Page 4 - La Liga

Real Madrid extends Carvajal's contract despite tests showing knee injury

Real Madrid extended Dani Carvajal's contract on Sunday after tests showed he will likely be sidelined for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury. Madrid said it agreed with Carvajal to extend his contract until June 2026 in an announcement made hours after the right back was diagnosed with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, a ruptured external collateral ligament and a ruptured popliteus tendon in his right leg. Madrid said Carvajal will undergo surgery in the coming days. The defender got hurt in second-half stoppage time of Madrid's 2-0 win against Villarreal in the Spanish league on Saturday. He went down in pain after kicking the leg of an opponent. The Spain international was crying when he was carried off the field on a stretcher. The 32-year-old Carvajal joined Madrid's youth squads at age 10 in 2002. He became a member of the main team in 2013 and has won 26 titles with Madrid, including six Champions League titles. Madrid had to deal with several knee liga

Atletico fans threw objects on field to interrupt Madrid derby in La Liga

The city derby between host Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid was interrupted after Atletico fans threw objects onto the field. The referee stopped the Spanish league game and sent the players to the locker rooms around the 70th minute at the Metropolitano on Sunday before play resumed after more than 15 minutes. Madrid had just scored the first goal of the match with der Milito, who celebrated near the sideline in front of Atletico fans. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois alerted the referee about the objects including lighters being thrown onto the field. Atletico defender Jos Mara Gimnez and midfielder Koke Resurreccin went to talk to the fans in the section behind Courtois' goal. That section is where usually the more radical Atletico supporters are located. Atletico coach Diego Simeone also asked several times for the fans to behave. A message on the stadium's loudspeaker said the match was being interrupted for 15 minutes, and that it would be suspended if the problem ...

Osasuna ends Barcelona's unbeaten streak after picking 4-2 victory

Bryan Zaragoza scored one goal and set up another to spark Osasuna's stunning 4-2 win over Barcelona, dealing the Spanish league leader its first loss. The lightning-fast forward on loan from Bayern Munich crossed for Ante Budimir to open the scoring in the 17th minute. Zaragoza then showed some fancy high-speed dribbling to round goalkeeper Iaki Pea on the break for 2-0 in the 28th on Saturday. Barcelona youth player Pau Vctor pulled one back for the visitors in the 53rd, but Budimir earned and converted a penalty to put the result beyond doubt in the 72nd. Abel Bretones made it 4-1 in the 85th and substitute Lamine Yamal scored Barcelona's second goal. Barcelona recorded wins in the first seven rounds of the league. An eighth victory would have equaled a club record established in 2013. Barcelona remained atop the league standings at four points ahead of Real Madrid before the defending champion visits Atletico Madrid in a derby on Sunday. Osasuna moved into sixth place and sta

La Liga 2024-25 points table, standings, top 5 highest goal-scorers

Both Barca and Real are followed by Atletico Madrid (15 pts), Mallorca (14 pts), Villarreal (14 pts), and Athletic Club (13 pts), rounding off the top 6 at the moment.

Rodri to Mbappe: Top football players injured across European leagues

The defending La Liga and UCL champions Real Madrid suffered a massive blow when their star signee Kylian Mbappe picked up an injury during their match against Alaves

FC Barcelona's Dani Olmo to miss 4 to 5 weeks with hamstring injury

Barcelona got some bad news a day after extending its perfect start to the season, with winger Dani Olmo being diagnosed with a leg injury that will sideline him for four to five weeks. The club said tests conducted Monday showed he sustained a right hamstring injury in the second half of the 4-1 win at Catalan rival Girona in the Spanish league on Sunday. Olmo had to be replaced in the 61st minute, less than 15 minutes after he had scored the team's third goal in the match. The Spain international was signed from Leipzig this season and had been a crucial piece for coach Hansi Flick in the team's perfect start. Barcelona has won its first five games in the Spanish league, which it leads by four points ahead of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Villarreal.

Table toppers across top five European leagues after international break

Teams from the top five European leagues will return to action later this week after a short seven-day international break.

