Sports

MEXICO CITY — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed a record 14th victory of the Formula One season by winning the Mexico Grand Prix on Sunday.

World champion Verstappen finished a comfortable 15.186 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes while Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez finished third on home soil.

It was the second win inside a week for Dutchman Verstappen, who also triumphed at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Verstappen has now beaten the record previously held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for the most wins in a single season.

“It has been an incredible year so far, we are definitely enjoying it and we’ll try to go for more [victories],” said Verstappen.

Hamilton lamented his team’s decision to choose medium and then hard tyre compounds while Verstappen went from softs to medium.

“I was close in the first stint, but the Red Bulls were too fast today and they probably had the right tyre strategy,” Hamilton said.

Perez was cheered loudly by a sell-out crowd.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out today, but it is great to get third place here and be on the podium,” Perez said.

George Russell finished a frustrated fourth for Mercedes, but clocked the fastest lap ahead of the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, both unable to find the pace to make any impact on the leading quartet.

Daniel Ricciardo was seventh for McLaren, after a mid-race collision for which he was given a 10-second time penalty, ahead of Esteban Ocon of Alpine, Lando Norris in the second McLaren and Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo.

As the lights went out, Verstappen made a near-perfect start from pole position while, behind him, Hamilton fought his way past Russell to take second.

To the delight of his fans, Perez also passed Russell to take third.

After lap one, the Dutchman held a lead of 1.39 seconds which he gently extended to 1.6 by lap 10 and 2.2 by lap 20 as the leaders ran in consistent formation, the race only punctuated by Stroll taking the first pit stop on lap 18.

Verstappen reported his soft tyres were deteriorating shortly before Perez came in after 23 laps to switch from soft to medium compounds, but his stop was hampered by a sticky rear wheel change and took five seconds.

He re-joined sixth.

Two laps later, Verstappen came in and out in 2.5 seconds, passing the lead to Hamilton, who was 5.5 seconds clear of Russell as the Dutchman re-joined third behind him.

Hamilton came in on lap 30 to switch to hards and re-joined third, Russell taking over as leader until lap 35, when he also pitted to take hard tyres. He came back in fourth and the leading group were back as they had been.

Tyre turmoil

“This tyre is not as good as the medium,” Hamilton said on team radio, prompting Mercedes to reply suggesting it would last longer than the medium, as taken by Red Bull.

Hamilton, however, was struggling for grip and impatient as he slipped 9.5 seconds adrift of the champion with Perez, third and pressing, only 1.9 seconds behind.

By lap 40, both Mercedes men were grumbling in unison about the hard tyre’s lack of performance.

Verstappen extended his lead to more than 10 seconds by lap 50, but Hamilton clung on.

“Are we on the wrong tyre?” Hamilton asked his team. “No, Lewis, we think we’re on the right tyre and it’ll get to the end. No sweat,” replied his race engineer, Pete Bonnington.

With six laps to go, Mercedes’ hard tyre gamble appeared to have failed when two-time champion Fernando Alonso pulled off at turn one in his Alpine.

It was a brief pause without any pitstops, leaving Russell frustrated in his requests for new rubber.

“Stay out,” said Mercedes, only relenting on lap 70 to give him a chance to go for fastest lap

Red Bull have already claimed the constructors’ championship.

MUNICH, Germany — Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann lauded his “fun to watch” side as they reclaimed the Bundesliga’s top spot with a dominant 6-2 home defeat of Mainz.

“It is a lot of fun to watch them. [We are] a great mix of quality and configuration,” Nagelsmann said. 

“Huge compliments [to the team]. It’s unbelievable at the moment.”

Sublime performances from forwards Jamal Musiala and Sadio Mane pushed Bayern two points clear at the top of the table, the first time they have led the league since August. 

Serge Gnabry opened the scoring after just six minutes thanks to an assist from Mane, while teenager Musiala scored his seventh league goal of the season in the 28th minute.

Mainz centre-back Alexander Hack fouled Mane in the box in the 40th minute. The former Liverpool striker took the penalty and while ‘keeper Robin Zentner saved his shot, the Senegalese pounced on the rebound to put Bayern 3-0 ahead.

Mainz, who missed a 45th minute penalty, had another brief glimmer of hope before the half-time break when Silvan Widmer headed in from a corner, but Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka scored from a Mane cross in the 58th minute to give Bayern an unassailable 4-1 lead.

