MADRID (AP) — Kylian Mbappé admitted he is going through a difficult moment as he missed another penalty kick and Real Madrid lost ground to Barcelona in the Spanish league after a 2-1 loss at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
Mbappé had his penalty saved by Athletic goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala in the 68th minute, and later Federico Valverde gifted a late goal by losing possession on defense to allow an easy winner by Gorka Guruzeta in the 80th.
“Bad result,” Mbappé posted on Instagram. “A big mistake in a match where every detail counts. I take full responsibility for it. A difficult moment but it’s the best time to change this situation and show who I am.”
Mbappé sent the penalty shot to his right and Agirrezabala dived that way to make the stop.
“We knew that he is a good penalty taker,” Agirrezabala said. “He missed the last one and I believed that he was going to choose the same side and luckily that’s what happened.”
Mbappé, who had a goal disallowed for offside in the 13th, had also missed a penalty in Madrid’s 2-0 loss at Liverpool in the Champions League last week. He didn’t take the one for the club in a Spanish league match on Sunday, but he scored in the 2-0 win over Getafe to ease some of the pressure on him and the club.
But it was another lackluster outing for the France star, who continues to struggle in his first season since finally joining the Spanish powerhouse.
“I won’t evaluate the performance of a player because of a missed penalty. Obviously he is sad and disappointed, but you have to move on,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said about Mbappé. “He is not at his best level, but you have to give him time to adapt. You have to give him time to be able to do better.”
Ancelotti also downplayed the bad play by Valverde, saying that mistakes can happen to anyone.
Valverde had control of the ball but gave it away while trying to get past a couple of Athletic players instead of passing it to a teammate, leaving Guruzeta with an easy run into the area for his goal.
Álex Berenguer had put the hosts ahead in the 53td and Jude Bellingham equalized for Madrid in the 78th.
The defeat left Madrid four points behind Barcelona, which on Tuesday ended a three-match winless streak in the league with a 5-1 rout at Mallorca. Madrid, which has a game in hand, had won three consecutive league games since a 4-0 loss at home in the “clasico” against Barcelona.
Madrid has lost five of its last 11 matches in all competitions.
Athletic moved to fourth place with the victory, its fourth consecutive across all competitions.
Both matches on Tuesday and Wednesday were moved forward in the schedule because the clubs will be playing in the Spanish Super Cup in January.
Copa del Rey
In the Copa del Rey, first-division clubs Rayo Vallecano, Valencia and Real Betis all advanced over lower-division teams in the second round, but Villarreal lost 1-0 to fourth-division club Pontevedra and Girona fell on penalties to fourth-tier team Logrones.
Executing a bicycle kick requires exceptional skill & self-belief, making them rare & spectacular.
Players like Gareth Bale, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimović have scored iconic acrobatic goals.
Pele, Diego Maradona and Hugo Sanchez have also mastered the art, marking them among the greatest bicycle kick specialists.
Perhaps the most spectacular way to score a goal, executing a bicycle kick to perfection is a sight to behold. The shere audacity needed to attempt to convert an aerial ball that is behind you into a shot on goal takes a considerable amount of self-belief, and pulling it off requires exceptional athleticism and skill.
From Wayne Rooney to Ronaldo, here are the ten greatest bicycle kick specialists in football history.
10 Peter Crouch
Career Span: 1998-2019
Given his lanky figure and gangly movement, you may not have expected Peter Crouch to have flung himself about acrobatically on the pitch throughout his playing career. However, he used his two metres in height to do exactly that, reaching for balls most couldn’t get to with his long legs.
His effort against Galatasaray for Liverpool is perhaps his most iconic goal of this nature, meeting Steve Finnan’s cross with a mouth-watering overhead kick at Anfield in 2006. Citing Gianluca Vialli as an inspiration for his gymnastic exploits, Crouch claimed he practiced bicycle kicks as a child, and replicated his goal against the Turkish outfit for the Reds just months later, in a much less celebrated, but equally special, goal against Bolton.
