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.
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Fernando Mendoza skyrocketed to the top of every NFL pundit’s draft board during the 2025 college football season as the Indiana Hoosiers standout won the Heisman Trophy and led the school to a national championship.
Mendoza’s status stayed clean as the Las Vegas Raiders selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. He will be tasked with returning the franchise back to glory under head coach Klint Kubiak and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is set to serve as Mendoza’s mentor.
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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza runs through a drill during a rookie minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nev., on May 2, 2026. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
A detractor came out of the woodwork on Monday as an anonymous ACC coach told ESPN that he didn’t believe Mendoza had the “NFL traits.” The coach competed against Mendoza when the quarterback was tossing the pigskin around for the Cal Golden Bears.
“He’s a good decision-maker, but I don’t think he’s got the NFL traits,” the coach told ESPN. “They’re all back-shoulder (throws). That’s not working in the NFL. His receivers made plays to make him look better than he is. In the NFL, those throws are getting picked off.”
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza warms up during a rookie minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nev., on May 2, 2026. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
Mendoza showed grit and determination with some of the throws he made at Indiana. One that comes to mind is the game-winning touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. against Penn State.
Cooper made the catch and an incredible toe-tap for the touchdown with 36 seconds left in the game, which kept Indiana’s dream season alive.
Raiders general manager John Spytek said last month he nixed any talk of trading the No. 1 pick because he was sure Mendoza would be their guy.
“I think any coach is excited to work with a big, athletic, talented thrower that is extremely smart and a very driven worker, and that’s been our experience with Fernando,” Spytek said. “That’s a great starting spot for any quarterback.”
It’s the heart that Mendoza showed throughout the season, including in the national title game against the Miami Hurricanes, that made him an attractive prospect for NFL teams.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, attends a news conference at the Raiders Headquarters in Henderson, Nev., on April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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He had 3,535 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes in his lone season at Indiana.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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New York Yankees radio legend John Sterling has died, WFAN Sports Radio in New York announced on Monday. He was 87.
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of John Sterling, a WFAN and Yankees radio icon whose voice was synonymous with an entire generation of Yankee fandom,” the radio station wrote on social media.
John Sterling sits in the broadcast booth before the New York Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York on Sept. 25, 2009. (Bill Kostroun/AP)
Sterling suffered a heart attack in January and was said to be in good spirits. He retired from broadcasting in April 2024 after 64 years in the industry.
Since 1989, Sterling has been gracing the New York airwaves as the voice of the Yankees, and that has included the multiple World Series titles.
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“It is high, it is far, it is gone!” is something Yankees fans have heard for decades, and Sterling usually followed it up with specific calls for each player, including, “It’s an A-bomb from A-Rod” for Alex Rodriguez and “Here comes the Judge!” for Aaron Judge.
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Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown accused NBA officials of having an “agenda” against him in the team’s playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, which ended in a Game 7 defeat.
Brown touched on 76ers center Joel Embiid getting calls after Boston lost to Philadelphia on Saturday night. He further went after referees in a livestream.
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Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., on April 30, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
“They keep saying there are push-offs and stuff like that,” he said, via MassLive. “Do you know how many players do that? That’s the common play, a basketball play. Every player does it. So why are you targeting me? They clearly had an agenda. Maybe because I had spoken and was critical of the refs in the regular season. So you know how they responded? You’re going to lead the playoffs in offensive fouls. That was the response from the officiating crew.
“I actually spoke to some refs and there was an agenda going into each game. Anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, just call it. Paul George does the same thing. Jalen Brunson does the same thing. I can go down the list. It’s a basketball play, whether y’all believe it or not. Everybody does that when you drive, especially when you got bodies on you. Philly took advantage of it, and they took advantage of the officiating, and it cost us to some degree.”
Philadelphia won the final game of the series, 109-100. Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Embiid made nine of his 11 free-throw attempts.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown compete for a loose ball during the first quarter of game seven in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on May 2, 2026. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)
Brown made critical comments toward Embiid.
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“Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, like on all our bigs and our guards,” he said. “We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things and he just, he’s a big body, and also he was flopping around. He got some extra calls and stuff like that, and they rewarded him for that. That’s the league that we’re in. So, that’s all I got to say.”
Brown averaged 25.7 points per game and shot 45.5% from the floor.
He was the best Celtics’ player all season as the team was without Jayson Tatum for most of the season. He played in 71 games and averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey drives past Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Boston was 56-26 and finished second in the Eastern Conference.
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