JEDDAH: Jude Bellingham scored again to lead Real Madrid into the Spanish Super Cup final with a 3-0 win over Mallorca in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
The England midfielder, who led Madrid in scoring last season, started this campaign slowly but has netted seven goals in his last eight Spanish league games.
He notched another goal in 63rd minute of the Super Cup semifinal when he finally broke down a tough Mallorca that until his goal had imposed their defensive style on the star-studded Madrid.
Bellingham blasted in the third shot in a row by Madrid after Rodrygo initially hit the post and goalkeeper Dominik Greif blocked a follow-up by Kylian Mbappé.
Bellingham collected the rebound and slotted his shot from just outside the six-yard box under the on-rushing Greif and past three defenders who were trying to protect the goalmouth.
Madrid tacked on two goals late in stoppage time. Mallorca’s Martin Valjent scored an own goal when he inadvertently turned a pass by Brahim Díaz into his net. Rodrygo then took Madrid’s third.
The match ended with a short scuffle after the final whistle before calm was restored.
Barcelona await Madrid in Sunday’s final.
Madrid lost Aurélien Tchouaméni, a midfielder playing as a central defender, in the 54th after he took a hard knock to the head during a collision with a Mallorca player.
Youth player Raúl Asencio replaced him.
Madrid were competing as last season’s Spanish league champion, while Mallorca were invited as the runner-up in the Copa del Rey.
Former Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who now plays in the Saudi Arabian league, was in attendance.
The minor trophy has become a major cash maker for the federation and competing clubs since the federation struck a deal in 2019 to hold it in the Middle Eastern kingdom.
Bellingham leads Madrid past Mallorca to set up a Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona
https://arab.news/rcdp2
Bellingham leads Madrid past Mallorca to set up a Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona
- Bellingham blasted in the third shot in a row by Madrid after Rodrygo initially hit the post
- Madrid tacked on two goals late in stoppage time
Turki Alalshikh announces record nine-darter prize for Saudi Arabia Darts Masters
RIYADH: Turki Alalshikh on Thursday announced the biggest prize in darts history for a nine-darter, with players at next week’s Saudi Arabia Darts Masters able to win up to $200,000 for a perfect leg.
The tournament, part of Riyadh Season, will be held on January 19 and 20 at the Global Theater in Boulevard City and will feature 16 players, with eight Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) stars taking on eight of Asia’s leading players.
Any player who hits a nine-darter during the event will receive a $100,000 bonus, with the chance to double it through the Riyadh Season Bullseye challenge.
After landing the perfect leg, the player will be given one dart at the bullseye to try to secure the full $200,000 — the largest nine-darter prize ever offered in a PDC-sanctioned event.
Reigning world champion Luke Littler headlines the line-up after previously hitting a nine-darter on the World Series stage in Bahrain in 2024.
He will be joined by 2023/24 world champion Luke Humphries, world championship runner-up Gian van Veen and three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.
The PDC contingent also includes former world champion Gerwyn Price, world No. 7 Stephen Bunting, former UK Open winner Danny Noppert and 2023 World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.
Asia will be represented by Singapore veteran Paul Lim — who famously threw a nine-darter at the 1990 world championship — alongside Filipinos Alexis Toylo, Lourence Ilagan and Paolo Nebrida, Japan’s Motomu Sakai, Ryusei Azemoto and Tomoya Goto, and Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung.