9 Ramon Unzaga
Career Span: 1912-1923
Not a name many will be familiar with, Ramon Unzaga is rumoured by some to be the first ever player to use the bicycle kick in football history, or at least to a level of relative notoriety. Executing the move while playing for his club team in Chile in 1914, he amazed the spectators at the El Morro Stadium in Talcahuano, by launching himself in the air and reaching for a cross that had been played behind him, diverting it towards goal and finding the back of the net.
Repeating the feat in various Copa Americas for Chile, the signature move was initially dubbed ‘Chorera’, the name of the club Unzaga was playing for upon his first overhead attempt, and then labelled ‘la Chilena’ by the Argentine press. Being the founding father of the bicycle kick, and potentially the first person in history to think of pulling off such a bizarre action, certainly merits a place on this list.
8 Wayne Rooney
Career Span: 2002-2001
Perhaps responsible for the most iconic overhead kick in Premier League history, and one of the most iconic goals generally, Rooney earns his place as one of the bicycle kick specialists. With the Manchester derby poised at 1-1 at Old Trafford in 2011, and the title slipping from United’s grasp, Rooney delivered an extraordinary finish, swiftly adjusting his body to position himself to convert Nani’s deflected cross with power and precision.
Did he replicate this in a competitive fixture? Perhaps not, but he came close on a few occasions, and the significance of this goal in the overhead kick sphere means he warrants being included.
7 Carlo Parola
Career Span: 1939-1955
Similarly to Unzaga, Carlo Parola is a name many won’t be accustomed to, due to the era in which he was plying his trade. However, given he was literally nicknamed ‘Signor Rovesciata’ (‘Mr. Overhead Kick’), it would be disrespectful not to mention his name in this realm.
Unzaga may have pioneered bicycle kicks, but Parola popularised them in (slightly) more modern times. His athleticism meant he was able to execute impressive efforts of this kind on a consistent basis throughout the 1940s, with the Italians crediting him with the invention of the technique, something Chileans will dispute.
What a time to do it. Pandemonium set in as the Welshman delivered a statue-worthy moment for Los Blancos. Audacious, and requiring both astounding physical and technical quality, it was a hall of fame moment that is worthy of a mention in any overhead kick discourse.
Bale did score another sensational ‘bicey’ in his career for Real Madrid, against Villarreal, which aids his case in regard to being deemed a specialist, but that strike pales in comparison to the one on that night in Ukraine.
5 Diego Maradona
Career Span: 1976-1997
Small and diminutive, Diego Maradona was a different type of overhead kick specialist to the archetypal experts in this space. While most activated their physical power and size to reach wayward passes, the great Argentine used his elusiveness and agility to produce acrobatic efforts in small and more intricate positions.
Similarly to Maradona, Pele wasn’t the tallest footballer, and thus most of his overhead endeavours were about him exploiting small spaces rather than flinging himself into the air and attacking the ball with venom. Few in the modern day can claim they witnessed the best of Pele, despite him being one of the greatest footballers of all time. So it’s difficult to measure just how much of a bicycle kick specialist he truly was, but he produced enough in this area to generate a two-minute compilation of his gymnastic efforts, so there’s that.
3 Hugo Sanchez
Career Span: 1976-1997
With a background in gymnastics, former Real Madrid striker Hugo Sanchez began working on overhead kicks at the age of four. Eventually becoming synonymous with acrobatic shooting, they ultimately became a defining feature of the Mexican’s illustrious career.
Scoring numerous bicycle kicks, Sanchez trademarked the eloquent overhead effort. His flamboyance and eagerness to showboat and express his unique talent, lent itself to a career of proving to be the overhead master.
With his early-age gymnastics said to have played a prominent role in enabling him to develop this skill, it does beg the question as to why more strikers don’t practice this other sport on the side, to also perfect acrobatic finishes on the pitch.
2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Career Span: 2002-Present
A man known for producing awe-inspiring moments, Ronaldo’s incredible overhead kick goal against Juventus in 2018 is one of the most memorable in this realm. Given his supreme ability in the air, with a staggering leap, it makes sense that this would translate to acrobatic efforts.
