Real Madrid reaches Champions League final
Real Madrid has done it again. The 13-time European champion produced yet another memorable Champions League night at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, rallying late with two goals in two minutes by substitute Rodrygo to force extra time and defeat Manchester City 3-1 to reach its first final in four seasons.
Karim Benzema, the main man in Madrid’s previous Champions League comebacks this season, converted a penalty kick in extra time that allowed Madrid to advance 6-5 on aggregate after a 4-3 first-leg semifinal loss.
Madrid booked a spot in the May 28 final in Paris against Liverpool, which advanced after defeating Villarreal on Tuesday. Madrid defeated Liverpool in the 2018 final.
ELSEWHERE President Biden hosts Olympians
President Biden hailed Team USA for bringing a bit of unity to a pandemic weary nation as he hosted a White House celebration with about 600 athletes from this year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing and the coronavirus-delayed Summer Games held last year in Tokyo.
Among the athletes at the South Lawn ceremony were seven-time gold-medal-winning swimmer Katie Ledecky, a Stanford alum, celebrated bobsledder Elena Meyers Taylor and ice dancer Zachary Donohue, as well as competitors from the past two Paralympic Games.
Biden noted the American athletes won some 260 medals in Beijing and Tokyo. Equally impressive as their performances, Biden suggested, was the athletes’ ability to unite Americans during a period marked by the unrelenting coronavirus pandemic and deepening partisanship after the 2020 election.
“You represent the very soul of America,” Biden told the athletes. “It’s been a very divided nation … but you brought us together. No matter the divisions, when we see you compete, we feel a common pride in those three letters: USA.” NFL: The first regular-season game in Germany will be between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks at the home of soccer club Bayern Munich. The game will take place Nov. 13, the league said.
The schedule for the three NFL games in London next season also was announced: Minnesota New Orleans on Oct. 2 and Green Bay-New York Giants on Oct. 9, both at the home of Premier League soccer team Tottenham; and Denver-Jacksonville on Oct. 30 at Wembley Stadium. Tennis: Rafael Nadal returned from injury to beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1, 7-6 (4) to reach the third round at the Madrid Open.
In the women’s draw, eighthseeded Ons Jabeur advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Simona Halep 6-3, 6-2. Jabeur will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated American Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-3. College basketball: Forward/ center Andre Kelly has transferred from Cal to UC Santa Barbara. Kelly, who will be a graduate student, spent four seasons with the Bears. He averaged 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds last season, which ended for him in late January because of an ankle injury.
Colleges: Herb Benenson, Cal’s associate athletic director for communications, has announced his retirement, effective May 27. Benenson has spent 32 years with the Bears, the past 15 as the lead spokesman for the Cal athletic department.