Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Real Madrid to announce Kylian Mbappe signing on Friday

Real Madrid are reportedly closing in on the signing of Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.

After it emerged that the La Liga giants had made a formal bid for the player earlier this week, the two clubs exchanged words which suggested that finalising a deal would prove difficult.

However, Los Blancos are said to have improved their bid to €170m (£145.87m) plus €10m (£8.58m), terms which will realistically have to be considered by their PSG counterparts.

According to Marca, the French club will formally accept that offer on Friday, creating the possibility of an announcement from Real later in the day.

Given Mbappe’s well-documented desire to make the switch to the Bernabeu, personal terms are expected to be a formality.

The 22-year-old has less than 12 months remaining on his contract at Parc des Princes, effectively forcing PSG’s hand when it came to parting ways with their former most prized asset

Categories
football Sports News

KARIM BENZEMA STARS AS REAL MADRID BEATS ALAVES

A double from striker Karim Benzema and goals from Nacho and Vinicius Jr. secured Real Madrid’s first three points of the season after a 4-1 victory against Deportivo Alaves in match day 1 of the Spanish La Liga at the Estadio Mendizorroza.

The game kicked off at a blistering pace and the first dangerous moment fell to the home side after six minutes but Rioja’s effort from the edge of the box was safely dealt with by Courtois. Real Madrid responded 11 minutes later, but Hazard’s whipped effort from outside the area failed to find the target.

About halfway through the opening 45 minutes, Carlo Ancelotti’s men began to really take charge of the encounter, with Benzema looking to make their superiority count in the 32nd minute. He brought down Militão’s long pass superbly and unleashed a fierce effort from the edge of the box which flew just wide.

The second half was a different story altogether, with Real Madrid taking the lead almost immediately.

Lucas Vázquez pulled the ball back on 48’ and Hazard’s sublime back-heeled pass found Benzema, whose first-time volleyed finish from on the penalty spot was equally as impressive.

Eight minutes later, Madrid doubled its lead when Modrić crossed with his left and the sliding Nacho turned the ball in with half-an-hour left to play.

Moments later, Madrid extended its lead when Valverde driving run found Benzema, whose initial effort was blocked by the keeper but the Frenchman fired the rebound into the net.

Alavés refused to be defeated and in the 65th minutes, they reduced the deficit when Joselu converted a penalty after Courtois had brought down Guidetti.

Madrid finished the game in style when Vinicius Jr. produced a diving header from a cross by Alaba on his official Madrid debut to make it 4-1.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid hung on to pick up their first three points of the new La Liga campaign. The Italian coach got his second stint in charge of Real Madrid off to the perfect start thanks to a dominant second half performance.

Karim Benzema picked up where he left off at the end of last season, scoring twice in addition to goals from Nacho and Vinicius.

Next up, Real madrid will play Levante at the Ciudad de Valencia stadium on Sunday

Other La Liga results

Cadiz 1-1 Levante

Mallorca 1-1 Real Betis

Deportivo Alaves 1-4 Real Madrid

Osasuna 0-0 Espanyol

Categories
football Slides Sports News

CHELSEA SECURES SEMI-FINAL FIRST LEG DRAW AT REAL MADRID

Christian Pulisic’s fine strike handed Chelsea a 1-1 Champions League semi-final first leg draw at Real Madrid on a sodden night where Timo Werner spurned two gilt-edged chances.

Karim Benzema’s peerless exhibition of clinical marksmanship rescued the draw for a Real side muddled by a change of formation and the Blues’ technical and tactical acumen.

Pulisic became the first man to score past former Chelsea stopper Thibaut Courtois in six hours and 44 minutes, as the Blues enjoyed a stellar opening.

Werner’s flimsy finish allowed Courtois to produce a short-range save when the Germany forward should have powered into the net.

And the ex-RB Leipzig striker was unable to convert another big opening, failing to connect with Pulisic’s cross at Madrid’s Alfredo Di Stefano training ground stadium.

Chelsea will still occupy the box seat for the return leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, May 5, with Thomas Tuchel’s men producing another hugely impressive performance.

But despite boasting that potentially pivotal away goal, the west Londoners will be forgiven for wondering what might have been had Werner netted one or both of his prime chances.

Madrid paid the price for a quizzical switch to three at the back straight from the off.

Werner should have scored before the game had even settled, but instead he side-footed straight at Courtois.

Pulisic’s unselfish header across goal begged to be blasted into the net, but Werner’s tentative effort handed the ex-Chelsea keeper the chance to parry clear.

Pulisic was in no mood to waste an opening however, and his decisive strike put the Blues 1-0 up in the 14th minute.

Antonio Rudiger’s sumptuous lofted ball caught Real out at the back, allowing Pulisic to spring whatever offside trap there was and power into the box.

The USA forward stayed calm as Courtois raced out, stepping round the keeper before powering home.

So poor were Madrid that Chelsea were able to canter into the final third almost at will once past the hosts’ porous midfield three.

Benzema produced the first threat for Real however, thundering a 20-yard effort against a post.

