Real Madrid

Real Madrid will not be adding another UEFA Champions League title this season.

Manchester City defeated Los Blancos 4-0 in a dominant showing at Etihad Stadium in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal to seal a place in the final against Inter Milan.

The Sky Blues were impressive from the jump in Wednesday's match, with Bernardo Silva scoring in the 23rd and 37th minutes to give his team a 2-0 lead entering halftime.

BERNARD💥 SILVA

(via @CBSSportsGolazo) pic.twitter.com/8RvkXxagpa

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 17, 2023

"THEY HAVE CLEAR DAYLIGHT..."

BERNARDO SILVA DOUBLES MANCHESTER CITY'S LEAD! 💫 pic.twitter.com/8BZ2uCz0NR

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 17, 2023

City kept the pressure on in the second half, and Madrid's Éder Militão was credited with an own goal in the 76th minute to give the Premier League side a 3-0 lead before Julián Álvarez added a fourth in stoppage time.

It counts as an own goal for Éder Militão but Man City do not care!

It is the dagger. 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/wlvufSjcjH

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 17, 2023

World Cup winner Julián Álvarez comes off the bench and seals it for Man City. 🕸 pic.twitter.com/it0IPjQgJv

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 17, 2023

Madrid fans were livid with their team's performance at the Etihad Stadium, and they took to Twitter to express their disappointment at a missed opportunity to make it back to the Champions League final:

Man City 3-0 Real Madrid 🫢 pic.twitter.com/IfNcpMOxef

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 17, 2023

Real Madrid fans right now pic.twitter.com/vve2I0cNTj

— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) May 17, 2023

The worst Real Madrid performance that I can ever recall. Absolute embarrassment

— TC (@totalcristiano) May 17, 2023

Real Madrid lose 4-0 and Courtois was their best player. Crumbled.

— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) May 17, 2023

A clinical Florentino would sack Carlo before he got on the flight back home. For a Real Madrid team to not even turn up in a season deciding Champions League semi-final, after sacrificing the league in embarrassing circumstances, is quite frankly unacceptable.

— Muddassir Hussain (@muddassirjourno) May 17, 2023

Long post: It was a sad day; I hate to see Real Madrid lose, but what bothered me the most is when I saw Benzema miss simple passes & fail at the linkups he always did. I will exchange Benzema's Ballon'Or to return the form he has been in since 2018. But accepting the reality… pic.twitter.com/zJP4YNZavf

— Ashish (@RMadridEngineer) May 17, 2023

Massive bottle job by Real Madrid, if you ask me.

— Andrew Allen (@AAllenSport) May 17, 2023

Only positive I take from this absolutely embarrassing display from Real Madrid is that AT LEAST our board will take the summer transfer window seriously. Bcos if we had won another champions league it would’ve covered up how badly we need reinforcements.

— WolfRMFC (@WolfRMFC) May 17, 2023

How did Real Madrid reach the champions league semi final? Disgrace😂😂😂

— Kay💧 (@Kaypoisson1) May 17, 2023

Real Madrid has won the Champions League 14 times, including five times since 2013-14. Its most recent UCL victory came during the 2021-22 season when it defeated Liverpool for its first title since 2017-18.

Manchester City last played in a UCL final during the 2020-21 season, falling to Chelsea. The club will be looking for its first-ever victory in the tournament when it meets Inter on June 10 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Barcelona and Real Madrid will be bringing their rivalry to the United States this summer.

The two La Liga giants will play a preseason El Clásico at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas, on July 29 as part of the Soccer Champions Tour.

Juventus, AC Milan, Arsenal and Manchester United are also taking part in the tour, which will feature games across the United States.

“Soccer Champions Tour” coming to US this summer: pic.twitter.com/wARhoAqDMG

— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) May 12, 2023

Barcelona will also play Juventus, Arsenal and AC Milan during the Soccer Champions Tour. Real Madrid will also face Manchester United, Juventus and AC Milan.

This will mark Barcelona and Real Madrid's third preseason meeting in the United States. They played in Miami in 2017 and in Las Vegas last summer. Barcelona won both matches.