His bicycle kick exploits certainly aren’t limited to the strike against the Old Lady. The former Manchester United man has, in fact, a substantial catalogue of goals of this kind, with Bicycle Potential estimating that he’s scored more than 25 bicycle kicks throughout his celebrated career. An astonishing rate, given that most players who have found the back of the net from these scenarios are limited to one or two moments at best.
1 Zlatan Ibrahimović
Career Span: 1999-2023
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
A unique physical specimen, Zlatan Ibrahimović’s stature and power meant he was capable of scoring out-of-the-ordinary acrobatic goals. This is encapsulated by his FIFA Puskas award-winning strike against England for Sweden in 2012, possibly the greatest bicycle kick of all time.
Ordinarily, overhead kicks are scored within close range of the goal. Generating enough power to find the back of the net when mid-way through the air, with your back to goal and your body lopsided, and several yards outside the penalty area, is pretty unheard of. Ibrahimovic accomplished this with his distinguished goal against the Three Lions.
This alone is essentially enough to merit top spot, but he reproduced this skill on numerous occasions throughout his career.
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The Virginia field hockey team opened up the 2024 NCAA Championship with a 2-1 victory against Michigan on Friday at Lakeside Field in Evansville, Ill.
Virginia (14-4) took a 1-0 lead in the first half and added a second goal early in the fourth quarter to take a 2-0 lead. Michigan scored with less than two minutes remaining in the game to make it 2-1. Michigan had a chance to tie it with a penalty corner with 18 seconds remaining in the game, but the Cavalier defense held on for the victory.
Virginia advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals, where it will face the regional’s host, No. 2 Northwestern (20-1), on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. See the full tournament bracket here.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Grad student Suze Leemans put the Cavaliers on the scoreboard, deflecting in a shot from senior Jans Croon on a penalty corner with 10:29 remaining in the second quarter. Virginia went into the halftime break with the 1-0 lead, outshooting Michigan, 7-1.
Junior Daniela Mendez-Trendler doubled the Cavaliers’ advantage, taking a pass from junior Caroline Nemec and backhanding a shot clean past the goalie and into the board with 9:42 remaining in the game.
The Wolverines (15-5) increased pressure, drawing four penalty corners in the remaining time, scoring off their third with 1:33 remaining. Michigan’s fourth corner was awarded with 18 seconds remaining in the game, but the attempt was blocked and the Cavaliers held on for the win.
Michigan took nine of its 11 shots in the fourth quarter and had six of its eight corners in the period
Virginia took seven of its eight shots in the first half. UVA’s only shot in the second half was Daniela Mendez-Trendler’s goal
Michigan pulled its goalie with 3:18 remaining in the game
Nilou Lempers made three saves. Hala Silverstein made four saves for Michigan
Senior Noa Boterman made a defensive save in the second quarter
Daniela Mendez-Trendler scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season
Suze Leemans goal was her sixth of the season and her first since Sept. 22
Northwestern defeated Miami University 9-2 in the first game of the day
This is Virginia’s 15th time advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals
Virginia is trying to advance to the NCAA Semifinals for the seventh time in program history
FROM HEAD COACH OLE KEUSGEN
“We played a very good first half. Created a lot of opportunities, circle entries and shots. But in the second half, we didn’t create enough attacking situations. We prepared very well, corner wise, and that made a big difference. Having that one-nothing lead after our first corners, that meant a lot to us. Defensively, it’s never really a concern. We stood strong. We held strong very well in our defensive 25, but in the end, we didn’t have enough possessions. We didn’t hold enough possession against and under pressure, so we need to look into that and do better moving forward.”
UP NEXT
The winner of the Virginia/Northwestern game will advance to the NCAA Semifinals, being held Nov. 22 at Phyllis Ocker Field in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Woodland long snapper Evan Martynowicz (42), kicker Josiah Graham (8), and holder Alec Martynowicz (14) have put in the work to make the special teams that much more special with the Beavers this season. Photo by Paul Valencia
The Woodland Beavers have an interesting story on how the their long snapper, holder, and kicker teamed up to become a reliable force
Paul Valencia ClarkCountyToday.com
There was no drama Friday night for the Woodland Beavers.
