal through Takefusa Kubo.

They doubled their lead in the 84th through 21-year-old forward Ander Barrenetxea, taking advantage of defender Dani Carvajal sent off on the hour mark for a second yellow card.

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GIRONA: Valentin Castellanos scored four goals to shock defending champions Real Madrid as they lost 2-4 against Girona on Tuesday in a major setback to their fading LaLiga title hopes.

Castellanos became the first player to hit more than three goals in a LaLiga game against Real Madrid since Esteban Echavarria’s five goals for Real Oviedo in December 1947.

With seven games left, Real title chances slipped further into dismay as they sit second on the table with 65 points, 11 behind leader Barcelona, who can stretch their lead on Wednesday when they play Rayo Vallecano.

Girona moved to ninth place with 41 points.

The hosts took Madrid by surprise with their all-out attack right from the start, scoring the opener just 12 minutes into the match when unmarked Castellanos headed in from close range on a cross from Miguel Gutierrez.

Girona doubled their lead 12 minutes later when the Argentinian grabbed on to a long ball, pushed his way into the box and blasted low underneath Madrid keeper Andriy Lunin.

Real’s Vinicius Junior reduced the home side’s advantage to 2-1 in the 34th minute, heading in Marco Asensio’s cross.

Castellanos, however, regained the two-goal cushion for his side right after the break,  netting home a right-footed half-volley after Real’s defence gave him room in the box.

The visitors repeated their mistake and left Castellanos alone inside the box when the 24-year-old headed in his fourth goal of the evening in the 62nd minute.

Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez hit a consolation goal from close range in the 85th minute.

Madrid has had a difficult time facing Girona this season since the reverse fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu ended 1-1 in October.

In another LaLiga fixture on Tuesday, Osasuna beat Cadiz 1-0 thanks to Ruben Garcia Santos’ winner in the 62nd minute.

Real Sociedad held Real Betis to a nil-nil draw at the latter’s home after 90 minutes of high-voltage action.

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MADRID: Marco Asensio and Eder Militao netted goals to steer Real Madrid to a 2-0 win against Celta at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday and bring down Barcelona’s lead to eight points at the top of LaLiga.

Leader Barcelona have a chance to solidify their claim on the title with a game in hand as they host Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

In-form Atletico are flying high on an unbeaten 13-game streak and have won their last six encounters in LaLiga. They sit third on the table with 13 points behind Barca and five from Real.

With eight games left in the season, defending champions Real maintained their hopes by moving to 65 points. Celta are 12th in the standings with 36 points.

After a steady start, Real started to apply pressure midway through the first half and took the lead in the 42nd minute through Asensio. The Spanish international finished with a fine touch from the middle of the box after Vinicius passed him a low cross running from the left.

Defender Militao doubled the lead right after the break by diving at a corner kick from Asensio and headed the ball over the Celta goalkeeper.

Earlier hosts Valladolid beat Girona 1-0 thanks to Monchu’s decider in the first half.

Real Sociedad, on the other hand, edged past Rayo Vallecano 2-1 with an own goal by Florian Lejeune after Alexander Sorioth neutralized Rayo’s lead two minutes after Isi Palazon’s opener in the second half.

Meanhwile, Nico Williams and Oscar de Marcos scored goals in each half to give Bilbao a 2-1 win over Almeria and take the side to seventh place on the table.

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LONDON: Rodrygo scored twice as Real Madrid cruised into the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, completing an emphatic 4-0 aggregate win against Chelsea that ends a disastrous season for the London club.

The home team, with Frank Lampard back in the dugout for a second spell, came into the match at Stamford Bridge with form and history against them.

They started brightly but rued a number of huge missed chances that would have heaped pressure on the defending champions.

The Spanish giants made Chelsea pay for their profligacy when Rodrygo scored in the 58th minute after a speedy counter-attack and he made it 2-0 with 10 minutes to go.

“We suffered a lot and helped us stay at 0-0 at the end of the first half,” Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti told BT Sport.

“Second half we were much better and scored the two goals. We are happy to have qualified.”

Chelsea, the 2021 European champions, have now lost all four of their matches since Lampard returned to the club as caretaker boss earlier this month in place of the sacked Graham Potter.

Lampard, who also managed the club from 2019 until early 2021, bemoaned his team’s profligacy.

“We played really well for 60 minutes,” he said. “We created chances but you have to take them.”

The former Chelsea midfielder said his men must find motivation from playing for the club as they contemplate a bleak final few weeks of the season.

“You’re playing for Chelsea,” he said. “So regardless, every game you play you have to give everything. I won’t let anyone off the hook and we have to show. That standard cannot drop.”

Ancelotti stuck with the same team that won the first leg 2-0 last week while Chelsea caretaker boss Lampard restored Reece James, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante to his line-up.

Roared on by an expectant crowd despite their current woes, the home side made a good start against the 14-time winners.

– Chances –

They had a glorious chance to take the lead but Kante skewed his left-foot shot wide from about 12 yards.

The visitors, content to bide their time, looked sharp on the break.

Midway through the opening period Rodrygo created space for himself and thumped an effort against the outside of the post from an acute angle while Luka Modric tested Kepa.

But Chelsea should have been ahead on the stroke of half-time when James fizzed a ball across the box from the right and it fell to Marc Cucurella at the back post.

The defender took a touch and shot but Thibaut Courtois came flying out of his goal to save.

Kante had another golden opportunity to take the lead early in the second half but his close-range effort hit Eder Militao and deflected away to safety.

Real took the wind out of Chelsea’s sails with just over half an hour to go, when Rodrygo scored from close range after an assist by Vinicius Junior.

Lampard made a number of attacking substitutions, bringing on Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk in a desperate bid to get back into the match.

But Rodrygo found the net again in the 80th minute, tapping home after a clever assist from Federico Valverde.

Real Madrid will likely play Manchester City in the semi-finals, with Pep Guardiola’s team 3-0 up against Bayern Munich after the first leg of their last-eight tie.

Former Chelsea boss Ancelotti is chasing a record-extending fifth win as a coach in the tournament.

But Chelsea, used to winning silverware over the past two decades, are contemplating the final stretch of a horrendous campaign despite a staggering spend of more than £500 million ($621 million) in the first year of the club’s new ownership.

Trophyless this season, they are languishing in 11th in the Premier League and look unlikely to qualify for European football next season.

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Nacho and Marco Asensio made back-to-back strikes within four second-half minutes half to help Real Madrid claim a 2-0 win over Cadiz and cut leader Barcelona’s lead to 10 points in La Liga on Saturday. 

Defending champion Real kept their slim title chances on the hook by crawling up to 62 points, ten points behind Barcelona who play at Getafe on Sunday. Atletico Madrid are third on the table with 57 points and will host Almeria on Sunday.

Madrid controlled the opponents throughout the game, possessing the ball 70 per cent of the time, and created several chances including three shots that hit the post and a few critical stops by Cadiz goalkeeper David Gil.

However, the visitors opened the scoring only in the 72nd minute when defender Nacho received a pass from Aurelien Tchouameni and slotted a powerful long-range shot into the bottom left corner.

Four minutes later, Asensio doubled the side’s lead by netting the ball from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner.

Earlier, Real Betis breezed past Espanyol 3-1 to go fifth on 45 points after Ayoze Perez, Juan Miranda and William Carvalho scored goals each.

Athletic Club beat Real Sociedad 2-0 at home, thanks to a sensational brace by Inaki Williams.

Valladolid, on the other hand, stunned Villareal 2-1 on the latter’s home ground after first-half strikes from Salim Amallah and Jawad El Yamiq.

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