French striker Mathys Tel, 17, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting added goals for Bayern late on, while Mainz’s Marcus Ingvartsen pounced on a mistake from Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to leave the final score at 6-2. 

Mainz manager Bo Svensson congratulated Nagelsmann and Bayern “on a well-deserved victory”, but was deeply unhappy with his own side. “We missed everything. I didn’t like what I saw in the second half,” he said.

Bayern have now won six games in a row, scoring 25 goals since their last-minute 2-2 draw away at Dortmund in early October. 

Dortmund go third

In the late game, Jude Bellingham scored a crucial second-half goal to send Borussia Dortmund to third with a 2-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Dortmund’s Julian Brandt opened the scoring for the visitors in the 21st minute, latching on to a looping cross from winger Donyell Malen to send a low shot through the legs of Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp.

Dortmund’s lead was short-lived however. Frankfurt scored just four minutes later when a poor attempted clearance from Mats Hummels found its way to Randal Kolo Muani.

The French striker patiently attracted the attention of several Dortmund defenders, before laying off to Japanese international Daichi Kamada to score his seventh league goal of the season.

The visitors reclaimed the lead in the 52nd minute when Bellingham, 19, collected a backheeled cross from Youssoffa Moukoko, 17, before curling a strike past Kevin Trapp. The goal was Bellingham’s fourth in four games for Dortmund.

Immediately after the goal, Dortmund withstood a furious assault from the home side, with centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck clearing off the line to prevent a certain equaliser from former Dortmund forward Mario Goetze.

Dortmund survived a fiery injury time, with five players — three from Frankfurt and two from Dortmund — picking up yellow cards. 

Elsewhere, RB Leipzig lifted themselves up to within touching distance of the top four with a 2-0 win at home against Bayer Leverkusen thanks to goals from Christopher Nkunku and Timo Werner. 

Leverkusen have now won just one in six since former Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso took over as manager. 

Wolfsburg thrashed a hapless Bochum 4-0 at home, in the Wolves’ most dominant performance since being taken over by former Bayern manager Niko Kovac in the summer.

In Saturday afternoon’s other match, Stuttgart lifted themselves out of the bottom three with a 2-1 victory against Augsburg, thanks to an injury time winner from Waldemar Anton.

The win was Stuttgart’s third in four games since firing American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo.

WASHINGTON — Caris LeVert scored Cleveland’s last 10 points in overtime and sparked the Cavaliers to a 132-123 NBA victory at Boston on Friday.

LeVert and Donovan Mitchell each scored a game-high 41 points as the Cavaliers improved to 4-1 while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each had 32 to lead the Celtics.

“I knew it was coming,” LeVert said of his big night. “I put in a lot of work. I was due for this. We’re having so much fun out here. We can’t wait to keep doing it.”

It was only the second time the Cavs had two 40-point scorers in a game, the other time by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in game five of the 2016 NBA Finals, which Cleveland won in seven games.

Brown’s overtime dunk lifted Boston level at 121-121, but LeVert answered with a 3-pointer and two free throws and, after Brown sank two free throws, LeVert added two free throws of his own and closed out matters on a 4-point play with 32.2 seconds to go, making a free throw after a flagrant foul by Malcolm Brogdon.

“He did it all. He literally carried us,” Mitchell said. “He led us from the start. We fed off that.”

After trailing by as many as 15 points, LeVert’s 3-pointer put Cleveland ahead 113-112 in regulation. A Brown basket put Boston ahead 114-113 with 28 seconds remaining, only for Jarrett Allen to sink a free throw that led to overtime.

“For us to have the perseverance as a group... that was big time,” said Mitchell. “For us to have a collective solidarity this early in the season as a group, that’s going to take us far. Wins like this are huge.”

LeVert said referee calls in the first half disrupted the Cavs’ rhythm.

“We kind of let the refs get in our heads,” LeVert said. “We stopped playing Cavs basketball. In the second half we were a lot more physical. We lived with some of the foul calls and we just fought.”

He also credited pre-season workouts for the fitness to fight to the end.

“We did crazy conditioning this training camp and I think it really paid off tonight,” LeVert said. “We were super energised.”

The Milwaukee Bucks remained the NBA’s only undefeated team, improving to 4-0 with a 119-108 home victory over the New York Knicks.

Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo had game highs of 30 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Bucks, who had seven scorers in double figures.

Lakers still winless

The winless Los Angeles Lakers fell to 0-5 to start the season with a 111-102 loss at Minnesota.

The Timberwolves were led by a game-high 29 points from Anthony Edwards plus 22 points and 21 rebounds by Rudy Gobert.

James had 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in a losing cause.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said his team’s 22 turnovers, leading to 25 Minnesota points, were too much to overcome.

“For me, the most glaring stat is the turnovers,” he said. “When you give them 22 turnovers, 25 points, it’s very hard to win in this league. We have to do a better job of valuing possessions.”

Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 44 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 112-90 triumph at Toronto.

Maxey had two more points than the Raptors managed in the entire second half, propelling the Sixers to victory despite the absence of star centre Joel Embiid because of a sore knee.

Atlanta’s Trae Young scored 36 points and passed out 12 assists to spark the Hawks to a 136-112 victory at Detroit. Cade Cunningham scored a career-high 35 points in a losing cause.

Keldon Johnson’s 33 points led San Antonio over visiting Chicago 129-124 despite 33 by the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan, who became the 50th NBA player to score 20,000 points in his career.

Myles Turner scored 27 points while Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton each added 25 to lead Indiana over host Washington 127-117 despite 31 points by Wizards guard Bradley Beal.

The Orlando Magic won for the first time in six games this season as 19-year-old Paolo Banchero, the top pick in this year’s NBA Draft, had 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and reserve Mo Bamba added 19 points in a 113-93 home victory over Charlotte.

BARCELONA — Bayern Munich clinched top spot in Champions League Group C with a 3-0 win over eliminated Barcelona, after the Catalans’ fate had been decided before kick-off at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Inter Milan thrashed Viktoria Plzen 4-0 earlier on to guarantee progression to the last 16 and send Barca crashing out in the first round for a second successive season.

The Catalans, who drop into the Europa League, had reached the knock-out rounds in the 17 prior editions of the tournament before consecutive early eliminations under coach Xavi Hernandez.

The hosts had hoped to salvage some pride before a large and undeterred crowd of over 84,000 fans, but first-half goals from Sadio Mane and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting denied them even that, with Benjamin Pavard adding another late on as Bayern earned a sixth straight win over Barca.

A few supporters left at half-time but the majority stayed to the end as their team played their last Champions League game at Camp Nou until at least 2024, with the team set to move to the city’s Olympic Stadium next season during renovations.

Barca fans had already mourned their impending, and now confirmed, exit over the past fortnight and despite defeat, the match didn’t become the funeral procession it might threatened to.

The home players came back out of the dressing room after full time to show their gratitude for the non-stop vocal backing, with fans still singing long after the final whistle.

“Thanks to the fans for their unconditional support, there was an extraordinary atmosphere, we have to thank them and show them the respect they deserve,” Xavi told Movistar.

“It’s a pity that we weren’t able to show them that on the pitch. We have to disconnect from the Champions League, face the reality.

“We did not compete today, we did not reach their level. They were very good, much better, more intense. I am sure the elimination before the game affected us psychologically.”

A cut above

Bayern, already through, were without injured goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defender Lucas Hernandez and winger Leroy Sane, but still put out a strong line-up and clinically took the lead after 10 minutes.

Serge Gnabry played a fine through ball for Sadio Mane to race on to, leaving Hector Bellerin chasing hopelessly behind, and the Senegalese forward lofted over Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Bayern sliced Barcelona open like a hot knife through butter again in the 31st minute, with former Stoke City and PSG striker Choupo-Moting finishing consummately after another Gnabry pass. The Cameroon international now has five goals in his last four games.

Julian Nagelsmann’s team could have added a third before half-time, but the otherwise ragged Hector Bellerin blocked on the line and ter Stegen denied Jamal Musiala from close range.

Moments later Barcelona won a penalty when Robert Lewandowski was felled by Matthijs de Ligt, but after watching the incident again, referee Anthony Taylor cancelled it, provoking vitriol from Camp Nou.

Gnabry had a goal ruled out for offside in the second half just when it seemed Bayern had again masterfully absorbed Barcelona’s pressure and sucker-punched them at the other end.