The game did not come down to the final minute with a field goal to determine the outcome.
The kicking unit was barely needed this week. Still, the kicker, the holder, and the long snapper got plenty of opportunities with extra points.
The Beavers rolled to a 40-0 homecoming victory over R.A. Long, improving to 4-0 in the Class 2A Greater St. Helens League.
Even if the field goal unit was not needed in this one, the Beavers sure do love the fact that they can rely on this special group of special teamers.
A week ago, the kicker, snapper, and holder, along with their linemen, were clutch, and they did so with a school-record performance.
Josiah Graham drilled a 32-yard field goal in the final minute, lifting the Beavers to a 34-31 victory over Hockinson. The snap from freshman Evan Martynowicz to the junior Alec Martynowicz — yes, they are brothers — was true, and Graham was money.
It was the second field goal of the game for Graham and the Beavers.
A few days ago, Woodland coach Glen Flanagan and others looked at the school record book and they could not find any other instance when Woodland kicked two field goals in a game. Ever.
Oh, and it turns out, it is believed Woodland’s season record is … two field goals.
“My mind was blown. I was like, ‘No way. That’s crazy.’ But apparently it is,” Graham said.
To be fair, field goals at the high school level, especially at small schools, are rare. Still, two? Just two?
Flanagan laughed when he thought about it. This is his first year as the head coach, but he has been with the program as an assistant coach for the previous 29 seasons. He knows his Woodland football. He said he was handed the record book three decades ago from a coach who had years of Woodland football knowledge, too.
Of course, Graham and the Martynowicz brothers had no knowledge of school records when they lined up to try to win the game last week.
“It was very exciting, loud, and nervous. We got it done,” Graham said.
The game was tied prior to that second field goal.
“I wasn’t thinking a lot. I just got to do what I’ve got to do,” Graham said, remembering that moment. “Just put it through the uprights.”
The Woodland kicking unit got plenty of extra points to try on Friday in Woodland’s win over R.A. Long. Last week, the Beavers connected on two field goals, including the game-winner in the final minute. Photo by Paul Valencia
Graham knew he would have to be counted on as the team’s kicker going into this season, so he said he has been working more on that skill. He had a breakthrough this offseason, giving him more confidence when he prepares to make a kick.
As far as the snapper and holder combo? That’s a wild story, too.
A year ago, Evan Martynowicz was in the eighth grade, watching varsity games.
“I want to do that,” Evan told himself. “And I want to be doing that my freshman year. I don’t want to wait two years.”
So Evan asked Flanagan what he needed to do in order to become a varsity player by this fall, as a freshman.
“He said kicker or long snapper,” Evan recalled.
Well, he figured he wasn’t going to be the kicker because he wasn’t going to beat out Graham for that spot. But Woodlland’s long snapper last year was a senior. There was a need.
“I went for the long-snapping route. I started learning through tutorials,” Evan said.
He found videos online and went about perfecting the art of the long snap. In other words, he pretty much threw a football between his legs, while being in an upside-down position.
“It was pretty hard, honestly,” Evan said. “It felt uncomfortable at first.”
Here’s the thing. One can practice long snapping alone, but it is much better with a partner, with a holder.
Enter Alec, who just might be nominated for older brother of the year for his efforts. Instead of telling his younger brother to take a hike, he told his brother to hike it to him.
Alec Martynowiwcz was not a holder until he started working out with his younger brother for the last six months.
There they were, outside, in the street, in front of the house. Snap after snap after snap.
Rumor has it that Alec, on one knee in the traditional holding position, would look back to make sure the kicker was ready before signaling to Evan for the snap. Mind you, there was no kicker.
Alec was smart enough to know that just snapping and holding all the time would not help if they did not get the timing down perfectly. And in order to snap it just right for a potential kick, the kicker must be ready before the holder gives the snapper the signal. So they pretended there was a kicker.
Granted, that might be the longest explanation of a snapper-holder training session you’ve ever read, but the point is: These guys dedicated themselves to working this craft, this often overlooked specialty in football. A few months later, they were instrumental in winning a football game.
