FOOTBALL

Real Madrid close in on title, beat Atletico

Published

3 years ago

December 13, 2021

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Real Madrid picked up a convincing 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid and stretched their unbeaten Madrid derby run to eight matches, their last defeat coming in a 4-2 disappointment in the UEFA Super Cup in 2019.

The victory was more significant than claiming El Derbi bragging rights, however, as Madrid opened an eight point lead at the top and have seemingly decided the La Liga title race in December.

Diego Simeone’s men entered the fray ten points behind their neighbours and were hoping to nick an away win that would cut the deficit to seven points only.

Atletico started on the front foot as Thibaut Courtois had to spring into action to snatch a Marcos Llorente cross and prevent it from reaching Matheus Cunha, who was ready to pounce from an unmarked position.

But, Atletico began to fade out of the match beyond that point as the hosts grew in confidence.

Koke errors prove costly

Koke carelessly lost possession in the midfield twice in quick succession to expose his team to two menacing Madrid attacks.

The 29-year-old got away with the first one, but the second mistake proved costly as Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema combined to break the deadlock.

Marco Asensio found Vinicius in space and the Brazilian took full advantage of his compatriot Felipe’s hesitancy to commit to a challenge and send an inviting cross inside the Atletico box.

The Roji Blancos had seven men inside the box, but Benzema managed to avoid the bodies and connect to the cross perfectly.

The resulting volley was too powerful for Jan Oblak to intervene.

✨ ¡Poesía en movimiento! ✨@Benzema | #RealMadridAtleti pic.twitter.com/jJLroVKOFE
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 12, 2021

Koke made a chance to make amends ten minutes later, but he failed to launch a powerful shot to trouble Courtois at the Madrid goal.

Atletico desperately tried to up the tempo, but they did not manage to test Courtois before Antoine Griezmann made the Belgian stretch to keep out a goal-bound free-kick.

Both Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone made changes in the second half, but for different reasons.

Joao Felix makes an impression

Ancelotti took Benzema off because he was yet to fully regain his fitness following a hamstring injury.

Simeone, on the other hand, threw Thomas Lemar and Joao Felix into the mix to add more attacking threats.

We go again! COME ON! ✊

🔄 Switch:

🔺 Lemar & João Félix
🔻 Carrasco & Griezmann (the Frenchman is substituted due to muscle pain) pic.twitter.com/2afYhuni7V
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) December 12, 2021

The duo had an immediate impact as they engineered a nifty move into the Madrid box, but Courtois stopped Felix’s shot.

The Portuguese established himself at the heart of Atletico attacks as he played in Cunha and Lemar in subsequent minutes.

Atletico regained the confidence they had shown early in the first half and pinned the hosts to their own half.

But a fantastic Real Madrid counter-attack threw a spanner in the works for Atletico.

Luka Jovic received a long ball from the Madrid backline, sent it to Vinicius’s path, and the forward picked up his second assist of the night as he fed Asensio for the second Madrid goal.

🙌 ¡#FelizLunes madridistas! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/aeZMzw5Uek
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 13, 2021

There was still enough time left to mount a comeback, but Real Madrid managed the game well to keep the scoreline unchanged.

Felix caused a few more scares, and Lemar came close to pulling one back in the 75th minute, but that was just about it.

Vinicius could have gotten a goal for himself and extended Madrid’s lead, but he could not meet Ferland Mendy’s fantastic cross.

Atletico Madrid’s hopes of defending their title appear bleak as they have fallen thirteen points adrift of the top spot with the season half gone.

They have a match in hand, but still, overcoming that gap would be an uphill battle.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

8 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

8 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

8 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.