KARIM BENZEMA’S ABSENCE was felt by Real Madrid as Zinedine Zidane’s side slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at La Liga strugglers Rayo Vallecano.
Madrid’s leading scorer Benzema – who has netted the club’s last eight La Liga goals – may miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, and without their talisman the European champions put in a tame display at Estadio de Vallecas.
VAR played a crucial role in Rayo’s first victory over Madrid since 1997 – referee Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes changing his initial decision not to award the hosts a penalty for a foul by Jesus Vallejo.
Adrian Embarba duly slotted home from 12 yards and Rayo’s lead was hardly threatened as Madrid succumbed to a defeat that all but ends their hopes of finishing second.
Mariano Diaz, in for Benzema, saw an early chance blocked by Abdoulaye Ba, while Thibaut Courtois denied Jose Pozo an opener at the other end.
Javi Guerra looked set to prod home a wonderful Alex Moreno cross soon after, only for Vallejo to get there first.
However, after initially letting play to continue – Gareth Bale seeing a one-on-one effort saved by Alberto Garcia in the intervening period – the referee brought the play back and, after consulting with VAR, deemed that Vallejo had in fact dragged Guerra down, with Embarba making no mistake from the resultant spot-kick.
Embarba almost caught Courtois out with a cross-shot shortly after the restart, before Madrid’s goalkeeper made a smart stop to deny Bebe.
Garcia reacted sharply to keep out a dipping Bale free-kick with 20 minutes remaining, but that was all Madrid could muster as Rayo held firm to secure a famous victory and boost their slim hopes of survival in the process.
With Atletico Madrid having beat Real Valladolid on Saturday, Madrid – winless on the road under Zidane so far – are now nine points behind their neighbours with three games remaining, meaning that one more point will be enough to secure second place for Diego Simeone’s side.
Rayo, meanwhile, are up to 19th, six points adrift of safety.
Although on the losing side, Thibault Courtois can at least point to an impressive individual display as reason for Zidane to stand by him, with the Frenchman having preferred Keylor Navas since returning for a second stint as coach.
The former Chelsea goalkeeper made a string of quality stops on his first La Liga start since Santiago Solari’s last match in charge on March 10, and without him the scoreline would have been even more humiliating for Madrid.
Eddie’s just disappointed his profits are taking a hit.
@Paul Mallon: he is a business man in all fairness.
Weird that music promotors seem to make plenty of money all the time in Croker, Hearn just chancing his arm looking to make more money. Ringside tickets will cost a few hundred minimum so he would stand to make more than any music concert plus he would be able to have Hill 16 open which you wouldn’t get at a gig.
Because the GAA are trying to milk it. Hearn can’t milk it. As he says himself that’s business
So it’s gone from twice as expensive to three times as expensive. Negotiations are going well.
So we have CP at a risky 80K and his option at 8K. Has he looked outside of these options, that’s all we have here 8K or 80K. What about 50K at the Aviva? 45K at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
There are more options in Ireland between 8 and 80K capacity.
I think this man just wants PPV, and or to get KT a fight, any fight at home. I don’t imagine it’s what she really imagined or deserved but it looks like he’d rather blame CP than list some other options.
@Niall Stone: Aviva will be hosting the Heineken cup final that evening so that’s a non starter.
@baz dunne: Point is there must be other options. He switched a fighter, switch the date
As he says it is a risk as it’s a less attractive fight now. Would this fight attract 80K? His second fight option would be less likely to attract a full house and he knows it, cold feet.
Steve Collins got good crowds in Cork, or select a different night.
In my opinion, he wants to go for safe PPV money, minimally meet KTs desire to fight in Ireland, hold the Amanda Serrano fight somewhere else all the while blaming the GAA. He could do more, be proactive rather than keep churning out the same sad story about CP.
He’s like a guy arguing with a bouncer to get into a nightclub, move on, go somewhere else.
8K tickets for KTs home match is underwhelming. She deserves more, he’s her agent not the GAA.
No doubt he’s right, The grab all association were always going to try and milk this for all its worth and more.
@baz dunne: Ah here,I’m not beyond having a go at the GAA,but Eddie Hearne,please…The GAA were dead right and its up the price should go,bye Eddie don’t let the door hit you in the Arse.
@Gerry Campbell: In fairness you’re not wrong. There’s the pair of them in it.
@baz dunne: was wondering how long before some anti gaa gobdaw would come up with the ‘grab all association’ line… When has no knowledge of numbers involved. All we need now is a brilliant original Father Ted line…
@baz dunne: he didn’t say the pair of them were at it..
As much as I don’t like Hearn I have no doubt he’s telling the truth. As my Granda used to say and the older I’ve got the more I’ve seen the truth in it in politics, institutions and pretty much every facet of life, he said, Ireland will never get anywhere, because it is a nation run by gombeen men, they’d sell their own mothers if you offered them the right price, but if you were dying of thirst they wouldn’t give you a drop of water unless there was something in it for them.
@Zim Zimma: we see what we want to see. Try looking at things more positively than your Granda did, and you might see things differently!
Tell Eddie, we saw how Wembley operated during the Euro’s final a couple of years back. Absolute chaos with the level of security & policing they put on. I wouldn’t be using them as a good example.. He’s also looking to schedule same wkend as the European rugby final in the Aviva. Just go for a night in August or Sept when nothings clashing with it.
@John Geary: if fans want to behave as they did last summer at Wembley or Lansdowne Rd years ago no amount of security or policing will suffice. Also much the scheduling of bouts is determined by training regimes.
The only lad to complain about the cost of holding an event in Croke Park. It sure is a bad taste he has left.
How much are gardai getting paid?
To be fair to him, it costs an absolute fortune to insure and police big-time Boxing events in Ireland. The amount of rival criminal gang members that would invariably show up would increase the likelihood of a Regency shooting style incident occurring. Despite their willingness to push other events through, and the high esteem in which Katie Taylor is held, I cannot see the Irish government wanting anything to do with assisting something that could potentially be associated with such negative publicity. Regular, large scale, professional Boxing events, on these shores, are a thing of the past. With or without star drawing power.