Madrid Win But Mbappe Fires Bernabeu Blanks

Published

8 months ago

August 26, 2024

Admin

Spanish champions Real Madrid earned a 3-0 win over Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday as Kylian Mbappe made his Santiago Bernabeu bow without finding the net.

Atletico Madrid comfortably beat last season’s surprise package Girona by the same scoreline later on in the capital.

Madrid’s French striker Mbappe played at home for the first time in a Los Blancos shirt but was largely frustrated by Valladolid’s defence.

Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde opened the scoring after 50 minutes and substitutes Brahim Diaz and debutant Endrick struck late on.

Without the injured Jude Bellingham Madrid created little in the first half but did enough after the break to earn their first win of the season, following an opening draw at Real Mallorca.

Still lacking fluency in attack, Carlo Ancelotti’s side stayed two points behind rivals Barcelona, who beat Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

“We were too slow in the first half, the second half we were much more active, there was more movement, much faster with the ball,” said Ancelotti.

Real Valladolid set out to frustrate the champions in the summer heat and succeeded for 45 minutes.

Madrid came out with more bite in the second half and Valverde smashed home a vicious low free-kick with the help of a deflection to break the deadlock.

– Endrick arrives –

Mbappe blew a golden opportunity to get off the mark when Vinicius cut the ball across to him, but Estonian goalkeeper Karl Hein saved well.

The France captain had another chance on the counter-attack but fired wide before being replaced by 18-year-old Brazilian forward Endrick.

Mbappe scored on his debut in a UEFA Super Cup triumph but in La Liga, has failed to score in his opening two matches.

“He’s a spectacular forward, very fast, moves well without the ball, attacks in behind, he had three or four chances (which were) created with his movement,” said Ancelotti.

“In this position, he will score like he always scores, I don’t think he needs to play from the left, in the centre in the end he will score goals.”

Diaz secured Madrid’s win with a neat lobbed finish and then teed up Endrick, who drilled home at the near post to celebrate his first appearance for the club in style.

“(Endrick) has got a lot of potential and for his goal he showed his quality,” added Ancelotti.

“He’s a centre-forward who plays in the box, in small spaces he’s very dangerous.”

Madrid signed Endrick from Palmeiras in 2022 but he arrived this summer, once old enough to move.

– Atletico on song –

Antoine Griezmann, Marcos Llorente and Koke’s strikes helped Diego Simeone’s Atletico claim their first win of the campaign against Girona.

Julian Alvarez started for the Rojiblancos at their Metropolitano stadium while new arrival Conor Gallagher made his debut as a substitute after joining from Chelsea.

“The fans were really excited for this one, playing at home for the first time in some time, with new signings — a perfect night,” said Griezmann.

The hosts had control of the game as Michel Sanchez’s Girona, who finished third ahead of fourth-place Atletico last term, struggled to make an impact.

Griezmann put Atletico ahead shortly before the interval with a hard and low free-kick which caught goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga out.

Llorente increased the lead early in the second half with a thunderbolt from outside the area which flashed into the roof of the net.

Girona, who lost several key players in the summer, have only one point from their first two matches.

Koke wrapped up Atletico’s win on the counter-attack in stoppage time when Llorente put the ball on a plate for him to finish.

“It’s a process, the season is long but we want to get to our best version as soon as we can,” said Girona midfielder Oriol Romeu.

Teams that have qualified for the 2025-2026 Champions League

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2025

Austin Ojomah

Today we dive into some of the clubs that have already qualified for the 2025-26 Champions League group stage based on the current standings in some of the top European leagues and teams that have mathematically secured a top finish as of today, April 22, 2025:

Liverpool: They have mathematically secured a top-five finish in the Premier League, guaranteeing their Champions League spot due to England’s strong UEFA coefficient ranking.

Arsenal: They are highly likely to qualify, holding a significant point advantage over sixth place.

Bayer Leverkusen: They have secured a top-four finish in the Bundesliga.

Bayern Munich: They have also secured a top-four finish in the Bundesliga.

Barcelona: They are currently in a position to qualify through their league standing.

Real Madrid: They are also in a strong position to qualify through their league standing.

Paris Saint-Germain: They are in a qualifying position in Ligue 1.

