Football: Real Madrid stun Man City to reach Champions League final

MADRID, Spain -- Karim Benzema scored an extra-time penalty as Real Madrid pulled off another astonishing comeback in the Champions League to stun Manchester City 3-1 on Wednesday and book a showdown with Liverpool in the final.

City looked certain to go through when Riyad Mahrez put them 1-0 up and 5-3 ahead on aggregate but Rodrygo, on as a substitute, scored an incredible late double, his goals in the 90th and 91st minutes sending the tie to extra time.

With City still reeling, Real Madrid landed the knock-out blow as Benzema earned and then converted a spot-kick to snatch a 6-5 win on aggregate, with another remarkable fightback at the Santiago Bernabeu added to the club's long list of magical European nights.

"It's the greatness of this club," said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti. "It's a club that doesn't allow you to give up even if it seems everything is over. It gives you the strength to keep going, to fight, to believe."

Ancelotti said his players had watched a video before the game, showing eight of Real Madrid's comebacks this season, for inspiration.

"At the end it said 'There's one more left' and we have achieved it," Ancelotti said, after becoming the first coach to reach five Champions League finals.

Madrid had already performed the unlikeliest of rescue acts to defeat both Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 and Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

Like PSG and Chelsea before them, City will wonder how they emerged as losers from a match they largely controlled and there will be fresh scrutiny on coach Pep Guardiola, who, for all his success, goes another year without leading City to the European glory they so crave.

"It's tough for us, I can't deny that," said Guardiola. "We were so close."

City's collapse would have been almost inexplicable had it been against anyone other than Real Madrid, who advance to their 17th final in the competition. They are a victory against Liverpool away from lifting a 14th European Cup.

"Another magic night from the kings of Europe," read a banner draped over the stand at one end before kick-off but for most of normal time, this match failed to live up to the seven-goal thriller at the Etihad Stadium last week.

Real Madrid were the more assertive early on, with Benzema given a couple of difficult opportunities that he put off target.

In between, Luka Modric and Rodri clashed over a Casemiro challenge and then City stepped forward, squeezing Madrid into errors as Kevin De Bruyne hit Thibaut Courtois from distance before the goalkeeper had to make a smart reaction save from Bernardo Silva.

Real Madrid survived and then improved before the break, Modric causing a roar of satisfaction when he outsprinted De Bruyne to cut off a counter.

Probably their best chance came within seconds of the restart as Dani Carvajal found space down the right but Vinicius Junior shot wide at the back post.

- Mahrez strikes -

An injury to City right-back Kyle Walker checked Madrid's momentum and when the game found its rhythm again, the visitors struck, Ilkay Gundogan's pass cutting through Madrid's midfield and finding Silva, who danced through to the edge of the box.

Silva shaped to shoot but instead wedged the ball right to Mahrez, who smashed it hard, early and past Courtois.

Modric went off and with the Croatian seemed to go some of Madrid's belief.

Jack Grealish, on as a substitute, could have made it two for City but somehow Ferland Mendy cleared off the line, before another Grealish shot flashed past the post.

It felt inconsequential because Madrid looked dead and buried but somehow, out of nowhere, they found a way back.

It was the 90th minute when Benzema cushioned a ball brilliantly across for Rodrygo to feather in at the near post and the cheer for the goal was only a little louder than for the stadium announcer then saying there would be six minutes of added time.

Madrid only needed one as Carvajal swung a cross into the box, where the diminutive Rodrygo headed in.

When play resumed, Madrid emerged the stronger and four minutes in, they had a penalty, Benzema tumbling over the tired, lunging leg of Ruben Dias before ignoring City's attempts at distraction by rolling the spot-kick into the corner.

City pushed as Fernandinho came up just short at the back post when Courtois parried away. A late flick from Dias into the box floated harmlessly into the hands of Courtois, City's final attempt coming to nothing.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Man City let Real Madrid off the hook in seven-goal Champions League classic

MANCHESTER -- Pep Guardiola said he had to reiterate to his players they had beaten Real Madrid 4-3 in a Champions League classic on Tuesday despite the disappointment of not killing off their semi-final tie at the Etihad.

Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were on target for Manchester City, who held a two-goal lead three times.

But Karim Benzema's double and a brilliant individual effort from Vinicius Junior gave Madrid hope of another famous Champions League fightback at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4.

Guardiola lamented letting Liverpool escape "alive" in the Premier League title race after a 2-2 draw at the Etihad nine days ago and will have similar regrets after a blistering opening that could have seen City go 4-0 up inside half an hour.

"I want to try to convince to my players that we won the game and we have to go to Bernabeu to play like we did today," said Guardiola.

"It doesn't matter if we would have won by one goal or four, in the Bernabeu you have to show who you are otherwise there is no chance. It is a good test for us."

