The dazzling but flawed Brazilian teenager ended his latest goal drought to resurrect Real Madrid and blow Barça awayFirst Casemiro told Vinícius Júnior where to go, then Toni Kroos showed him. And so, as it turned out, did Gerard Piqué although that wasn’t what he wanted. With 19 minutes left in the clásico it all came together and the next thing they knew this kid was standing there in the middle of the mayhem showing everyone the badge on his shirt, a massive grin on his face. There was resurrection and redemption for all of them, and for Vinícius especially. There was a huge roar too, the ball in the net and Real Madrid top of the table, the league...
Zinedine Zidane knows his side must improve after a poor league run and European loss but nor are Barcelona in great fettlerThe Manchester City fans high in the north-east stand of the Bernabéu who belted out Blue Moon weren’t the only ones who had enjoyed watching Real Madrid lose on Wednesday night. For Barcelona supporters, any defeat for their rivals is to be celebrated and all the more so if it is inflicted by Pep Guardiola, but this carried still greater significance, bringing a surge of hope. As City fans sang in the stadium, 370 miles away Sport prepared its front page. The picture showed the manager pointing, by the headline: “Pep, you show us the way.”Four days later Barcelona...
Pep Guardiola was right to say if there is any team that can turn the deficit around it is Madrid, but that old belief is starting to look like it may need revisingSergio Ramos walked off the pitch and, many imagined, straight out of Europe. “If there is any team, anywhere in the world that can turn this around it is Real Madrid,” Pep Guardiola said. But as the Real fans departed the Bernabéu, leaving their stadium to the Manchester City supporters singing Blue Moon high in the north-east corner, it did not feel like it.Without their captain, shown the 26th red card of his career at the end of those final 15 minutes that Zinedine Zidane said had been...
A night of noisy defiance at the Bernabéu turned to outright delirium as City emerged victorious from the belly of ‘the cartel’“We ask Manchester City’s fans to stay seated at the end of the match,” the Bernabéu PA pleaded as the minutes ticked down. Ha. Fat chance.Into the belly of the beast. And indeed, fuck Uefa too, as City’s fans insisted throughout the night from their perch in the gods. This was a glorious night for the insurgents from the east side of Manchester, as Pep Guardiola’s team went a long way towards effecting their own summary eviction from the Champions League. Related: Manchester City secure famous win at Real thanks to De Bruyne and Jesus Related: Real Madrid 1-2...
Liverpool, Manchester City, Spurs and Chelsea face differing challenges in a Champions League group stage that is likely to be one of the last in the competition’s current formatThe Champions League returns on Tuesday with Liverpool back at the stadium where they won their sixth European crown last year. Atlético Madrid will represent a formidable obstacle as Jürgen Klopp and his players attempt the unlikely feat of reaching a third successive Champions League final in addition to claiming a first English title in 30 years, though of the four English teams aiming for a place in the last eight it could be argued that Liverpool have been best favoured by the draw.It is true that Tottenham’s opponents, RB Leipzig, have...