Now, those are the usual suspects. There are several other teams that have qualified as league champions in their respective countries, though their entry point, i.e., group stage or qualifying rounds, depends on their league’s UEFA coefficient ranking. Some are familiar; others, not so familiar. They are:

Qarabag (Azerbaijan)

Differdange 03 (Luxembourg)

Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)

Malmö FF (Sweden)

Kairat (Kazakhstan)

KuPS (Finland)

Shelbourne (Ireland)

RFS (Latvia)

Víkingur (Faroe Islands)

Breiðablik (Iceland)

Linfield (Northern Ireland)

The New Saints (Wales)

Virtus (San Marino)

Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)

Galatasaray (Türkiye)

Ajax (Netherlands)

Sporting CP (Portugal)

Genk (Belgium)

As the current season winds down, the number of qualified teams will increase. Follow the league standings in the major European leagues and the results of the current Champions League and Europa League to stay updated.

Sports

Burnley, Leeds United seal Premier League return

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2025

Admin

Burnley beat Sheffield United 2-1 to seal automatic promotion to the Premier League on Saturday, with the result also sending Championship leaders Leeds United up alongside them.

Leeds had earlier thrashed Stoke City 6-0 to go top of the Championship on 94 points with two matches remaining and needed Burnley to then not lose to third-placed Sheffield United to make sure they would finish in the top two.

Burnley duly obliged with Josh Brownhill scoring twice at Turf Moor, either side of Tom Cannon’s equaliser.

Scott Parker’s side, who were relegated last season, joined Leeds on 94 points to leave Sheffield United on 86, and now face the prospect of trying to join them via the playoffs.

Joel Piroe scored a hat-trick in the opening 20 minutes for Leeds at a raucous Elland Road and added another before halftime as the hosts stormed 5-0 ahead by the interval.

Leeds are heading back to the top flight after being relegated in 2023 after three seasons in the Premier League.

Fourth-placed Sunderland are guaranteed a playoff place despite a 1-0 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers, who kept alive their slim hopes of a top-six finish.

Fifth-placed Bristol City went down 3-1 at relegation battlers Luton Town, but remained above Coventry City who also lost 3-1 to bottom club Plymouth Argyle.

Seventh-placed Middlesbrough will be kicking themselves as they failed to capitalise on the defeats for Bristol and Coventry as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday despite taking an early lead.

With two games remaining, Bristol City have 67 points, Coventry have 66, and Middlesbrough have 63.

Millwall and Blackburn, with 63 and 62 points respectively, are also still involved in the playoff picture.

AFP

Sports

EPL Results: Chelsea Boost UCL Hopes, Arsenal Win Big, Man United Lost

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2025

Austin Ojomah

The English Premier League matchday 33 delivered high drama and significant movements in the table as Chelsea pulled off a last-gasp comeback, Wolves completed a historic double over Manchester United, and Arsenal cruised to a dominant away victory.
Over at Craven Cottage, Fulham suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Chelsea. Enzo Maresca’s side clawed back from a goal down to snatch all three points dramatically.

Chelsea claimed a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon to strengthen their push for UEFA Champions League qualification. Goals from Tyrique George and Pedro Neto in the final 15 minutes turned the tide after Alex Iwobi’s first-half strike had given the hosts the lead.

Chelsea struggled to create clear chances despite dominating possession for large stretches. The Blues lacked composure in the final third, with Pedro Neto seeing a powerful effort blocked by Bernd Leno and Cole Palmer dragging a promising opportunity wide after a clever run into the area.

Alex Iwobi had put Fulham ahead in the 20th minute, but Chelsea responded late. Tyrique George equalized in the 83rd minute before Pedro Neto fired home a stoppage-time winner (90’+3). The victory lifts Chelsea back to fifth, now just two points behind third-placed Newcastle.

At Portman Road, Ipswich Town suffered a humiliating 0-4 defeat at the hands of Arsenal. The Gunners dismantled the Premier League newcomers with a clinical performance.

Leandro Trossard netted twice (14’, 69’), while Gabriel Martinelli (28’) and teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri (88’) also got on the scoresheet. The win keeps Arsenal firmly in the title race and adds to Ipswich’s struggles near the bottom of the table.

At Old Trafford, Manchester United suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Wolves in the Premier League matchday 33. Pablo Sarabia stunned the home crowd with a sublime free-kick in the 77th minute, sealing a second win of the season over United for Wolves.

Note that this is the first time the Midlands club has done the league double over United since the 1979-1980 season. The win puts Wolves level on points with the Red Devils, tightening the race for European spots.