Mbappe's dry run continues, Real Madrid drops points against Las Palmas

Kylian Mbapp remained scoreless and defending champion Real Madrid settled for a 1-1 draw at Las Palmas in the Spanish league. Mbapp, Madrid's biggest signing in years, is yet to score in the league this season. His only goal with Madrid came in the team's UEFA Super Cup victory against Atalanta earlier this month. It was Vinicius Junior who scored for Madrid, which beat Valladolid 3-0 in the previous round but had opened its title defense with a 1-1 draw at Mallorca. It's been difficult for us to be as solid as we were last season, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. We need to find a solution quickly, and I think we are going to find it. It has been harder than expected. These first three matches showed me a lot of things that have not been working well. Vinicius found the net for his first league goal this season by converting a 69th-minute penalty kick after a handball inside the area. The hosts had taken the lead five minutes into the match after Alberto Moleiro got past a co

How the champions of Europe's top 5 leagues started their 2024-25 season

Manchester City and PSG have both started their campaign with straight wins

Lamine Yamal help Barcelona secure 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao

Lamine Yamal got the better of fellow Spain star Nico Williams when Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Saturday in the players' first matchup since the two young talents led their nation to European Championship glory. Yamal opened the scoring before Robert Lewandowski provided the second goal to give Barcelona two wins in two games to start the Spanish league season. The Barcelona teenager struck in the 24th minute with a curling shot that was reminiscent of Lionel Messi's favorite moves. Yamal controlled a deflected ball, took two touches to skirt along the outside edge of the box before he found the angle to unleash a left-footed shot. The ball found the net after a deflection on Athletic player igo Lekue. Yamal and Williams chatted before and after kickoff. Yamal would not reveal in a post-game interview what they talked about, saying we are just good friends. But he did, perhaps half-jokingly, make a dig at his pal when he described his goal. I saw that Nico, who is not very

Real Madrid suffer setback, Jude Bellingham picks muscle injury in leg

Jude Bellingham has sustained a right-leg muscle injury, Real Madrid said Friday. Madrid did not say how many games the England midfielder would miss, but media reports said he could be out for up to a month. He took a knock and we're assessing him, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said Friday. Madrid hosts Valladolid on Sunday aiming to bounce back from its 1-1 draw at Mallorca in the opening round of the Spanish league.

Top 5 players to look out for across European leagues in the 2024-25 season

Real Madrid was able to finally secure Kylian Mbappe's signature earlier this season after three years of push and pull with PSG

Barcelona drops players a year after arrival amidst financial troubles

If trying to compete with Real Madrid and newly arrived Kylian Mbapp wasn't daunting enough, now Hansi Flick's Barcelona squad is being thinned out by departures. Barcelona looks set to lose both Ilkay Gundogan and Vitor Roque in the coming days or even hours with both players reportedly close to exits. Gundogan appears set on returning to Manchester City a year after the midfielder left the serial winners to start a new chapter in Spain. That could be cut short because of Barcelona's need to trim its salary burden, leaving the team without one of its top playmakers from last season. Roque is also reportedly close to leaving on loan for Real Betis, although Portugal's Sporting has made inquiries. The young Brazilian forward cost Barcelona a 30-million-euro (USD 33-million) transfer last summer. He arrived in the winter transfer market but never earned consistent playing minutes despite the significant investment made to sign him. When their exits are made official, it will conf

Aspas grabs late winner as Celta Vigo beats Deportivo Alaves 2-1 in Spain

Iago Aspas avoided an early red card thanks to a video review, had a goal chalked off just before halftime and then capped an eventful game by scoring Celta Vigo's winner against Deportivo Alaves in the Spanish league on Friday. The 37-year-old Aspas was the focal point for Celta for much of last season and picked up where he left off in its opening game, netting in the 84th minute to seal a 2-1 victory for the hosts. He had been shown a red card after seven minutes when his arm made contact with Antonio Blanco, but it was downgraded to a yellow after a VAR review. Blanco's cross to Kike Garcia then set up the opening goal for Alaves 10 minutes later. Aspas had a goal disallowed for offside before halftime but Celta equalized midway through the second half thanks to Williot Swedberg's superb strike with the outside of his boot. Aspas then received Swedberg's defense-splitting pass to score the winner with six minutes left. Iago is eternal, Alaves coach Luis Garcia said. He gets o

La Liga signs agreement to set up football academy in West Bengal

Spanish football league La Liga signed an agreement with the West Bengal government to set up an academy in the state for nurturing young talents, an official said on Friday. The MoU was signed during a closed-door meeting between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and La Liga president Javier Tebas in Madrid, he said. Banerjee, who is on a 12-day trip to Spain, met Tebas in Madrid on Thursday evening and held a closed-door meeting, which focussed on strengthening relations through linking sports and cultural institutions. "This remarkable MoU intends to promote football to foster sportsmanship, health, and prosperity. La Liga will develop a football training academy in West Bengal," the official said. According to the agreement, coaches and players from the state will be trained by the coaches of La Liga. They will also share their experience and expertise to assist the football clubs of West Bengal and make them self-sustainable, the official said. Banerjee was accompanied by forme

