Sport
Mbappé’s Missed Penalty Costs Real Madrid a 2-1 Loss to Athletic Club
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé had a frustrating night on Tuesday, missing his second penalty in a week as Los Blancos suffered a 2-1 defeat to Athletic Club.
This loss marks Madrid’s fourth in their last seven matches across all competitions, raising concerns about their current form.
Athletic Club took the lead in the 53rd minute, with Alex Berenguer scoring a well-taken goal to put the home side ahead.
Real Madrid was given a chance to equalize soon after when they were awarded a penalty, but Mbappé’s weak shot from the spot was easily saved by Athletic’s goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala.
This miss followed his earlier penalty failure earlier in the week, which left fans and analysts questioning his composure under pressure.
Madrid managed to draw level in the 78th minute when Jude Bellingham capitalized on a rebound to fire home, keeping hope alive for the visitors. However, the celebration was short-lived.
Just a minute later, an unfortunate mistake by Federico Valverde allowed the ball to break to Gorka Guruzeta, who slotted it past Real Madrid’s goalkeeper to give Athletic Club the winning goal.
The result was a blow for Madrid as they looked to close the gap on Barcelona, who currently lead the La Liga table with 37 points.
Real Madrid sits second with 33 points, though they have a game in hand.
The loss also allowed Athletic Club to strengthen their position in the top four, with 29 points, just behind the top teams.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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Super Eagles Star Calvin Bassey Opens Up on Nearly Walking Away from Football