And the French striker then conjured an equaliser of the highest quality just before the half hour, cushioning a header to himself six yards out – then flashing a snap volley past the helpless Edouard Mendy.

With Chelsea’s scoreboard dominance cancelled out in one stellar moment, Tuchel’s unperturbed men set about taking the game to Madrid once more.

Had Werner connected with Pulisic’s teasing cross, Chelsea would have taken the lead again.

The Germany forward still found time to screw a shot wide of the near post when Mason Mount was lurking in the centre of the box.

And so the scores stayed locked at 1-1 at the break, with both sides showing signs of fatigue in a circumspect third quarter.

Marcelo’s yellow card for a professional foul on the marauding Pulisic just past the hour allowed Madrid to send in ex-Chelsea talisman Hazard, on for Vinicius Junior.

Chelsea sent Reece James, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz into the fray, with both managers determined to wrestle control of the tie.

Real switched to a back four for the closing 15 minutes and were almost caught out straight away, with Raphael Varane felling Havertz and earning a yellow card for his troubles.

Ziyech angled the resulting free-kick on goal, but Courtois comfortably gloved the effort.

Categories
football Sports News

KARIM BENZEMA TO FACE TRIAL ON ALLEGED SEX TAPE BLACKMAIL SCANDAL.

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema will face trial for complicity in an attempt to blackmail in a case linked to a sex tape featuring his former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena, French prosecutors said.

The public prosecutor’s office in Versailles, France said on Thursday the trial was ordered against the player for complicity in attempting to pressure Valbuena, who was allegedly threatened in a phone call in June 2015, with the publication of the video.

He will stand trial on the charge of conspiracy to attempt blackmail, the prosecutor’s office said. A date for the trial has yet to be set.

The 33-year-old Benzema, one of the most talented French forwards of his generation, has been banned from the national team since November 2015 because of his suspected involvement in the scandal, despite consistently performing well with Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The investigators who charged Benzema believe he was approached by a childhood friend that year to act as an intermediary and convince Valbuena to deal directly with the blackmailers. Instead, Valbuena informed the police.

Four other people will also stand trial in the case. Benzema denies any wrongdoing.

“This decision is as much absurd as it was predictable,” Benzema lawyer, Sylvain Cormier, told The Associated Press news agency, denouncing perceived “persecution” against the player.

When the story broke, Benzema faced a deluge of criticism and then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the former Lyon player had “no place” in the national team. Former French President Francois Hollande was quoted as saying in a book that Benzema was not an example of morality.

Neither Benzema nor Valbuena was selected by coach Didier Deschamps for the Euro 2016 finals on home soil in which France were beaten in the final by Portugal.

Benzema has not played for France since scoring twice in a 4-0 win over Armenia in October 2015, taking his tally to 27 goals in 81 internationals.

Categories
football Sports News

AHEAD TITLE VICTORY: REAL MADRID WANTS FANS TO CELEBRATE LA LIGA TITLE INDOORS

Real Madrid are on the vouch of winning the 2019/2020 La Liga title, but after seeing what happened after Liverpool’s Premier League triumph, the Bernabeu side wants its fans to celebrate indoors.


Real Madrid issued a public statement on Tuesday urging fans not to gather to celebrate any potential title considering the coronavirus concerns that still persist in Spain and its capital city. It’s been customary for the club’s supporters to celebrate its many successes at the Cibeles fountain, but Real Madrid strongly prefers that tradition to be put on hold.


“Real Madrid C.F. calls on its club members and supporters not to gather in Cibeles in the event that the team secures the La Liga title,” the club wrote. “We are all aware of the difficult situation that we are experiencing and the efforts being made across society to counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Football is also playing its part in this and, with everyone’s help, we managed to resume the competition in extremely complex circumstances.”


Real Madrid will win the league Thursday if it beats Villarreal or Barcelona loses to Osasuna. Real leads Barça by four points with two games remaining and holds the tiebreaker vs. Barcelona by virtue of a better head-to-head mark this season. When Liverpool won its first English title in 30 years, fans flocked to Anfield and drew the ire of the club and local law enforcement. Real Madrid doesn’t want a repeat.


“In the event that Real Madrid are crowned champions, our players will not visit the usual points of celebration, in particular, the Plaza de Cibeles and we therefore also ask our club members and supporters that, in the event that we secure the title, they did not gather in these places. In this regard, all of us must make a contribution, as has been the case to date, and show the utmost responsibility to avoid the risk of contagion,” Real Madrid’s statement continued. 


“Real Madrid thanks our members and supporters in advance for their understanding. All of the effort and work put in by our players, coaching staff and the club towards this possible title success has always been done with a view to sharing the triumph with our fans, but we are aware that the current situation obliges us to maximize the necessary precautionary measures. 

“Real Madrid feels the duty to issue this important call in a show of utmost responsibility and with the firm belief that any possible triumph involving our team must not give rise to a massive backward step in the battle we are all waging against this pandemic.”


Real Madrid and Barcelona have simultaneous kickoffs on Thursday. Should Real Madrid lose and Barcelona win, the title would go down to the final day of the season on Sunday.