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Ancelotti's Wobbling Madrid Face Stern Athletic Test

Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti holds a press conference at the Ciudad Real Madrid training complex in Valdebebas, outskirts of Madrid, on December 29, 2022, on the eve of their Spanish League football match against Real Valladolid FC. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti holds a press conference at the Ciudad Real Madrid training complex in Valdebebas, outskirts of Madrid, on December 29, 2022, on the eve of their Spanish League football match against Real Valladolid FC. (AFP)
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Ancelotti's Wobbling Madrid Face Stern Athletic Test

Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti holds a press conference at the Ciudad Real Madrid training complex in Valdebebas, outskirts of Madrid, on December 29, 2022, on the eve of their Spanish League football match against Real Valladolid FC. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti holds a press conference at the Ciudad Real Madrid training complex in Valdebebas, outskirts of Madrid, on December 29, 2022, on the eve of their Spanish League football match against Real Valladolid FC. (AFP)

Carlo Ancelotti is hoping Real Madrid's post-World Cup slump is over ahead of the clash with Athletic Bilbao on Sunday in La Liga.

The champions trail Barcelona by three points at the top of the table and were soundly beaten by their rivals in the Spanish Super Cup final last week, AFP said.

However they produced a sensational comeback from two goals down to beat Villarreal in the Spanish Cup on Thursday night, which should boost their morale.

Madrid's defense has been leaky, conceding eight goals in their last four games.

In La Liga, Madrid have let in 16 goals, 10 more than leaders Barcelona.

"We have conceded six goals (in three games) and five of them could have been avoided with a little more defensive caution," Ancelotti told reporters on Wednesday, before the Villarreal cup clash.

German international center-back Antonio Rudiger has endured a rough ride since joining from Chelsea in the summer, and the defense has not looked close to its best all season.

Only goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been playing well, despite being able to keep just three clean sheets in La Liga from 16 matches.

Madrid have been hamstrung recently by David Alaba and Aurelien Tchouameni's injuries, meaning Toni Kroos has been forced to play as the deepest midfielder.

Ancelotti said January was proving tough for his team and they had to survive it before picking themselves up later on.

"We've had injuries that affected us a bit more and it was not foreseeable," said Ancelotti.

"Not being at our best is normal, we have to bear out this month."

Despite Madrid's form, Ancelotti was positive about the club's direction, saying they are starting a new era, rather than ending an old one.

"We've got a young team," said the Italian coach.

"They all talk about (Luka) Modric, Kroos, (Karim) Benzema, but we must also talk about the youngsters. Vinicius, (Eduardo) Camavinga, Rodrygo, (Fede) Valverde, (Eder) Militao, Tchouameni and players who are going to join in the future.

"I think this is the beginning of a new era. The players who have defined an era at this club are coming to the end of their careers, but there are others coming in."

Former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde will be looking to do his old side a favor at the San Mames, just as Villarreal's Quique Setien did earlier in January.

Athletic lost at local rivals Real Sociedad in the Basque derby last weekend so bouncing back against Madrid would be the perfect response.

Despite a dip in form which has seen Los Leones win just one of their last five league games, Athletic sit eighth and just two points behind fourth-place Atletico Madrid.

With Ancelotti's side looking defensively vulnerable, Athletic will view this match as an opportunity -- although Madrid's cup comeback is a warning they can never be counted out.

Player to watch: Izi Palazon

Rayo Vallecano's strong campaign to date is partly down to the spectacular form of winger Izi Palazon. With three goals and two assists in his last seven league matches, the Spanish forward has been key for the Madrid side, and if they are to get a result against high-flying Real Sociedad, Palazon will be crucial.

Key stats

2 - Rayo's Ivan Balliu has the unfortunate accolade of being the only player to score two own goals this season

6 - Barcelona's strong form has been built on their rearguard, which has only shipped six goals this season in La Liga

36 - Espanyol midfielder Vinicius Souza has won more tackles than any other player in the league

Fixtures (all times GMT)

Friday

Mallorca v Celta Vigo (2000)

Saturday

Rayo Vallecano v Real Sociedad (1300), Espanyol v Real Betis (1315), Atletico Madrid v Valladolid (1730), Sevilla v Cadiz (2000)

Sunday

Villarreal v Girona (1300), Elche v Osasuna (1515), Barcelona v Getafe (1730), Athletic Bilbao v Real Madrid (2000)

Monday

Valencia v Almeria (2000)

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Flotilla on Seine, Rain and Celine Dion Mark Start of Paris Olympics

Members of delegations are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Members of delegations are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Flotilla on Seine, Rain and Celine Dion Mark Start of Paris Olympics

Members of delegations are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Members of delegations are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Olympic Games open on Friday after a soaking wet ceremony in which athletes were cheered by the crowd along the Seine, dancers took to the roofs of Paris and Lady Gaga sang a French cabaret song.

