Tag: Real Madrid

PARIS: Liverpool will have the chance to avenge last season’s Champions League final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid after Jurgen Klopp’s side were drawn on Monday to face the holders again in the last 16.

Meanwhile, the other standout tie saw Paris Saint-Germain drawn to play Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 2020 final which was won by the German club.

Liverpool won five of their six group games but missed out on top spot to Napoli after losing 4-1 when the sides met in Italy.

The Anfield club also lost the 2018 Champions League final to Real, who won their group ahead of RB Leipzig.

“They are two historic teams and the tie is going to be electric, fascinating for the fans,” said Emilio Butragueno, a great former Real player who is now the director of institutional relations for the 14-time European champions.

Current domestic form suggests Real should be favourites, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side unbeaten in La Liga while Liverpool are eighth in the Premier League despite winning away to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

However, both clubs will lose key players to the World Cup and Butragueno acknowledged much can change in the three months before the Champions League returns.

“The World Cup is going to condition the whole season. We will see how the players are when they return,” he said.

PSG only missed out on topping their group because Benfica scored more away goals across all matches after the sides remarkably finished level on points, goal difference, goals scored and head to head.

That left the Qatar-owned club exposed to a tough draw, a year on from their painful exit in the first knockout round at the hands of Real.

In terms of form they could not have got tougher than Bayern, who were the only side to win all six group matches, despite being in a section with Barcelona and Inter Milan.

The 2020 final was played behind closed doors in Lisbon at the height of the pandemic, with Bayern triumphing 1-0. PSG gained revenge the following season by beating the Bavarians in the quarter-finals.

Like PSG, Manchester City have never won the trophy but are also one of the leading contenders to do so this season.

Pep Guardiola’s side will be expected to dispose of Leipzig, who they faced in the group stage a year ago and beat 6-3 at home before a 2-1 defeat in Germany, by which time they had already secured first place in the section.

Chelsea, who defeated City in the 2021 Champions League final, also drew German opposition in the shape of Borussia Dortmund, with the clubs set to meet for the very first time in a competitive game in the first leg at the Signal Iduna Park.

After topping their group thanks to a last-gasp winner away to Marseille last week, Tottenham Hotspur were given a tough draw against Italian champions AC Milan.

They have met at this stage of the competition before, with Spurs winning 1-0 on aggregate in 2010/11 thanks to a solitary goal at San Siro by Peter Crouch.

Inter will play Porto and last season’s Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt take on Napoli, while Benfica’s reward for winning their group was a tie against tournament outsiders Club Brugge of Belgium.

The first legs of all last-16 ties will be played in February with the return matches in March.

The final of this season’s Champions League will be held in Istanbul on June 10 next year.

The Turkish city was supposed to host the final in 2020 and again 2021, only for the game to be moved on each occasion to Portugal due to the pandemic.

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ELCHE: Reigning Champions Real Madrid sealed a comfortable 3-0 win against the bottom side Elche on Wednesday to extend their lead at the top of the LaLiga table.

With the win, Madrid maintained their unbeaten streak of the current season and went six points clear of second-placed Barcelona who will be facing Villareal in an away game on Thursday.

Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio scored a goal each as coach Carlo Ancelotti decided not to rest his key players against the easy target following a stunning 3-1 victory over arch-rivals Barcelona in the El Clasico on Sunday.

Valverde opened the scoring for Madrid, who had three goals ruled out by VAR for offside, as he hit a brilliant technical goal from the edge of the area.

Ballon d’Or winner Benzema, whose strikes had been disallowed twice, finally managed to etch his name on the scorecard in the 75th minute after a magnificent back-heel pass from Rodrgygo, who also assisted Substitute Asensio for the third goal.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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MADRID: Real Madrid cruised past Atletico Madrid 2-1 in an exciting city’s derby on Sunday to maintain the 100 per cent success rate in the ongoing season and reclaimed their two points lead over Barcelona. 

Real Madrid won straight six opening games for the first time after 1987-88 to bolster their chances of LaLiga title defence.

A dominant display in the first half thanks to the strikes by Rodrygo and Federico Valverde put Real in a commanding position over the home team.

Mario Hermoso retaliated with a late consoling goal for the hosts but they were unable to find an equaliser.

Rodrygo opened the scoring for Real in the 18th minute after a bright start from his side. They double their lead in the 36th minute as Valverde touched the ball into the nets after Vinicius Jr’s shot hit the post.

With the win, Real Madrid regained the top spot in the standings with 18 points while Barcelona slipped to the second after a brief stay at top following a 3-0 win against Elche on Saturday.