Bayern rounded off their victory in stoppage time when Pavard finished from close range after a corner was fired back his way.

“It was a mighty performance, we were patient, we kept the ball, we knew Barca play very well, we waited for the right moments, the defence worked hard,” said Nagelsmann.

“It was a successful match for us, we were efficient, we played a great game.”

Former Bayern striker Lewandowski, who swapped the Allianz Arena for Camp Nou in the summer, left frustrated again, unable to net against his old side, one of the favourites for Champions League glory.

Barcelona will be among the favourites in Europe too, albeit for a different trophy.

“We wanted to give the fans a win but it couldn’t be, we owe them a lot, they have always been with us,” Pedri told Movistar.

“We owe them wins and titles, I hope that going forward from now, we can give them that. We’ll do everything we can to win the Europa League, as last year we couldn’t do it.”

LOS ANGELES — Devin Booker scored 34 points as the Phoenix Suns overpowered Golden State 134-105 in a hard-fought clash that saw Warriors star Klay Thompson ejected for the first time in his career.

Booker produced another 30-point scoring exhibition for the third straight game as the Suns laid down an early marker against the defending NBA champions.

The 25-year-old Phoenix talisman was also at the centre of a third-quarter skirmish with Thompson that led to the Warriors’ future Hall-of-Famer being tossed for the first time in his 651-game career. 

Thompson was expelled after he bumped Booker midway through the third quarter to earn a technical before earning a second technical as he unleashed a tirade at the Suns and referee Ed Malloy.

That flashpoint proved decisive, with the Suns exploiting the Warriors’ lack of composure to turn an 83-77 advantage into a 13-point lead at 90-77.

The Suns would eventually outscore the Warriors 33-20 in the third to take a 105-86 lead into the final period.

Golden State rallied to cut the deficit to 12 points midway through the fourth, but Phoenix pulled away once again to seal a deserved victory.

Booker, who has averaged 32 points in four games to start the campaign, said Phoenix were determined to impress against the reigning NBA champions.

“Those are the defending champs over there,” Booker said. “They have a culture, an environment, they’re holding the crown.

“Every time we match up against them we want to play hard and play competitive.”

Booker made no apologies for his spirited clash with Warriors veteran Thompson.

“I love Klay Thompson, and I have from the beginning, coming up. Right from the draft I said I wanted to be Klay Thompson,” Booker said. 

“But that doesn’t excuse us from competing against each other and talking a little mess with each other... big fan of his and his competitive nature, and that’s that.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr also played down the Booker-Thompson clash.

“They’re both great competitors, both great players,” Kerr said. “This is the NBA — it’s the highest competition in the world. Stuff like that happens.”

Booker was given scoring support from Mikal Bridges with 17 points while Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul added 16 points each.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors scoring with 21 points with Jordan Poole adding 17. Thompson departed with two points after making just 1-of-8 from the field.

Elsewhere Tuesday, Luka Doncic scored 37 points but it was not enough to stop the Dallas Mavericks slipping to defeat against the depleted New Orleans Pelicans.

Slovenian star Doncic dragged the Mavs to within one point of the Pels with four seconds remaining after a driving lay-up made it 112-111.

The 23-year-old was left shaking his head in disappointment after a three-point effort on the buzzer that would have snatched victory bounced off the rim to hand New Orleans a 113-111 win.

Doncic finished with 11 rebounds and seven assists in addition to his 37-point haul, with Spencer Dinwiddie providing support with 24 points and Christian Wood 23 points.

But Dallas were ultimately pipped by a balanced New Orleans line-up that saw eight players finish in double figures.

Trey Murphy III scored 22 points — making 8-of-8 from the field — while C.J. McCollum made 14 points with 11 assists.

McCollum later admitted he could barely watch as Doncic launched his last-gasp three-point attempt on the buzzer.

The Pelicans improved to 3-1 with a win to move into second in the Western Conference behind leaders Portland. Dallas fell to 1-2.

The Washington Wizards took their season record to 3-1 with a 120-99 romp against the Detroit Pistons at home.

Kyle Kuzma led the Washington scorers with 25 points with Kristaps Porzingis adding 20. Will Barton added 16 from the bench, including four three-pointers.

Oklahoma City meanwhile routed the Los Angeles Clippers 108-94 with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 33 points.