Barcelona and Real Madrid boast some of the world's biggest soccer stars, including Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, Gavi, Ousmane Dembélé, Raphinha, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was not pleased with the officiating in Tuesday's 1-1 Champions League semifinal draw against Manchester City

In particular, he was miffed with the ball appearing to go out of play before Kevin De Bruyne's second-half equalizer.

"The ball was off the pitch," he told reporters. "That's it. Technology said it. I don't understand why VAR didn't check it. The referee didn't pay attention to many things tonight."

The ball appeared to go out of play in the buildup before Kevin De Bruyne's equalizer against Real Madrid.

VAR did not review the goal. pic.twitter.com/gjPBmNYnr8

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 9, 2023

Should VAR have checked this in the build up to De Bruyne's goal? 👀 pic.twitter.com/xjgUqrUiV8

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) May 9, 2023

The primary counterargument to Ancelotti is that the goal itself still ultimately came after a Real Madrid turnover, which arguably created a new sequence of play.

KDB unleashes one for the equalizer 😤

(via @TUDNUSA)pic.twitter.com/1QXkvakWaX

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 9, 2023

And from a more aesthetic standpoint, it would have been a borderline tragedy to disallow such a breathtaking goal on a technicality.

Either way, the goal stood, Ancelotti isn't happy about it and the two sides will battle for a place in the final in eight days.

Take a bow, Thibaut Courtois.

The 30-year-old Real Madrid goalkeeper is a huge reason why Los Blancos are into the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League.

While Real Madrid defeated Chelsea 2-0 in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday thanks to two tallies from Rodrygo, it was Courtois who should be considered man of the match.

With the match tied 0-0 in first half stoppage time, Courtois stopped a prime scoring opportunity on a shot from Chelsea's Marc Cucerella. The goal would have given The Blues a 1-0 lead and would have cut Real Madrid's lead in the quarterfinal to 2-1 on aggregate.

Former Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois with an outstanding save. 🧱 pic.twitter.com/sKbKBMzoeD

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 18, 2023

Courtois denies Cucurella 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gXOoJGwiW7

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 18, 2023

Real Madrid came out of halftime in much better form, and Rodrygo went on to score the first goal of the match in the 58th minute before tallying his second in the 80th minute.

RODRYGO SILENCES STAMFORD BRIDGE. 😤 pic.twitter.com/hp4qBFbbne

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 18, 2023

Tie over.

Rodrygo 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 and doubles his tally on the day. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/iIAY1VX6HS

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 18, 2023

Courtois went on to stop all of Chelsea's six shots on target. The Blues had 19 totals shots.

After the match, Courtois was lauded by fans on Twitter as the best goalkeeper in the world:

Is Thibaut Courtois the best goalkeeper in the world right now? 🤔🧤 pic.twitter.com/GerjO4L7dL

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 18, 2023

Courtois our best player tonight followed by Rodrygo and Fede

— 🤞🏽 (@holowz) April 18, 2023

Thibaut Courtois might be the best goalkeeper in the world, but magic Mike Maignan can't be too far behind right now?

— Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) April 18, 2023

Courtois is easily best keeper at the moment

— Miggy (@_miguel_larios) April 18, 2023

https://twitter.com/Humzaibrahim075/status/1648423773664849920

Thibaut Courtois is the best goalkeeper of all time 💥❤️

— Pach de Pach❤️ Delane 🦦🎩1️⃣6️⃣ 🏆🤍 (@Steezy06e) April 18, 2023

Courtois is excellent. It's really between him and Alisson as the best goalkeeper in the world

— justhmmmm (@justhmmmm1289) April 18, 2023

The goal scorers get all the credit but Courtois has been Real Madrid's best player since last season.

— Laye  (@LieSagne) April 18, 2023

Courtois is the best GK in the world.

— ⚡️ (@ikazamaj00) April 18, 2023

Courtois is the best GK in the world

— Chief 🇵🇸 智人 (@NWali_X) April 18, 2023

https://twitter.com/DrNacho_RM/status/1648417071355535364

Even Chelsea fans can't believe how good Courtois is 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/V8EgVXDDHd

— Noodle Vini (@vini_ball) April 18, 2023

Real Madrid will now move on to face either Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the semifinal. Man City currently leads 3-0 on aggregate entering the second leg of the quarterfinal.