“When Evan snaps it to me, I always think it’s going to be a good snap,” Alec said.
Whoops. We jinxed Evan. There was one bad snap on an extra point in the win over R.A. Long.
“Got that one out of the way,” Evan said.
And another extra point was blocked Friday night.
But again, there was no drama. Woodland scored six touchdowns in the win. Elijah Andersen rushed for four touchdowns and he passed for one. Will Clemens had a spectacular catch on the TD pass from Andersen, and Clemens also had a pick six for the Beavers.
If Woodland ever needs another field goal, though, the Beavers believe.
“It’s hard to find a snapper like that and a holder like this,” Graham said, pointing to the Martynowiwcz brothers. “It makes my job a lot easier.”
I’m not sure what perfection looks like in a person but I learned so much from my friend and colleague Herman Ouseley, who sadly passed away on Thursday, aged 79. I learned how to conduct myself publicly and privately. I learned how to speak in certain rooms. I learned how to control my anger. I learned how to have certain conversations, even when I suspect the people at the other side of the table are not listening to a word I’m saying and resisting the urge to roll their eyes.
Those are just some of the things I learned from him and they are very strong and powerful qualities for any individual to be blessed with and able to pass on. He had thatmuch of an impact and that much of an influence on me. Most people knew him as Lord Ouseley because that was his official title but I was privileged and honoured enough to know him as just “Herman”.
When he became the chairman and chief executive of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in 1993, Herman gained a certain amount of power and influence that enabled him to make change. He took on the role just after the murder of Stephen Lawrence and he became a very good and helpful friend to Stephen’s family. An avid football fan – Manchester United for his sins, as well as Millwall because he moved to south London from Guyana as a child – he wanted to have an influence on the game. He was sick and tired of witnessing racism in the stands and on the terraces, of hearing stories about John Barnes and the banana at Goodison Park, or the cacophony of monkey noises that soundtracked West Brom’s Cyrille Regis, Brendon Batson and Laurie Cunningham at Old Trafford. He was angry that football didn’t care.
A year after the Premier League was formed he set up Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football, as it was called in its early incarnation. It was significant because the Premier League was this glossy new product that was being given the hard sell, but Herman felt it would never address incidents of racism unless someone gave the hierarchy a nudge. He decided to become that someone and his new campaign group meant an organisation existed that became a mouthpiece for players to challenge the Premier League, the Football League and others.
Back then, football didn’t want to acknowledge there was a problem with racism. Nineteen of the 22 clubs in the original Premier League were not on board because they didn’t think an anti-racism campaign was necessary. Herman forced their hand by inviting some very influential people to Kick It Out’s launch and started putting his life and soul into the campaign, to try to provide support, guidance and help to players who were being victimised on the field of play.
It was a very important time in his life, because he was chair of the CRE and simultaneously trying to get Kick It Out off the ground. He deserves particular respect because he took no money from his new organisation, which later became a registered charity. He felt that taking a wage or expenses would have made for bad optics and hindered progress. So for the 25 years that he was chair, he didn’t ask for any money. That shows his dedication to a cause he wanted to get up and running, without making anything off the back of it.
Herman was a very calm man but if you got him angry you saw another side to him. Photograph: Antonio Olmos
While I still don’t think football’s in a great place, without Herman’s influence back then and throughout his involvement in Kick It Out I don’t know where we would be. I am very grateful to him because he stood up to be counted when others were just talking a great game. He stood up when the industry was failing. Others might not want to acknowledge his contribution but it was a very important thing for him to continue to do until 2018, when he stood down. It would have been easy for him to do nothing but Herman wasn’t like that. He believed that if you’re there for the right reasons, because you’re seeing injustices wherever you tread and you’ve got the power, the influence and the knowhow to try to make change then you’re going to make the effort. Herman didn’t have to but he did it anyway because he felt it was his duty.
