Tag: Bellingham

Jude Bellingham’s goal helped Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 to win a tense Clasico and move five points clear of their bitter rivals at the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Champions Barcelona won all four times the teams were pitted against each other last season but in his first Clasico as Real Madrid coach, Xabi Alonso snapped that run.

Kylian Mbappe, who later missed a penalty, fired Madrid in front and although Fermin Lopez levelled for the visitors at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bellingham netted a second for the hosts before half-time which proved decisive.

Barca playmaker Pedri was sent off in the final stages for a second yellow card as tensions spilled over in the Spanish capital.

Madrid’s victory means they have won nine of their opening 10 league games and Alonso’s side proved against Barca they can triumph on the big occasion, following their derby humbling by Atletico Madrid in September.

“Against Atletico we didn’t play how we wanted and today we had another chance to show what we can do, and we have to continue like this,” said Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Read Also: UCL: Bellingham scores first season’s goal as Real Madrid edge Juventus

Alonso said his team “needed this feeling of being able to win a big game” after last season’s struggles against Barca.

The Spaniard’s counterpart on the touchline was Hansi Flick’s assistant Marcus Sorg, as the German coach was suspended following a red card last weekend as they scraped a victory over relegation-battling Girona.

 “The season is long, we have 28 more games and we’re not scared about the situation now,” said Sorg after the defeat.

Barcelona were without several regular starters, including Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo among others, while Lamine Yamal still does not appear fully fit after a groin injury but started.

The teenager wound up Madrid fans in the week by claiming Los Blancos “steal” and “complain” and his name was greeted with a chorus of jeers when read out before kick-off.

Barcelona had more of the ball in the first half but it was largely sterile possession and Madrid created the most dangerous opportunities.

The hosts were awarded an early penalty when Yamal clashed with Vinicius Junior, but it was cancelled after a VAR review.

Madrid fans’ ire at the officials grew when Mbappe blasted home from outside the area but the goal was ruled out for a millimetre offside against the French superstar.

Mbappe did not have long to wait before he could celebrate in earnest, after fine movement and a perfect pass by Bellingham sent him through on goal.

The forward, the division’s top goalscorer, netted his 11th league goal of the campaign with a lethal low finish past Wojciech Szczesny.

The Polish goalkeeper made several more saves and it was against the run of play when Barcelona equalised.

Arda Guler gave away possession in a dangerous area and Marcus Rashford, playing in his first Clasico, crossed for Lopez to blast the visitors level in the 38^th  minute.

Bellingham struck Madrid’s second five minutes later to give Los Blancos a deserved advantage at the interval.

The England international, who scored his first goal at the Bernabeu since April in midweek against Juventus, gleefully tapped home after Eder Militao nodded Vinicius’s cross back into his path.

Madrid should have extended their lead at the start of the second half but Szczesny made a fine save to push out Mbappe’s penalty, after Eric Garcia was penalised for handball.

Yamal, frustrated and struggling to make an impact on the game, sent a long-range shot high over the bar as Madrid closed ranks and kept the Catalans at a safe distance from their goal.

Sorg sent defender Ronald Araujo up front during nine minutes of stoppage time in desperation, but unlike last weekend it did not pay off.

Pedri was sent off in the final seconds for a second yellow card for a late foul on Tchouameni, sparking a brief side-line shoving match, while players from both sides rowed after the final whistle.

”(Yamal) needs more rhythm, more games, on the highest level, it’s normal (after injury). He’s 18, we have to help him and we will do it all together,” added Sorg, after the winger was nullified by Madrid.

 “They defended well, Real, we have to accept this.”

Bellingham said Real Madrid were beaten by “the best-performing team in Europe” as Liverpool’s dismantling of the Spanish giants set a new bar in Arne Slot’s stunning start at Anfield.

Beleaguered Manchester City are next to run the gauntlet against the rampant Reds on Sunday as Liverpool sense the opportunity to land a knockout blow to Pep Guardiola’s men in the Premier League title race.

Slot has won 17 and drawn one of his 19 matches in all competitions since replacing a legendary figure in Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool enjoy a commanding eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League and have one foot in the last 16 of the Champions League as the only side in the competition with a perfect record from five games.

Overcoming the might of Madrid was the sweetest one so far as Slot did what Klopp could not do during his glorious reign in leaving the kings of the Champions League with a bloodied nose.

Liverpool had not won in the previous eight meetings between the clubs, including defeats in the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals.

“You know how special it is to play against a club that won this Champions League so many times, are the reigning champions and were a pain in the ass for Liverpool many times as well,” said Slot.

“We are happy where we are but we are not getting carried away by only winning in a group-stage game. This club wants more than only winning group-stage games.”

Slot described the visits of Madrid and City within the space of five days as an “incredible week”.

Read Also: NFF launches monthly Football Awards today

Halfway through they remain unscathed and are big favourites to take a huge step towards just a second league title in 35 years on Sunday.

Even at their strongest under Guardiola, City have not won in front of an Anfield crowd since 2003.