BARCELONA — By the time Barcelona kick off against Bayern Munich on Wednesday at the Camp Nou, they may already be eliminated from the Champions League.

Xavi Hernandez’s side have just one win from their first four matches in Group C, with a 3-3 draw at home against Inter Milan earlier in October likely sealing their fate.

Should the Italian side beat already-eliminated Viktoria Plzen earlier on Wednesday at the San Siro, then Barcelona will be out.

For a club which spent lavishly in the summer on players including Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha, in sporting terms, the elimination is embarrassing.

Financially, it puts more strain on the club’s accounts which stood at 1.3 billion euros ($1.28 billion) in debt in the summer, thanks to overspending and the COVID-19 pandemic, before President Joan Laporta and the board pulled their infamous “palancas” — financial leverage.

They sold 25 per cent of their La Liga television rights for the next 25 years to American investment firm Sixth Street Partners across two deals, for a combined total of an estimated 665 million euros.

Barcelona also sold two 24.5 per cent stakes in Barca Studios to Socios.com and Orpheus Media, to help fund their summer spending spree and manage their wage bill, adding a further 200 million euros.

The club had accounted for reaching the Champions League quarterfinals, so a second consecutive group-stage elimination will cost them an estimated 20 million euros in prize money, not counting revenue from ticket sales or television rights.

On the other hand, they will earn some income from a potential Europa League run, albeit significantly less than in the Champions League. They will also save some money by not having to pay player bonuses tied to Champions League progress.

“If they go out of the Champions League, they will lose income but also stop paying bonuses, thus, saving money. [Their situation] won’t vary much this season,” said La Liga president Javier Tebas on Friday.

Deeper problems

La Liga’s own financial fair play spending rules prevent clubs from overspending on transfer fees and salaries, based on their debt levels and income. Barcelona previously could only spend a quarter of any money they earned as a result.

Harnessing their financial leverage this summer helped them get past the rule and revamp the squad, but next summer problems beckon unless they can reduce their overblown wage bill.

“The palancas worked for this year, they said it themselves, but for next season they can’t do it again, they have to reduce their salary,” added Tebas.

“They can’t continue with 500 million euros of salary to pay, they have to reduce it to 400 or a little more, like Real Madrid and other big European clubs. If not, next year they will be back on the 1:4 spending ratio.”

Sergio Busquets’ contract expires in the summer but some of the squad’s other highly-paid players, including Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba have longer to run on their deals.

Champions League elimination certainly won’t help Barcelona’s financial situation, but a more worrying issue is that overblown salaries handed out by the previous Josep Maria Bartomeu regime are still weighing the club down.

After failing to reach agreements with some players over a pay reduction in the summer, Laporta and club treasurer Ferran Olive put forward a guarantee of around 11 million euros of their own money, to ensure Kounde was registered.

Regardless of whether they are eliminated or there is an unlikely Champions League “miracle”, unless Barcelona can reduce their wage bill in the months to come, next summer they will have to be significantly thriftier.

AUSTIN — World champion Max Verstappen clinched an emotional constructors’ world championship for Red Bull on Sunday when he claimed a record-equalling 13th win this year at the United States Grand Prix.

Twenty-four hours after learning of the death of Red Bull founder and co-owner Dieter Mateschitz, the 25-year-old Dutchman claimed the 33rd victory of his career after a thrilling late battle with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.

In front of a passionate crowd at the Circuit of the Americas, Verstappen came home 5.023 seconds clear of Hamilton with Charles Leclerc finishing third for Ferrari ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull.

“Of course, it’s a very difficult weekend for us and this one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich himself for what he has done for everyone,” said Verstappen.

“We had a big chance to win the ‘constructors’ here and of course you want to do that in style and I think we did that today.

“It definitely means a lot to me, to the team, because he [Dietrich] was so instrumental to the whole team,” he added.

George Russell finished fifth in the second Mercedes ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Alpine, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin, Kevin Magnussen of Haas and Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.

“I gave it everything,” said Hamilton, who remains without a win this year for the first time in his career.

“I did everything I could to stay ahead, but they were just a little quicker... Great strategy, great race by Red Bull — and my condolences to the team,” he added.

“I’m shattered. The car was a handful today. It felt amazing to be in the lead. That’s something we have worked so hard on as a team through the year.

“I had so much hope. We will keep pushing, we’ll try to give it everything we can in the next three. It will come to us at some stage.”

