During Real Madrid’s traditional team dinner before the winter break in Spain, France left back Ferland Mendy discovered he had an insightful “Secret Santa.”
Mendy’s anonymous Christmas present turned out to be a brick.
The brick was meant as a joke, but one with a point. It was that Mendy plays with an intense determination to stop attackers from advancing down his side of the pitch.
“That gift of the brick was because during practice he sometimes gives us some very hard knocks,” fellow defender Raphael Varane said on Saturday, after Mendy was one of Madrid’s top performers in a 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid.
“It was a little joke. We know how good a defender he is. He is in great shape. He is incredibly strong. He is adapting well to the team and helps it in every facet.”
Ever since the days of the “Galácticos,” Madrid has won titles by overwhelming opponents with its collection of world-class attacking players.
But this season Madrid is leading the Spanish league and is undefeated in 21 matches largely thanks to its stingy defense.
With its victory over Atlético, Zinedine Zidane’s side set a club record of conceding only 13 goals through 22 rounds of the Spanish league. Madrid conceded 14 goals through the first 22 rounds in 1987-88.
Barcelona has outscored Madrid 52-40 in the league, but it has conceded 13 more goals and trails Madrid by three points.
“Defending is down to all of us, when we lose the ball we work quickly to get it back,” Zidane said after the Madrid derby. “People come to see their team playing well, fighting. I know we cannot always play brilliantly. Today was tough but the way people talk about the team after the game is down to the way we play. We got our reward today against a top rival who plays well.”
Zidane has made his defense much more reliable by benching longtime starter Marcelo in favor of Mendy, who arrived from Lyon for 48 million euros (then $54 million) in the off season. The 24-year-old Mendy is a tireless worker on the left flank, patching up the one hole in Madrid’s backline that Marcelo would leave open to join in attack.
And despite not having the scoring skills of Marcelo, Mendy did place a perfect cross for Karim Benzema to score the winner against Atlético.
LIVERPOOL OR BUST
Atlético’s season hinges on beating the team playing the best football in Europe.
Diego Simeone’s side is 13 points behind Madrid after losing their derby. The loss capped a dismal period that has included losing the Spanish Super Cup final to Madrid and being eliminated from the Copa del Rey’s round of 32 by a third-tier rival.
The team that finished the last two league seasons as runner-up to Barcelona and has its fans accustomed to competing for titles is now in danger of having nothing to play for.
Atlético will put its focus on reviving an attack that has scored one goal in five straight games. Liverpool plays at Madrid on Feb. 18 in the opening leg of their Champions League round-of-16 match. The return leg at Anfield is March 11.
It also must ensure it finishes in the top four in Spain to earn a Champions League spot next season. Three rounds without a win have left Atlético in sixth place.
“There is reason to be concerned, of course,” Simeone said. “All we can do is keep working to try to get out of this uncomfortable situation.”
Atlético hosts Granada and visits Valencia before facing Liverpool.
AGUIRRE EFFECT
Leganés has only lost once in the last seven rounds under coach Javier Aguirre, who took over the team in early November.
Before his arrival, the team had lost nine, drawn two and won one. Since he took over, it has three wins, four draws and three losses. It has risen from last place to the brink of emerging from the relegation zone.
Nor has the team been damaged since losing one of its top attacking players when it sold Youssef En-Nesyri to Sevilla for a reported 20 million euros ($22 million) last month.
Aguirre, a former Mexico coach, has a reputation in Spain for saving clubs in trouble. He helped Espanyol and Zaragoza avoid relegation. He established himself as a leading coach in the Spanish league by making Osasuna a strong side from 2002-2006. That earned him a job at Atlético Madrid.
“We have to understand that we cannot let our guard down and that we are playing to avoid the drop with each game we play,” Aguirre said. “It is prohibited to lose hope."
In December, Aguirre and 36 football players were found not guilty after being defendants in a trial of alleged match-fixing involving a 2011 game between Zaragoza and Levante.
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Kansas City (6-10) at Las Vegas (2-14)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Chiefs by 5½.
Against the spread: Chiefs 6-10, Raiders 6-10.
Series record: Chiefs lead 76-55-2.
Last meeting: Chiefs beat Raiders 31-0 on Oct. 19 at Kansas City.
