arabnews.com - Atletico beat Rayo to close in on Real Madrid

Atletico beat Rayo to close in on Real Madrid

BARCELONA: Atletico Madrid cut the gap on second place Real Madrid to just two points with a 2-1 win over 10-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in La Liga. Valencia fell to a damaging 2-1 defeat at Almeria which leaves them in the relegation zone, while nine-man Real Betis lost 2-0 at home against Cadiz, denting their bid for Champions League football. Defenders Nahuel Molina and Mario Hermoso struck first-half goals two minutes apart to put Atletico into a dominant position at Vallecas.

Leicester appoint Dean Smith as manager until end of season

LONDON: Dean Smith insisted that Leicester can avoid relegation after the Premier League strugglers hired him as their manager until the end of the season on Monday. Former Aston Villa and Norwich boss Smith replaces Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked on April 2 after his side’s slump into relegation trouble. Smith will take charge for Leicester’s last eight games of the campaign as they battle to avoid dropping into the Championship for the first time since 2014.

Lampard urges Chelsea to emulate 2012 shock run to Euro glory

LONDON: Frank Lampard has urged Chelsea to ignore the turmoil enveloping his struggling side as he invoked the memory of the Blues’ incredible run to Champions League glory in 2012. Lampard is back in charge of Chelsea until the end of the season after replacing the sacked Graham Potter last week. After watching Chelsea crash to a lacklustre 1-0 defeat at Wolves in his first game in charge on Saturday, Lampard takes them to Real Madrid for a daunting Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.

Tame Barca draw with Girona, fail to capitalize on Madrid stumble

BARCELONA: Title-chasing Barcelona were held to a 0-0 draw by Girona at Camp Nou on Monday, extending their lead on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga by one point, now sitting 13 clear with 10 games remaining. Still smarting from their Clasico humiliation by Madrid last week in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona were far from their best in a Catalan derby clash, despite the motivation of seeing the champions lose on Saturday against Villarreal. Girona, mid-table, were solid and forced Xavi Hernandez’s side to drop points at home in La Liga for only the third time this season.

After setbacks, Benfica and Inter meet in Champions League

LISBON: Inter Milan and Benfica will meet in the quarterfinals of the Champions League having to rebound from recent setbacks.

‘Rahmbo’ more lethal than Stallone: 6 things we learned at the 87th Masters

AUGUSTA: “No man, no law, no war can stop him.” This was said about Sylvester Stallone’s iconic character Rambo in “First Blood.” It also strangely applies to Spain’s Jon Rahm, lovingly called “Rahmbo” by his fans, who won the 87th Masters on Sunday evening by a massive margin of four shots.

Jiu-Jitsu President’s Cup: Al-Wahda, Al-Ain, Baniyas qualify for finals

ABU DHABI: The preliminary rounds of the Jiu-Jitsu President’s Cup ended at Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City on Sunday with the under-18 teams of Al-Wahda, Baniyas and Al-Ain all securing their places in next weekend’s finals.

Villarreal’s Baena reports assault by Real Madrid’s Valverde

RIYADH: Villarreal’s Alex Baena has informed the police of an alleged assault, on him, by Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde following the La Liga game at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

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Atletico beat Rayo to close in on Real Madrid

Leicester appoint Dean Smith as manager until end of season

Lampard urges Chelsea to emulate 2012 shock run to Euro glory

Tame Barca draw with Girona, fail to capitalize on Madrid stumble

After setbacks, Benfica and Inter meet in Champions League

‘Rahmbo’ more lethal than Stallone: 6 things we learned at the 87th Masters

Jiu-Jitsu President’s Cup: Al-Wahda, Al-Ain, Baniyas qualify for finals

Villarreal’s Baena reports assault by Real Madrid’s Valverde