Tag: Real Madrid

MADRID: Atletico Madrid sealed an important 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the La Liga derby for the first time in six years, here on Tuesday.

Atletico, up against the weakened Real Madrid made the most of the situation as the prior defeated the current La Liga champions 1-0 to consolidate their fourth spot in the league’s standings.

The important victory against the weak Real Madrid has put Atletico on the brink of securing the Champions League Qualification.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, which recently made an astonishing comeback in the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City, took the field without their key players like Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Thibaut Courtois.

The first-half penalty from Yannick Carrasco proved enough for Atletico to edge past Real Madrid in the derby. The side, however, missed a string of chances which may be a matter of concern for the side in the upcoming fixtures.

Atletico, which currently sit at fourth, are six points clear of Real Betis in the fifth place, with three games to play. Atletico’s better head-to-head record over Betis, however, guarantees the side to finish among the top-four if Betis fails to win against Valencia on Tuesday.

If Betis defeat Valencia, Atletico then can still secure a spot in the top-four by beating Elche in Thursday’s fixture.

It’s worth mentioning that Atletico could not beat Real Madrid in La Liga since 2016, and at home since 2015, with two goals and no victory in their last eight meetings against their city rivals in all competitions.

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MADRID: The home side Real Madrid put on a show as they hand a crushing 4-0 defeat to Espanyol and lift their 35th La Liga title, here on Sunday.

The home side Madrid, which just needed one point from their last five games secured two goals as Rodrygo Silva netted the ball twice and put the side close to the glory.

Espanyol pushed hard to cut the gap but Madrid’s Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema bettered the lead to 4-0 with a strike each in the 55th and 81st minutes.

With a convincing 4-0 victory, the home side moved 17 points clear of the second-ranked Sevilla and four matches to play. Barcelona, on the other hand, have a game in hand but are 18 points shy.

With La Liga’s conclusion, Madrid will turn their attention to the second leg of their semi-final against Manchester City in the Champions League, where the La Liga champions will have to overturn a 4-3 defeat in the first leg to make their way into the final.

Furthermore, Madrid’s coach Carlo Ancelotti, on the other hand, has become the first coach to win all five major European titles. He has also won the Premier League with Chelsea, Serie A with AC Milan, Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

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MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola said he had to reiterate to his players they had beaten Real Madrid 4-3 in a Champions League classic on Tuesday despite the disappointment of not killing off their semi-final tie at the Etihad.

Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were on target for Guardiola’s men, who held a two-goal lead three times.

But Karim Benzema’s double and a brilliant individual effort from Vinicius Junior gave Madrid hope of another famous Champions League fightback at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4.

Guardiola lamented letting Liverpool escape “alive” in the Premier League title race after a 2-2 draw at the Etihad nine days ago and will have similar regrets after a blistering opening that could have seen City go 4-0 up inside half an hour.

Madrid, the record 13-time European champions, were playing in their 30th semi-final to City’s third, but the English champions lived up to their tag as pre-tie favourites early on.

Only 92 seconds had passed before the Madrid rearguard was breached by Riyad Mahrez’s quick feet and perfect cross for De Bruyne to stoop and head past Thibaut Courtois.

Jesus pounced to make it 2-0 after just 10 minutes when David Alaba failed to deal with De Bruyne’s cross.

The Spanish champions-elect were without Casemiro and his absence showed as City cut through midfield on the counter-attack at will.

Guardiola was furious with Mahrez after he selfishly smashed into the side-netting with Foden awaiting the cross for a tap-in.

Moments later it was Foden who was guilty of wasting a glorious chance when he dragged wide another pinpoint De Bruyne through the ball.

