Bellingham’s late goal gives 10-man Real Madrid comeback win at Valencia

Bellingham’s late goal gives 10-man Real Madrid comeback win at Valencia
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham scores their second goal during the  La Liga match between Valencia and Real Madrid at Estadio de Mestalla, Valencia, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 04 January 2025
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Bellingham’s late goal gives 10-man Real Madrid comeback win at Valencia

Bellingham’s late goal gives 10-man Real Madrid comeback win at Valencia
  • Luka Modric’s 85th minute equalizer and Bellingham’s stoppage time winner ensured that Madrid avoided back-to-back defeats for the first time since 2019
  • Fourth-tier club Pontevedra dispatched high-flying La Liga side Mallorca 3-0 to move into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey

MADRID: Jude Bellingham missed a penalty but scored a late winner and Vinicius Jr. was sent off as 10-man Real Madrid fought back in the most dramatic of fashions to beat Valencia 2-1 and return to the top of La Liga on Friday.

Luka Modric’s 85th minute equalizer and Bellingham’s stoppage time winner ensured that Madrid avoided back-to-back defeats in La Liga for the first time since 2019.

The win took it to 43 points, two above city rivals Atletico, albeit having played a game more.

The match at the Mestalla pitted second from bottom against second from top and it was the struggling home side which took the lead after 27 minutes. Hugo Duro stabbed the ball into the empty net after it came back off the post.

Madrid came into the game more in the second half but it looked like it would be a frustrating night for the capital club.

Kylian Mbappe won a penalty after 55 minutes but Bellingham’s shot hit the post and moments later the Frenchman himself saw a goal disallowed after a video review.

Things got worse for Real with 11 minutes remaining when Vinicius pushed goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski and the referee, after a long video review, showed the Brazilian a red card.

However, Real are never out of it and Carlo Ancelotti’s late changes turned the game around.

Modric came on in the 80th and it took the 39-year-old Croatian just five minutes to make his mark, dancing through a sea of defenders and poking home the equalizer.

Even with a man less there was a sense of inevitability as Real pushed for a winner, and five minutes into added time Bellingham made up for his earlier miss.

Valencia defender Hugo Guillamon seemed to slip and lay the ball into the path of the advancing Englishman, who made no mistake with only the keeper to beat.

Even then the drama was not over. Valencia deserved to take something from the match and Luis Roja almost got an equalizer with the last kick of the game. He watched in agony as his long-range shot came back off the post.

Valencia stayed second from bottom.

Pontevedra slay another giant in Copa

Earlier, fourth-tier club Pontevedra dispatched high-flying La Liga side Mallorca 3-0 to move into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.

Dalisson de Almeida scored from almost 40 yards to make it 1-0 after 21 minutes, Yelko Pino doubled the lead with a cracking volley four minutes into the second half, and then Rufo rounded off the perfect night with 18 minutes left after a shocking defensive lapse.

The Galician side knocked out Villarreal in the last round.

In the night’s other games, top-tier clubs Rayo Vallecano and Getafe progressed.

Getafe needed extra time to beat second-division Granada in southern Spain. After a goalless match, Borja Mayoral got the only goal in the 93rd minute to put the visitor through.

Rayo Vallecano made swift work of second-tier Racing Ferrol. Alfonso Espino and Jorge de Frutos put the visitors 2-0 up before halftime and Frutos grabbed a third on the hour mark.

Alvaro Gimenez scored a late consolation for the home side.
 


Al-Hilal win again while Ronaldo inspires Al-Nassr victory

Al-Hilal win again while Ronaldo inspires Al-Nassr victory
Updated 3 min 50 sec ago
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Al-Hilal win again while Ronaldo inspires Al-Nassr victory

Al-Hilal win again while Ronaldo inspires Al-Nassr victory
  • Al-Hilal defeat Al-Wehda 4-1 to stay top of the Saudi Pro League
  • Cristiano Ronaldo nets twice to help Al-Nassr to 3-1 win at Al-Khaleej

JEDDAH: Al-Hilal moved three points clear of Al-Ittihad — who are in action at home to Al-Shabab on Wednesday — and were never in danger of dropping points as they netted twice in the first 11 minutes against Al-Wehda before recording a 4-1 verdict.
After only seven minutes Al-Wehda’s goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Owaishir spilled a shot from Ruben Neves and Marcos Leonardo — in red-hot form with eight goals in the previous five games — was on hand to react first to poke the ball home from close range.
Four minutes later it was 2-0. Salem Al-Dawsari picked up possession on the left, slipped the ball into Mohamed Kanno on the edge of the area and the midfielder found Malcom on the edge of the six-yard box. The Brazilian controlled the ball with his first touch and shot home with his second.
Fans in Riyadh sat back in the expectation of more goals but Al-Wehda kept it tight and restricted the scoreline to respectable levels. Malcom added a third with eight minutes remaining and Abdullah Al-Hamdan completed the scoring after Craig Goodwin had pulled one back for Al-Wehda.
Earlier, Al-Nassr moved above Al-Qadsiah into third following a 3-1 victory over Al-Khaleej, although the Yellows are 11 points behind their Riyadh rivals.
It was goalless at the break but Al-Khaleej were already a man down as Saeed Al-Hamsal had been red carded.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring midway through the second half, shooting home from the edge of the box for his 100th goal contribution for Al-Nassr.
Al-Khaleej equalized with 10 minutes remaining through Kostas Fortounis from the spot, but Al-Nassr restored their lead almost immediately thanks to Sultan Al-Ghannam.
Ronaldo then scored his 13th of the season in the eighth minute of added time, slotting home into an empty net after an unselfish pass from Saad Haqawi. The strike put the Portuguese star into first place in the goalscoring standings above Aleksandar Mitrovic and Karim Benzema.


Blocked from international football, Greenland will begin talks with CONCACAF

Blocked from international football, Greenland will begin talks with CONCACAF
Updated 15 min 26 sec ago
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Blocked from international football, Greenland will begin talks with CONCACAF

Blocked from international football, Greenland will begin talks with CONCACAF
  • The football-crazy Arctic Island, which US President Donald Trump said he wants to make part of the United States, has never played competitive international football
  • Greenland had for years sought to become a member of UEFA

COPENHAGEN: Greenland’s Football Association will send a delegation to the United States next month to begin talks on entering North American soccer body CONCACAF, hoping it will boost national pride at a time of global attention.
The football-crazy Arctic Island, which US President Donald Trump said he wants to make part of the United States, has never played competitive international football.
Yet in May last year, it applied for membership of CONCACAF, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory under Denmark but geographically part of the North American continent, had for years sought to become a member of UEFA, European football’s governing body.
Now, Greenland has been invited by CONCACAF general secretary Philippe Moggio for a meeting on Feb. 27 at the body’s headquarters in Miami, according to the head of Greenland’s Football Association, Kenneth Kleist.
UEFA requires its members to be recognized as fully independent by the United Nations. CONCACAF allows autonomous territories to join.
The meeting will take place at a time of renewed US interest in the strategically important island and amid an increasing desire for independence from Denmark among the island’s population of just 57,000.
“The invitation is not related to the current geopolitical interest in Greenland,” Kleist said in a press release.
The world’s biggest island, with just 18 football pitches, would be the 42nd member of the continental association if approved. The outdoor season on the Arctic Island runs from May to August.
“It’s about standing tall and showing that the Greenlandic people are capable and brave enough to take on the big guys,” national head coach Morten Rutkjer told Reuters.
The national team is made up of amateurs playing only friendlies. Greenland is planning three matches later this year against smaller CONCACAF nations.
“There is significant interest in playing against us from several major football nations,” Rutkjer said.


Bayern sign Germany youth international Bischof

Bayern sign Germany youth international Bischof
Updated 21 January 2025
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Bayern sign Germany youth international Bischof

Bayern sign Germany youth international Bischof
  • Bischof, 19, signed a deal which runs until 2029
  • He will join Bayern at the end of the season

MUNICH: Bayern Munich on Tuesday announced the signing of Germany youth international Tom Bischof on a free transfer from Hoffenheim.
Bischof, 19, signed a deal which runs until 2029 and he will join Bayern at the end of the season.
“(He is) one of the biggest German talents, who has also attracted international interest,” Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said in a statement.


The midfielder joined Hoffenheim’s youth system aged just six and has played for Germany at various age-group levels.
Bischof has played 16 Bundesliga games this season, scoring two goals and laying on two assists, while he has also started each of Hoffenheim’s six Europa League matches.
Bischof has been earmarked to replace 29-year-old Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka, whose contract expires in 2026.


