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Out of the rubble, East St. Louis once again is trying to save itself. The city has long been a basket case, crippled by poverty and inept government. But the mayor who took office last May, Gordon Bush, now has the city moving. The state and federal governments recently bought the city five new police cars. Developers are talking about building a 54-hole golf complex on the city’s riverfront. And the long-awaited garbage clean-up should be underway later this month....

In the UEFA Champions League, they won their first two group games without conceding. Next, they played Atletico and defeated them 4-0 which was the biggest defeat Simeone ever faced in his eight seasons as Atletico manager. In the return fixture, Die Borussen lost 2-0 at Madrid. They didn’t concede in the remaining two group games and topped the group. Meanwhile, in the Bundesliga, Dortmund were still unbeaten and had even defeated FC Bayern 3-2....

LONDON (Reuters) - Wayne Rooney earned a collective salute from the football world on Saturday after becoming Manchester United’s most prolific goalscorer. After netting his record-breaking 250th goal for the Premier League giants, Rooney’s achievement was lauded by Bobby Charlton, the player whose landmark he had surpassed. After watching him score a fittingly dazzling stoppage-time free kick to snatch a 1-1 draw at Stoke City, Charlton - whose England scoring record was also broken by Rooney - congratulated the United number 10 in the dressing-room....

Karen Greenhalgh was determined the winner of the November 2 election in the state and will represent the 85th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, the AP said. She beat Democratic incumbent candidate Alex Askew in the race. Although Askew gained an additional 12 votes in the recount, he was still 115 votes behind Greenhalgh. The recount of the 85th District election was one out of two that state Democrats requested....

Neymar, 26, has been sidelined since February after undergoing surgery on his foot and he is still fighting to get back to full fitness. But Silva has no concerns over his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate, saying the forward is progressing well ahead of Brazil’s opening World Cup game against Switzerland on June 17. “It’s true that he’s been in Brazil for a long time after the surgery but he’s calm, training well,” he told a news conference on Tuesday....

However, just two seasons after he has joined PSG, a move to away from the club is on the cards. With the Los Blancos ready to splash the cash on the French teenager, there are no clubs who have the youngster on their radar, mostly due to the inefficiency to match the price tag. If the Los Blancos come calling for him, it is better if he chooses to join them rather than turn the offer down and stay at PSG....

A 22nd minute goal from Harry Kane was enough to settle the contest, and Zinedine Zidane would have been disappointed with the performance of hs wards, especially coming off the back of an even more harrowing 7-3 defeat to Atletico Madrid. This was Real Madrid’s second consecutive defeat - third defeat from four preseason fixtures - and is a far cry from the side which is expected to challenge on all fronts next season....

Low crowd numbers have been a feature Madrid’s season and there were swathes of empty seats on show for Wednesday’s last-16 Copa del Rey tie, with just 44,231 people in attendance for the first leg. Sergio Ramos opened the scoring with the 100th goal of his career for club and country before Lucas Vazquez and the impressive Vinicius Junior wrapped up the win. But Solari, whose side went down 2-0 at home to Real Sociedad in front of another small attendance in LaLiga on Sunday, faced questions about seemingly falling support....

Los Blancos value Bale at around €50m, meaning their total bid would be somewhere close to €200m. They could face competition from Manchester United for the England striker, however, with the Red Devils keen to bolster their own forward line. Real still chasing Courtois Real Madrid are still chasing Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, claims Diario Gol. Despite having the club reportedly being set to sign Athletic Club’s Kepa Arrizabalaga, Madrid are still interested in bringing in the Belgian, with the report claiming that the 25-year-old is keen on a move to Madrid....

Figo was one of the finest players of his generation and enjoyed a professional career that spanned 19 years, making his Sporting CP bow in 1990 and eventually hanging his boots up while at Inter in 2009. The former winger represented bitter LaLiga rivals Madrid and Barcelona in between and won a host of trophies with both, including four LaLiga titles and a single Champions League medal with Madrid in 2002....

Instead, the La Liga giants have opted to focus all their efforts on bringing Kylian Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) starlet is said to be their top priority for the year, despite seeing a €180 million bid rejected last year. He’s dropped multiple hints of a possible move to the Spanish capital in the recent past and Real Madrid are now determined to strike a deal at last....

Ancelotti also remarked that his major objective is to win the UEFA Champions League title with Real Madrid for the second year in a row, the 11th time in the history of the Spanish club and his personal fourth, as he won it twice before with Milan. Asked about the Italy job, he said: “I don’t see that as a possibility as right now I’m really enjoying what I’m doing, taking training every day, being on the pitch every day....

Since his €115million switch to the Santiago Bernabeu from the Blues in the summer of 2019, Hazard has failed to live up to sky-high expectations. In his debut season, he struggled with his weight and fitness. The following season, he barely made an impact, courtesy of multiple muscle injuries and fitness issues. The Belgian international has mostly been fit for selection this term but has not managed to earn Carlo Ancelotti’s trust....

With there being continued deliberation on the impending move of Bale from Tottenham to Madrid, Zidane was keen to sign on the star as soon as possible. The nine-time European champions Real Madrid, have been relentless in their pursuit of Bale despite reluctance from Tottenham. Assistant manager of Real Madrid, Zidane is especially in a rush to attain the signing after reports of interest from Manchester United as well....

Already the first side to have successfully defended the title in its current format, the Blancos are now chasing down a hat-trick of triumphs. Zinedine Zidane’s side have dominated the continental scene in recent years, with no rival able to halt their relentless march to more major silverware. Arch-rivals Atletico Madrid were seen off in dramatic fashion in the 2016 final, before Juventus were crushed in Cardiff a year later....

Madrid, along with city rivals Atletico, were hit with bans in January 2016 after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found them to be in breach of regulations “relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18”. CR7 sets record with 2016 trophy haul Spanish champions Barcelona were hit with a similar sanction in 2014. An appeal to FIFA failed in September, prompting Madrid to take their claim to CAS....

Julen Lopetegui’s side, looking to win the trophy for the third year in a row, will begin their campaign in the United Arab Emirates on December 19. Mexican side Chivas, who beat Toronto in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League final, will face the champions of Asia on December 15. The winner of that match will then take on Madrid four days later at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi....

The offer in question is an outrageous £82m (€100m) bid – that would top the £80m Madrid paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 – for Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale. But let’s face it, no player is worth that, not even in today’s inflated market. Bale has for long harboured ambitions of playing in the all-white strip of Los Blancos (swapping it for the Lilywhites) and turning out at the Santiago Bernabéu....

A shock home defeat to Girona left them nine points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona last month, meaning anything but a win in Saturday’s Clasico will all but end their title challenge. If this game were not important enough, it comes just three days after Madrid were humbled by their fierce rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu, losing 3-0 in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, as Barca reached a sixth final in a row....

The Los Blancos would be aiming to resume normal service after having limped to a couple of successive draws, but in Granada, they have a formidable opposition, who are currently playing good, positive football with a well-drilled approach. Madrid though, possess a stellar record against the visitors, having only suffered one defeat in their last 23 home league games against them. In their last eight league games against the same opposition, Real Madrid have netted a stunning 28 goals....