The race began in perfect conditions but with a sombre atmosphere pervading the paddock and pit lane following the death on Saturday of Red Bull founder Mateschitz.

As a result, any announcement on Red Bull’s fate for their budget cap breach last year were put “on hold until further notice” with talks expected to pick up again next week.

A minute’s applause in tribute to Mateschitz preceded the pre-race anthem before the lights went out and Verstappen quickly seized the initiative as Carlos Sainz struggled to depart from pole.

The luckless Spaniard was involved in a first-corner collision as a surging Russell clipped him gently, causing him to fall to the back of the field and into retirement with a water leak.

Verstappen led with some aplomb, 2.8 seconds clear of Hamilton, relishing a chance to shine in front of the huge crowd at a circuit where he has won five times in nine visits.

The Briton switched to a set of new hard tyres followed by the rest. By lap 15, it was Verstappen back in front.

Three laps later, Valtteri Bottas lost control of the rear of his Alfa Romeo at Turn 19, causing a Safety Car intervention before racing re-started on lap 22.

A big crash involving Stroll and Alonso caused another safety car deployment.

By lap 30, the field had settled and Verstappen led Hamilton by 1.7 seconds.

Hamilton led late

Leclerc advanced to second when Hamilton pitted on lap 35 for fresh “hards”, re-joining sixth. Hamilton’s “under-cut” forced Verstappen to respond one lap later, but he had a slow stop, taking more than 11 seconds to take a set of ‘medium’ tyres.

Russell and Leclerc also stopped again as a frustrated Verstappen re-joined fifth until passing Leclerc on lap 39.

All this left Vettel leading until Hamilton dived inside him at the start of lap 41 to take over with 15 laps remaining.

Hamilton fought to keep alive his dream of a first win this year. By lap 49, however, Hamilton’s lead was down to 0.7. A pass was inevitable and it came on lap 50.

MADRID — Just when it seemed Real Madrid might consider dropping points in the title race, the champions calmly moved up a gear to secure a 3-1 win over Sevilla on Saturday and extend their La Liga lead.

Carlo Ancelotti’s unbeaten side moved six points clear of rivals Barcelona thanks to two strikes in three minutes from Lucas Vazquez and Fede Valverde in the final stages.

Sevilla thought they might take something from the game when Erik Lamela’s leveller cancelled out Luka Modric’s early strike, but Madrid confidently wrestled control of the match back.

Vinicius Junior, through on goal in the 79th minute, unselfishly squared for substitute Vazquez to roll the ball home and then Valverde continued his own sublime form with a rocket which left Sevilla goalkeeper Bono scrambling helplessly.

“We lost a bit of confidence when we let in the goal, but luckily, the substitutes gave energy to the team and more confidence,” said Ancelotti.

“We scored the second goal with a spectacular counter and a great pass from Vinicius, and from there we were on our way.”

The goals provided a rip-roaring finale to a fine night for Madrid supporters, despite heavy rain. Karim Benzema had offered the Ballon d’Or he won on Monday to the masses at the Santiago Bernabeu before kick-off, handed his trophy by former winners Modric and Zinedine Zidane.

Fans brandished gold sheets laid out for them by the club. 

Although they were not able to watch the French striker here, with a thigh problem keeping him out, their team maintained their momentum.

It took Real Madrid just five minutes to open the scoring.

Vinicius was the architect, picking the pocket of Gonzalo Montiel, driving forward deep into the area and then sliding a perfect pass across to split the defence and leave Modric with a simple finish on his 450th appearance for the club.

Returning from a sciatica problem, Thibaut Courtois also presented his Yashin Trophy for being the world’s best goalkeeper to supporters, which was his only task of note until the second half. He soon had another — picking the ball out of the back of the net.

Lamela finished well after being set-up by Montiel, who stole the ball from Vinicius in a reverse of the opening goal.

Stepping up a gear

Ancelotti responded by replacing Aurelien Tchouameni with Eduardo Camavinga, and Madrid picked up again, boosted further by Marco Asensio and Vazquez coming on.

Rodrygo, operating at false nine in place of Benzema, produced a piece of magic with a backheel to find Vinicius, who shot into the side-netting from a tight angle after hurtling past Bono to reach the pass.