Last week: Chiefs lost to the Broncos 20-13; Raiders lost to the Giants 34-10.
Chiefs offense: overall (17), rush (23), pass (13), scoring (20).
Chiefs defense: overall (10), rush (10), pass (13), scoring (6).
Raiders offense: overall (32), rush (32), pass (27), scoring (32).
Raiders defense: overall (16), rush (18), pass (15), scoring (25).
Turnover differential: Chiefs minus-1; Raiders minus-7.
QB Chris Oladokun was forced into the starting role two weeks ago in Tennessee, when Gardner Minshew followed Patrick Mahomes by tearing ligaments in his knee. He then had to prepare for his first NFL start on Christmas night on just three days' notice, and wound up throwing for just 66 yards. Expect a better performance with 10 days to prepare for this one.
QBs Kenny Pickett and Aidan O'Connell. With Geno Smith dealing with a significant ankle injury, coach Pete Carroll said he expected both to play. Each will have a chance to show that the Raiders should bring him back next season or for one of the other 31 clubs to take notice.
Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty vs. Chiefs defensive front. This hasn't been the kind of season Jeanty envisioned, but he is 112 yards from 1,000. He might have trouble reaching that milestone against a Chiefs defense that ranks 10th in allowing 104.9 yards per game. But Kansas City has given up 409 yards rushing in missed tackles, according to Next Gen Stats. Jeanty has gained 350 yards after breaking tackles, so he might have a chance.
Chiefs: RG Trey Smith (ankle) is unlikely to play. The Chiefs already have OTs Jawaan Taylor, Wanya Morris and Josh Simmons on injured reserve, along with Mahomes, Minshew, CBs Trent McDuffie Chris Roland-Wallace and Jaylen Watson, LB Leo Chenal and WRs Rashee Rice, Nikko Remigio and Tyquan Thornton.
Raiders: QB Geno Smith (ankle) likely won't play. ... DT Adam Butler (bicep) wasn’t as seriously hurt as feared and could play. ... LT Kolton Miller (ankle) likely won’t play.
The Chiefs have won the past three meetings, six of seven and 11 of 13. ... Kansas City has never lost in Las Vegas. The Chiefs are 5-0 against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, and KC defeated San Francisco in the Super Bowl two seasons ago. ... The Chiefs and Raiders have met in three playoff games with Kansas City winning two of them.
Kansas City has lost five straight and seven of its past nine. ... The Chiefs are assured of their first losing season since 2012, the year before Andy Reid took over as coach. They went 2-14 that season under Romeo Crennel. ... Kansas City has had 272 yards of offense combined over the past two weeks. It has not eclipsed 275 yards in any of its past four games. ... Chiefs TE Travis Kelce needs 46 yards receiving to reach 13,000 for his career. He has caught a pass in 189 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL and longest streak in franchise history. ... DT Chris Jones needs one sack to tie Neil Smith (85 1/2) for third most in Chiefs history. ... The Raiders have lost 10 consecutive games, tied with a skid last season for the fifth-longest skid in franchise history. Another defeat would tie for the third longest which was set in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The Raiders' longest losing streaks were 19 games in the 1961-62 seasons and 16 in 2013-14. ... Las Vegas' losing streak is the longest active one in the NFL. ... The Raiders have a point differential of minus-193, worst in the NFL. ... Their average point different is minus-12.1 per game. If it doesn't improve, that will be the highest since the 2020 New York Jets finished with a minus-13.4 average. ... RB Ashton Jeanty is one of two rookies ever with at least 800 yards rushing, five rushing touchdowns and five receiving TDs. The other is Hall of Famer Gale Sayers in 1965. ... LB Devin White's 168 tackles are second to Miami's Jordyn Brooks, who has 174. ... ... The Raiders have held opponents to zero or negative yards on 95 rushing plays, tied with Minnesota for best in the league. ... A victory would give Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll 173 for his career, which would move him into a tie for 16th with Jeff Fisher. Carroll is currently tied with Bill Parcells.
The Chiefs defense might be worth a look given the Raiders offensive struggles. They have failed to reach 30 points a franchise-worst 36 straight regular-season games.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
New York Giants running back Devin Singletary (26) scores touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith (24) celebrates with wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, center, and quarterback Chris Oladokun (19) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
