Sports
Real Madrid revitalised for new Champions League mission | The Express Tribune
MADRID:
Record 15-time kings of Europe Real Madrid open their new Champions League campaign on Tuesday against Marseille hoping they now have the coach and squad to reconquer the throne.
Madrid refreshed their squad this summer with several new signings at a cost of around 170 million euros ($200 million) and hired former midfielder Xabi Alonso to replace veteran Carlo Ancelotti.
Los Blancos were dismantled 5-1 on aggregate by Arsenal in last season’s quarter-finals, underlining the need to take a step forward both tactically and in terms of personnel.
With a top-heavy attack as Ancelotti insisted on regularly lining up with a ‘fantastic four’ of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham, Madrid’s defence was easily fractured.
Ancelotti could not find the right strategy to protect the team and although Mbappe hit top form in the second half of the season, star power alone was not enough against Europe’s elite.
Madrid suffered six defeats in the competition, including against Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, ending the season without a major trophy and seeing bitter rivals Barcelona lift a domestic treble.
French superstar Mbappe has started the season in spectacular form with four goals in four La Liga matches, but Madrid fans are equally impressed by the solidity Alonso has installed so far.
Madrid have two clean sheets and survived playing for an hour with 10 men against Real Sociedad on Saturday to win and maintain their 100 percent start to their league campaign.
“The assessment, after playing for so long with one fewer player, is that we had some good phases, phases in which we knew how to dig deep,” said Alonso, pleased with his team’s collective hard work, which was not always evident last season.
“The players made a huge effort and dug deep for the benefit of the team.”
Unlike Ancelotti, Alonso has already shown flexibility, both in terms of his approach and selection.
Winger Vinicius Junior was dropped for the league match against Real Oviedo and brought off early as he struggled against Real Sociedad.
With the expanded Champions League format meaning teams play eight group matches, Alonso suggested he will be rotating his line-ups in the weeks ahead.
“We’re going to need everyone. We’re in a period with a lot of matches,” said the Basque coach.
“It’s important for everyone to be involved so that we can be competitive and consistent in our performance.”
That consistency was lacking last season as Madrid would flip-flop between superb and sorry in Ancelotti’s final year.
– Ancelotti, Zidane legacy –
Despite the disappointing ending Alonso has big shoes to fill at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ancelotti managed to win the Champions League three times with the club, equalling Zinedine Zidane’s trio of triumphs, all six coming in the past 12 seasons.
Nicknamed Mister Champions, Ancelotti has a record five trophies as a coach.
Alonso finished as a Europa League final runner-up with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024 and is at the start of his coaching career.
The Spaniard, who played in midfield for Liverpool and Real Madrid, won the Champions League with each of those clubs as a player.
Adding to those as a coach is the key for his longevity at Real Madrid, who value the Champions League above all other trophies.
Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alvaro Carreras’ arrivals have bolstered Madrid’s defence, which was flagging last season, while starlet Franco Mastantuono adds guile in attack.
Bellingham has been sidelined for the start of the campaign after shoulder surgery and will add yet more options for Alonso when he returns in the next few weeks.
With Mbappe at his best and the team showing positive signs at the start of the season, Madrid supporters are optimistic they can hold their own against the continent’s best once more.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The judge in Alabama men’s basketball player Charles Bediako‘s eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA has recused himself from the case.
Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge James Roberts filed the order Wednesday, according to court documents. AL.com first reported Roberts’ recusal.
The case was reassigned to Judge Daniel Pruet, an Alabama graduate who is overseeing the murder case involving former Crimson Tide player Darius Miles.
The NCAA filed a motion for recusal Tuesday, noting Roberts’ donations to the university as well as public perception that his relationship with Alabama athletics could alter his judgment in the case. Roberts was listed as a donor on the Crimson Tide Foundation’s website.
“Courts in Alabama and beyond have widely recognized that a mere appearance of partiality is sufficient to require the recusal of a trial judge,” the NCAA wrote. “This appearance can be compounded by widespread media and public scrutiny questioning the trial court’s impartiality. Despite the NCAA’s confidence that the Court can disregard his connections to the University of Alabama and its athletics programs, recusal is still necessary to protect these proceedings from an appearance of impropriety.”