Real Betis edged past Girona 2-1 and secured the third spot in the standings thanks to the brace by Borja Iglesias.

Real Sociedad beat Espanyol 2-1 after a thrilling first-half battle between both sides at Anoeta Stadium on Sunday.

Getafe earned a surprise win over Osasuna as they thumped the home team 2-0 to claim their second win of the season.

Meanwhile, Seville and Villareal ended on a 1-1 draw in another game of matchday 6 on Sunday.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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MADRID: Defending Champions Real Madrid continued their winning streak to the season as they came from behind to outclass Mallorca 4-1 here at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

Mallorca stunned the home crowd as they gained the surprise lead in the 34th minute when Vedat Muriqi scored a header. However, Federico Valverde levelled before the first half for Real after a phenomenal solo run and a brilliant strike in the stoppage time.

Vinicius Junior put the hosts ahead in the 72nd minute before Rodrygo Goes and Antonio Rudiger scored late goals to furhter the lead and steered the side to a fifth successive win in the Spanish League.

With the win, Real Madrid held off Barcelona to secure the top position in the standings.

Meanwhile, Athletic Club outpowered the home side Elche 4-1 on Sunday to secure their to jump to the fifth spot with the third win.

Getafe secured their first win of the season as they edged past Real Sociedad 2-1 in a home game.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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MADRID: Real Madrid edged past Real Betis 2-1 here on Saturday to keep their LaLiga winning streak intact meanwhile Barcelona crushed the home side Sevilla 3-0 after a dominant show to remain undefeated and secure the third consecutive victory of the season. 

Real continued to stay at top of the standings while Barcelona jumped to the second after the win on matchday four of La Liga 2022-23.

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, finished in a 1-1 draw against the home team Real Sociedad.

Vinicius Junior put Real Madrid in lead in the ninth minute as he lobbed the ball over Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva’s head after he received a wonderful long pass from David Alaba.

Betis, however, responded eight minutes later as Sergio Canales popped up inside the box to score the equalizer.

Madrid unleashed a more vigorous attack to regain the lead but squandered multiple opportunities with Rodrygo finally breaking the deadlock in the 65th minute to steer his side 2-1 up in the game.

Meanwhile, Barcelona completely thrashed out Sevilla with goals from Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Eric Garcia.

Raphinha Dias scored the opening goal after a counter-attack and the defenders cleared the ball off the line in the 21st minute. He headed the ball into the open goal with a brilliant assist from Lewandowski to make it 1-0 for Barca.

Lewandowski doubled the lead in the 36th minute as he received a phenomenal cross from Jules Kounde on his chest and volleyed the ball into the nets.

Barca furthered the lead in the 50th minute when Eric Garcia pushed the ball after a brilliant header from Kounde.

Sevilla successfully thwarted a few other attempts by Barca to extend the lead before the full-time.

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ALMERIA: Reigning champions Real Madrid kicked off their La Liga season on a positive note as they edged past Almeria 2-1 in an away game, here on Sunday.

Real came out on top as David Alaba hit the winner in the 75th minute from a free-kick within seconds after coming off the bench.

Almeria went for a sublime start as former Manchester United striker Largie Ramazani scored the opening goal just six minutes into the game to put the hosts on a 1-0 lead.

Real upped the ante and launched a vigorous attack in a desperate quest to find an equalizer but goalkeeper Fernando Martinez thwarted the efforts on several occasions.

They nearly found one when Lucas Vazquez put the ball in the nets before half-time but it was denied for the offside call. Vazquez, however, scored in the 61st minute to level the lead.

Alaba substituted Ferland Mendy with 15 minutes left and smashed a stunning left-footed free kick to beat Fernando and give his side a decisive 2-1 lead.

Meanwhile, Valencia beat Girona 1-0 in a home game with Carlos Solar scoring the lone goal off a penalty just before the half time.

Real Sociedad defeated the home side, Cadiz, in another game on Sunday. Takefusa Kubo scored in the 24th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead in the game.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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LONDON: Women’s World number two Ons Jabeur has revealed that she started to follow Real Madrid because of Cristiano Ronaldo while claiming to be his huge fan. 

Tunisia’s Jabuer, who has reached Wimbledon’s round of sixteen and will lock horns against France’s Diane Parry on Friday, disclosed in a BBC Sport column that the Portuguese star was her favorite footballer and called him an inspiration.

“I love watching football and I’m a huge Cristiano Ronaldo fan. He’s a great athlete and just an inspiration for me,” she said.

The Tennis star stated that she had been following Real Madrid because of Ronaldo and felt dejected when he left the club.

