Madrid loses last match of season to forget

Real Madrid put a fittingly poor ending to its worst season in recent memory after losing its last match of the Spanish league on Sunday.

Many of the frustrated fans at the Santiago Bernabeu jeered Madrid's players after the 2-0 loss to Real Betis. Most of Madrid's supporters have long placed their hopes on what changes the club will make to an underperforming squad in the summer.

Not even coach Zinedine Zidane could find a saving grace to the campaign.

Betis players, center, celebrate after scoring their second goal against Real Madrid during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)

"It isn't that we don't want to (play better); we aren't able to," Zidane said. "The best thing is for this to be over. We are already thinking about the future and next season."

Madrid entered the match with nothing to play for, locked into a third-place finish for the second consecutive season.

Madrid was out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey in early March and without a realistic chance of stopping Barcelona from successfully defending its La Liga title.

Real Madrid's Isco, center, duels for the ball against Betis player William Silva de Carvalho, left, and Betis player Aissa Mandi during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)

Since the return of Zidane to take charge of the club after its shock loss to Ajax in the round-of-16 in the Champions League, the team has finished the campaign with a record of 5 wins, two draws and four losses.

"The fault is ours," Madrid defender Marcelo said. "We didn't start well and we didn't finish it well either. In no way was this the season we wanted to have."

BETIS BEST

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, center, duels for the ball against Betis player Francis Guerrero, left, and Betis player Aissa Mandi during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)

Betis outplayed the hosts from the start and got second-half goals from Loren Morón and former Madrid forward Jesé Rodríguez.

Giovani Lo Celso led Betis to victory with his creativity. The Argentine midfielder created all of his team's best chances, drawing a save from goalkeeper Keylor Navas before setting up both goals.

A long ball by Lo Celso set Andrés Guardado free down the left as he sprinted clear of Raphael Varane before crossing for Morón to score.

Real Madrid's goalkeeper Keylor Navas at the end of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)

Lo Celso then slipped a ball through to Junior Firpo, who found Jesé unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box.

Betis finished the season in 10th place amid speculation that coach Quique Setién will not continue next season despite beating both Madrid and Barcelona at their stadiums.

"This allows us to finish a season that has been a bit disappointing with a victory against a team and at a stadium that will always be a nice memory," said Setién, who added that he has "the strength to stay on" next season.

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, right, duels for the ball against Betis player Aissa Mandi during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)

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Real Madrid's Luka Modric, center, duels for the ball against Betis player Lo Celso, left and Betis player Kaptoum during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)

VADODARA, India (AP) — India captain Shubman Gill won the coin toss and opted to field first against New Zealand in the first one-day international cricket match on Sunday.

The Baroda Cricket Association is hosting its first-ever men’s ODI. Rajkot (Jan. 14) and Indore (Jan. 18) will host the second and third games of this three-match series.

Gill returned to the helm after missing the ODI series against South Africa in December.

India has opted for six bowlers – three pacers and two spin all-rounders along with wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also return to the international fold, after playing domestic List-A cricket.

Shreyas Iyer has recovered from a spleen injury sustained against Australia in October. He returns to the side after a two-month hiatus and will bat at number four.

Wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the series with an abdominal strain he sustained whilst playing for Delhi in domestic List-A cricket. Dhruv Jurel has been called up as his replacement.

For New Zealand, medium pacer Kristian Clarker makes his ODI debut, while 23-year-old wrist spinner Adithya Ashok is its lead spin bowler.

The Black Caps come into this series on the back of some good form – not losing a single ODI in 2025.

The pitch for the first-ever international game at the BCA Stadium should suit batters. It is a black soil pitch which could exhibit variable bounce through the day. Evening dew will aid the chasing side.

Line ups:

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay, Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

New Zealand's captan Michael Bracewell gestures during practice session ahead of first One Day International cricket match against India in Vadodara, India, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's captain Shubman Gill during a practice session ahead of the first One Day International cricket match against New Zealand in Vadodara, India, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)