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FOOTBALL

PSG unlucky in narrow defeat to Real Madrid

Despite a strong effort from Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday night, the French side went down 1-0 to Real Madrid.

PSG unlucky in narrow defeat to Real Madrid
A fortuitous goal from Nacho proved decisive for 10-time champions Real to win 1-0 despite being outplayed for the majority of the first half of their Group A game at the Santiago Bernabeu.
   
“We managed to struggle through in the first half and in the second we had some good counter chances,” said Real coach Rafael Benitez.
   
“The return of (injured) players will help us in the next phase.”
   
PSG were on top throughout the first period but Adrien Rabiot's volley cannoned back off the foot of the post and Edinson Cavani squandered a great chance when left with just goalkeeper Keylor Navas to beat.
  
And when Toni Kroos let fly from distance just after the half hour, the ball spooned up off Thiago Silva and fell to Nacho — who had only come on for injured left-back Marcelo two minutes earlier — inside the area.
   
PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp initially came for the looping ball but as he backtracked from no-man's land, Nacho's casual side-foot spun wickedly on the bounce and dropped inside the far post.
   
Little happened in the second half but Angel Di Maria did hit the bar late on with a free-kick, although the French champions couldn't find the goal their play deserved.
   
Real qualified from Group A thanks to Shakhtar Donetsk romping to a 4-0 win over Malmo, a result which means a win for PSG in either of their last two matches will ensure they join Real in the last 16.
 

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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