
Tchouaméni downplays boos by Real Madrid fans and turns attention to Atletico
Associated Press
MADRID (AP) — Aurelien Tchouameni can definitely hear the boos from the Real Madrid crowd.
He is not really listening to them, though.
The France midfielder has being doing his best to turn the cheers into applause after a tough stretch and has been playing well going into Madrid's decisive Champions League match against city rival Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Tchouaméni could be key for coach Carlo Ancelotti as Madrid tries to hold on to a 2-1 victory from the first leg at home in the round of 16.
'The whole team is ready, we will give everything to win the match,' the 25-year-old Tchouaméni said. 'Atleti will play a very attacking game, but we know what we have to do. We will give everything to win the match.'
Tchouaméni has been having to improvise as a defender because of a series of injuries to Madrid's regular starters, and he was targeted by fans after a few costly mistakes and poor performances in important matches, including a 5-2 loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in January.
'Of course I hear the boos during the matches,' he said Tuesday. 'But it's not a problem, every match has its own story.'
He said he is fine playing in a different position than his natural one but admitted that it requires some changes to his game.
'Playing as a midfielder or as a defender is very different," he said. "In defense, you don't have the ball for as long and you have to adapt.'
With central defenders Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger set to start, Tchouaméni is expected to play as a midfielder again on Wednesday, when Atletico is likely to come out attacking at home. He will anchor the first line of defense that will try to keep Atletico from getting near Thibaut Courtois' goal.
Madrid is the defending Champions League winner and a record 15-time European champion. It has beaten Atletico twice in the final — in 2014 and 2016 — and eliminated the city rival the other two times they faced in the knockout stages of the Champions League — in the 2015 quarterfinals and 2017 semifinals.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Women's tennis adds ranking protection for fertility procedures such as egg or embryo freezing
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Professional tennis players who take time off from competition for a fertility procedure such as egg or embryo freezing will have their ranking protected under a WTA Tour policy announced Wednesday. This follows the introduction in March of paid maternity leave and grants for fertility protection measures in women's tennis. Advertisement Under the new protected ranking rule covering absences for fertility procedures, players can use the special ranking to enter up to three tournaments. Players already were eligible for ranking protection while pregnant or other ways of becoming a parent. 'For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex," 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens said in a statement released by the tour. 'The WTA has now created a safe space for players to explore options and to make the best decisions for themselves.' ___ More AP tennis:


Hamilton Spectator
10 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Anti-doping watchdog urges US authorities to shut down planned drug-fueled event in Las Vegas
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The global watchdog of doping in sports said Wednesday it will urge public authorities to shut down the drug-fueled Enhanced Games planned in Las Vegas next year. 'We will urge the U.S. authorities to find legal ways to block this initiative,' World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka said on the sidelines of a meeting of Olympic sports bodies. Organizers of the games scheduled next May promise $1 million bonuses to beat world record times by athletes who will be encouraged to use performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision. 'This initiative seeks to normalize the use of potentially dangerous drugs,' Banka told leaders of Summer Olympics sports at the annual meeting of their umbrella group, known as ASOIF. 'For the sake of athlete health and the purity of sport of course it must be stopped,' the WADA leader said. Banka, a former sports minister in Poland, suggested the Enhanced Games could be legally exposed in the state of Nevada or federally. 'This is something that has to be explored from the legal perspective,' he told The Associated Press. 'I cannot imagine, for instance, doctors giving the drugs to the athletes. It is completely against the values of their work.' 'The main thing is this event is going to be located in the U.S. so I think there is a strong role to be played by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency,' said Banka, whose Montreal-based organization has long had a troubled relationship with the American agency . USADA's chief executive, Travis Tygart, has described the Enhanced Games as a 'dangerous clown show that puts profit over principle.' Investors in the project — which aims to sell personalized supplements and substances plans to subscribers — include one group backed by Donald Trump Jr . The doping-backed project was 'very embarrassing' for the U.S., Banka suggested, given its proximity to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 'I think the main responsibility is on USADA's shoulders, who need to take the lead because it is in their country,' he said. Swimming's governing body World Aquatics said last week it will ban athletes, coaches and officials who take part in the Enhanced Games. ___ AP sports:


Associated Press
13 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Women's tennis adds ranking protection for fertility procedures such as egg or embryo freezing
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Professional tennis players who take time off from competition for a fertility procedure such as egg or embryo freezing will have their ranking protected under a WTA Tour policy announced Wednesday. This follows the introduction in March of paid maternity leave and grants for fertility protection measures in women's tennis. Under the new protected ranking rule covering absences for fertility procedures, players can use the special ranking to enter up to three tournaments. Players already were eligible for ranking protection while pregnant or other ways of becoming a parent. 'For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex,' 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens said in a statement released by the tour. 'The WTA has now created a safe space for players to explore options and to make the best decisions for themselves.' ___ More AP tennis: