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The "Turkish Messi" provided a crucial moment as Carlo Ancelotti's side picked up three valuable points.

From Vinicius Jr to Eduardo Camavinga Real Madrid have an embarrassment of youth talent at their disposal. And on Friday night, another, newer face entered the fold – and made his mark. Arda Guler, making his first La Liga start for the club, scored the only goal of the game to hand his side a 1-0 win and inch closer to regaining the title.

Los Blancos pieced together a largely unspectacular performance. Reserve goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was called into action on a handful of occasions in the first half, while the Madrid attack toiled. Guler provided the crucial moment, though, sneaking in at the far post to meet Dani Carvajal's cross and give his side a 1-0 lead.

La Real thought they had an equaliser when Take Kubo curled one into the far corner, but his goal was harshly ruled out for a foul in the build up. The home side had further chances in the second half, seeing another goal ruled out – this time for offside – and narrowly missing on two other occasions.

By the end of it all, Los Blancos were left holding onto a scrappy win, one of the litany of young talents at their disposal to thank for a moment of quality.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Anoeta…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Kepa Arrizabalaga (7/10):

Made a nice save or two, kept a clean sheet. Job done.

Dani Carvajal (8/10):

Worked tirelessly on the right, and assisted the winner. He's been excellent this season.

Eder Militao (6/10):

Not bad in his first start in six months – one nutmeg notwithstanding.

Nacho (5/10):

Filled in for Antonio Rudiger. Wasn't his most composed performance, and he was fortunate to end the game still on the pitch.

Fran Garcia (7/10):

An energetic showing on the left flank. Handled Kubo well, and also looked to get forward. He's improved of late.

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Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):

Not his finest game in midfield. Pushed around a bit, and didn't have a big impact defensively. Played a wonderful pass to set up the winner, though.

Luka Modric (8/10):

As elegant as ever on the ball, and made things happen around the box.

Brahim Diaz (5/10):

Not on the ball as much as Ancelotti would have liked, and didn't do loads when he had it. Far from his best game.

GettyAttack

Arda Guler (8/10):

Impactful throughout, and grabbed the winner. Another talent has arrived.

Joselu (5/10):

Not his best showing. Ran a lot, won a few headers, but could never impact the game.

Dani Ceballos (5/10):

Rather misused coming off the left wing, and he never really settled into the game. Could probably do with going elsewhere for more minutes

GettySubs & Manager

Federico Valverde (7/10):

Added midfield thrust to see the game out.

Vinicius Jr (6/10):

A late burst of energy. Unlucky not to grab an assist.

Antonio Rudiger (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Eduardo Camavinga (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):

Rotated heavily with a Champions League semi-final to worry about. Madrid weren't particularly good, and didn't really deserve the three points on performance alone – not that Ancelotti will care…

Phil Foden has explained why Jude Bellingham is a “gift from God” and how he is hoping to right European Championship wrongs in Germany this summer.

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Real Madrid star key for club & countryCity playmaker thriving in tournament yearDetermination to make amends for final painWHAT HAPPENED?

The Manchester City forward, fresh from savouring a historic Treble triumph in 2023, has been in the form of his life this season. Foden has registered 22 goals and 10 assists across all competitions and is expected to figure prominently in Gareth Southgate’s plans for Euro 2024.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT FODEN SAID ABOUT BELLINGHAM

The same can be said for Real Madrid star Bellingham, who has also reached the 20-goal mark in his debut campaign at Santiago Bernabeu. He is fast becoming a talismanic presence for club and country, with Foden telling the of his talented international team-mate: “I have never seen anyone so mature for his age. I feel he’s got a gift from God with his physique. We really need him at his best.”

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Bellingham will turn 21 during Euro 2024, the same age that Foden was when helping England to the final of that event three years ago. The City star missed out on facing Italy in a Wembley showpiece back then after picking up an unfortunate injury, with the highly-rated playmaker old adding on that subject: “That was just crazy. I was walking in after training the day before the final. Someone just passed me the ball. I tried to control it by putting one leg behind the other, just a trick, and my standing leg just, well I heard a crack and I knew straight away. I couldn’t walk. It was devastating. I remember Gareth speaking to me and I just couldn’t help crying. I couldn’t even get any words out. I was so upset. I have learned a lesson from that, you know. I try and not do so much after training now. The coaches will probably tell you I am lying. But that really woke me up.”

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England will be competing in Group C this summer alongside Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia. Foden will be hoping to figure prominently in another quest for continental glory, with the City academy graduate currently boasting 33 caps and four senior goals for his country.

Cameron Bancroft asked the umpires to check the catch and they gave the soft signal as out despite the fielder indicating he didn’t think the ball carried

Alex Malcolm04-Feb-2019Melbourne Stars captain Glenn Maxwell has labelled Ben Dunk’s controversial dismissal in Sunday night’s clash with the Perth Scorchers “an extraordinary decision”, as yet another BBL match was marred by an umpiring controversy.Dunk was given out caught early in the chase when he mistimed a pull shot to Nick Hobson at square leg who had to dive forward as the ball dipped on him. The ball nestled in Hobson’s hands but he immediately signaled to everyone on the field that he felt the ball didn’t carry and bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile agreed without reacting and walked straight back to his mark.Scorchers keeper Cameron Bancroft, with a good sight of it from behind the stumps, asked if the umpires could check upstairs. Umpires Nathan Johnstone and Gerard Abood convened and sent the decision upstairs to the third umpire Simon Lightbody and significantly gave the on-field ‘soft signal’ as out.The TV evidence was inconclusive and the third umpire was unable to overturn the on-field decision as a result. Maxwell, Dunk and the Stars were left bemused by the sequence of events.”It looked to me that the bowler and fielder said that it didn’t carry and then everyone went back to their positions, and Bancroft asked for it to be looked at,” Maxwell said post-match. “Somehow the umpire has come up with, [the decision] that’s out. It’s an extraordinary decision in the end. But that’s history.”From our point of view, it was pretty disappointing. The fielder says he doesn’t catch it and the bowler accepts that and walks back to his mark and somehow, it’s been given out on field.”Judging by the evidence given to them I would have just thought the umpires would have said the ‘soft signal’ was not out. If there was evidence that it was out then I’m fine with the decision being overturned. But the cameras looked a bit blurry and as soon as you don’t have the right evidence to overturn it, unfortunately it’s going to stick with umpire’s call. We’ll have to live with that.”It was the second controversial umpiring decision involving the Perth Scorchers at Perth Stadium this season. Scorchers batsman Michael Klinger was dismissed off the seventh ball of an over against the Sydney Sixers after the umpires incorrectly allowed an extra delivery. The decision did not affect the outcome of the game.The Heat were also left to bemoan two incorrect lbw decisions in their successful chase against the Adelaide Strikers on Sunday night when both Max Bryant and Brendon McCullum were given out. There is no DRS in the BBL but TV broadcaster Fox Sports did have ball-tracking and used it for replays of both decisions. Bryant’s was clearly missing leg stump by some margin while McCullum was hit well outside the line of off stump, but the decisions did not affect the outcome of the match with the Heat winning comfortably.Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat also shared the points in another controversial incident after a power failure at the Gabba ended the match early in the chase. The Thunder appealed the no result decision from the match officials after it was deemed conditions were unsuitable to continue. Cricket Australia dismissed the appeal after finding that the correct protocols had been followed by the match officials in calling the game off.

Harry Kane says he is always motivated to score against Arsenal because he wants to prove them wrong for releasing him as a youth player.

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Kane has great record against ArsenalWas released by Gunners as a childFeels he still has "point to prove"WHAT HAPPENED?

Kane was a constant thorn in Arsenal's side during his time at north London rivals Tottenham, scoring 14 goals in 19 appearances against the Gunners. He built on that record last week on his return to the English capital with his new team, Bayern Munich, when he scored in the 2-2 draw in their Champions League quarter-final tie.

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There are only two teams – Everton and Leicester – that Kane has managed to score more goals against and he admits that being released by Arsenal as a nine-year-old is a key factor behind his hunger for goals whenever he comes up against them.

WHAT KANE SAID

Kane told : "We played them at least twice a year for the last 10 years [with Tottenham] and it was always a big occasion, big moment. Maybe it was in the back of my mind, being released from a young age, and there is always a point to prove.

"I am the type of player who, throughout my career, has had points to prove along the way. I don’t think that ever leaves you. It will always be in my DNA, until I retire. There will always be a reason to prove someone wrong or to prove myself I can do something.

"I don’t think specifically back to that and think ‘I was released when I was nine years old, I really have to make a difference tomorrow.’ Now I am at Bayern Munich it is about being a top team in the Champions League. Of course I have history with them [Arsenal], but all I can do is try to help Bayern Munich."

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

The 30-year-old will hope to add even more goals to his record against his old rivals when Bayern host Mikel Arteta's team in the second leg of their European tie this week. The two teams play the return fixture in Munich on Wednesday.

