Skip to main content

Mbappe on target as Real cruise to Leganes win

LEGANES: Kylian Mbappe ended his goal drought with a close-range strike and midfielder Jude Bellingham scored a header as Real Madrid thrashed Leganes 3-0 on Sunday.

With a game in hand, Real are second in the standings on 30 points, four behind Barcelona.

Mbappe latched on to Vinicius Jr’s through ball and found the net after 10 minutes, but his celebration was short-lived as the goal was ruled out for offside.

Mbappe was goalless in his last four games in all competitions, his last goal coming in a win over Celta Vigo last month.

However, the former Paris St Germain striker netted his seventh league goal of the campaign after combining again with Vinicius to give Real the lead two minutes before the break following a Leganes defensive error that Bellingham capitalised on.

“We switched the position of the strikers a bit, with Mbappe on the outside and he did well,” said coach Carlo Ancelotti after the match.

Real enjoyed most of the possession in the second half, giving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, back in the squad after a muscle injury, little to do.

Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde scored the second from a free kick with an unstoppable long-range effort after Bellingham had been fouled in the 66th minute.

The England international put the icing on the cake in the 85th minute when he headed home after the ball bounced off the crossbar.

“We were very comfortable in the first half, playing the game we wanted to, but (to concede) after a mistake... hurts more, it got away from us because of our errors,” admitted Leganes defender Sergio Gonzalez. “The team gave everything, and with the smallest opportunities, they punished us.”

VINICIUS OUT OF LIVERPOOL CLASH

Real visit Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday but will be without Vinicius, who sustained a leg muscle injury in the win at Leganes.

Spanish media reported the Brazilian winger is expected to miss almost a month, which would also keep him out of the Champions League visit to Atalanta on December 10, as well as Wednesday’s match at Anfield.

Champions League holders Real have started their European campaign in shaky form, with two defeats in their opening four matches.

They lost 1-0 at Lille and 3-1 at home against AC Milan in their last outing in the competition, leaving them 18th in the expanded group table and could be in trouble with a bad result at Anfield.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2024



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/RXsZGdU
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DG ISPR to address press conference on counterterrorism efforts, security situation at 2:15pm today

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry will address an “important” press conference today on counterterrorism efforts and the country’s security situation, state broadcaster PTV News has said. “DG ISPR will hold an important press conference at 2:15pm today,” PTV News said in a post on X . “DG ISPR will give a briefing on the internal and security situation, actions taken against terrorism, and other matters,” the post added. The press conference takes place after heightened security concerns, specifically in Balochistan following a spate of terror attacks on August 26. In the latest flare-up of violence, dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — launched numerous attacks across Balochistan last week, killing at least 50 , including 14 security men. A suicide attack also took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan on August 26, killing four ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indian police hunt more suspects in gang rape of Spanish tourist

Three Indian men have appeared in court after the gang rape of a Spanish tourist on a motorbike trip with her husband, with police hunting four other suspects, reports have said. The attack took place on Friday night in eastern India in Jharkhand state’s Dumka district, where the couple were camping. A total of seven men are accused of carrying out the brutal assault. “We have formed a team to hunt the remaining suspects,” senior local police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar told AFP . On Sunday, three accused were seen being escorted into court with sacks on their heads by police officers holding ropes tied around their waists. The three were later remanded in custody. The Spanish woman and her husband were also in court. “We have to ensure strict punishment,” Kherwar said, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported Monday. Kherwar said a special team including forensic officers had been formed to scour the scene of the attack, while another team was hunting more suspec...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani skipping home run derby

Baseball’s biggest star is skipping the home run derby. Shohei Ohtani confirmed after Tuesday’s win over the Diamondbacks that he will not be participating as he continues to rehab an elbow injury that has prevented him from pitching this season. “There’s been some conversations going on,” Ohtani said, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com . “I’m in the middle of my rehab progression, so it’s not going to look like I’ll be participating.” Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani and the club reached the decision together. Ohtani signed a historic 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers after winning his second AL MVP award last season with the Angels. Despite his elbow injury, he has served as the Dodgers’ primary DH this season and been one of the most productive hitters in baseball. Ohtani entered Tuesday hitting .316/.399/.635 with a 1.034 OPS. He hit his NL-leading 27th home run in the win. Ohtani had previously participated in the Derby in 2021. Last season’s champion, Vlad...
Post a Comment
Read more