Mbappé Scores Again as Real Madrid Ends 2024 in 2nd Place in Spanish League

Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 22, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 22, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
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Mbappé Scores Again as Real Madrid Ends 2024 in 2nd Place in Spanish League

Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 22, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 22, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

Kylian Mbappé added to his scoring streak with a superb strike 10 minutes into a Spanish league match as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-2 on Sunday to finish the year one point behind leader Atletico Madrid.
Mbappé sent a right-footed shot into the upper corner for his fourth goal in as many matches with Madrid in all competitions. It was Mbappé's sixth goal in his last eight games with Madrid, The Associated Press reported.
Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Díaz also scored in the comfortable home victory.
Atletico rallied to shock Barcelona 2-1 Saturday with a stoppage-time goal by Alexander Sorloth. Third-place Barcelona is two points behind Madrid, having played an extra game.
Valverde scored in the 20th and Rodrygo in the 34th before Sevilla got on the board with Isaac Romero in the 35th. Díaz extended Madrid's lead in the 53rd and Dodi Lukebakio got the visitors' other goal in the 85th at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Sevilla, sitting in 12th place, had won two of its last two games in all competitions.
Valencia draws late Second-to-last Valencia salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Alaves, thanks to a goal by Dani Gómez eight minutes into second-half stoppage time after the visitors had taken the lead with Joan Jordán in the 88th.
The setback drew more protests from Valencia fans who have been unhappy with the administration of team owner Peter Lim.



US Open Doubles Champion Max Purcell Suspended for Anti-doping Breach

FILE - Max Purcell returns a shot to Tommy Paul, of the United States, during a second round match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
FILE - Max Purcell returns a shot to Tommy Paul, of the United States, during a second round match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
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US Open Doubles Champion Max Purcell Suspended for Anti-doping Breach

FILE - Max Purcell returns a shot to Tommy Paul, of the United States, during a second round match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
FILE - Max Purcell returns a shot to Tommy Paul, of the United States, during a second round match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Two-time Grand Slam winning doubles player Max Purcell has entered a voluntary provisional suspension under tennis’ anti-doping rules.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the sanction in a statement on Monday after the 26-year-old Australian admitted to violating Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program “relating to the use of a Prohibited Method”.
Purcell posted a statement on Instagram saying he had “unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowable limit of 100 ml.”
Purcell said he had told the medical clinic that the infusion needed to be below 100 ml because he was a professional athlete, but that the medical records he received back showed that the IV had been above that level, The Associated Press said.
“This news was devastating to me because I pride myself on being an athlete who always makes sure that everything is WADA safe,” Purcell wrote. “I volunteered this information to the ITIA and have been as transparent as possible in trying to put this whole situation behind me.”
The ITIA said the suspension came into effect on 12 Dec., and time served under provisional suspension will be credited against any future sanction. The length of time of the voluntary suspension was not specified by the ITIA.
“During the provisional suspension, Purcell is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association," the ITIA statement read.
Purcell, with compatriot Jordan Thompson, won the U.S. Open in September and won Wimbledon with another Australian, Matthew Ebden, in 2022. He is currently ranked No. 12 in doubles.
He also finished as a runner-up in the Australian Open doubles final twice, in 2020 and 2022.
Purcell, ranked No. 105 in singles, was not listed on the Australian Open entry lists released earlier this month and did not receive a wildcard or feature on the qualifying entries.
The ITIA did not say whether Purcell's absence from the draw of the tournament starting Jan. 12. was due to the sanction.
The latest doping violation in tennis comes just weeks after five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
Top-ranked men's player Jannik Sinner, winner of two Grand Slams this year, was exonerated by the ITIA after twice testing positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March with the World Anti-Doping Agency appealing the ruling.