Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's equalising goal against Atletico Madrid. AP
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's equalising goal against Atletico Madrid. AP
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's equalising goal against Atletico Madrid. AP
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's equalising goal against Atletico Madrid. AP

Madrid derby: Carlo Ancelotti says Real deserved more after Kylian Mbappe rescues point


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Kylian Mbappe fired Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw against city rivals Atletico to keep Los Blancos top of La Liga.

Julian Alvarez dinked home a controversial first half penalty for Atletico on Saturday, but Mbappe was in the right place at the right time to bundle home in his first appearance in the tense derby clash.

Reigning champions Real Madrid lead second-place Atletico by a single point with El Classico rivals Barcelona in third.

Atletico shaded a tight first half but were left holding on in the second period as the hosts stepped up a gear at the Santiago Bernabeu. Jude Bellingham came close to sealing a comeback win as he twice went close with headed chances.

"The team is disappointed because they think they deserved more... but we're happy because we're still leaders," Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said afterwards. "In the second half we had total control, we had a lot of chances."

Ancelotti opted to deploy his four key attackers in Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Bellingham and Rodrygo. The star names got stuck in, not always a given in a defensive sense, and the first half was a hard-fought, intense battle with few clear openings for either side.

Atletico were upset when Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos was only booked for an ugly challenge on Pablo Barrios, but it was the hosts who were left raging when referee Cesar Soto Grado pointed to the penalty spot.

Aurelien Tchouameni, covering at centre-back for Madrid with Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao out, clumsily trod on Samuel Lino's foot in the box.

After a VAR review Soto Grado awarded a controversial penalty, much to Madrid's frustration, with the incident happening after the ball had run past the duo.

Los Blancos attacked Spanish refereeing earlier in the week after they were upset by a decision in a shock defeat last weekend, bringing heavy scrutiny on the officials ahead of the derby. Alvarez took the penalty, the first given against Madrid in La Liga this season, and cheekily executed a Panenka down the middle.

"I can't say I wasn't a bit nervous (with the penalty), but I was sure, I knew what I would do, and it was a great goal for the team," Alvarez said.

"Corruption in the federation," chanted Real Madrid fans in response to falling behind, buying into their club's stance.

Ancelotti refused to talk about the refereeing but appeared exasperated on the sideline as Soto Grado pointed to the spot.

Madrid pulled level early in the second half when Rodrygo broke loose on the right of the box and crossed for Bellingham.

The England international's shot was blocked but Mbappe was on hand to turn home the rebound and score on his first Madrid derby appearance.

Bellingham twice came close to putting Madrid ahead, nodding against the crossbar from Vinicius' cross and then heading straight at Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak from a similar position, kicking the post in frustration.

Madrid played with far more fluidity in the second half and pegged Atletico back.

Oblak made a smart save to deny Vinicius after the Brazilian winger burst through the gap between two Atletico defenders and pulled the trigger from a tight angle.

The Slovenian goalkeeper also made fine saves from Rodrygo and Mbappe to ensure the two sides ended with a point apiece.

"We had a good first half, but we weren't relaxed enough in front of goal to (score) more," said Simeone.

"In the end it was a draw in which both teams think they could have taken more from it."

Real Madrid face another big challenge on Tuesday when they travel to face Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Champions League play-off round first leg.

Earlier Athletic Bilbao, fourth, beat Girona 3-0 with an Oihan Sancet hat-trick to maintain their Champions League charge.

Antony, on loan from Manchester United, netted his first goal for Real Betis in a 3-2 defeat by Celta Vigo.

The specs

Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm

Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto

Price: From Dh139,995

On sale: now

The specs

Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm

Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)

On sale: Now

If you go

Flying

Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.

 

Touring

Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com 

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Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time

Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.

Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.

The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.

The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.

Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.

The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.

• Bloomberg

Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier

UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs

Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)

1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0

Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am

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Infobox

Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August

Results

UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets

Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets

Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets

Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs

Monday fixtures

UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

Directed by: Shaka King

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons

Four stars

Remaining Fixtures

Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final

if you go

The flights

Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes. 

The hotels

Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes. 

When to visit

March-May and September-November

Visas

Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

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Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Updated: February 09, 2025, 8:42 AM