Inter beat Empoli to keep pressure on Serie A leaders Napoli

Inter beat Empoli to keep pressure on Serie A leaders Napoli
Updated 20 January 2025
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Inter beat Empoli to keep pressure on Serie A leaders Napoli

Inter beat Empoli to keep pressure on Serie A leaders Napoli

MILAN: Inter Milan kept in touch with Napoli after seeing off struggling Empoli 3-1 on Sunday and going three points behind the Serie A leaders.
Goals in the second half from Lautaro Martinez, Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram ensured a hard-fought win for champions Inter at the San Siro without their suspended coach Simone Inzaghi.
Napoli have become the team to beat thanks to their thrilling 3-2 win at Atalanta, who are seven points off the pace in third, on Saturday but Inter also have a game in hand.
However, Inter have a packed schedule due to their Champions League commitments while Napoli have no European football after their disastrous title defense last season.
As well as their final two league phase fixtures in the Champions League — against Sparta Prague and Monaco in consecutive weeks — Simone Inzaghi’s team have the Milan derby and trips to Juventus, Napoli and Atalanta between now and mid-March.
“We barely have time to think because we’re always playing,” said Inzaghi’s assistant Massimiliano Farris to DAZN.
“We’ve won 12 times and drawn three in our last 15 league matches and we’re in with a great chance of getting to the last 16 of the Champions League without having to go through the play-offs.”
Captain Martinez’s distance effort in the 55th minute took his league total to eight goals from 18 appearances, some way off the 24 he racked up on the way to guiding Inter to their 20th league title last term.
The Argentina striker hadn’t scored at home since early November before Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Bologna but his goal against Empoli was his second in as many matches at the San Siro.
Dumfries’ thumping header, from Kristjan Asllani’s 79th-minute corner, was key as Inter were far from their best and once Inter loanee Sebastiano Esposito halved the deficit for 14th-placed Empoli in the 83rd minute a wave of worry swept the stadium.
Fans breathed a collective sign of relief six minutes later when Thuram swept in his 13th league goal of the campaign to seal the points and keep Inter’s title defense rolling on.
Earlier, Lazio stayed in Serie A’s Champions League places after thumping struggling Verona 3-0.
Marco Baroni’s Lazio went ahead with just a minute on the clock through Samuel Gigot, and further strikes from Boulaye Dia and captain Mattia Zaccagni put them fourth, two points above Juventus who beat AC Milan on Saturday.
Sunday’s success ended a three-match winless streak for Lazio, which included derby defeat to rivals Roma, and left Verona in the relegation zone.
Verona slumped to their 14th defeat in 21 league fixtures in front of new chairman Italo Zanzi following the club’s acquisition by American private equity firm Presidio Investors on Wednesday.
The new owners have a job on their hands at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi as Verona are deep in the fight against the drop, sitting in 18th place and separated by goal difference from Como who are just outside the bottom three and host Udinese on Monday.
Verona are in the drop zone due to Cagliari’s 4-1 thumping of fellow strugglers Lecce which moved the Sardinian outfit up to 13th.
Just two points separate Cagliari and Verona, with Lecce, Parma — who drew 1-1 with second-from-bottom Venezia — and Empoli all on 20 points.
Verona, who finished the match with 10 men following Ondrej Duda’s late sending-off, make the short trip to regional rivals Venezia next week.


Barcelona’s Balde complains of racist abuse in Getafe draw

Barcelona’s Balde complains of racist abuse in Getafe draw
Updated 19 January 2025
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Barcelona’s Balde complains of racist abuse in Getafe draw

Barcelona’s Balde complains of racist abuse in Getafe draw
  • Earlier Saturday, in Spain’s second division, Elche player Bambo Diaby also faced racist abuse in a 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon

MADRID: Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde complained of racist abuse aimed at him from Getafe supporters in a 1-1 draw in La Liga on Saturday.
After Hansi Flick’s side were dealt another set-back in the title race at Getafe’s Coliseum stadium Balde reported the abuse in a post-match interview.
“I received various racist insults from some fans today, and I think that’s something I should say here. I think it’s something that should not keep happening,” Balde told Movistar.
The defender said he informed the referee during the game, who activated Spain’s racism protocol — leading to a public announcement to supporters in the stadium to desist.
Flick said those shouting racist abuse should not come to matches.
“There’s no space for this in football or in life, this is unbelievable, in the time (we live in now) it’s totally wrong,” Flick told reporters.
“They have to stay at home. Not go to the match, they have to stay at home.
“I think we have to fight against them, it’s the best thing, and the people around them can also do something... I think everyone can do it.”
Earlier Saturday, in Spain’s second division, Elche player Bambo Diaby also faced racist abuse in a 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon.
There have been numerous instances of racism in Spanish football stadiums in recent years, with Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior often targeted for abuse.
In November three fans were arrested after racist abuse was aimed at Balde and his Barcelona team-mate Lamine Yamal in the Clasico against Real Madrid.