I’ve seen Kick It Out’s role in the fight against discrimination described as a thankless task but Herman never wanted thanks. He wasn’t in the game to be patted on the back or for people to laud his name, he was in it to make change. Kick It Out is just a small charity that is trying to make football a better experience for all and Herman was at the forefront of knocking on doors, going into boardrooms and telling important people how things were. He let it be known that he wasn’t going to go away unless they spoke to him and tried to understand the situation as he saw it.
He did all this in a remarkable way. He wasn’t one to shout or holler; he was a very calm man but if you got him angry you saw another side of him. I will remember him as a person extremely dedicated to his work.
There’s so much I’ll miss about the sheer contribution of Herman as he battled to make football a better place. I’ll miss his presence, I’ll miss his calming influence, I’ll miss his words of inspiration and I’ll miss going places with him and standing in awe of how he conducted himself. Above all, I will miss him because he is no longer with us.
A fan proposed that £85million Antony is the worst signing in Man United history
But Paul Scholes believes a player from his Red Devils days was even worse
LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
By Ben Willcocks
Published: | Updated:
Paul Scholes has named Manchester United’s worst signing of all time, after his old club were humiliated 3-0 by Liverpool on Sunday.
The Red Devils legend, whose glittering career at Old Trafford spanned two decades, won a litany of trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson including 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two Champions Leagues.
During a fan-led debate with ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher and journalist David Ornstein, Scholes shared who he believes are the best and worst signings in Manchester United’s history, first waxing lyrical about the impact Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney had on the club.
The Red Devils were resoundly beaten by Arne Slot’s Liverpool at Old Trafford, in the latest blotch on United’s legacy since Scholes’ retirement from football back in 2013.
The disappointing defeat led one fan to suggest that Antony is the worst Man United signing of all-time, given that the Brazilian was an unused substitute again during Sunday’s defeat and has only contributed 11 goals and five assists since his £85million transfer from Ajax back in 2022.
Paul Scholes has labelled one of his former team-mates as Man United’s worst ever signing
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United were humiliated 3-0 by Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday
Antony, who was an unused substitute at Old Trafford at the weekend, was branded Man United’s worst signing of all time by a fan following his £85m switch from Ajax back in 2022
Offering a different view, Scholes told The Overlap’s Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet: ‘You know what, I was going to go a bit further back than that.
‘(Juan Sebastian) Veron was a good player, a great player in Europe and I’m not sure why it didn’t work out for him.
‘I go back to the goalkeepers, when we had to replace Peter Schmeichel which is always going to be difficult.’
‘Fabian Barthez was great, but I’m thinking more like (Massimo) Taibi, Mark Bosnich… I thought he was a good keeper at Villa, Mark. He came to us and was so unprofessional. Honestly, it was ridiculous.
‘In shooting practice, you normally have like 15-20 minutes, after three shots he was knackered. And I never realised, he couldn’t kick a football! Honestly, I’d never seen anything like it.
‘We played Everton away first game of the season and none of us picked up on it – he couldn’t reach the halfway line. And there was no wind, it was a perfect day.
‘And then you look at his feet… size 14s. Honestly, he was just kicking the floor. Disappointment.’
Scholes claims Mark Bosnich (above) was ‘so unprofessional’ and ‘couldn’t kick a football’
The ex-England star played down any idea that Juan Sebastian Veron (right) is United’s worst ever signing: ‘He was a great player in Europe and I’m not sure why it didn’t work out for him’
Massimo Taibi, pictured left after letting a shot squirm under his body against Southampton, was among the names mentioned by Scholes when discussing the worst ever United signing
Going back to Antony, he added: ‘But yeah, when you talk about the money – and the value for money, it’s not been good has it? And think of (Alexis) Sanchez as well. Big disappointment from Arsenal.
‘My worst one? I’m going to go for Bosnich,’ Scholes concluded.
Joking in response, Carragher added: ‘He’ll be right on the socials, won’t he? He won’t take that lying down!’
‘He’ll have something to say won’t he?’ Scholes replied, in agreement.
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Paul Scholes names Man United’s worst-EVER signing… and claims the ‘unprofessional’ star ‘couldn’t kick a football’ after his move to Old Trafford
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