La Liga: Jude Bellingham's fifth goal in four games seals Real Madrid win

Jude Bellingham appears to be blessed since joining Real Madrid. The England midfielder had already won over Madrid's faithful with four goals in three away wins to start the season after joining the club this summer. But on Saturday the 20-year-old Bellingham was gifted a fumbled save by Getafe's goalkeeper right in front of the goal, allowing him to tap home a stoppage-time winner and save the hosts from a stumble in their home debut at a newly renovated Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The 2-1 comeback kept Madrid at the top of the Spanish league with a perfect record. Bellingham said the celebration by Madrid's supporters, which included singing The Beatles classic Hey Jude, made him tremble with emotion. That is the loudest moment I have been in at a stadium and happily it was after my goal, Bellingham said. I can't believe it to be honest. When they were singing Hey Jude,' I just wanted to turn and listen my legs were shaking. I know that I was brought in for these kinds of mom

Arsenal hosts Man United, Bonucci available for Union Berlin debut

A look at what's happening in European soccer on Sunday: ENGLAND Arsenal hosts Manchester United in a major test for teams looking to challenge Manchester City for the title. Both sides are hoping their first-choice striker will be fit to make a first start to the season, with Gabriel Jesus and United newcomer Rasmus Hojlund having recovered from injuries. Liverpool hosts Aston Villa in another marquee matchup after rebuffing late interest from Saudi Arabia for Mohamed Salah. Crystal Palace welcomes Wolverhampton. SPAIN Portugal players Joo Cancelo and Joo Flix are on Barcelona's squad for its visit to Osasuna after they joined the club just before the close of the summer transfer window on Friday. Iigo Martnez could also make his debut after the former Athletic Bilbao defender recovered from an injury that has kept him from playing since signing for Barcelona this summer. Atletico Madrid hosts a Sevilla side in a nosedive after losing its first four of games in all competitions

EPL: Arsenal visits Palace, AC Milan opens season at Bologna in Serie A

A look at what's happening in European soccer on Monday: ENGLAND Arsenal heads to London rival Crystal Palace for a game between two teams looking for a second straight Premier League victory to start the season. Arsenal has to do without Jurrien Timber, who sustained a long-term knee injury in the season opener, while goalkeeper David Raya is expected to be on the bench after his move from Brentford. Palace manager Roy Hodgson is pleased to still have Michael Olise in his squad after the winger turned down the chance to join Chelsea and signed a new four-year deal at Selhurst Park. SPAIN Sevilla looks to rebound from its loss to Manchester City in the UEFA Super Cup final when it visits Alaves in the Spanish league. Both Sevilla and Alaves opened with defeats last weekend Sevilla at home against Valencia and Alaves at Cadiz. Alaves, back in the first division after a year in the second tier, is winless against Sevilla in its last nine league matches against the rival. Sevilla has

Man United vs Wolves in EPL, Atletico Madrid starts its campaign in La Liga

A look at what's happening in European soccer on Monday: ENGLAND The first round of games in the Premier League concludes with Manchester United hosting Wolverhampton. United is set to give competitive debuts to two of its offseason signings midfielder Mason Mount and goalkeeper Andre Onana as the team looks to make a strong start to Erik ten Hag's second year in charge. Wolves will be under a new manager in Gary O'Neil, who has only been in charge a few weeks. SPAIN After a strong finish last season, Atletico Madrid begins its Spanish league campaign by hosting promoted Granada. Diego Simeone's Atletico kept the core of its squad in attack and midfield, and boosted its defense with Cesar Azpilicueta and Caglar Soyuncu. The attack will again be led by Antoine Griezmann as doubts still surround the permanence of Joo Flix. Granada is back in the first division after a single season in the second tier. Alaves, also back to the top flight in its first attempt following relegation, ..

Real Madrid sign goalkeeper Kepa on loan from Chelsea after Courtois injury

Real Madrid has signed goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan from Chelsea to help make up for the absence of the injured Thibaut Courtois, the Spanish club said Monday. Kepa's signing comes four days after Courtois tore a ligament in his left knee during training. The injury will sideline the Belgian international for most of the season. Kepa arrives on a contract until the end of the season and will join a squad that already included Ukrainian Andriy Lunin, a reserve to Courtois who on Saturday started in the 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in the team's Spanish league opener. It wasn't immediately clear if Spanish international Kepa would arrive as a starter. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti previously said he had full confidence in the 24-year-old Lunin, who is entering his fourth season with the club. Kepa had been in talks to join Bayern Munich but the deal fell through after Madrid showed interest in signing the 28-year-old player. Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said Sun