Madrid, the record 13-time European champions, were playing in their 30th semi-final to City's third, but the English champions lived up to their tag as pre-tie favorites early on.

Only 92 seconds had passed before the Madrid rearguard was breached by Riyad Mahrez's quick feet and perfect cross for De Bruyne to stoop and head past Thibaut Courtois.

Jesus pounced to make it 2-0 after just 10 minutes when David Alaba failed to deal with De Bruyne's cross.

"We started the game very badly, we were too soft in conceding the goals," said Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

"After that the team showed what they have shown recently, a great reaction.

"We have to defend better. If we defend better in the second leg we'll win. If we don't, we will be out."

The Spanish champions-elect were without Casemiro and his absence showed as City cut through midfield on the counter-attack at will.

Guardiola was furious with Mahrez after he selfishly smashed into the side-netting with Foden awaiting the cross for a tap-in.

Moments later it was Foden who was guilty of wasting a glorious chance when he dragged wide another pinpoint De Bruyne through ball.

- Benzema rouses Madrid -

Benzema dragged Madrid back from the dead to see off Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the previous two rounds and again rose to his side's rescue before half-time.

The Frenchman cushioned in his 40th goal of the season off the post from Ferland Mendy's cross.

"We never gave up," said Benzema. "Sometimes you have to grin and bear it and we did that. City are a great team but kept working hard and got the three goals."

Yet, Madrid's good work in steadying the ship towards the end of the first half was undone in another slow start after the break.

Mahrez hit the post when one-on-one with Courtois before Dani Carvajal blocked Foden's follow-up on the line.

Fernandinho was forced to deputize at right-back after replacing the injured John Stones in the first half.

And the City captain had a major role to play in two goals in two minutes at either end.

Firstly, he picked out Foden to restore City's two-goal lead.

But the 36-year-old showed his age as Vinicius sprinted clear of his Brazilian compatriot from the halfway line before slotting past Ederson.

City continued to create chances at an alarming rate for Ancelotti but it took something special when they did finally get a fourth.

Oleksandr Zinchenko was fouled on the edge of the area, but Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs played advantage and Silva thrashed into the top corner.

Again City failed to put the tie to bed as Mahrez was inches away from finding the far corner from the narrowest of angles.

But there was a final twist eight minutes from time when Aymeric Laporte handled inside the area.

Benzema was the coolest man in the stadium as he chipped the spot-kick down the middle to leave the tie on a knife-edge headed back to the Spanish capital.

Agence France-Presse

Real Madrid’s Benzema gets suspended jail term in sex tape trial

VERSAILLES, France–France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was found guilty of complicity in the attempted blackmail of a former international teammate over a sex tape on Wednesday and sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term.

The Versailles court also fined him 75,000 euros ($84,170) and ordered him to pay former team mate Mathieu Valbuena 80,000 euros to cover legal costs and 150,000 euros in damages together with his three other co-accused.

Benzema’s lawyer said he would appeal against the verdict.

Benzema, who had denied any wrongdoing, was not in court. He is due to play for Real Madrid against Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol later in the day.

“This outcome in no way corresponds with the reality of events,” lawyer Antoine Vey told reporters afterwards.

Real Madrid declined to comment.

Earlier this month, the president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, said Benzema would not be excluded from the national team were he to be convicted and given the suspended sentence prosecutors wanted.

“The coach will always be responsible for his selection and Benzema will not be left out because of an eventual judicial sanction,” Le Graet told Le Parisien.

Prosecutors had argued that Benzema had encouraged Valbuena to pay a suspected group of blackmailers in order to keep the sexually explicit tape out of the public eye.

They said Valbuena received the first of several phone calls threatening to expose the tape in June 2015. Valbuena told the court it was clear the caller wanted money and that the blackmail attempt left him fearing for his career and place in the national squad.

Benzema was recruited by the alleged blackmailers to encourage Valbuena to pay as his teammate stalled, the prosecution had added.

Benzema had shown no goodwill to Valbuena and pretended to be have his best interests at heart, the judges said in their written ruling. Benzema had “deliberately helped the authors of the attempted blackmail of Valbuena”, they added.

Benzema and Valbuena both lost their places in the national team in the wake of the scandal, dubbed the “sex tape affair”.

Benzema, 33, who has played more than 90 times for his country, was recalled to the France squad for this year’s European Championship.

Among Benzema’s co-defendants were childhood friend Karim Zenati, who acted as an intermediary, and Mustapha Zouaoui, one of the suspected architects of the scam. All four defendants were found guilty in connection with the attempted blackmail.

-reuters

Ronaldo no dummy as he targets world treble

Cristiano Ronaldo will have little time for “cyber clones” or facial keepy-uppy when the Real Madrid superstar arrives in Japan next week for the Club World Cup.

The Portuguese pin-up met a life-size silicon Ronaldo complete with ripped abs, greased-back hair and twitching eyebrows on a commercial visit last year.

