Real Madrid ought to have too much for Napoli, but there are tough challenges ahead for Arsenal, Leicester and Paris Saint-Germain Related: Champions League final: Ronaldo ‘had feeling’ he would score winner Related: Arsenal better set for deep run in Champions League, says Arsène Wenger Related: Juventus 1-3 Barcelona | Champions League final match report Continue reading...
The ruthless centre-back stepped up again when it mattered most to score his 62nd Real Madrid goal and earn a draw that felt like a victory in el clásicoIt was time, Ramos time. In fact, if anything, he was a little early. The clock had reached 89 minutes in the first clásico of the season and Barcelona were winning 1-0, Madrid’s lead at the top reduced to three points, game on again, and Luka Modric was standing by the ball out on the left where Arda Turan had gifted them one last chance, the kind of moment this man is made for. Thirty yards away, Sergio Ramos nodded “over here” at him, eyebrows, eyes and head gesturing surreptitiously. At least...
Barça captain Andrés Iniesta had his team humming against Real Madrid and has been tested by scientists who believe they can identify in-game intelligenceLess than a minute after replacing Ivan Rakitic during a strangely discordant el clásico, Andrés Iniesta had Barcelona humming sweeter harmonies again. His first act was to float to the centre, collect from Gerard Piqué and exchange a wall-pass with Lionel Messi – bam, bam, bam – which started a 31-pass move. His next was to set up Neymar for a chance he smashed over. Later he steered a glorious eye of the needle ball that Messi, with the match at his feet, screwed wide.True, Madrid stole an equaliser at the death but with Iniesta back from...
Madrid have won La Liga only once in the past eight years but victory over Barcelona at the Camp Nou would put them nine points clear of their rivalsZidane scored for Real Madrid this week – Enzo Zidane, that is. Just when his dad thought things could not get any better, the 21-year-old got a goal on his debut – 17 minutes after he walked on to the Bernabéu pitch and a decade after his father last walked off it.It is 3,861 days since Zinedine was a Madrid player; 333 days since he became the Madrid manager and he is already a European Champion, a European Super Cup champion and a very proud parent. Win on Saturday afternoon and the...
The Real Madrid forward scored a hat-trick in the last derby against Atlético at the Vicente Calderón, with the numbers starting to add up for his managerCristiano Ronaldo put his hands on his hips and took a long, lingering look up at the Vicente Calderón. He stood there for a while, alone, striking a challenging pose, chest out and steady in front of the south stand. Beyond the netting, a barrier for flying objects, thousands of Atlético Madrid fans raised their middle fingers and their voices. Others just looked stunned. In the middle somewhere, one of them puffed on a cigarette. So this is how it ends. An hour and a half earlier, a huge banner had engulfed them all:...