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Madrid: Legendary captain Sergio Ramos is to leave Real Madrid after a glittering, trophy-laden career spanning 671 games and 16 seasons, the club announced Wednesday.
Real said there would be an “act of tribute and farewell” to the four-time Champions League winner on Thursday in the presence of club president Florentino Perez.
The announcement follows an injury-wracked 2020/21 campaign where the 35-year-old Ramos appeared in only 21 games in all competitions, his fewest in a 16-year career at Madrid. He has played just five times since the start of the year.
The veteran defender and national team captain was omitted from Spanish coach Luis Enrique’s Euro 2020 squad because of his lack of playing time.
Ramos joined Real Madrid from Sevilla in 2005, the sole Spaniard brought in during Perez’s first stint as president, the first Galacticos era that saw a major superstar signed every season.
A towering presence at the back, Ramos was also a prolific goalscorer, netting 101 times for Real including the 93rd-minute equaliser in the 2014 Champions League final against bitter rivals Atletico Madrid.
They went on to dominate their city rivals 4-1 after extra time, first of Real’s stunning run of four Champions League triumphs in five years.
He is one of the club’s most decorated players, having won five La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and two Copas del Rey.
He won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, and the European Championship in both 2008 and 2012, but has often been a polarising figure outside Madrid.

Red card record

Ramos holds the record for the most red cards in La Liga history at 20, and was sent off 26 times in all competitions for Madrid.
A fierce competitor, he has come under fire for his harsh tackling including the infamous takedown of Mohamed Salah during the 2018 Champions League final that left the Liverpool star with a dislocated shoulder.
This season Ramos missed games after catching Covid-19 and also because of a series of injuries to his right thigh, left calf and left hamstring.
He was in Madrid’s squad for the final La Liga game against Villarreal but did not play.
According to Spanish media, Real and Ramos had not been able to reach an agreement on an extension of his contract, which will expire on June 30.
The club wanted to offer him a one-year deal with a 10 percent cut in salary in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, while Ramos wanted a two-season extension, according to reports.
The absence of record Spain appearance holder Ramos means there is not a single Madrid player in Enrique’s squad at Euro 2020.
Ramos has played 180 times for his country, scoring 23 times a tally that puts him eighth on Spain’s all-time goalscorers’ list.
He represented Spain at four World Cups and three European Championships and was a key member of the squads that lifted the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 Euros.
Ramos will become a free agent after June 30 with a host of top European clubs, including Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, reported to be interested in signing the veteran.

Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid for a second spell as coach on Tuesday, re-joining the club from Everton, after agreeing a three-year deal at the Bernabeu.

The Italian was previously in charge of Real between 2013 and 2015, and replaces Zinedine Zidane, who left the La Liga club last month.

“While I have enjoyed being at Everton I have been presented with an unexpected opportunity which I believe is the right move for me and my family at this time,” Ancelotti said in a statement on the Everton website.

Ancelotti has one of the most-decorated CVs in world football and won the Champions League with Real in 2014, helping the Spaniards to their fabled ‘Decima’ (10th) European crown, before being sacked 12 months later.

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The 61-year-old is one of three coaches, along with former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley and Zidane, to have won the European Cup or Champions League on three occasions, having also led AC Milan to glory in 2003 and 2007.

His honours list includes league titles in four different countries at Milan, Chelsea, Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich over a 26-year managerial career.

“Carlo Ancelotti will be the new first team coach for the next three seasons,” a brief Real Madrid statement read.

Ancelotti will sign his contract and be presented to the media on Wednesday.

The move comes following Zidane’s decision to step down five days after his team were pipped to the La Liga title by city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Real finished two points behind Atletico, were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals by eventual winners Chelsea and suffered a humiliating Copa del Rey exit to third division minnows Alcoyano during a rare trophy-less season.

Zidane subsequently hit out at the club in an open letter, saying: “I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term.”

It brought an end to a second spell in charge of the club that was fraught with tension.

The end of the Frenchman’s tenure was surrounded by questions over his reliance on players the wrong side of 30 like Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema and his willingness to oversee the rebuild the club felt it needed.

Ancelotti was considered something of a coup when Everton announced his appointment on a four-and-a-half year contract in December 2019, and he guided the club to a 12th-place Premier League finish in his first season.

The Italian then oversaw an impressive summer transfer window, signing Colombian star James Rodriguez from Real Madrid as well as the likes of Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ben Godfrey, and Everton started the campaign in superb form, winning their first seven games in all competitions.

The Toffees remained in European contention throughout the season but a dip in form towards the end of the campaign, when they picked up three wins from their final 12 league games, saw them slide to a disappointing mid-table finish.

“The club will begin the process of appointing a new manager immediately and will provide updates in due course,” read an Everton statement.

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