Lyon was named Test Player of the Year, Marcus Stoinis took the ODI award and the T20I honour went to Glenn Maxwell

Andrew McGlashan11-Feb-2019Pat Cummins has been named the Allan Border medalist at the Australian Cricket Awards in Melbourne to confirm him as the standout performer in a tough and controversial year for the men’s game.In a period which included the ball-tampering scandal leading to Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft being suspended it was between Cummins, Nathan Lyon and Aaron Finch for the main award.The voting period of January 9, 2018 to January 7, 2019 took in Australia’s tours of South Africa, England, Zimbabwe and UAE, the one-day series against England after the 2018-19 Ashes, the T20 tri-series which followed plus the recent home season up to the end of the final Test against India at the SCG along with the ODIs against South Africa and T20Is against India.Cummins took 44 wickets across all formats, seven behind Lyon who had earlier been named Test player of the year, with Finch the only other serious candidate with 1302 runs in the voting period in which Test matches are given a greater weighting. Cummins tallied 156 votes, Lyon 150 and Finch 146.Pat Cummins was named the Allan Border medalist•Getty ImagesA look the through the Test batting statistics of the voting period (which doesn’t include the recent Tests against Sri Lanka when four centuries were scored or the suspended trio) highlights the difficulties Australia faced with the bat. Marcus Harris topped the averages with 258 runs at 36.85 and Usman Khawaja the run-scoring with 592 runs at 32.88.Though Cummins missed the two Tests against Pakistan he produced impressive performances in Johannesburg (the Test after ball tampering) and in Melbourne against India and only went wicketless once in a Test, at the SCG when India piled on the runs.His 4 for 24 in the Adelaide ODI against England last season will have earned him an extra points haul to keep him ahead of Lyon and Finch and in the final count that may have been the difference.Though yet to be elevated to the new-ball role, Cummins has become Australia’s most consistent pace bowler and has developed into a handy No. 8 which he showed by scoring half-centuries against South Africa and India.Beyond the wickets, and useful runs, the standout feature for Cummins has been his ability to stay fit throughout two full Australian seasons following an early part of his career that was hampered by regular injury.Marcus Stoinis with Cricket Australia’s Men’s ODI Player of the Year Award•Getty ImagesElsewhere, Marcus Stoinis was named ODI Player of the Year in a period where he was the only player to appear in all 13 matches. He made four half-centuries in 13 innings among his 376 runs and claimed 13 wickets to cement his position the ODI team. By the end of the international season last week he had also earned his first Test call-up and is tipped to be part of the Ashes squad later this year.Glenn Maxwell, fresh from his outstanding innings for Melbourne Stars on Sunday to secure a place in the BBL semi-finals, was named T20I Player of the Year after making 506 runs in 19 matches including an unbeaten century against England in Hobart. Barring a major reversal, Maxwell will be part of Australia’s squad for the World Cup in England but appears unlikely to appear in the Ashes.Someone whose numbers mean he probably should be under consideration for all squads but appears likely to find himself missing out is Matthew Wade. He claimed the Domestic Player of the Year title for his prolific form last season which carried into the 2018-19 of which the first part of the Sheffield Shield counts towards this year’s votes alongside the latter half of the 2017-18 campaign. Across all formats, Wade scored 1509 runs in the voting period with five centuries.The Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award went to Will Pucovski, the Victoria batsman who was part of Australia’s Test squad against Sri Lanka recently. Having been selected with a view to making his debut as part of a revamp of the batting line-up he then saw his spot go to Kurtis Patterson at the last moment. He was later released from the squad to allow him to continue to manage his mental health issues which kept him out of action earlier this season.

India’s captain and coach had different reasons for the same sentiment, as they celebrated India’s first series win in Australia since first playing there 71 years ago

