Real Madrid on Sunday eased the pressure on Zinedine Zidane and delivered a resounding response to their loss to Paris Saint-Germain by winning 1-0 away at high-flying Sevilla in La Liga.
Karim Benzema headed in the decisive goal at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to secure an impressive victory against a Sevilla side that were unbeaten and hoping to return to the top of the table.
Instead, it was Madrid who went level on points with Athletic Bilbao at the top after a controlled and determined performance that was by some distance their best since Zidane’s return as coach in March.
Photo: AP
“We have had a quite difficult time, but the players reacted,” Zidane said.
His position had come under scrutiny after Madrid’s woeful 3-0 defeat by PSG in the UEFA Champions League last week, a result that continued their bumpy start to the season.
The win should do wonders for belief and it leaves Barcelona as Spain’s chief club in crisis, with Ernesto Valverde under pressure after they were beaten 2-0 by Granada on Saturday.
Madrid are now four points clear of the Catalans after five games.
“I am very happy as people have been questioning us a lot, but we don’t think much about that,” Zidane said. “We played 90 minutes at a very high level in a difficult stadium. We must congratulate all the players.”
Zidane singled out Gareth Bale for praise.
“Today, hard work was the key,” he said. “The effort made by James [Rodriguez], Gareth, all of them.”
Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui, who was sacked by Real Madrid 11 months ago, 139 days after taking the job that cost him the chance to lead Spain at the World Cup finals, said that there was no desire for revenge, but it is hard to imagine victory would not have brought a little extra satisfaction.
Zidane was asked about his own future, several times, and while he said that he still feels the full backing of the club, there was a warning, too.
If support dwindles, Zidane said, “then it would probably be best to leave.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and