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Real Madrid look for more fluidity on trip to Oviedo | The Express Tribune

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Real Madrid look for more fluidity on trip to Oviedo | The Express Tribune



MADRID:

After winning without convincing against Osasuna in their opening match of the season in La Liga, Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid head to Real Oviedo on Sunday for what will be a gala occasion for the newly-promoted side.

Oviedo returned to Spain’s top flight after an absence of almost quarter of a century by beating Mirandes in the second-tier play-off final in June.

The club from the northern region of Asturias, coached by Serbian former player Veljko Paunovic, were therefore left facing a quick turnaround before tackling life back in La Liga.

With a 40-year-old Santi Cazorla coming off the bench and Venezuela veteran Salomon Rondon leading the attack, Oviedo lost 2-0 away at Villarreal in their first game back in the elite.

Now they host the 15-time European champions in front of what will be a sell-out 30,000 crowd at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere.

Alonso took charge of Madrid ahead of the Club World Cup, in which his new charges reached the semi-finals before suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.

After a short close-season break, Real returned to training before edging Osasuna 1-0 on Tuesday thanks to a Kylian Mbappe penalty.

“After a two-week pre-season, against a team who had longer, there were things missing but the result gives us stability going forward,” said Alonso after that match.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen, signed before the Club World Cup, made their Liga bows for Madrid in that game while left-back Alvaro Carreras made his debut after joining from Benfica.

Teenage Argentine sensation Franco Mastantuono also came on for his first appearance.

Alonso will now hope for a more fluid display as his side continue what looks like a kind opening run of fixtures building up to the derby away to Atletico in late September.

The Argentine teenager is tipped for a huge future and made his La Liga debut on Tuesday off the bench for Madrid.

Mastantuono moved to the Bernabeu in June, signing from River Plate for just over 63 million euros ($72 million) and penning a six-year deal.

The winger or attacking midfielder, who made his senior Argentina debut in early June just before playing at the Club World Cup with River, will hope to make a big impact in La Liga this season.

“He has that Argentine grit and competitive spirit,” said Real coach Alonso this week, while also hailing the youngster’s ability to play the final pass.

With Rodrygo still being tipped to depart Real in the transfer window, that would leave Mastantuono and Brahim Diaz to contest a spot on the right wing.

18 – As in the age of Lamine Yamal, with the Barcelona star celebrating his birthday last month, but also Mastantuono who turned 18 five days before making his debut against Osasuna

24 – The number of years since Oviedo were last in La Liga

5 – Atletico Madrid had five new signings in their starting line-up against Espanyol on the opening weekend but Diego Simeone’s new-look team got off to a losing start and will be looking to bounce back at home to Elche on Saturday

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Real Betis v Alaves (1930)

Saturday

Mallorca v Celta Vigo (1500), Atletico Madrid v Elche (1730), Levante v Barcelona (1930)

Sunday

Osasuna v Valencia (1500), Real Sociedad v Espanyol, Villarreal v Girona (both 1730), Real Oviedo v Real Madrid (1930)

Monday

Athletic Bilbao v Rayo Vallecano (1730), Sevilla v Getafe (1930)



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Son Heung-Min nails 1st pitch at Dodger Stadium

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Son Heung-Min nails 1st pitch at Dodger Stadium


Star LAFC recruit Son Heung-Min is settling into life in Los Angeles brilliantly.

After netting his debut goal for the club last Saturday — a stunning 30-yard free kick against FC Dallas no less — the South Korea captain capped a fine week by throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

Ahead of the Dodgers hosting Cincinnati Reds, the former Premier League star stepped up to the plate and launched a finely arced right-handed strike, much to the delight of the fans at the stadium.

Son’s pitch comes just days after BTS star V also threw the ceremonial first pitch in LA. We’ll leave it up to you to decide which Korean superstars’ throw was best.



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Travis Kelce calls for Shedeur Sanders to start for Browns amid controversy: ‘Give the people what they want’

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Travis Kelce calls for Shedeur Sanders to start for Browns amid controversy: ‘Give the people what they want’


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Travis Kelce has spoken out about the ongoing controversy over Shedeur Sanders‘ role with the Cleveland Browns.

During his “New Heights” podcast this week, the Kansas City Chiefs star said he believes the Browns should start Sanders, who is third on the team’s depth chart behind veteran Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. 

Travis Kelce spoke about Shedeur Sanders’ role with the Browns on the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast, which aired before the official start of the NFL season. (Imagn)

“Give the people what they want, in terms of the Browns fans. Start Shedeur. … Put him in coach,” Kelce said. “Give the people what they want. The world wants to see him go out there, and not only play, but have success. At this point, guys are rooting for him. This isn’t anything against Dillon. This isn’t anything against Joe. I’m just saying the excitement is there for [Sanders] to go out there. He’s going to put eyes on the screen. He’s going to bring people to the game. 