France's three-time Olympic gold medalists Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner then lit the Olympic cauldron, suspended on a hot-air balloon, before Canada's Celine Dion sang Edith Piaf's "Hymn to Love", in her first public performance in years, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

The 30-meter (98 ft) high balloon carrying a 7-meter diameter ring of fire took to the air and was hovering dozens of meters above the ground.

It will be in the air from sunset until 2 am local time every day, organizers said.

"We are so proud of this show, I'm so proud that sport and culture were celebrated in such a fantastic manner tonight, it was a first and the result was fantastic despite the rain," Paris 2024 organizing president Tony Estanguet told reporters.

A fleet of barges took the competitors on a 6 km-stretch of the river alongside some of the French capital's most famous landmarks, as performers recreated some of the sports to be showcased in the Games on floating platforms.

It was the first time that an opening ceremony has taken place outside a stadium, adding to the headaches for a vast security operation, just hours after a sabotage attack on the high-speed TGV rail network caused travel chaos across France.

"I invite everybody: dream with us. Like the Olympic athletes, be inspired with the joy that only sport can give us. Let us celebrate this Olympic spirit of living in peace," International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach said as the ceremony came to an end at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

More than 10,500 athletes will compete at the Olympics, 100 years since Paris last staged the Games. Competition started on Wednesday and the first of the 329 gold medals will be awarded on Saturday.

As the show started four hours earlier, a giant plume of blue, white and red smoke, resembling the French flag, was sent high above a bridge over the Seine as part of a show that included many postcard-like depictions of France, including a huge cancan line performed by Moulin Rouge dancers on the banks.

A more modern image of the country was on display when French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, the most-listened to French female singer in the world, sang some of her biggest hits, accompanied by the French Republican Guard's army choir.

Nakamura's performance drew some of the ceremony's biggest cheers. Rumors of her inclusion had sparked a row over French identity, with supporters saying she represented the vibrancy of modern-day France while her detractors said her music owes more to foreign influences than French.

POURING RAIN

While the celebration of French culture, fashion and history was warmly cheered by many of the 300,000 spectators lining the river, hundreds were seen leaving early as the rain fell.

"It was good other than the rain, it was nice, it was different, instead of being in a stadium being on the river, so that's always a good thing - interesting, unique," said Avid Pureval, 34, who came to the Games from Ohio.

"Once you're wet, it's fine," he said. Still, he was heading back to his hotel after the French boat passed, long before the ceremony ended.

"It would have been better with sun," said Josephine, from Paris, sitting beside her 9-year-old daughter and who paid 1,600 euros ($1,736) for her seat.

With many world leaders and VIPs present, the ceremony was protected by snipers on rooftops. The Seine's riverbed was swept for bombs, and Paris' airspace was closed.

Some 45,000 police and thousands of soldiers were deployed in a huge security operation in Paris for the ceremony. Armed police patrolled along the river in inflatable boats as the armada made its passage along the Seine.

WELCOMED IN TAHITI

A mix of French and international stars, including soccer great Zinedine Zidane, 14-times French Open champion Rafa Nadal, 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and three paralympic athletes were among the last torchbearers before the cauldron was lit.

It will blaze until the closing ceremony on Aug. 11.

At the start of the parade, applause erupted for the Greek boat - the first delegation, by tradition - and there were even bigger cheers for the boat that followed, carrying the refugees' team. The French, US and Ukrainian delegations also got loud cheers.

The two most decorated athletes in the Games' history, Michael Phelps and Martin Fourcade, unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals.

At one point, there was a live crossover to the early morning welcome ceremony at the surfing venue, 16,000 km away in the Pacific island of Tahiti.

ISRAEL DELEGATION

France is at its highest level of security, though officials have repeatedly said there was no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.

But since the last Games - the Winter Olympics held in Beijing in 2022 - wars have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense international backdrop.

Israeli competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and are given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics due to the war in Gaza, officials say.

The Israel delegation got some boos, but also a lot of cheers, as it sailed by spectators, Reuters reporters saw. Chants of "Palestine! Palestine! Palestine!" rose from the crowd as the boat passed.

Macron, who won a second mandate two years ago, had hoped the Olympics would cement his legacy. But his failed bet on a snap legislative election has weakened him and cast a shadow over his moment on the international stage.