Sidharth Monga in Sydney07-Jan-20198:23

‘No one plays Test cricket with more passion than Kohli’ – Shastri

India’s captain and coach are both World Cup winners but they rate this series win in Australia higher than those triumphs, albeit for different reasons. Ravi Shastri, the coach, was part of the India squad that won the 1983 World Cup although he didn’t play in the final. Virat Kohli played through the 2011 World Cup that India won.”I was part of 2011 World Cup team,” Kohli said, “but I didn’t have the emotion of not having been able to win a World Cup before. Playing at home and winning it eventually… a lot of the senior players had that emotion. Yes, it was a great moment for me but if you ask me which moment is more emotional, I would say this one because this is my third tour here and I have seen how difficult it is to win here. And all the struggles that we have gone through in the past 12 months as well as the team.”So, from that point of view this one is more emotional for me. It will definitely be more special, purely because of the fact that we really wanted to win a series away from home. We didn’t want to be a one-match-wonder kind of team. So, having stuck to our task and executed what we wanted and got the result, we, as a team, feel absolutely complete now that we have done what we set out to do…not to show to anyone else but to prove ourselves that yes, we could do it and we have done it. From that point of view this one is more special for me.”For Shastri, this is a win achieved in a purer format. “I will tell you how satisfying it is for me,” Shastri said. “World Cup ’83, World Championship ’85. This is as big, or even bigger, because it is in the truest format of the game. It’s Test cricket, which is meant to be the toughest.”There was the usual combative reaction to criticism – Shastri took another potshot at Sunil Gavaskar’s criticism, calling his shots “blanks” that are “blown away like a tracer bullet” by the time they reach the southern hemisphere – but there was a genuine feeling of relief and pride in Kohli. All the psyching up he had to do, all the effort put in to not let the mind wander ahead of himself, could now be laid to rest. He was asked about his comments before the Test that history doesn’t mean much to him.Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri share a light moment before team photos•Mark Kolbe/Getty Images”We all play mind-games, don’t we,” Kohli said with a smile. “Look, it’s obviously a very proud moment, more so because we understand what we have gone through as a team for the last 12 months. We understand the kind of cricket that we have been able to play, and I was just mentioning the fact that after losing tosses, we have been in competition throughout in the games that we have lost. We understood as a team we were on the right track. What has come in the most historic series for Indian cricket is the cherry on the cake and something that, as I said, in the 10 years that I have played, is the proudest moment that I have experienced.”I am so happy for the whole team because a young bunch of guys, to have that belief and to keep striving for excellence on a daily basis and to get a reward like this, we definitely have to be happy. Although changing history or creating history is still not what I am thinking of, it is pure satisfaction of the hard work of 12 months to understand that what we believed in has been proven right and regardless of the whole world being against you, if you are striving in the right direction with good intent, God’s going to reward you. So that’s what I am more happy about.””So history does matter?””Of course it does.”Shastri, though, continued to be caustic. He was asked if he would like to share this success with captains who – from Lala Amarnath to MS Dhoni – tried their best to win in Australia but couldn’t. “Past is history, future is a mystery,” Shastri said. “Okay? We have won today after 71 years, I’d like to live in the present. And salute my captain for being the captain of the team that beat Australia for the first time in Australia in a series.”When talking about the satisfaction of winning this series, Shastri again referenced teams from the past, and also said Kohli shows more passion for Test cricket than any other captain in the world.”I don’t think anyone plays Test cricket with more passion than he [Kohli] does,” Shastri said. “At least I don’t see any other international captain coming close to him on the field when it comes to showing that passion needed to play the game. He is very expressive, which is different to others. Other captains could have different personalities but Virat is someone who is in your face and it rubs off on all the youngsters who are watching the game in India. His team-mates watch him, they want to emulate him. And to believe that they can be someone like him who can go out there and strive for excellence.”So when an individual puts his neck on the line as captain then the others follow. And you have seen that transition happening over the last two-three years where guys in the team have become more and more confident, about their own ability and the ability of the team as well and it’s made all the difference. I said in Melbourne – I think I mentioned people taking pot shots and firing blanks. I wasn’t joking there, because I knew how hard this team had worked. When you fire from there, by the time it crosses the southern hemisphere, it’s blown away by the wind like a tracer bullet. But lead with something in it can be pretty serious. And that’s what we have fired right through the series against Australia. We were committed, and it jolly well made a bloody difference at the end of it all.”This is not a team of gods or demigods, seniors or juniors. This is an Indian cricket team that will jump over a cliff to win a match for the country. And that’s the determination, that’s the ruthlessness, that’s the mindset with which this team went to play in this series. And hats off to them to show that courage. Today I can say I am proud of my boys and I can also tell them one thing which Virat touched in the presentation – that this team now has an identity to look at any other Indian team from the past in the eye and say, ‘We play proper Test match cricket. You did, we did too,’ without being intimidated.”

Former Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is back in football after landing his first job since his Old Trafford exit.

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Woodward left Manchester United in 2022Has now taken up new football-related roleWill work with London-based charityWHAT HAPPENED?

Woodward has been appointed to the board of trustees for Bloomsbury Football Foundation. The charity has described Woodward's appointment as a "huge signing" as he takes up his first football-related position since leaving United in 2022.