The world’s highest-paid athlete has also appeared in a Japanese commercial to promote a bizarre face-stretching gadget designed to enhance the user’s smile.

But Ronaldo, who rakes in nearly $90 million in salary and endorsements yearly according to Forbes, insisted he would be in Japan on a different kind of business as European champs Real chase a second Club World Cup in three years.

“It is a big tournament and I have been lucky enough to win it twice before,” he told Japan’s Nippon TV, referring to the 2014 tournament and his first personal triumph with previous club Manchester United in 2008.

“Of course I want to win it for a third time,” added the 31-year-old. “We are not going to Japan for a holiday. We go there with the sole aim of winning the title and to be crowned the best team in the world.”

Ronaldo, who touches down in Japan on Monday, has legions of female fans who swoon over his chiseled looks and muscular physique, which he regularly flaunts by removing his shirt to celebrate goals.

There is similar reaction when Ronaldo is wheeled out for Japanese television on his money-making trips as studio guests giddily poke and prod his stomach.

Cyber clone

Japanese scientists unveiled a cyber clone of the player last year to promote an electric muscle stimulator for sculpting a washboard stomach, a device being advertised again during commercial breaks at this year’s Club World Cup.

Ronaldo, tipped to win his third Ballon d’Or trophy on Monday, gave the doppelganger the thumbs-up but drew the line at modeling the propeller-like face stretcher, which requires the user to nod excitedly while biting on a ball in the middle.

Zinedine Zidane’s table-topping Real face either Mexico’s Club America or South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the competition’s second semi-final in Yokohama next Thursday.

Barring an major upsets, the Spanish giants will face Libertadores Cup holders Atletico Nacional in the competition final on December 18.

The Colombians will have the hopes of a grieving continent on their shoulders after Copa Sudamericana final opponents Chapecoense were all but wiped out in a plane crash on November 29 that claimed the lives of 71 people.

Real will be without Gareth Bale as the Welshman recovers from ankle surgery, but have been boosted by the return of Toni Kroos after a metatarsal fracture.

“Lifting the title for a third time would be special for me,” said Kroos, who won the 2013 Club World Cup with Bayern Munich.

“It’s a long trip and it won’t be easy to acclimatize,” he added. “We have a lot of matches at this time of year and it will be tough but it’s a tournament that we take very seriously.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ronaldo strikes shootout winner as Real crowned kings of Europe

Cristiano Ronaldo added the finishing touches as Real Madrid were crowned kings of Europe for an 11th time with a 5-3 penalties victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Two years after reviving Real’s bid for a 10th title, captain Sergio Ramos struck the opener after just 15 minutes at a packed San Siro.

But the match was pushed into extra time when Yannick Carrasco came off the bench to level on 79 minutes — the Belgian rushing towards the touchlines to kiss his partner in celebration.

After two scoreless periods of extra time the match went to penalties, and when defender Juanfran’s effort blasted off the bottom of Keylor Navas’s upright Ronaldo stepped up to secure the trophy for the second time in three years. In 2014, Atletico lost 4-1 in extra time after Ramos headed a late leveller at the death.

It means Real coach Zinedine Zidane has joined an elite club of players — including, notably, Johan Cruyff, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola — to have also won the title as a coach.

Man-of-the-match Ramos said Zidane’s arrival in January following the sacking of Rafael Benitez was “really important for us”.

“He has a great relationship with the players. We’ll be celebrating this with him!” said Ramos.

The normally reserved Frenchman, meanwhile, was overjoyed at lifting European club football’s biggest prize.

“I was given the chance to come to this amazing club, and then to coach it. I have a phenomenal team and great players who are also talented, and it was together we achieved what we did tonight,” said Zidane.

Real, inaugural winners of the competition in 1956, claimed their 10th title two years ago in Lisbon when a late Ramos leveller pushed the match into extra-time.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone had pledged his side, two-time Europa League winners in 2010 and 2012, would end their wait to finally win Europe’s premier competition.

But it took only six minutes for Real to start knocking on the door when Jan Oblak had to produce a point-blank save from Karim Benzema after Gareth Bale’s back-header.

– ‘Penalties are a lottery’ –

When Ramos opened the scoring on the quarter hour, Atletico’s hopes, and morale, plummeted.

“We started the game badly,” admitted Simeone, who hinted he could now consider his future at the club.

“I think I could start thinking about my future,” Simeone said cryptically. “It puts a lot of years on you.”

Before half-time Atletico were restricted to an Antoine Griezmann shot that fizzed wide of the upright, but they were handed a lifeline seconds after the restart when Pepe barged into Torres from behind.

English referee Mark Clattenburg had no hesitation pointing to the spot but Griezmann, with seven goals in the competition this season, smashed his effort off the underside of the crossbar.

