Gareth Bale scored a marvellous free-kick as 10-man Real Madrid eased into the last 16 of the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Galatasaray on Wednesday.
Madrid had to play just under three quarters of the game with a man less after Sergio Ramos was shown a red card for dragging back Umut Bulut as he broke clear on goal.
Bale then opened the scoring with his fifth goal in six games, but Bulut equalised for the Turkish champions just a minute later.
Alvaro Arbeloa restored Real’s lead just after the break and the full-back then teed up Angel di Maria to make the points safe 12 minutes later.
And Isco rounded off the scoring with a wonderful piece of skill as he left Selcuk Inan on the floor before side-footing the ball home.
Victory seals Madrid’s place in the last 16 as group winners, whilst Galatasaray will have to beat Juventus at home on matchday six if they are to qualify after the Italian champions beat FC Copenhagen 3-1 in the night’s other match in Group B.
“I think we played very well in the second-half when we had a player less,” said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“We played with courage, personality and very well generally. To play with 10 men is not always easy, but all the players worked together.”
Galatasaray boss Roberto Mancini, meanwhile, was left confused as to how his side had passed up such a great opportunity to enhance their chances of qualification.
“Real Madrid has got top players and if you concede chances like we did then you cannot win.
“I don’t know what happened. I have to find out. After the first-half I was very confident.”
In the absence of the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale was expected to carry more of the responsibility in attack, but he passed up a huge chance inside three minutes when he slotted wide with just Eray Iscan to beat.
The hosts were then reduced to 10 men after just 26 minutes when Ramos pulled back Bulut as he raced onto a ball over the top and Scottish referee Willie Collum had no hesitation of brandishing the 17th red card of Ramos’ Madrid career.
Madrid coped admirably despite the sending-off and were in front on 37 minutes when Bale sending a dipping free-kick from fully 35 yards into the top corner.
The lead lasted barely 60 seconds, though, as a wonderful through ball from Didier Drogba played in Bulut to level.
Bale should have restored Madrid’s lead when he fired an effort just over from inside the area.
But Real did make it 2-1 just six minutes after the interval through an unlikely source as Arbeloa bundled home Di Maria’s cross.
Arbeloa then saw another effort fly just wide before venturing forward once more to square for Di Maria to make it 3-1.
Galatasaray boss Roberto Mancini introduced former Real favourite Wesley Sneijder in a bid to turn the game around.
And Iker Casillas had to make a stunning save to prevent Drogba’s looping header from setting up a grandstand finish.
But Isco rounded off a fine night for the hosts when he danced through the Galatasaray defence before slotting low into the net.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
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Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio
Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)
Engine 4.7L V8
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
