Mbappe and Bellingham respond to unhappy fans with goals in Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Getafe

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid Sunday. (AP)
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Updated 02 December 2024
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Mbappe and Bellingham respond to unhappy fans with goals in Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Getafe

  • Mbappe was still far from his best, and he did not take the penalty kick which was converted by Bellingham
  • Athletic Bilbao rallied to win 2-1 at Rayo Vallecano with a pair of second-half goals by Oihan Sancet, while Athletic’s Basque rival Real Sociedad defeated Real Betis 2-0 at home

MADRID: Kylian Mbappe made some peace with Real Madrid’s fans.

Mbappe scored in Madrid’s 2-0 win over Getafe in the Spanish league on Sunday to help ease the pressure on the France star.

Mbappe, who has been criticized by some supporters because of his disappointing performances since joining the Spanish powerhouse this season, found the net in the 38th minute to seal Madrid’s victory at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Mbappe was coming off a lackluster outing — which included a missed penalty kick — against Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Jude Bellingham, also the target of some fans’ criticism for recent poor play, had put Madrid ahead at the Bernabeu by converting a 30th-minute penalty. He also assisted in Mbappe’s goal — a well-placed low shot from outside the area.

Mbappe had scored only once in the team’s last six matches across all competitions, and twice in the last nine games.

“He played very well, was active and was as dangerous as always,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “He scored and created opportunities. He was very active, it’s what we want from him.”

Mbappe was still far from his best, and he did not take the penalty kick which was converted by Bellingham. Another penalty — which was overturned by VAR — was also set to be taken by Rodrygo.

“The order for the penalties is Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, but without Vinicius, it was up to Bellingham and Mbappe to choose,” Ancelotti said.

The win moved Madrid within a point of league leader Barcelona, who lost 2-1 to Las Palmas on Saturday. Madrid, the defending champions, have a game in hand.

Madrid were one point ahead of city rivals Atletico Madrid, who won 5-0 at Valladolid on Saturday.

Madrid have lost three of their five Champions League matches but have won three straight in the league to cut into Barcelona’s lead. The Catalan club is winless in three consecutive league games.

“Things have been going well in La Liga since the last defeat, but we can’t get sidetracked because this is what Real Madrid demands,” Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger said. “We must continue and do better in the Champions League.”

Also Sunday, Villarreal drew 2-2 with visiting Girona after leading 2-0 and eventually conceding an equalizer seven minutes into stoppage time.

Athletic Bilbao rallied to win 2-1 at Rayo Vallecano with a pair of second-half goals by Oihan Sancet, while Athletic’s Basque rival Real Sociedad defeated Real Betis 2-0 at home.


Man City hope for Rodri return this season by listing Ballon d’Or winner in Champions League squad

Updated 07 February 2025
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Man City hope for Rodri return this season by listing Ballon d’Or winner in Champions League squad

  • Rodri has set a target of about April to return to play
  • The Champions League quarterfinals start April 8

MANCHESTER: Manchester City showed faith in Rodri potentially returning to action this season by registering the injured Ballon d’Or winner on Friday in their Champions League squad for the knockout phase.
UEFA set a midnight Thursday deadline to submit updated squad lists for European competitions. With a limit of three new signings in the midseason transfer window allowed, City left out teenage defender Vitor Reis who joined from Palmeiras last month.


Rodri has set a target of about April – “six to seven months” after tearing the ACL in his right knee against Arsenal on Sept. 22 – to return to play. The Champions League quarterfinals start April 8.
The English champion have a daunting task to stay in the competition until then without star midfielder Rodri, who scored the winning goal in the 2023 final against Inter Milan.
Man City face Real Madrid in a two-leg knockout playoff, next Tuesday and on Feb. 19. The winner will play either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16.
New signings who are included in coach Pep Guardiola’s squad for the Champions League are midfielder Nico Gonzalez — who can stand in for Rodri — forward Omar Marmoush, and defender Abdukodir Khusanov.


Saudi Arabia makes debut at Asian Winter Games as 9th edition begins

Updated 07 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia makes debut at Asian Winter Games as 9th edition begins

  • The event marks a milestone for Saudi Arabia, which is making its debut at the multi-sport competition as it gears up to host the 2029 Games

HARBIN, China: The 9th Asian Winter Games opened on Friday in Harbin, China, with a ceremony led by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The event marks a milestone for Saudi Arabia, which is making its debut at the multi-sport competition as it gears up to host the 2029 Games. The Saudi Winter Sports Federation, originally established in 2019, was restructured in 2022 into two separate governing bodies: the Saudi Ice Sports Federation and the Saudi Snow Sports Federation.

