Sports
El Clasico: Real Madrid shock Barcelona at Camp Nou
A second-half penalty from Sergio Ramos helped lift Real Madrid to a 1-3 victory over Barcelona in the latest instalment of El Clasico on Saturday evening at the Camp Nou.
The two sides produced a thrilling first half in which Fede Valverde and Ansu Fati exchanged goals in the first 10 minutes, before Barcelona seemingly took control early in the second stanza. However, a key penalty call via VAR earned Real Madrid a penalty, which Ramos duly converted, and a late Luka Modric strike polished things off for Los Blancos.
The win for Real Madrid halts a two-match losing streak, while it marks a second straight La Liga loss for the Catalans.
There was a strong infusion of youth in the starting XI of Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman, with 17-year-olds Pedri and Ansu Fati getting the nod on the wings, as did 19-year-old right-back Sergino Dest, who became the first ever United States player to start and play in a Clasico.
As for the visitors from the capital and maligned head coach Zinedine Zidane, Marco Asensio was a notable inclusion in attack for Los Blancos, while it was surprising to see veteran midfielder Modric relegated to the bench. Ramos also won his race to fitness and was slotted in at his customary centre-back position.
Zidane’s men were quick out of the gates and drew first blood inside the first five minutes when a perfectly weighted pass from Karim Benzema found a wide-open Valverde, who sent a rocket into net for a 0-1 Real Madrid lead.
But the defensive frailties showed by Real Madrid in their previous outings were exposed in short order and a ball over the top from Messi found the streaking Jordi Alba on the left wing.
The veteran left-back, who was making a return from injury, then hit a perfect square ball for Ansu Fati to turn into net to even things up 1-1.
The action was end-to-end and seconds after Real Marid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied Messi at the near post, Barcelona shot-stopper Neto had to come up big with a save from a Benzema shot after a superb cross from Toni Kroos.
Shortly before half time, Zidane was forced into his first change with the hobbling Nacho having to yield his spot to Lucas Vazquez. Barcelona had the stronger start of the two in the second half and a Ansu Fati cross floated to Philippe Coutinho could have been headed in, but the Brazilian missed wide.
Right when Barcelona were displaying their best football, controversy erupted and a penalty was awarded to Real Madrid after VAR ruled that Clement Lenglet had pulled on Ramos’ shirt in the area.
The captain stepped up and like he has so many times, coolly converted the spot-kick to hand Real Madrid a 1-2 lead.
An injury to a woozy Fede Valverde provoked the second change for Real Madrid, as Modric came on for the young Uruguayan.
With less than a quarter-hour to play, Koeman finally made his first changes, with Antoine Griezmann, Francisco Trincao and Ousmane Dembele came on for Ansu Fati, Pedri and Busquets, while Zidane swapped off Asensio for Rodrygo Goes.
Barcelona’s frustrations began to grow, while Real Madrid looked very comfortable holding the late lead. Los Blancos had a trio of chances to put the nail in the coffin, the first two coming off the boot of Kroos, followed shortly by a clear-cut chance for Ramos, only to see Neto rise to the challenge and make a pair of spectacular saves.
Martin Braithwaite was the next roll of the dice from Koeman in replacing Alba, but it was all for naught when Neto spilled the ball with Vinicius charging and Modric cleaned things up by depositing the ball into the net to complete the 1-3 scoreline.
Sports
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
AC Milan midfielder, Tijjani Reijnders, has shared the reason behind naming his dog after Argentina football legend, Lionel Messi.
The 26-year-old Dutchman, who joined AC Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 for a reported €20 million, said Messi had always been his idol.
Reijnders explained that he made the decision to name his dog Messi due to his admiration for the legendary player.
“My dog’s name is Messi, when I was young I always said if I got a dog I would name him Messi, because for me [he] is the best player in the world,” Reijnders said in an interview with All About Argentina.
“Then we decided we would get a dog, and the first thing I said to my wife is if we got a dog we would name him Messi.”
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Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the US after an illustrious career at Barcelona, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
He has won the Ballon d’Or record eight times and is the highest goalscorer in the history of European football, with 704 goals and 303 assists in 853 games. Additionally, he has scored 112 goals and assisted 58 in 191 matches in the US.
Reijnders’ dog is a Pomsky, a crossbreed between a Pomeranian and a Husky, as he had previously revealed in an interview with Sempremilan.
The midfielder’s deep admiration for Messi has now extended to his furry companion, making the dog’s name a tribute to the football icon.
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
Sports
Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points
Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points
Leaders Liverpool strengthened their grip at the top of the Premier League after coming from behind to defeat struggling Leicester City and move seven points clear.
Leicester had lost five of their previous seven matches but stunned Anfield by taking the lead through Jordan Ayew’s sharp sixth-minute finish.
Liverpool endured a frustrating half as Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah hit the post and crossbar respectively before Cody Gakpo levelled right on the stroke of half-time with a lovely curling finish from the edge of the box.
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That lifted the hosts who took the lead for the first time just four minutes into the second half, Curtis Jones marking his 100th Premier League appearance by turning in Alexis Mac Allister’s cross.
Leicester, who dropped into the relegation zone after Wolves’ win over Manchester United earlier in the day, missed a golden opportunity to equalise when Patson Daka mis-kicked in front of goal before Mohamed Salah made sure of the points when he swept home the third goal – his 19th of the season.
While they are one point from safety after a third straight defeat, Liverpool are in a commanding position at the top, with a game in hand on the two teams immediately below them.
With Liverpool next in action on Sunday at West Ham (17:15 GMT), they have an opportunity to open up a 10-point lead on nearest rivals Chelsea, who are not in action until the following day at Ipswich (19:45).
Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points
Sports
Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United
Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United
Manchester United’s set-piece curse struck again as Matheus Cunha became the second player in three games to score directly from a corner against them as Wolves defeated them to climb out of the bottom three.
Ruben Amorim’s men were already up against it at at Molineux following the 47th-minute dismissal of skipper Bruno Fernandes for a second yellow card.
However, just as Son Hueng-min did for Tottenham a week ago, Cunha found the net with a corner that sailed over Andre Onana’s outstretched arm in a crowded six-yard box.
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The points were sealed in the eighth minute of added time when, as United chased an equaliser, Wolves broke and Cunha squared the ball for Hwang Hee-chan to make it 2-0.
In recent weeks, Amorim has tried and failed to make his side more secure but Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have also capitalised from United’s frailty at defending balls pumped into their box during a run of five defeats in seven games in all competitions.
Amorim has now collected seven points from his six league games in charge. By contrast new Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has six from two as he followed up the weekend win at Leicester with a first home victory over United since 2019.
If life was not bad enough for United, they will now be without Fernandes for the home game with Newcastle on 30 December and also midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who picked up his fifth booking of the season.
Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United
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