Karim Benzema

Poetic Injustice: The Greatest Goals That Never Were

It doesn’t count on the scoresheet, but there’s something entirely satisfying about seeing an absolute crack smash off the woodwork. As humans, we like loud noises, and nothing makes us ooh and aah more than football’s own version of fireworks — the ball crashing into the crossbar from distance and flying into the heavens. 

Apart from that spectacle, great goals can be denied for a myriad of other reasons: sometimes it’s the referee, sometimes it’s a curmudgeonly defender or goalkeeper and sometimes it’s that idiot Nani.

Didier Deschamps Calls Time On Karim Benzema's International Career

Since the 2014 World Cup, Karim Benzema’s output for Real Madrid in La Liga and Champions League matches reads like this: 114 matches played, 64 goals scored, 23 goals assisted. With a record of over a goal per every two matches, the 29-year-old French forward is one of the most feared in Europe.

How To Watch Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid Champions League Semifinal: Date, Time And Live Streaming Options

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet in the first leg of their 2016-17 UEFA Champions League semifinal matchup on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. These fierce derby rivals have made a habit of meeting each other in the later stages of this competition in recent years with Real defeating Atletico in the 2013-14 final, the 2014-15 quarterfinals and the 2015-16 final that was decided on spot kicks. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the match, either live streaming online or on TV through your cable provider.

Real Madrid Post A Commanding 3-1 Victory Over Napoli

A match between Serie A’s leading scorers, Napoli, and the side with the second-highest total in La Liga, Real Madrid, was always likely to contain fireworks. Wednesday’s first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu didn’t disappoint.

Napoli tried to play their attacking game against the Champions League holders, but Real Madrid were simply a class above Napoli with Diego Maradona watching on.

Celta Vigo Hand Real Madrid Their Second-Straight Defeat In Copa Del Rey Quarterfinals

Real Madrid’s hopes of winning the treble suffered a blow as Celta Vigo scored an improbable 2-1 victory in the Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real will now look to overturn the deficit on January 25 at the Balaidos in Galicia. 

Zinedine Zidane has seen his total number of losses as Real Madrid manager double in the space of three days, although that speaks more for his remarkable success at the helm than it does any sort of crisis in the Spanish capital.

Cristiano Ronaldo On Target As Real Madrid Make It 39 Games Unbeaten

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-0 victory over Granada on Saturday, moving six points clear of Barcelona in the La Liga table. Goals from Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Casemiro and a brace from Isco condemned Granada to their tenth defeat of the season — they’re currently 19th in the table.

The Bernabeu crowd were treated to five goals within the hour, and Real Madrid made it 39 consecutive matches unbeaten, equalling the all time Spanish record.

The prematch festivities included a presentation of Cristiano Ronaldo’s fourth Ballon d’Or trophy. 

Happy New Year From MSN And BBC!

The Barcelona and Real Madrid attacking trios of MSN and BBC took to Instagram to show us how they celebrated the New Year. From all of us at The18, we wish you nothing but the best for 2017!

Barcelona's MSN

Lionel Messi

Pages