After Bale skewed an effort wide, Atletico got back on their feet to see Saul Niguez turn on Carrasco’s cross and send a half-volley wide of the post.

It prompted Simeone into some frantic arm-waving, but instead fans were left breathing huge sighs of relief as Real piled on the pressure.

At the end, Simeone said: “What really hurts me is to see the hurt of the people who’ve paid to come here -– I feel a bit responsible that I wasn’t able to give them what they wanted. That’s what really hurts.”

Luka Modric sent Benzema clear but he found the chest of onrushing Oblak with the goal at his mercy.

Modric was involved again when Ronaldo shot straight at the keeper from 25 yards, and Atletico survived a huge scare when Oblak stopped Ronaldo’s effort, then had Stefan Savic to thank for clearing Bale’s follow-up off the line.

The match was turned on its head moments later when Carrasco muscled his way through Real’s central defence to smash Juanfran’s perfectly-weighted cross past Navas and send the red half of the stadium wild.

But in the end penalty misses from Juanfran and Griezmann left Atletico coming up short.

Ronaldo said: “Penalties are always a lottery, you never know what’s going to happen.

“But we showed that our team had more experience and we showed that we scored all penalties — it was unbelievable, a fantastic night.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Real Madrid sets sight on another Champions League final

MADRID — Real Madrid will be boosted by Cristiano Ronaldo’s return and the likely absence of two key Manchester City players when it tries to reach yet another Champions League final on Wednesday.

Ronaldo returns after missing three straight games because of a leg injury, including the 0-0 first-leg draw in Manchester last week. The Portugal forward leads the Champions League with 16 goals, one shy of the record he set in the 2013-14 season.

Ronaldo hurt his right leg in a Spanish league game on April 20 and hasn’t played since then. Madrid has not released any official information about the injury, prompting widespread rumors about its severity, but he participated fully in training on Monday and Tuesday and looked fit to return to action.

“Cristiano is fine, he is at 100 percent,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “He trained and will be there tomorrow.”

Madrid will also be lifted by the likely absence of Yaya Toure and David Silva because of injuries. City initially said Toure was going to miss the match because of a muscle ailment, but later said he made the trip to Madrid and was listed as doubtful. Silva wasn’t fit after being substituted in the first leg with a hamstring problem.

Zidane said Madrid has an obligation to reach the final.

“It’s going to be difficult, but if we don’t advance it will be a failure,” he said. “We have been saying that we haven’t won anything yet. Our goal is to advance. We will do our best to try to make it happen.”

Another edge for Madrid comes from Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where it has crushed all-comers this season, winning 20 of 23 matches in all competitions. In the Champions League, it’s won all five home games by outscoring opponents 18-0.

“Home advantage will help,” Real Madrid defensive midfielder Casemiro said. “It is going to be a very difficult game but our fans are strong. That gives us a small advantage. We’re counting on the fans and I’m sure they’ll not let us down.”

Only two opponents have beaten Madrid at home this season, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

“That feeling when the fans inside the Santiago Bernabeu get behind you and are with us is unexplainable,” Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas said. “We’ll be trying to chase every ball, and each player is going to be giving their best to ensure that everything works out perfectly.”

Unable to recover in time were Karim Benzema and defensive midfielder Casemiro, who were expected to miss Wednesday’s game because of injuries.

Despite its advantages, Madrid holds a lot of respect for City, which has an impressive away record of three wins and two draws in the Champions League this season. It eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals, a stage it reached for the first time.

“If Manchester City made it to the semifinals, it’s because they’re an excellent team,” Ronaldo said. “Knocking out PSG is not an easy task, but they managed to do it. They are a team with very few weaknesses.”

City defender Eliaquim Mangala, one of the men in charge of stopping Ronaldo on Wednesday, said the scoreless draw in the first leg was not a bad result considering the team’s success in away games.

“We defended very well and didn’t concede an away goal which was very important for us,” Mangala said. “We know that it will be a tough game against Real Madrid and that they play well at home, but we did well in the other rounds.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ronaldo the movie star? Football ace to appear in Scorsese film

Cristiano Ronaldo can do things ordinary human beings can’t.

He became the top scorer of UEFA Champions League, led both Manchester United and Real Madrid to numeorus trophies, he became insanely rich, and he’s also the most famous person in social media.

Add movie star to hist growing list of accolades as he is set to appear in a Martin Scorsese film.


In a Marca report, Ronaldo was given a part for Scorsese’s latest film “The Manipulator.”

Scorsese’s film is based on Italian real estate agent Alessandro Proto, who supposedly inspired the character of Christian Grey in the infamous “Fifty Shades of Grey” series.

As per Marca, Ronaldo looks to have an involvement in the production as the Real Madrid forward bought an expensive apartment in the exclusive Trump Tower, which Proto used to own, which Scorsese selected as the film’s setting. IDL

source: sports.inquirer.net