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Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior each scored as Real Madrid ended a four-game winless streak by defeating Alaves 2-1 on Tuesday to move closer to Spanish league leader Barcelona. The victory at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium left Madrid six points behind Barcelona, which hosts sixth-placed Celta Vigo on Wednesday. It was Madrid's first game since it was eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Madrid lost 2-1 at home and 4-3 in Germany in the second leg. The team's last two Spanish league matches had been a 1-1 home draw against Girona and a 2-1 loss at Mallorca. "We have six games left," Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said. "The goal is to win all of them, regardless of what happens. Every game counts." It was slow start for Madrid on Tuesday and the crowd at the Bernabeu looked anxious as Alaves had a few scoring chances early. Part of the fans jeered as the team struggled. There were some boos after the final whistle as well after Alaves scored ...
Lamine Yamal secured Barcelona's 4-1 win over Espanyol after setting up Ferran Torres for a double and the La Liga leaders took another step toward retaining the title. Yamal passed for Ferran to score in the 10th and 25th minutes before the teenage phenom ensured the victory in the 87th with Espanyol threatening to equalize. Marcus Rashford made it four for the hosts at Camp Nou in the 89th. Barcelona capitalized on Real Madrid's 1-1 draw at home to Girona on Friday to increase its lead to nine points with seven rounds remaining. Barcelona and Madrid will try to overcome losses in the Champions League quarterfinals in their next games after Barcelona lost to Atletico Madrid 2-0 and Madrid fell to Bayern Munich 2-1 this week. While Madrid will travel to Germany on a three-game winless streak, Barcelona's attack is clicking as it heads to Spain's capital needing a big win to advance to the European semifinals. Barcelona's fans chanted "Yes we can!" after the match with its team pla
Harry Kane delivered for Bayern Munich on his return from injury, scoring a goal and helping set up another in his team's 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappe scored Madrid's goal after the visitors had taken a two-goal lead at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Kane had been listed as a gameday decision after missing the team's Bundesliga match last weekend because of an ankle injury. The result left Bayern with an edge ahead of the second leg in Germany next week as it tries to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2023-24, when it was eliminated by eventual champion Madrid. "We are still alive, clearly," Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said. "We are one goal away. We have shown that we can win anywhere. We showed it with the scoring chances that we had against an opponent that we knew was going to make it difficult for us." Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon in the other quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Football at its very best. That was Arne Slot's memory of Liverpool's richly entertaining meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last season. OK, Liverpool ultimately went out, beaten at Anfield in a round-of-16 penalty shootout by the team that would go on to win the competition for the first time, but Slot loved the way his side played and still maintains it was "the best game I've managed in my career." They meet again almost 12 months on, with Liverpool - and Slot - in a very different place. Indeed, the Dutch coach appears to be fighting for his job heading into the upcoming quarterfinal doubleheader with the European champions that starts with the first leg in Paris on Wednesday. A 4-0 loss at Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday was Liverpool's latest poor result of a season that initially began with so much hope after the club's record summer splurge of $570 million on new players on the back of cruising to the Premier League title. With the Reds ha
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior praised Barcelona star Lamine Yamal for publicly condemning anti-Muslim chants in a recent match, saying players need to stick together in the fight against discrimination. Vinicius spoke Monday, less than a week after Yamal criticized the chants by Spanish fans in Spain's friendly against Egypt last Tuesday. Yamal, who is Muslim, said the chants were disrespectful and intolerable. Vinicius, a Brazil international, has been often subjected to racist taunts while playing in Europe and is vocal about the fight against racism. He said "it's always complicated" to talk about the subject but "these things happen a lot." "Hopefully we can continue with this fight," he said. "It's important that Lamine speaks about it. It could help others. We are famous, we have money, we can balance these things better, but the poor people and the Blacks who are everywhere, they surely struggle more than we do. So we have to stick together, those who have a stronger ..
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has torn a muscle in his upper right leg, jeopardizing his availability for a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich. Courtois was substituted at halftime of Madrid's Champions League game at Manchester City on Tuesday. Madrid won 2-1 and the round-of-16 tie by 5-1 on aggregate. The club on Thursday did not say how long its top goalkeeper would be out. Andriy Lunin will take his place. Madrid hosts Atletico Madrid in a La Liga derby on Sunday before an international break, when Courtois' Belgium plays the United States in a friendly in Atlanta on March 28. Belgium also plays Mexico in another World Cup warmup in Chicago on April 1. Madrid then starts its Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern on April 7. The 33-year-old Courtois has been a key part of Madrid's most recent European successes, helping to win its 14th and 15th European Cups in 2022 and 2024.
Pep Guardiola wore a lumberjack-style shirt and Real Madrid chopped Manchester City down in the Champions League once again. Who knows how many more chances Guardiola will get to win European club soccer's greatest prize with just one season remaining on his contract and increasing speculation he could walk away at the end of this campaign. "Everybody wants to fire me," Guardiola said when questioned about his future following the 2-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. "One day I will come out here and say 'bye, bye guys'." Guardiola's position is the subject of much debate after 10 years at City, which is already by far the longest he has stayed at any club as a manager. He has repeatedly referred to the remaining time on his contract when questioned, but doubts remain. "The future will be bright and next season we will be back," he said following the 5-1 aggregate loss in the round-of-16 tie. Was that a clue as to his immediate plans? "When I've retired in 10 years I will
There was an uncertainty among Real Madrid fans before their Champions League match against Manchester City. It has a new and untested coach, recently lost two league games in a row, and last weekend required a last-minute deflection to beat Celta Vigo. Federico Valverde dispelled their doubts in a scintillating first 45 minutes, scoring a sublime hat trick that put the home team in the driver's seat for this much-awaited last 16 tie. Valverde completed a quick counterattack and rounded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a deft touch to score the opener after 20 minutes. He ran on to a pass from Vinicius Junior and then fired home a low shot with his weaker left foot seven minutes later to make it 2-0. The Uruguay midfielder saved the best for last, taking Brahim Diaz's clever chip and then knocking it over the outstretched leg of Marc Guehi before volleying past Donnarumma to make it 3-0 three minutes before halftime.
Real Madrid lost a second straight La Liga match when a stunning volley from Martin Satriano gave Getafe a shock 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Monday. The result prevented the capital club from cutting the four-point gap to leader Barcelona. Getafe had lost all eight of its previous league encounters with Real Madrid and early saves from goalkeeper David Soria kept it from falling behind. Soria turned over a shot from Arda Guler midway through the first half, not long after frustrating Vinicius Junior when he was through on goal. Madrid had more of the ball but lacked punch up front and it paid a price for its profligacy six minutes before halftime when Getafe took the lead. A hopeful cross from the right was headed clear but it fell to the feet of Satriano, who volleyed into the roof of the net from 20 meters out. It was the second goal in three games for the Uruguayan, who joined on loan from Lyon during the last transfer window. Madrid continued to dominate possessi