Ronaldo Record in Real La Liga Eibar Win

Cristiano - Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to hit 30 La Liga goals in six consecutive seasons as he inspired Real Madrid to a 4-0 thrashing of Eibar.

The Portugal forward netted in the 19th minute and also provided passes for Lucas Vázquez and Jesé to score as the hosts stormed into a 4-0 half-time lead. James Rodríguez had opened Real’s account with a curling free-kick in the fifth minute.

Zinedine Zidane made eight changes to the team that suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at Wolfsburg in the Champions League in midweek with only Ronaldo, Pepe and Casemiro keeping their places.

The Brazilian right-back Danilo was booed by the home fans for his disappointing display at Wolfsburg when he came on in the second half but it was an otherwise positive afternoon for Real, who host Wolfsburg in their quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.

James was criticised for being caught laughing on the sidelines in Germany in midweek but the Colombia international lifted the crowd by scoring early on, his first goal in just under two months.

A fine piece of skill from Ronaldo allowed Vázquez to pass the ball into an empty net in the 18th minute before the record-breaker finished off a cutback from the lively Jesé a minute later. Ronaldo returned the favour for the 23-year-old in the 39th minute as Real made it 4-0.

Eibar’s top scorer, Borja Baston, hit the crossbar in a rare attack for the visitors.

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Barcelona v Real Madrid - Preview

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane says there is no added pressure on him or his players before Saturday's El Clasico with Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

Leaders Barcelona are 10 points clear of their fierce rivals and closing in on a third title in four seasons.

Real, last crowned champions of Spain in 2012, are third in the table with eight games left.

"I'm completely relaxed. This is a game of football - and I am going to enjoy it," said Zidane on Friday.

Rafael Benitez was in charge of Real when Barcelona won 4-0 at the Bernabeu on 21 November, a result that proved the beginning of the end for the former Liverpool boss, who was sacked in January after just seven months in charge.

"I'll have no problems at all sleeping tonight," added Zidane, before his first El Clasico in charge.

"It's a game of football and we're in a good dynamic."

Zidane has a near full-strength side to pick from, although defender Raphael Varane missed training on Friday after being injured on international duty with France.

Barca's first-choice front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar have played more regularly - and been more productive - than Madrid's Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga this season

Real's last serious chance of winning silverware this season is in the Champions League.

They fly to Germany to play Wolfsburg in the first leg of their quarter-final tie next Wednesday but Zidane, a European Cup winner with Real in 2002, will not be rotating his squad.

"For me, the most important game is Saturday's game," added the 43-year-old.

Barcelona head into El Clasico on a 39-game unbeaten run stretching back to October and, according to boss Luis Enrique, are "crazy" about winning what many consider the biggest game in club football.

"We're playing to stay as leaders and take a giant step in the league, regardless of the points difference," added Enrique.

"It doesn't matter how many points behind Real Madrid might be, we are still two of the best teams on the planet.

"I expect a fiery Nou Camp and that the fans are at their highest level, against their biggest, eternal rivals.

"I've noticed speaking to the players that they're crazy about winning."

Barcelona, who can finish the season with five trophies, are also in Champions League quarter-final action next week when they host league rivals Atletico Madrid on 5 April.

Enrique, like Zidane, will not be rotating his squad, with forwards Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all expected to start.

Messi is one goal short of 500 in his career and Enrique has described the Argentina forward's strike rate as "from another galaxy" as he looks to reach a new milestone against Real.

Messi's penalty against Bolivia in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier took him to 499 goals for club and country.

"The figure is from another galaxy," added Enrique. "If you add the goals of all our other players, including the ones I have scored, you don't even get close to it.

But I've seen Messi's face and he and his team-mates are desperate to win the game and give joy to our supporters."

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Bruno Ring Return Dashed by Board

Frank Bruno’s hopes of returning to the boxing ring have been dashed after he was told his application for a licence would be declined.

The 54-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion posted on Twitter that the British Boxing Board of Control had informed his agent that “should I apply for a licence this would not be granted”.

His agent, Dave Davies, confirmed on Monday the board had been in touch, saying: “Frank, like many other former sports stars, misses the good times when he was in the boxing ring and watching his son train has reignited his wish to return to the ring.

“However we have had confirmation today … that should an application for a boxing licence be received from Frank it would be declined. As agents for Frank we must respect and accept their decision.”

Bruno, who has bipolar disorder, acknowledged he had “certainly set Twitter talking” after he announced on ITV’s This Morning that he was “coming back into boxing” to help him cope with the effects of his medication.

Asked how drugs had affected him, he said: “They made me suicidal – mess up your head, mess up your clock – you can’t sleep. I’m walking around break-dancing I’ve got so much energy.