Bediako’s attorneys did not oppose the motion.
Bediako is suing the NCAA in an attempt to regain college eligibility despite leaving school and entering the 2023 NBA draft. He went undrafted but signed a two-way NBA contract and played the past three seasons in the G League. Roberts granted a temporary restraining order last week that allows Bediako to play for the Crimson Tide, at least until a hearing on an injunction can be held.
No. 23 Alabama plays at No. 19 Florida on Sunday.
The NCAA and several college coaches, including Florida’s Todd Golden, have strongly opposed Bediako’s return to college basketball.
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Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was fined $50,000 for “aggressively pursuing, berating and making inadvertent contact with a game official,” the NBA announced Saturday.
The league’s announcement said the incident happened with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 126-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns Friday.
Atkinson was assessed his second technical foul of the game when he stormed the court after a no-call against Sam Merrill for driving on Collin Gillespie after he bumped into an official before being escorted off and ejected from the game.
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second half in Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat April 28, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rhona Wise)
Atkinson whipped his arm against the nearby referee before the whistle was blown.
Atkinson ripped the officials in a postgame news conference.
PGA TOUR STAR JUSTIN THOMAS RIPS NCAA FOR CURRENT STATE OF COLLEGE SPORTS
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers during Game 2 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland May 6, 2025. (David Richard-Imagn Images)
“We had one free throw after three quarters against a team that [is 26th in fouls],” Atkinson said. “And the second free throw we got was after a flop. I’m not pleased. I thought the game got out of hand, quite honestly. Parts of the game seemed circus-like, quite honestly. I don’t know if that’s what we want as a league.
“Certain characters in this league take liberties, and we don’t stand up to them. And the game turns into reviews, challenges, go to the monitor for 20 minutes when we’re just trying to play basketball. I don’t think it’s good for the league, and I know it wasn’t good for us tonight. Thought they let the game get out of hand.”
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the first half against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland May 4, 2025. (Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)
The Cavaliers fell to 29-21, while Phoenix improved to 30-19.
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Inter Miami CF signed Mexico national team forward Germán Berterame from Liga MX powerhouse Monterrey, the team announced Friday.
Berterame joins Lionel Messi and the reigning MLS Cup champions as a designated player on a contract running through 2029, with a club option for an additional year.
Miami secured the deal by paying Berterame’s $15 million release clause, sources told ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano.
Mexican forward Germán Berterame joins as a Designated Player, bringing a proven goal-scoring pedigree ⚽ Welcome to Miami!
Details: https://t.co/CBJatdte0z pic.twitter.com/IlIoaBuAbc
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) January 30, 2026
“I’m leaving with a clear conscience, knowing I always gave my all for this club [Monterrey], and I hope I can return further down the road,” Berterame said in a video posted on Rayados de Monterrey social media accounts.
“This opportunity [signing with Miami] is all new; it’s a unique and fresh experience at the same time. It was unexpected, but I think it’s going to be a beautiful experience.
“When I renewed my contract [with Monterrey], I told him [Héctor Lara, the club’s sporting director], ‘I’m not leaving unless something really eye-catching comes along.’ I was obviously talking about teams from Europe. And I also said, ‘Unless, obviously, Messi comes and takes me with him.’ So that anecdote stuck.”
The Argentine-born forward, who became a naturalized Mexican in 2024, started his career in the Argentine Primera División, starring for San Lorenzo and Patronato before making his Liga MX debut with Atletico San Luis in 2019. While playing for Atletico San Luis, Berterame scored 31 goals in 93 games in all competitions and earned the Golden Boot for the 2021 Apertura tournament.
His efforts in Liga MX earned him recognition from the Mexican national team after he became eligible to play for El Tricolor. Although Berterame previously featured for the Argentina youth national team, his lack of appearances with the senior squad allowed Berterame to represent Mexico without filing a one-time switch with FIFA.
Berterame scored the winning goal for Mexico last Sunday in a World Cup warmup friendly against Bolivia.
Other MLS teams previously expressed interest in Berterame. FC Cincinnati attempted to trigger Berterame’s previous release clause, but the two parties failed to agree to complete the transfer.
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