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Woodward spent a decade at Old Trafford but was unpopular with supporters, largely due to some poor transfer decisions. He took up a position in 2023 as a non-executive director at eSports company EStars but his latest role is his first football-related position since leaving United. The Bloomsbury Football Foundation is a London-based charity that offers an inclusive football programme aimed at young people.

WHAT WOODWARD SAID

He said: "I am thrilled. This is an exciting opportunity to join a charity that is already having a significant impact on the lives of young Londoners using the power of football. Visiting a Bloomsbury Football session reaffirmed my belief that football has the power to change lives. It is clear the support the charity is already receiving is making a real impact on the pitch. The session represented the diversity of London – the coaches were supportive, players were engaged, and they seemed to be enjoying every minute."

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Woodward will be hoping he can make an impact in his new role but will likely also be watching events at Manchester United with interest. The Red Devils are also set for major changes this summer, with Omar Berrada set to take over as CEO, while the club are also hoping to bring in Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox as part of a shake-up.

Jude Bellingham came up with a hilarious reaction after a foul did not go his way, as he returned to Real Madrid action from suspension on Sunday.

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Bellingham's hilarious gesture after not getting foulProvided assist in Real's win Los Blancos beat Athletic Club 2-0 WHAT HAPPENED?

Bellingham picked up a red card against Valencia on March 3 for hurling abuses at match officials after a late Los Blancos goal was disallowed. He served a two-match suspension and returned to action only on March 31 against Athletic Club.

It seems the England international has now learned his lesson as he was seen making a 'zipping his lip' gesture after the referee did not give him a foul.

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The Spanish giants extended their lead to eight points over rivals Barcelona at the top of the table as they defeated Athletic Club 2-0 riding on Rodrygo's brace. While the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder could find the back of the net, he did provide the assist for the Brazilian's second goal.

DID YOU KNOW?

With his assist on Sunday, the 20-year-old became the first La Liga player to reach double digits in both goals and assists across all competitions this season. He has scored 20 times and provided 10 assists.

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Carlo Ancelotti's side will now prepare to take on reigning European champions Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final fixture on April 9.

The BCCI had asked the fast bowler to limit his workload to 15 overs an innings, but he overshot the mark in Bengal’s game against Kerala at Eden Gardens

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2018Only days after the BCCI had asked Mohammed Shami to limit his workload to 15 overs an innings, the fast bowler overshot the mark playing for Bengal in the third round of the Ranji Trophy.Shami, who is part of the set of fast bowlers that India are taking to Australia, has had trouble with injuries in the recent past and the board, while granting him permission to play the game against Kerala, also insisted that he shouldn’t take on too much of a burden.However, by the time Bengal bowled their opposition out on the second day at Eden Gardens, Shami had delivered 26 overs to pick up three wickets.”I decided [it] on my own,” he told reporters at the end of play. “it was better to bowl for your team and state rather than practising somewhere else. The more you bowl here, the more it will help in Australia. It was good preparation. For me, bowling in a match is the best preparation. I prefer that any day.”I was feeling well to bowl at home after a long time. All my friends were here. It was after a long time I could play with my team.”Shami was the only Bengal bowler to go past the 20-over mark in the first innings and coach Sairaj Bahutule told that it was entirely the player’s call. “He was absolutely willing to bowl; so he continued. Nobody put pressure on him.”Kerala did win the match, eventually, riding on a century from Jalaj Saxena and a five-for from Sandeep Warrier.Shami’s attention now turns to the four-match Test series that starts in Adelaide on December 6. “I’ve prepared well, had good training and match preparation. I’ve a practice match there. I will be ready for the Tests.”

Lionesses star Lauren James provided a no-look assist to Aggie Beever-Jones as Chelsea took the lead with a second-minute goal at West Ham.

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Chelsea take early lead at West HamLauren James provides no-look assistAggie Beever-Jones with opener in WSLWHAT HAPPENED?

After a through ball found its way to James in the box, without looking, the England star laid it off to team-mate Beever Jones – whose strike found the corner to make it 1-0 to the Blues at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

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Beever-Jones' goal means Emma Hayes' Chelsea are currently back on top of the Women's Super League due to a superior goal difference to second-placed Manchester City. The Blues are aiming to win a fifth straight WSL title in Hayes' last season with the club before taking up the head coach role at the United States Women's National Team this summer.

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After this match, Chelsea host Ajax in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, with the Blues currently holding a 3-0 first-leg advantage. Four days later, they take on Arsenal in the FA Women's League Cup final.