Sevilla were on the back foot and the next time Vinicius burst through, running on to Asensio’s pass, he earned his second assist of the night, and then Valverde sealed the win in spectacular fashion.

“The first half we had under control, maybe we had to score a second goal to be calmer,” Courtois told Movistar. 

“Later we woke up and scored two great goals against a strong opponent.”

The only worry for Madrid was Uruguayan midfielder Valverde, who has seven goals this season across all competitions, taking a blow to the knee and hobbling away at the end.

“He had a blow to his leg,” said Ancelotti. “We’ll have to see what happens and how he is on Tuesday [for the Champions League]. And Karim, I think he will come back next Sunday.”

It was Sevilla’s first defeat since Sampaoli took over, leaving them 14th.

“I think the team made a great effort at a very difficult place to come,” said Sampaoli.

“We had to control the game, it could generate a game going back-and-forth, and Madrid are the best at that.”

Elsewhere Real Valladolid earned a 1-0 win over high-flying Real Sociedad, ending the visitors’ run of eight straight victories.

Real Mallorca earned a surprise 2-1 win at Valencia and Rayo Vallecano thrashed Cadiz 5-1.

LONDON — Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United are locked in a stand-off after Erik ten Hag punished the star for his Tottenham tantrum by dropping him from the squad for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea.

The United boss laid down the law after the superstar striker refused to come on as a substitute in the final minutes of Wednesday’s impressive 2-0 win against Spurs at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo and Ten Hag could end their stormy relationship when the transfer window opens in January, but it is not certain there will be a suitable buyer for the 37-year-old despite his status in the game.

AFP Sport looks at what could happen next for Ronaldo.

Find a Champions League suitor

If Ronaldo’s time at United is coming to an end, he will likely be desperate to salvage some pride by joining a club in the Champions League.

That was his wish when he tried to engineer a move in the aftermath of United’s failure to qualify for the competition last season.

But Ronaldo overestimated his own value, a stark reality that became clear when giants such as Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich opted not to move for the Portugal international.

Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Napoli were other clubs linked with a player entering the twilight of his career.

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly was reportedly keen on the five-time Ballon d’Or winner despite his decline, but then-boss Thomas Tuchel refused to countenance the prospect of introducing the volatile Ronaldo to his squad.

With Tuchel since sacked and the more “collaborative” Graham Potter now in charge at Stamford Bridge, it will be intriguing to see if Chelsea make a move.

Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese club where Ronaldo started his professional career, could be interested if their former player, who this month scored his 700th club goal, is willing to accept a huge pay cut.

If United are willing to rip up the remainder of Ronaldo’s contract, which expires at the end of this season, it would also make him more attractive as it would remove a transfer fee from the equation.

Take the money and run

Ronaldo reportedly rejected a lucrative offer from a Saudi Arabian club during his attempt to leave Old Trafford, with the player apparently not ready to consider playing outside Europe’s elite leagues.

But with his position at United now considerably weakened after the club took disciplinary measures against him, it is possible that anywhere but Old Trafford is now a desirable destination for the five-time Champions League winner.

Ronaldo is understood to have alienated dressing room allies after his touchline tantrum and has reportedly been critical of Ten Hag’s training methods.

With that in mind, resurrecting a move to the Gulf could be on the agenda for Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes.

Major League Football’s Inter Miami, part owned by Ronaldo’s former United teammate David Beckham and managed by Phil Neville — another ex-Old Trafford colleague — might also be an appealing and lucrative option.

Swallow pride?

If Ronaldo cannot find a suitable new club, would he be willing to stay at United in a bid to repair his tarnished reputation?

Sections of the support who idolised him in his successful first spell at the club from 2003 to 2009 have grown tired of Ronaldo’s antics but a final uplifting chapter to his United story cannot be completely ruled out.

That will largely depend on Ten Hag, who banished the former Real Madrid and Juventus star from first-team training after dropping him for the Chelsea game.

Ronaldo has apparently found the Ajax manager a much tougher proposition than the Dutchman’s predecessors Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, who accommodated the forward last season.

Publicly, Ten Hag insists Ronaldo remains “an important part of the squad”, while the striker reacted to his omission from the Chelsea game by saying he would “keep working hard” to get back in the team.

If Ronaldo and Ten Hag can bury the hatchet, it could be mutually beneficial, at least until the end of the season.