This version of the English champions is winless in six games and suffering from an existential crisis of confidence.

City blew a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord on Tuesday on the back of Guardiola’s first ever five-game losing streak as a coach.

Liverpool have often been the victim of City’s relentless consistency in the Guardiola era.

Twice Klopp’s sides finished second by the finest of margins despite amassing 97 points in 2018⁄19 and 92 three years later.

Now they have the chance to open up an 11-point lead that even Guardiola has conceded would be too much for his side to bridge.

“Man City is Man City. They have a bad time now but they have great players,” said Liverpool’s top goal scorer Mohamed Salah. “We have a game against them so hopefully, we win it and go 11 points clear.”

In stark contrast to Manchester United’s struggles after the departure of Alex Ferguson, Liverpool have thrived despite the loss of a much-loved and charismatic leader in Klopp.

The German explained that part of his reasoning for stepping down when he did was that he was leaving the club in a good place.

Liverpool were on course for a quadruple deep into last season before faltering in the final months of the campaign as injuries and fatigue took hold.

But Klopp had helped rebuild a team in his final year that Slot is now bearing the fruits of.

Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored the goals against Madrid, neither of which was part of Klopp’s major glories in winning the Champions League and Premier League in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

Slot also credited the club’s academy for adding depth to his squad after Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley shone against Madrid to mitigate the loss of Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold to injury.

 “We know that players that come in are really important to finish the games and if you want to win trophies, you need them,” said Mac Allister. “Of course, you don’t want to be on the bench but we know that every guy here, when he comes in, does his best for the team.”

All three sides that have ever enjoyed an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League after 12 games went on to win the title.

On current form, Liverpool are an unstoppable force that an under-par City look incapable of handling.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham has been fined €30,000 ($32,400) by UEFA for “breaching the basic rules of decent conduct” by motioning to grab his crotch in front of the Slovakia bench during England’s Euro 2024 round-of-16 win last Sunday.

The 21-year-old was also dealt a suspended one-game ban that will come into effect if he repeats the offensive gesture at any point in the next year.

Read Also: UEFA probe Bellingham over gesture

Bellingham made the gesture after he scored an overhead-kick equaliser in the dying moments of stoppage time to rescue England’s campaign, before Harry Kane headed in the winner in extra time to ensure their passage to the quarterfinals, where they face Switzerland in Dusseldorf  today.

Bellingham said on social media after the game that the action was an “inside joke to friends,” but UEFA instructed its disciplinary body to investigate the gesture and on Friday handed down the fine and the suspended one-match ban.

England or Switzerland will take on the winner of the Netherlands quarterfinal clash with Turkey, which takes place later today.

UEFA is investigating England midfielder Jude Bellingham for a gesture he made following his late equaliser against Slovakia in the Euro 2024 last-16 tie on Sunday.

European football’s governing body said it is looking into a “potential violation” of “the basic rules of decent conduct” by Bellingham.

Bellingham was seen making a crotch-grabbing gesture towards the Slovakian bench after scoring an overhead kick in stoppage time.

The Real Madrid player denied it was aimed at England’s opponents, saying on social media that it was an inside joke directed towards some close friends.

If found to have breached the rules, the 21-year-old could face a suspension, a fine or both.

Read Also: Euro 2024: Bellingham rescues England to book quarter-final spot

The rule in question is article 11 2b, which requires anyone subject to UEFA  regulations to respect the “principles of ethical conduct, loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship.”

Anyone whose conduct is “insulting or otherwise violates the basic rules of decent conduct” could be in breach.

England won 2-1 after extra time to set up a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland on Saturday.

Responding to the incident on social media, Bellingham said: “An inside-joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game.

“Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.”

Cristiano Ronaldo was fined but avoided a ban for making a similar gesture while celebrating a goal for Juventus against Atletico Madrid in a Champions League last-16 second-leg tie in 2019.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone was also fined for making the gesture during the first leg.

Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham has been voted La Liga’s Player of the Season in his first year in Spain.

Bellingham, 20, scored 19 times in the league to help Real win the title by 10 points.

The Stourbridge-born player also scored four times in the Champions League as Carlo Ancelotti’s side reached the final, where they will meet Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday (20:00 BST).

Bellingham edged out team-mate Vinicius Jr, Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Artem Dovbyk (Girona) and Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) in votes cast by fans, club captains and a panel of experts.

He also won the 2022-23 Bundesliga Player of the Season playing for Dortmund before moving to Real for an initial 103m euros (£88.5m).

“I would like to dedicate it to my team-mates, the coaching staff and, most importantly, to the fans of the best club in the world,” Bellingham, who was unable to attend Tuesday’s ceremony as he is getting ready for Saturday’s final, said in a message.

Read Also: Lewandowski tips Bellingham for Ballon d’Or

“It’s a pleasure every time I play for this team. Hala Madrid.”

Bellingham has 29 England caps and three goals for his country.

He is expected to play a key role for Gareth Southgate’s team at Euro 2024 in Germany, which starts on 14 June.

England’s first game is against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on 16 June.