La Liga
REAL BEAT ATLETICO ON PENALTIES TO WIN SPANISH SUPER CUP
Thibaut Courtois proved the hero on Sunday (Jan 12) as Real Madrid beat city rivals Atletico Madrid in a penalty shoot-out in Saudi Arabia to win their 11th Spanish Super Cup.
Two imperious goalkeepers came out on top during a goalless final in Jeddah but Belgian Courtois proved decisive, saving Thomas Partey’s penalty after Saul Niguez had already hit the post.
Sergio Ramos tucked away the winning spot-kick to ensure Real Madrid clinched their first trophy of the season, with La Liga and the Champions League next in their sights.
Atletico might have won it in extra-time when Alvaro Morata went through one-on-one but Real’s Federico Valverde took a red card in exchange for cynically fouling the striker from behind.
Victory maintains Zinedine Zidane’s spotless record as a coach in finals. He has now led Madrid to success in three of three Champions League, two each in the Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup, and now one in the Spanish Super Cup.
VENUE CONTROVERSY
The focus before the tournament was more on the decision of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to move this year’s Super Cup – a four-team competition rather than a straight final – away from Spain and to Saudi Arabia, despite the country’s long-criticised treatment of women and record on human rights.
Before the final, RFEF president Luis Rubiales said he was “very happy” with how the format had panned out.
“We have to improve things because it is a country that has just started organising these sorts of events,” he added.
For all the controversy off the pitch, on the pitch, the tournament has delivered. Real Madrid played brilliantly to beat Valencia on Wednesday while a pulsating 3-2 win for Atletico on Thursday has put Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde on the brink of the sack.
And although the final lacked goals and quality finishing, there was drama until the end and joy on the faces of Real Madrid’s players as Ramos hoisted another trophy under the fireworks.
Ramos had been guilty of sloppiness early on and Atletico should have capitalised. The defender played a pass straight to Joao Felix on the edge of the area but Felix dragged wide and then Ferland Mendy gave the ball away carelessly, only for Morata to look for contact from Courtois and a penalty when there was neither.
COURTOIS SAVES THE DAY
Both teams had good chances to win it late on, with Luka Jovic’s deflected cross finding Valverde free five yards out only for the midfielder’s header to hit his own knee before drifting harmlessly over.
Then Atletico might have nicked it in the 80th minute as Kieran Trippier clipped an excellent pass over the top for Morata, who opted for accuracy rather than power and Courtois was able to push away.
Into extra-time and, with 105 minutes on the clock, Courtois did well to flash out a leg and block Morata’s acrobatic effort while Oblak twice denied Real, first a curling shot from Luka Modric and then a follow-up drive from Mariano Diaz.
Yet the most dramatic moment was still to come as Saul sent Morata clean through, with only Courtois to beat, only for the chasing Valverde to scythe him down from behind.
The red card was inevitable but Atletico only had a free-kick and, for four minutes, an extra man advantage. Trippier hit the free-kick into the wall and Real held on for penalties.
Carvajal found the corner but Saul struck the post, despite sending Courtois the wrong way. Rodrygo coolly put Real two ahead and Thomas missed, this time Courtois diving right and palming away.
Modric swept into the corner before Trippier did the same. It was left to Ramos to hit the winning shot.
-AFP
Barcelona said their request for a permit to return to the Camp Nou for Sunday’s LaLiga match against Real Sociedad has been denied, with the city council highlighting safety and security issues with the revamped venue.
Barca had been hoping to return to a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 spectators but have failed to obtain the necessary permits from Barcelona City Council.
Barca will instead host the match at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, where they played during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with renovations at Camp Nou now nine months behind schedule.
“We have spotted different elements that need to be fixed and have an impact in the safety and security of the stadium,” chief of civil protection Sebastia Massague said at a city council meeting.
Barca had to begin their LaLiga home campaign at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in their own training complex, where only 6,000 fans attended their match against Valencia on September 14, after a Post Malone concert left the Lluis Companys pitch in poor condition.
“The club is currently working on the new amendments that the council has shared today,” Barca said in a statement.
On Friday, the Catalan club also announced that their Champions League group stage match against Paris St Germain on October 1 would also take place at the Lluis Companys.
Barca are second in LaLiga, trailing leaders Real Madrid by five points but having played a game fewer.
-Reuters
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Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey on Wednesday appeared in a London court and pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault involving three women.
Partey, a Ghana international, is accused of five counts of rape relating to two women, plus a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between April 2021 and June 2022.
The alleged offences took place when Partey played for Premier League soccer club Arsenal. He left the club this summer and signed for Spain’s Villarreal.
The 32-year-old appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his not guilty pleas.
Partey was released on bail ahead of his trial, which was listed for Nov. 2, 2026 and is due to take between six and eight weeks.
He was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59.2 million) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side’s first team, before his contract expired at the end of June.
Partey played for Villarreal in their Champions League game against Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
He came on as a second-half substitute and was booed loudly by the Spurs fans every time he touched the ball.
-Reuters
Villarreal and Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, walks outside Southwark Crown Court, in London, Britain, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
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Real Madrid on Tuesday denounced plans to stage a LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, warning the proposal could undermine football’s competitive balance and vowing to petition global governing bodies to block the move.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday approved the December 20 fixture at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which could become the first LaLiga match held abroad and the first European league fixture staged in the United States.
“Real Madrid wish to express to its members, supporters and football fans in general its firm rejection of the proposal,” the club said in a statement, revealing they have already urged FIFA, UEFA and Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD) to intervene.
The club accused the RFEF of making its decision “without informing or consulting the clubs participating in the competition” and argued that staging the match in Miami “violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity” in home-and-away league formats.
Real further stated that the move would “alter the competitive balance” and grant “an unfair sporting advantage” to the clubs involved.
The club also warned that approving the proposal could compromise sporting integrity and “set an unacceptable precedent,” insisting any change of this nature should require “the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition”.
The plan still requires approval from UEFA, US Soccer, CONCACAF and ultimately FIFA before LaLiga President Javier Tebas can realise his long-held ambition of taking Spanish football to the U.S.
-Reuters
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