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“I would love to f—ing see it, man.” 

On the contrary, Kelce’s brother and co-host, Jason Kelce, defended the team naming Joe Flacco as the starter. 

“[Browns head coach Kevin] Stefanski and the Browns are trying to do the thing that they feel gives them the best chance to win football games,” Jason said. “If the Browns and Kevin Stefanski felt their best option and the most confident option they had to win games was Shedeur Sanders, they would be playing him.” 

Still, Jason conceded that he “wants” to see Sanders play. 

“What do I want? I want to see Shedeur Sanders,” Jason said. 

Jason also rejected the “conspiracies” surrounding the situation as to why Sanders is as low on the depth chart as he is. 

Criticism and conspiracy theories directed at the Browns reemerged after the team’s preseason finale on Saturday. 

Sanders entered the game in the third quarter and completed three of six passes for 14 yards, while taking five sacks for a combined loss of 41 yards against the Los Angeles Rams. He netted minus-27 yards for Cleveland before being pulled from the game on the final drive and replaced by veteran Tyler Huntley. 

Huntley led the Browns’ offense on a game-winning field goal drive, and the Browns won 19-17.

It was a far cry from Sanders’ first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers Aug. 8, when he threw for two touchdowns and was praised by fans and sports stars, including LeBron James and Dawn Staley. 

However, many fans and pundits were quick to defend Sanders for his rough outing on Saturday and blamed the Browns’ coaching for putting Sanders in a position where he had to rely on backup teammates while also calling questionable plays. 

EX-NBA PLAYER MAKES SHEDEUR SANDERS-LEBRON JAMES COMPARISON AFTER QB’S PRESEASON DEBUT

Jason Kelce broadcasting NFL game

Jason Kelce on the ESPN postseason countdown set during the 2025 Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium Feb. 2, 2025.  (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Former NFL quarterback Derek Carr questioned why Sanders wasn’t left in the game to finish the final drive. 

“I need to understand why we don’t get to see Shedeur Sanders run this 2-minute drill? Wouldn’t you want to see your young QB operate in this situation? Get him more reps for the future? I didn’t see the whole game so maybe he already showed enough? Help me understand this…” Carr wrote on X. 

Sports talk show host Skip Bayless posted a 16-minute rant in defense of Sanders on X, while condemning the Browns for their handling of the quarterback. 

“They sabotaged it. They rigged it against him today, putting him in with third- and fourth-stringers, fifth-stringers. You got no shot at quarterback,” Bayless said. 

Other users on social media leveled similar criticisms at the Browns, with some speculating that the obstacles being put in front of the quarterback are intentional. 

Prior to that game, NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson stoked conspiracy theories related to Sanders in a recent interview, claiming that NFL teams were “told not to” draft Sanders to “make an example” of the quarterback when he fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft in April. 

“I tell you this much, what I heard from someone that’s in the NFL [is] that the NFL told [teams], ‘Don’t draft him, do not draft him,'” Dickerson said in a recent interview on the “Roggin and Rodney” show on AM 570 LA Sports. 

“‘We’re going to make an example out of him.’ And this came from a very good source, a very good source. They were going to have him not get drafted to basically show you, ‘This is what happens when you do this.’ I mean, look, the NFL’s got all kinds of power. They do all kinds of stuff.” 

Sanders’ slide out of the first round shocked many, including President Donald Trump, who condemned the league’s owners for passing on the quarterback in a Truth Social post.

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith revealed a text message from an associate who compared the situation to Colin Kaepernick being out of the NFL since 2016, suggesting “collusion.” 

“‘This is a bad look for the NFL. This feels like Kaepernick-level collusion,'” Smith said of the content of the text, adding the situation goes beyond “talent evaluation.” 

“All the hard work the NFL League Office puts in to eradicate these kinds of perceptions, only to turn around and watch as the OWNERS look like they’re colluding, messing up everything. What has been done to Shedeur will outshine everything else in this draft. We’ll never believe this is about just talent evaluation again.” 

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Shedeur Sanders on the sideline vs Eagles

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders against the Philadelphia Eagles during a game at Lincoln Financial Field. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)

Sanders was eventually taken by the Browns on the third and final day of the draft with the 144th pick. The quarterback was initially considered a possible contender for the first overall pick early in the draft process after finishing his final season at Colorado. 

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Mike Vrabel is back to try to help the Patriots recapture their glory days

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