“I became a Real Madrid fan thanks to Cristiano, I was pretty sad when Cristiano left but I’m always following him, as well as still following Real,” she added 

Meanwhile, she also claimed to be a Manchester United fan too since her favorite footballer had joined the club and vowed to continue her support for Ronaldo wherever he moves.

“So now I’m a Manchester United fan too and if he goes anywhere else then I will support that team for sure,” she maintained.

She further expressed her wish to witness a Real Madrid match because of her passion for the club while claiming that she felt connected with Real’s striker Karim Benzema because of her Arab Heritage.

“It’s on my bucket list to go and see a Real Madrid match, When I’m playing at the Madrid Open I always want to go to the Bernabeu to watch a match and I especially wanted to go this year because Real had a massive Champions League game against Manchester City,” she added.

“That Champions League game was the night when Karim Benzema scored the winning goal – I love him too. He’s of Algerian heritage so there is an Arabic connection for me,” she concluded.

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MADRID: Marcelo said an emotional goodbye to his 15 years of association with Real Madrid after winning the highest number of titles in the club’s history, in a farewell ceremony attended by his teammates held here in Valdebebas.

Marcelo won 25 trophies for Real Madrid, including five Champions League, six La Liga, and two Copa del Rey titles, during his stay at Santiago Bernabeu.

“When I signed for Madrid, in my head I thought I could reach the top, and here I am the player with the most titles in its history,” said Marcelo who broke down in tears.

The 34-years-old footballer will be a free agent after his term expires at the end of this month as he announced not to hang up his boots without revealing which club he might join after leaving.

“I haven’t thought about retiring, I think I can still play,” he said. “I don’t think playing against Madrid will be a problem, I couldn’t have done any more. I’m very professional.”

Marcelo joined Real Madrid from Brazilian club Fluminese in 2007 and made 545 appearances for the club in all competitions.

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LAUSANNE: UEFA apologized for the first time over the distressful and chaotic events outside the Stade de France stadium on the day of the Champions League Final- a much-celebrated European football event of the year- between Real Madrid and Liverpool.

The European Football’s governing body in a statement issued on Friday offered an apology for the ‘frightening’ and ‘distressing’ events on the UCL final as thousands of spectators were denied entry into the stadium and witnessed the use of tear gas by the police.

“UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris,” said UEFA in its published statement.

UEFA also published the terms of reference of the commission which it had announced immediately after the event for the independent review of the incident.

“UEFA commissioned an Independent Review to identify shortcomings and responsibilities of all entities involved in the organisation of the final, and has today published the Terms of Reference for this review.” further added in its statement.

The independent review announced by the UEFA will be led by Dr. Tiago Brandao Rodrigues from Portugal to determine what happened leading up to the final and what lessons should be learned to guarantee the acts and events of that day are not repeated.

The review will go through the planning, ticketing, and security of the final while also looking at fan meeting points.

It will engage with UEFA, fan groups, including the Liverpool and Real Madrid, the French Football Federation (FFF), the police, the stadium operator, and other public authorities.

“Further information on how relevant parties can submit their testimonies (via a dedicated email address or an online questionnaire) will be communicated shortly,” added UEFA in its statement.

The body also confirmed that the review would start immediately and would be concluded within the shortest possible time frame.

Once completed, the Report will be published on UEFA’s website.

It is pertinent to mention here that Real Madrid has defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the Champion League final on May 29.

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MADRID: The 2022 La Liga winners Real Madrid cruised to a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Levante at the back of Vinicius Junior, here on Friday.

In a clash between the top and the bottom, Madrid made sure that their standings’ difference remained evident on the field as the already crowned championship hammered Levante and tested the side’s defences, which was reflected in the scoreline as well.

The hosts took an early lead in just the ninth minute of the game as Ferland Mendy surged forward to slot the ball home.

The Madrid skipper Benzema, who is back into the side after being rested for the La Liga derby against Atletico Madrid, soon found himself amongst the goals, getting on the end of a Vinicius cross at the back post.

Madrid then walked in their third goal before the half-time as Rodrygo combined with Luka Modric before the youngster tapped in from close range.

Modric then again provided the assist, this time to Vinicius, who tucked home from a tight angle.

The second half was all about Vinicius, who netted twice more to complete his hat-trick – first for the Madrid.

He scored his second in the 67th minute following a close assist from Benzema, who danced around the goalkeeper before passing to him. The final blow came in the 83rd minute when he took advantage of a Luka Jovic pass before netting the ball away with his left foot.

It is pertinent to mention here that with his 19th-minute goal against Levante, Benzema has equalled Raul’s record of the second-most goals (323) for the club, with only Cristiano Ronaldo (450) scoring more.

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