Los Blancos are looking to win their second consecutive Champions League title and sixth since 2013-14. They defeated Liverpool 1-0 in last year's final to claim their first Champions League title since 2017-18.

With Courtois in net, it's very possible Real Madrid could be victorious on the biggest stage once again.

Real Madrid star Antonio Rüdiger was racially abused by fans following his club's 2-0 win over Cádiz on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

Rüdiger walked toward the stands to give his shirt to a supporter when he was targeted by verbal abuse. Objects were thrown in his direction when he walked off the pitch at Nuevo Mirandilla as well.

Rüdiger had a run-in with the Cádiz fans, but he went to give his shirt to a fan and they threw objects at him shouting "son of a bi***".@TheAthleticFC pic.twitter.com/8V2lr4wGJE

— Guillermo Rai (@GuillermoRai_) April 15, 2023

Rüdiger's teammate, Vinícius Jr., has been racially abused on multiple occasions this season, including during Real Madrid's 2-1 loss to Barcelona on March 19.

In December, Vinícius called out La Liga on social media for what he believes is its failure to meaningfully address the problem.

Os racistas seguem indo aos estádios e assistindo ao maior clube do mundo de perto e a @LaLiga segue sem fazer nada…
Seguirei de cabeça erguida e comemorando as minhas vitórias e do Madrid.
No final a culpa é MINHA. 🤙🏿 pic.twitter.com/5ztuTjP4s6

— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) December 31, 2022

"Racists continue to go to stadiums and watch the biggest club in the world up close and La Liga continues to do nothing..." he wrote (via The Athletic's Jacob Whitehead).

In response to the incident at Barcelona, La Liga said it reported the abuse to the Barcelona Court of Instruction. The league also said it created an online portal where supporters can report any instances of racist abuse they witness.

Thanks to the continued brilliance of star striker Karim Benzema, Real Madrid got off to a strong start to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the first leg.

Benzema scored in the 21st minute off a rebound when Vinícius Júnior redirected a Dani Carvajal through ball, which was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga. The captain and reigning UEFA Player of the Year was trailing the play and found himself in the right place at the right time to put Real Madrid ahead for good.

They kept the pressure on Chelsea throughout the contest by dominating the possession battle and firing 15 shots, 10 of which were on goal. In addition to his score, Benzema sent three more shots toward the net and also did his best to set up his teammates for potential assists. Arrizabalaga was frequently under duress and registered eight saves on the day. Marco Asensio added an insurance goal for Real Madrid in the 74th minute.

But it was Benzema who was the star of the show, and fans on Twitter showered him with well-deserved praise:

…and it’s 14 goals in last 9 Champions League knockout games for Karim Benzema ⚪️🤯 #UCL

It’s always him. pic.twitter.com/cX0jAB1CQC

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 12, 2023

▪️ Hat trick in the first leg last season
▪️ Winner in extra time in the second leg
▪️ Opens the scoring today

Karim Benzema vs. Chelsea 👻 pic.twitter.com/I5Ruj0W6J3

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 12, 2023

Benzema is a master. He weaves the web of linkup play. His football mind is brilliant.

— ARDENT GOONER (@TheArsenalMind) April 12, 2023

Karim Benzema has had 3 shots on target in the first half against Chelsea, that’s as many total shots as the whole Chelsea squad combined.

Outgunned. 💥 pic.twitter.com/QIR9LDmlJ3

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 12, 2023

Karim Benzema loves scoring against Chelsea!

Dani Carvajal with a perfect pass. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/Zzm4L45JDu

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 12, 2023

Karim Benzema has scored 20 goals against English opponents in the Champions League, with only Lionel Messi scoring more (27).#RMACHE | #RMCF | #UCL

[@OptaJoe] pic.twitter.com/WnUHckucvn

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 12, 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo telling Karim Benzema that he’s a better Champions League player than Lionel Messi. pic.twitter.com/uqzviI5El1

— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) April 12, 2023

it had to be Benzema

— Malik Ofori (@malikofori) April 12, 2023

It had to be Karim Benzema 😈 pic.twitter.com/zqFpn3EOlX

— GOAL (@goal) April 12, 2023

⚽⚽⚽ vs. Chelsea
⚽ vs. Chelsea
⚽⚽ vs. Man City
⚽ vs. Man City
⚽⚽ vs. Liverpool
⚽ vs. Liverpool
⚽ vs. Chelsea

Benzema’s last 11 goals in the Champions League have been against Premier League teams 😈 pic.twitter.com/RLjRlU576U

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 12, 2023

⚽ 21' | 1-0 | GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL by @Benzema!!! #FIFA23 | #UCL pic.twitter.com/yxTPuaiVmm

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 12, 2023

Benzema is not only a top goalscorer but also a good team player. This is what I want The Rashford to be. 🤲

— 𝑺 𝑵 𝑬 𝑯 ➐ (@SnehQueenBee) April 12, 2023

See eh Benzema must always turn up

— Kelvin (@realkingss) April 12, 2023

https://twitter.com/JackFawcett1704/status/1646244538678140932

Is Benzema the best number 9 of our generation?

— K.T£E🔱🎩 (@Richiemash_) April 12, 2023

Real Madrid and Chelsea will face each other in the second leg of the UCL quarterfinals on Tuesday. Benzema will be primed and ready to keep his hot streak going as he looks to help lead Real Madrid to a second straight UCL title.

Real Madrid condemned the allegations against Barcelona tied to payments to a company owned by refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira.

"Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system," the club said Sunday. "The club has agreed that, in defence of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties."

Per the Guardian's Sid Lowe, Barcelona paid more than €7 million to Negreira over a period years that spanned multiple club presidents. The payments ceased in 2018.

At the time, Negreira was the vice-president of the Spanish federation's refereeing committee.

Barcelona denied any wrongdoing and said the payments to DASNIL 95 SL, the company co-owned by Negreira, were for the purpose of obtaining "technical reports related to professional refereeing." The Catalan giants described it as "a common practice among professional football clubs."

However, Spanish prosecutors on Friday formally accused Barcelona of corruption and alleged Negreira displayed favorable treatment toward Barça. The legal complaint specifically centers around €2.9 million paid to Negreira from 2014 to 2018.

Club president Joan Laporta called for supporters to remain "calm" Sunday:

Culers, you can be calm. Barça is innocent of the accusations made against it and is the victim of a campaign, that now involves everyone, to harm its honorability. It is no surprise, and we will defend Barça and prove that the Club is innocent. Many will be forced to rectify.

— Joan Laporta Estruch🎗 (@JoanLaportaFCB) March 12, 2023

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said on Saturday the club's board of directors planned to meet to decide on how Madrid would respond to the situation.

An effigy of Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. was hung off a bridge outside the club's training facility Thursday, ahead of a match against rival Atlético Madrid:

Atlético Madrid's neo-nazi ultra group have hung a doll representing Vinicius from a bridge near Real Madrid's training facilities ahead of tonight's Madrid derby. pic.twitter.com/CBfa3W6tdv

— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) January 26, 2023

The banner attached to the bridge translates to "Madrid hates Real," via BBC Sport. Per ESPN's Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez, the slogan is "associated with a group of Atlético ultras."

The clubs are set to face each other on Thursday in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

Vinicius, the 22-year-old Brazil international in his fifth year with Real Madrid, has often been the target of racial abuse in road matches, as detailed by Colin Millar of the Mirror.

La Liga said in a statement it "strongly condemns acts of hatred and intimidation against Vinicius Jr," while Atlético Madrid also called the act "repugnant."

"The rivalry between the two clubs is the greatest, but so is respect," the club said. "No individual, whatever their intentions or colours, can tarnish the coexistence between different supporters. It is everyone's responsibility to avoid this."

The Real Madrid star also released a statement, per Millar:

"Vinicius is aware of the situation but is focused on tonight's game. He will discuss the issue tomorrow with his club and legal staff, but his position remains the same as before: he expects punishment from the authorities, not official statements."

Authorities opened an investigation after Atlético fans sang racist songs targeting Vinicius during their La Liga battle in September. Prosecutors closed the case after three months, saying it was impossible to determine who was responsible, per BBC Sport.

