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We’re delighted to announce that Lamine Yamal now owns the Santiago Bernabeu

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Just days on from thrashing Bayern Munich while barely breaking a sweat, Hansi Flick’s La Masia kids have run riot once again.

Speaking in David vs Goliath terms when discussing Barcelona against Real Madrid would typically be a rather outrageous stance to analyse a game from, but given the gap that has formed between the two in recent years, it’s actually pretty spot on.

Especially when you consider that this was an (almost) all-conquering Real side boosted by the signing of Kylian Mbappe hosting a fragile Barcelona side with no less than six young La Masia graduates in the starting XI.

When one of those graduates is Lamine Yamal, though, you needn’t worry. The kid is an absolute superstar.

The story that stole the headlines was a breathtaking Barcelona performance with Flick’s masterplan being an incredibly well-choreographed high line, which allowed Barcelona to frustrate their rivals before using press resistance and slick passing to decimate them in transition.

Raphinha’s performance was breathtaking and once again Marc Casado stood out in midfield, but it’s impossible to look past Yamal, who made it 3-0 in the 77th minute with a record-breaking finish.

Extraordinary as ever from the teenage freak, he needed only two touches to kill the game. One to take in a brilliant pass from Raphinha, and the second to fire the ball into the roof of the net beyond a helpless Andriy Lunin.

Seriously Andriy, thanks for coming, but don’t bother next time. Kid’s a complete anomaly.

READ NEXT: The 10 top scorers in El Clasico history for Barcelona & Real Madrid: Messi, Ronaldo…

TRY A QUIZ: The ultimate El Clasico quiz: 30 tough questions on Real Madrid & Barcelona’s red-hot rivalry

Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in the history of El Clasico with the goal and made it 3-0 on the night, but what we loved most was the newfound attitude after scoring.

While normally we’d expect a young player’s fearlessness to come out in how they play, the 17-year-old took it a step further and was sure to tip the Bernabeu to boiling point with his celebrations.

After smashing in the misery compiler in an eventual 4-0 thrashing, he ran to the corner flag mimicking Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘calma’ celebration, before cheekily breaking out into dance – the same dance Vinicius Junior usually pulls out after scoring.

As if being extraordinarily good at football at such a young age wasn’t enough, he’s now developed the sh*thouse gene too. You love to see it.

You have to go back to 2022 to find the last time La Blaugrana rocked up to the Santiago Bernabeu and beat Los Blancos in a league contest.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a brace and Sergio Busquets was patrolling the midfield in a 4-0 win, which tells you everything you need to know about the journey Barça have been on in the time since.

Even then, though, that felt cheap. Their capture of the 2022-23 La Liga title under Xavi papered over cracks and concealed the fact that they were still activating more economic levers than we’ve had hot dinners here at Planet Football.

So when Xavi was dismissed, a hard reset was needed once again. Flick has provided that in the most perfect way, tapping into exactly what makes Barcelona so special in the first place.

Winning is one thing, but winning in style, fuelled by La Masia, is another feeling entirely.

Yamal is central to restoring that feeling and firing them back to the top – even if he’s so young that he’s changing the colour of his braces to red and blue to mark the big occasion.

Sickening. We never stood a chance of making it pro, did we?

Barcelona now sit pretty atop of La Liga with 10 wins out of 11 and have already pulled a six-point gap on their El Clasico rivals with that huge away victory.

The Flick revolution is just beginning and Yamal is just warming up – wait until he learns the shush celebration.

By Mitch Wilks

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Champions League: Nigerian singer, Joeboy loses N3million bet as Arsenal thrash Real Madrid

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Nigerian singer, Joeboy, lost a N3million bet after Arsenal beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

Seven hours before kick-off, Joeboy posted a betting slip with the caption, “Cashing out on Arsenal tears tonight!”

The Controller crooner could have won N10,345,000 if Madrid has won at the Emirates.

But Declan Rice curled in two beautiful free-kicks to give the Gunners the lead, before Mikel Merino added a third.

The result left Joeboy short of words, as he could only tweet “Goodnight” at full time.

Arsenal will be looking to book their place in the semi-final when they travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg next Wednesday.

Before that game, Mikel Arteta’s men host Brentford in the Premier League.

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Champions League quarter-final: Arsenal thrash Real Madrid as Inter beat Bayern

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Arsenal on Tuesday night thrashed Real Madrid 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg tie.

The first half ended in a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

However, in the second half, Declan Rice’s brace and a goal from Mikel Merino gave Mikel Arteta’s side a first leg advantage ahead of the return leg next week.

Meanwhile, in the other Champions League last-8 first leg tie played, Inter Milan defeated Bayern Munich 2-1.

Lautaro Martinez gave the visitors the lead in the first half.

But Thomas Muller equalized for the hosts.

However, Davide Frattesi scored few minutes later to give the Serie A side a first leg advantage ahead of the return leg next week.

Meanwhile, the remaining quarter-final fixtures will continue on Wednesday.

Aston Villa will face Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona will clash with Dortmund.

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Nigeria seeks to host 2030 Commonwealth Games

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Nigeria has formally expressed interest in hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Abuja.

The Nigerian Olympic Committee, NOC, made the announcement following an executive committee meeting held on 3 April in Abuja.

Ekwutosblog gathered that the bid can only move forward if it secures the official backing of the Federal Government.

 

In a statement issued on Monday by NOC’s Public Relations Officer, Tony Nezianya, the committee stressed that hosting the Commonwealth Games would offer a strategic platform for Nigeria to exhibit its strides in national development, improve its international profile, and deepen the culture of sports across the nation.

Nezianya described the bid as a unique opportunity to reflect Nigeria’s growth, elevate its standing among the community of nations, and inspire a new generation of athletes.

Nigeria last hosted a major multi-sport event in 2003, when the 8th All-Africa Games (COJA 2003) took place in Abuja. NOC noted that the success of that event demonstrated Nigeria’s capacity to organise large-scale international competitions and laid a strong foundation for future hosting ambitions.

A successful bid for the 2030 Games is expected to catalyse major investment in sports infrastructure, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory.

NOC further stated that such infrastructural development would not only revitalise the nation’s sports economy but also provide lasting facilities for future generations.

Beyond infrastructure, the hosting of the Commonwealth Games would offer substantial economic and social benefits. The anticipated influx of international visitors would invigorate local businesses and the hospitality industry.

Meanwhile, the planning and execution of the event would generate employment and foster the acquisition of valuable technical and organisational skills.

According to the committee, the bid also seeks to present Nigeria as a nation that values athletic excellence, inclusiveness, peace, and cultural richness.

The next edition of the Commonwealth Games is set to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 17 to 29 March 2026. Glasgow previously hosted the Games in 2014, the same year Nigeria submitted a bid but ultimately lost to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Africa is also poised to make history by hosting the Youth Olympic Games for the first time, with Dakar, Senegal, scheduled to welcome young athletes from 31 October to 13 November 2026.

Other significant forthcoming events include the Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina in February 2027, the African Beach Games in Equatorial Guinea later that year, the 14th African Games in Egypt from January to February 2027, and the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles in July 2028.

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