It was supposed to be Kylian Mbappe's big day at the Bernabeu as the superstar striker made his home bow but it was Brazilian teenager Endrick who stole the show in Real Madrid's 3-0 La Liga win over Valladolid.
Mbappe scored in Madrid's Uefa Super Cup win over Atalanta at the start of the season but has yet to find the net in the first two league matches after drawing a blank in last week's season-opening 1-1 draw at Mallorca.
Without the injured Jude Bellingham, Madrid created little in the first half but did enough after the break to earn their first win of the season as Carlo Ancelotti's side remain two points behind rivals Barcelona, who beat Athletic Club 2-1 on Saturday thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski.
The reigning champions were left frustrated by a dogged Valladolid defence and Real did not open the scoring until the 50th minute when midfielder Fede Valverde smashed home a powerful low free-kick with the aid of a deflection.
Mbappe, a summer arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, blew a golden opportunity to get off the mark when Vinicius Junior cut the ball across to him, but Estonian goalkeeper Karl Hein saved well.
The France captain had another chance on the counter-attack but fired wide before being replaced by 18-year-old forward Endrick in the 86th minute.
It was another substitute in Brahim Diaz who made it 2-0 moments later when he collected a long ball from Eder Militao before dinking it over Valladolid goalkeeper Karl Hein. And Endrick then added gloss to the scoreline by scoring deep in stoppage time with a well-hit strike inside the near post.
The goal made Endrick the youngest foreign player to score for Madrid in the Spanish league at 18 years, 35 days, surpassing French defender Raphael Varane, who was 18 years, 152 days when he scored in 2011.
“He’s looking very good and he has a lot of potential,” Madrid coach Ancelotti said of Endrick. “He has shown his quality very quickly with his control and he’s got a very powerful shot. He’s a centre forward and very dangerous in tight spaces.”
Endrick was only 16 when he was sold to Madrid by Brazilian club Palmeiras for more than €40 million, plus add-ons, in 2022. He stayed with Palmeiras until arriving at Madrid for this season after turning 18.
Madrid had already done similar deals for Vinicius and Rodrygo, who are now regular starters with last season's Champions league winners.
“He deserves it,” Valverde said of Endrick, who was an unused substitute in the team's first two matches this season, against Atalanta in the Uefa Super Cup and at Mallorca. “He has to keep working, he still has a long way to go with this club, he should keep working hard because he deserves it.”
As for Mbappe, his next chance to open his La Liga account will come at Las Palmas on Thursday night. “He's a spectacular forward, very fast, moves well without the ball, attacks in behind, he had three or four chances [which were] created with his movement,” added Ancelotti.
“In this position, he will score like he always scores, I don't think he needs to play from the left, in the centre in the end he will score goals.”
Elsewhere, Antoine Griezmann, Marcos Llorente and Koke's strikes helped Diego Simeone's Atletico claim their first win of the campaign against last season's surprise packages Girona.
Julian Alvarez started for the Rojiblancos at their Metropolitano Stadium while new arrival Conor Gallagher made his debut as a substitute after completing his move from Chelsea last week.
“The fans were really excited for this one, playing at home for the first time in some time, with new signings – a perfect night, lets keep it going,” said Griezmann.
“I was waiting to see where the keeper was standing and I saw that there was a little gap at the far post and with a bit of luck it went in.”
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
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Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