The rivals are also scheduled to face off in La Liga play on Feb. 26.

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior criticized La Liga on Saturday for its inaction toward addressing racist behavior.

"Racists continue to go to stadiums and watch the biggest club in the world up close and La Liga continues to do nothing..." he wrote on Twitter (h/t The Athletic's Jacob Whitehead).

"I will continue with my head held high and celebrating my victories and those of Madrid. In the end it's MY fault."

Os racistas seguem indo aos estádios e assistindo ao maior clube do mundo de perto e a @LaLiga segue sem fazer nada…
Seguirei de cabeça erguida e comemorando as minhas vitórias e do Madrid.
No final a culpa é MINHA. 🤙🏿 pic.twitter.com/5ztuTjP4s6

— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) December 31, 2022

His comments came after he was the target of racist abuse during a 2-0 win over Real Valladolid on Friday.

La Liga issued a statement to Whitehead defending its handing of racism allegations, saying, "Hate speech has no place in LaLiga."

"We are investigating last night's match and will work with the clubs and appropriate authorities to identify and prosecute anyone guilty of hate speech," the league stated.

"As for yesterday's events, LaLiga is still investigating but has already identified racist insults from some individuals (not groups) in videos uploaded to social media, which will be the subject of an official complaint as in previous cases."

Racist abuse by fans isn't a problem isolated to Spain, but it has remained a persistent issue for years. This isn't the first time Vinicius has been victimized, either. Prior to Madrid's 2-1 win over rival Atlético Madrid in September, Atlético supporters chanted, "Vinicius is a monkey" as they entered Cívitas Metropolitano.

La Liga's approach to addressing allegations of racist abuse also came into sharp focus in April 2021, when Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby said he had been racially abused by Cádiz defender Juan Cala. Diakhaby's teammates walked off the pitch in solidarity, and he didn't return to the match when it restarted.

La Liga said days later it didn't find evidence that Cala used a racist slur toward Diakhaby.

In a statement, Valencia said, "The fact that no evidence has been found does not mean that it didn't happen."

"Our aim is to see a change, to see an appropriate response to such a grave incident, to see a movement to change the regulations and attitudes when facing these types of problems that may arise," the club stated. "It was an unprecedented episode in football, but we are convinced that it will serve to promote a real change in the regulations."

The Athletic's Dermot Corrigan and Adam Crafton laid out how the incident was emblematic of structural issues within La Liga and Spain.

Real Madrid and France star Karim Benzema has announced his retirement from international football after France's defeat to Argentina in the World Cup final.

Karim Benzema announces that he's retiring from international football on his 35th birthday.

The Frenchman scored 37 goals in 97 games since making his debut in 2007 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/QNiOPCp10S

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 19, 2022

"I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I'm proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending," Benzema said, via Colin Millar of the Mirror.

The 35-year-old made the France squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup, but he suffered a thigh injury in training and was ruled out for the tournament. Though he was not replaced on the roster, he did not stay with the team and chose not to attend Sunday's final.

According to French newspaper L'Equipe (h/t Tom Blow of the Mirror), Benzema "cut off" communication with the team and head coach Didier Deschamps after they wouldn't let him stay following the injury.

Deschamps dodged questions on Benzema's availability after France's first two group-stage games.

"I have 24 players here and I'm thinking about them," he told reporters. "I will let you speak, debate, and imagine, but I'm not going to comment on things that don't concern our daily business."

Asked about Benzema again following victory in the semifinals over Morocco, Deschamps said, "I don't really want to answer that question."

Benzema was not part of France's 2018 World Cup-winning squad amid a blackmail scandal with former teammate Mathieu Valbuena, for which he received a one-year suspended prison sentence. He was also left off the 2010 World Cup roster despite competing with the team during qualifying.

He earned 97 caps across 15 years with the national team yet only appeared in one World Cup, helping the 2014 squad reach the quarterfinal with three goals and two assists in five matches.

The striker has been one of the world's best players at the club level, helping Real Madrid win five Champions League titles. He earned the 2022 Ballon d'Or after winning Champions League and La Liga titles with Los Blancos, scoring 44 goals in all competitions.