“I feel like superman, I’m going to the gym all the time, working hard – that’s why I’ve got to come into boxing … to get this out of my system, because I don’t want to end up in Broadmoor hospital.” The former WBC heavyweight then repeated: “I’m coming back into boxing.”

Asked by the co-presenter Phillip Schofield if the move was a good idea, he replied: “I haven’t got no choice. I train every day. I can’t really sit down and let these so-called promoters say that their guy beat me in two rounds – and I’m alive and I’ve got to take that.

“It’s my job, it’s my profession … you’re good at your job, I’m good at my job.”

Bruno was recently pictured training with Ricky Hatton, another former world champion.

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IAAF Scandal Worse than FIFA - Johnson

Reuters

The corruption scandal plaguing athletics is worse than the one faced by football, says four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson.

Three senior IAAF officials were banned for life for alleged doping breaches.

And Russia is currently banned from all athletics competitions following accusations of widespread doping.

Asked how the scandal facing athletics compared to that of Fifa, Johnson told the BBC: "If you think about the victims, it is absolutely worse."

Fifa, the body that governs world football, is also in crisis following a series of damaging corruption claims.

Its president, Sepp Blatter, has been banned for eight years for breaching ethics rules.

In an interview with Mishal Husain, Johnson said that those athletes cheated out of medals by dopers "never had the opportunity to stand on the podium - and they should have".

However, he stopped short of backing an Olympic ban for Russian athletes later this year.

"Do you ban an entire country that ostensibly could include clean athletes, from participating in Rio?" asked the American, who still holds the world and Olympic records for the 400m.

"That is a very difficult decision to make."

Johnson was also cool on the idea, floated by chairman of UK Athletics Ed Warner, of resetting all world records so athletics could start afresh with a level playing field.

"It doesn't make sense to me how a reset of all the world records is going to deal with the issue of people cheating," Johnson said.

"It doesn't create a clean competition and that does not deter anyone from cheating."

But he does believe the International Association of Athletics Federations must be "completely restructured".

"It is the governing body - and the very structure of the governing body - that has allowed this type of corruption," he said.

A report by the World Anti-Doping Agency's independent commission was scathing of former IAAF president Lamine Diack, whose 16-year reign came to an end in August 2015 when he was replaced by Lord Coe.

It claimed that "corruption was embedded" in the organisation and said it could not be ignored or dismissed as attributable to "the odd renegade acting on his own".

It concluded: "The IAAF allowed the conduct to occur and must accept its responsibility."

Johnson said he hoped the crisis would be the catalyst for "a fresh look" at all the problems facing athletics and would help rebuild trust with fans.

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Trump May Lose Cadillac at Doral

The PGA Tour is to consider alternative venues for the WGC-Cadillac Championship following Donald Trump’s latest controversial comments.

The Championship is to be staged at Trump’s National Doral in Miami in March but may be moved elsewhere after 2016.

The announcement comes after the course’s owner Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, caused widespread anger and consternation by calling for a “total and complete” ban on Muslims entering America.

In a statement issued to Golf.com the PGA Tour said: “We continue to stand by our earlier statement, and the statement of other golf organisations, that Mr Trump’s comments are inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf.

“The PGA Tour has had a 53-year commitment to the Doral community, the greater Miami area and the charities that have benefited from the tournament. Given this commitment, we are moving forward with holding the 2016 event at the Blue Monster.

“Immediately after the completion of the 2016 tournament we will explore all options regarding the event’s future.

This is not the first time Trump’s public statements have upset golfing organisations. In June the LPGA Tour, PGA of America, PGA Tour and USGA made a joint statement when Trump made inflammatory comments about Mexicans.

The PGA of America later decided to move its Grand Slam of Golf from the billionaire businessman’s Trump National Los Angeles course.

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Carlisle Keeper in Flood Rescue

Carlisle goalkeeper Mark Gillespie had to be rescued by the police after being trapped by floods that left Brunton Park under eight feet of water.

Gillespie will join his team-mates on Tuesday as the Carlisle squad offer assistance to those affected by the worst floods to hit the area in 40 years. But, in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, the former Newcastle trainee has described his dramatic rescue from the first-floor window of the club digs he was staying in next to the ground after being ruled out of Sunday’s FA Cup victory over Welling due to illness.

“The team travelled on Saturday morning at around 8 o’clock and I woke up and wasn’t feeling too well so I decided I wasn’t well enough to travel,” he said.

“I was staying in bed all day and that’s when the bad weather started to hit. The water was literally at the door and I thought ‘something serious is going to happen here’.

“I phoned the police and there were more priority cases than me so from 9 o’clock until 6pm I was upstairs watching it unfold. Eventually they came for me and I was lifted out of the upstairs window.”

While club officials await permission to return to Brunton Park, the squad hope to be able to train as normal at their weekday practice base which appears to have escaped the worst of the weather.

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