The Kingdom’s delegation at the games is headed by Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, vice president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Member of the Executive Office of the Olympic Council of Asia.

The event runs until Feb. 18 and will feature around 1,500 athletes from 34 Asian countries. Among the Saudi participants, the Kingdom’s curling team is set to compete in five matches from Feb. 9 to 12 — facing off against teams from Qatar, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand — while three Saudi alpine skiers will compete in the slalom events: Fayik Abdi in the men’s, and Sharifa Al-Sudairi and Farhoud Joud in the women’s.

As the Kingdom continues to expand its sporting ambitions, its participation in the Asian Winter Games “represents another step in its broader vision to develop a competitive winter sports ecosystem on the international stage,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.


Celtic avoid fan ban for Bayern Champions League tie

Updated 07 February 2025
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Celtic avoid fan ban for Bayern Champions League tie

  • Celtic had received a suspended one-match ban on selling tickets for traveling fans
  • “We are pleased that UEFA has considered our detailed submission,” Celtic said

GLASGOW: Celtic fans will be able to attend the second leg of their Champions League play-off round tie away to Bayern Munich after being handed a UEFA reprieve.
The Scottish champions feared supporters would be banned after a green smoke bomb was thrown onto the pitch from visiting fans during Celtic’s 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa last month.
Celtic had received a suspended one-match ban on selling tickets for traveling fans after a pyrotechnic display in their 7-1 Champions League thrashing by Borussia Dortmund in September.
However, they have escaped with a fine of 10,000 euros ($10,400, £8,340) for the lighting of fireworks and throwing of objects.
“As we had said previously, Celtic made every effort to ensure that our fans could attend this match, and we are pleased that UEFA has considered our detailed submission,” Celtic said in a statement.
“We can also confirm that the original suspended sentence remains in place, as a result of the previous use of pyrotechnics, most recently at the match against Borussia Dortmund, by a small minority of supporters.
“Again we must make it very clear that pyrotechnics have absolutely no place at our matches and should further incidents occur, then clearly, once again, there is an extremely high risk of our supporters not being permitted access to future matches.”


Amorim reveals the reasons why things didn't work out with Rashford at Man United

Updated 07 February 2025
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Amorim reveals the reasons why things didn't work out with Rashford at Man United

MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim let Marcus Rashford leave the club because he couldn't convince the forward to follow his methods.
“I couldn’t put Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said in quotes published late Thursday.
The 27-year-old Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan the day before Europe's winter transfer window closed, having not played for United since mid-December. He could make his debut for Villa on Sunday on an FA Cup match against Tottenham.
“Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different,” Amorim said.
“I just wish the best to Rashford and to (Villa manager) Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”
Asked whether Rashford said that he did not agree with Amorim’s ideas about soccer, Amorim said: “You know, like me, that it’s not the way that occurs.
“It’s something that you feel as a coach and as a player. It’s quite normal. It happened with a lot of coaches. The important thing is that I’m here saying that was my decision."
Amorim brushed aside talk of a potential return for Rashford at the end of the season.
Rashford's deal with Villa includes an option to make the move permanent for a reported 40 million pounds ($50 million).
"Like we said before, we are fighting for our jobs until the summer,” Amorim said.
“So, I am just focused on these games. Thankfully about Marcus, he is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We are just focused on our players at the moment.”


Iraq’s Hussein Salem to take on Italy’s Walter Cogliandro at ONE Championship in Qatar

Updated 07 February 2025
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Iraq’s Hussein Salem to take on Italy’s Walter Cogliandro at ONE Championship in Qatar

  • Other Arab fighters at ONE 171 include UAE’s Zayed Al-Katheeri, Kuwait’s Jarrah Al-Hazza, and Morocco’s Ilias Ennahachi

DOHA: Iraq’s Hussein Salem will face Italian fighter Walter Cogliandro in a featherweight MMA bout at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20.

Salem joins the UAE’s Zayed Al-Katheeri, Kuwait’s Jarrah Al-Hazza, and Morocco’s Ilias Ennahachi as representatives of Arab countries on the upcoming card of the ONE Championship event.

Salem, who is known in the UAE after participating in seven bouts at UAE Warriors, is one of Iraq’s top martial artists. The 32-year-old holds an 11-5 overall professional record.

Italy’s Cogliandro enters the bout after recent wins against UFC veterans Mark Striegl and Jordan’s Ali Al-Qaisi.

The event features two world title fights as Jonathan Haggerty defends the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing world title against Chinese veteran and No. 1 ranked Wei Rui while champion Joshua Pacio and interim champion Jarred Brooks meet for the third time in a ONE strawweight MMA world title unification bout.

ONE 171: Qatar kicks off at 5 p.m. Makkah time live from the Lusail Sports Arena.