… Arbeloa’s second match, a win over Levante in La Liga last weekend, was marked by a monumental show of dissent from home fans, the shadow of which the team struggled to emerge from. …
… After crashing to defeat at second-tier Albacete in the Copa del Rey, Arbeloa oversaw a win against lowly Levante in La Liga on Saturday but the atmosphere in the Bernabeu was toxic with boos directed at the new coach, as well as star players Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. …
… The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday. …
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to help Real Madrid defeat Rayo Vallecano 4-1 on Saturday, with Jude Bellingham and Alvaro Carreras also scoring. The win pulled Real Madrid level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to help Real Madrid defeat Rayo Vallecano 4-1 on Saturday, with Jude Bellingham and Alvaro Carreras also scoring. The win pulled Real Madrid level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Mohamed Salah played his final match for Liverpool on Sunday in a 1-1 draw with Brentford, leaving as the club's third-highest goalscorer of all-time with 257 goals after nine years at Anfield. The 33-year-old Egyptian winger provided an assist for Curtis Jones before being substituted.
Real Madrid ended their La Liga season with a 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao. Mallorca and Girona were relegated from the Spanish top flight despite Mallorca's 3-0 victory over already-relegated Real Oviedo.
Vinicius Junior scored as Real Madrid won 1-0 at Sevilla on Sunday, but Sevilla secured safety from relegation through other results. Mallorca, 19th after losing 2-0 to Levante, and Girona, 18th after a 1-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid, are in danger of relegation.
With Barcelona already crowned champions, La Liga's penultimate round focuses on other matters, including Antoine Griezmann's farewell at Atlético Madrid and a tight relegation battle involving multiple teams between 10th and 19th place, with only Real Oviedo guaranteed to go down.
Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Osasuna on Saturday in La Liga after Raul Garcia's 90th-minute goal, a significant blow to their title hopes as Barcelona trail by just two points. Atletico Madrid bounced back from a four-game winless streak with a 4-2 victory over Espanyol to strengthen their grip on fourth place.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick faces mounting pressure following two consecutive defeats to Girona and Atletico Madrid, as the Catalan club falls behind Real Madrid in La Liga. Flick acknowledged the team is not in good form due to injuries and fatigue, but resisted calls to adjust his ultra-attacking tactics ahead of Sunday's match against Levante.
Mohamed Salah scored a penalty as Liverpool beat Brighton 3-0 in the FA Cup, while other African players made headline contributions across major European leagues, including Habib Diarra's penalty for Sunderland and Serhou Guirassy's two-goal performance for Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa and striker Kylian Mbappe both emphasize the need for consistency as the team prepares to face Valencia in La Liga, with Arbeloa stressing that hard work rather than magic is required to turn around recent inconsistent performances.
American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo has revived Real Sociedad from near-relegation with five games unbeaten, including wins over Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, ahead of Sunday's Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao, who are languishing in 13th place without a win in their last five La Liga games.
Vinicius Junior's resurgent form, highlighted by a dominant display in Real Madrid's 6-1 Champions League win over Monaco, has lifted the team ahead of a crucial La Liga clash with Villarreal where victory could move them top of the table. Coach Alvaro Arbeloa has backed the Brazilian winger publicly, and Vinicius has credited the fans' support for his return to form after a lengthy scoring drought.
Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, and Barcelona are among Europe's major clubs facing crucial Champions League matches this week to secure direct qualification to the knockout phase or avoid additional playoff rounds. The top eight teams qualify directly for the last 16, while teams ranked ninth to 24th must play two-legged playoffs.
Real Sociedad defeated Barcelona 2-1 on Sunday, ending the Catalan side's 12-match unbeaten run and narrowing their La Liga lead over Real Madrid to a single point. Barcelona had multiple disallowed goals and hit the woodwork four times but could not overcome goalkeeper Alex Remiro's crucial saves.