Aaron Hughes expects Cristiano Ronaldo to be at his world-beating best when Northern Ireland take on Portugal on Tuesday night. The Real Madrid superstar is set to win his 100th cap in the World Cup qualifier at Porto's Dragao Stadium, and few would bet against him marking the occasion in style. Northern Ireland, albeit weakened by withdrawals, leaked six goals in Holland in a summer friendl...Full Story »

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has refused to underestimate Wednesday's Champions League Group D opponents Ajax despite his side's excellent recent record against them. Jose Mourinho's side have been drawn to face the Dutch giants for a third consecutive year in the competition and have every reason to be confident having triumphed in all four matches from the previous two years. A 3-0 win ...Full Story »

Real Madrid got its La Liga campaign back on track tonight with a 2-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. The teams had to wait nearly 24 hours to get going after the cables to the floodlights at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas in what Vallecano president Martin Presa labeled an act of “sabotage,” but Los Blancos wasted no time when ...Full Story »

The superstar winger was lifted by an "important" victory over the English champions, following his late winner in the high-profile European tie Cristiano Ronaldo put his much discussed sadness to one side to bask in the glory of his match-winning goal in Real Madrid's dramatic 3-2 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League. The Spanish champions needed late goals from Karim Benzem...Full Story »

Karim Benzema claims he has seen no evidence of the supposed "sadness" that has gripped Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo sparked frenzied speculation over his state of mind last week when he failed to celebrate his two goals in a 3-0 win over Granada. The former Manchester United forward claimed post-match that he was "a little sad", but declined to offer any further explanat...Full Story »

Bayern Munich have given their backing to embattled France winger Franck Ribery, after he and compatriot Karim Benzema were sent for trial for allegedly soliciting an under-age prostitute. The Bavarian giants' sporting director Matthias Sammer told German sports news agency SID that they were aware of the situation and "we will tell him that we stand by him and that he will get our best support...Full Story »

Trial ... Benzema and Ribery FOOTBALL stars Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema will face trial for allegedly paying an underage call girl £1,500 sex. The French internationals could be jailed for three years if found guilty of abusing Zahia Dehar.She was 17 when married Ribery flew her to Germany as a “present” to himself on his 26th birthday in April 2009. Bayern Munich winger ...Full Story »

Real Madrid won 2-0 against Scottish champions Celtic at the Lincoln Financial Field with goals by Jose Maria Callejon and Karim Benzema. Callejon opened the scoring in the 22nd minute as he gathered the rebound and placed it into an empty net after Celtic goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska failed to save his shot from close range. Benzema ensured the win midway through the second half as a cross-fi...Full Story »

KAR TROUBLE ... Karim Benzema was angry at display against Sweden KARIM BENZEMA insisted finishing behind England in Euro Group D has proved a “disaster” for France. Les Bleus’ 2-0 defeat to Sweden on Tuesday left them in second spot — which meant they had to face Spain in the quarter-finals instead of Italy. As the French prepare to take on the world and European cham...Full Story »

France forward Karim Benzema freely admits that Spain will be overwhelming favourites to progress when the two sides meet in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 on Saturday. Les Bleus had been tipped by many as potential winners, but such confidence in Laurent Blanc's team now looks horribly misplaced in light of Tuesday night's 2-0 defeat by the already-eliminated Sweden in their final Group D f...Full Story »