Real Madrid 5-1 Elche: Cristiano Ronaldo bags FOUR and Gareth Bale gets another

• Real Madrid defeated Elche 5-1 in their La Liga clash at the Bernabeu
• Visitors took a shock lead through Albácar Gallego after a controversial penalty was awarded by referee Carlos Carlos Gómez
• Gareth Bale equalised with a header from James Rodriguez's cross
• Cristiano Ronaldo scored four more goals including a pair of penalties
• Portuguese has now scored 25 hat-tricks for Los Blancos 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored hat-trick number 25 of his Real Madrid career as Carlo Ancelotti’s side made it 18 goals in three games with a thumping win over Elche.

It was Ronaldo’s eighth goal inside a week and after the game he was asked if he was still happy at Madrid.

He said: ‘Things are going well for more on a personal level the team is scoring goals, winning matches and playing well.’ Asked about Jose Mourinho’s recent comments about the pair no longer having a relationship, he added: ‘It’s not for me to talk about things like that I’m just concentrating on what we are doing on the pitch.’ 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale celebrate after the Portuguese scored his second in the 5-1 victory

Elche forward Edu Albscar (R) scores a controversial penalty past Keylor Navas to open the scoring

Bale wheels away in celebration after bringing Real Madrid back on level terms at the Bernabeu

Ronaldo scored in his 13th consecutive home game after another controversial penalty

Ronaldo sends a kiss to the Bernabeu after completing his hat-trick from thepenalty spot.

MATCH FACTS 

Real Madrid: Navas, Marcelo, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Kroos, Rodríguez, Illarramendi, Bale, Isco, Ronaldo

Subs: Casillas, Coentrão, Benzema, Hernández, Arbeloa, Nacho, Modric

Booked: Carvajal, Marcelo

Scorers: Bale 20', Ronaldo 28', 32', 80', 90'

Elche: Yagüe, Gallego, Pelegrín, Lombán, Cisma, Romero, Corominas, Rodrigues, Mosquera, Morales, Cristian de Jesus

Booked: Gallego

Scorer: Gallego 15' 

Subs: Suárez, Roco, Herrera, Martín, Fajr, Pasalic, Tyton

Ref: Carlos Clos Gómez

At: 65,000

There was crisis talk a week ago at Madrid but five goals against Basle in the Champions League, eight against Deportivo, and five against Elche here have silenced all the gloom.

They will face far tougher opposition in the coming weeks but now, fully in their stride, they will fear no one. Ronaldo even grabbed a late fourth goal from a Gareth Bale pass and that blossoming partnership is another reason for Real Madrid supporters to be full of optimism.

The highlight of the first half was a strange refereeing performance from Carlos Clos Gomez. On 15 minutes he pointed to the spot when Ronaldo looked to clear from inside the area and caught Pedro Mosquera unintentionally. Ronaldo later admitted that it had been a penalty but both Real Madrid and Elche players looked bemused.

Within minutes Gomez had made another very strange decision this time in Madrid’s favour.

Gary Mendes Rodrigues went down under a challenge from Marcelo. It was debatable whether the challenge had been a foul but the contact from Marcelo that brought the Elche forward crashing to ground was inside the area. Clos gave a free-kick on the edge of the area that Elche wasted. 

Albácar Gallego points to the sky after giving Elche a surprise lead from the penalty spot

Bale equalised only four minutes later with a towering header from James Rodriguez's cross

The former Tottenham Hotspur winger issues his trademark 'heart-shaped hands' goal celebration

New signing Keylor Navas (above) makes an acrobatic save while Iker Casillas watched from the bench

Before the next bizarre penalty incident Real Madrid were level with Bale heading in James Rodriguez’ cross. It was his fifth goal in five games - aided by Manu Herrera’s very flat dive.

Then came penalty number two with Gomez pointing to the spot after minimal contact from Mosquera on Marcelo – again players from both sides looked bemused but Ronaldo’s penalty was unstoppable into the top right-hand corner.

Real Madrid extended their lead when Ronaldo scored with another thundering header this time from a Bale cross.

The home side were now in complete control and debutant keeper Keylor Navas was having less and less to do. In for the rested Iker Casillas who is expected to brought back into the side for the weekend’s difficult trip to Villarreal, it was Navas first competitive match since the World Cup.

Casillas was still the centre of attention with cameras focused on the bench as he munched on an apple during the second half. He appears to be a dead man walking in Madrid’s battle of the goalkeepers with Navas unlikely to still be the number two next season. For now however the greatest keeper in Spain’s history retains seniority and this start for Navas was seen as a reward for his patience. 

Ronaldo hangs in the air before planting a bullet header into the bottom left cornerfor his second

Ronaldo strenghthened his reputation as one of the best headers in the game with a bullet second goal

Real defender Sergio Ramos (L) has a headed effort on goal during the first-half

Real Madrid players celebrate with Ronaldo en route to victory in front of their home fans

Ronaldo gets his fourth and final goal of the night after a break away in the dying minutes

Madrid toiled for the fourth goal and Ronaldo came close with a shot drilled towards Herrera’s near post scrambled away by the keeper who then fumbled the resulting corner kick.

Javier Hernandez came on with ten minutes left replacing James. The former Manchester United former had staked his claim for a place in the starting line-up with two goals against Deportivo last weekend but as if to show how difficult it will be for him to get into Carlo Ancelotti’s starting line-up, he was on the bench again despite the debut goals.

Hernandez’s appearance did bring a goal but it came from another former United player with Ronaldo wining another slightly dubious penalty and thrashing it home for goal number four and hat-trick number 25. He and Bale had not finished and there was a late fourth for Ronaldo – his eighth goal inside a week.

Earning their stripes: Zebra go head to head with wildebeest in battle to cross river to reach grasslands

• Band of zebras fight their way through thousands of wildebeest as they attempt to make their way across river
• Photographer Viktoras Dubinskas captured the scenes at the Mara river as the zebras battled their way through water
• The annual migration sees thousands of wildebeest move across the plains in search for new grazing opportunities

Fighting their way through the hordes of wildebeest, a band of zebras bravely attempt to cross one of the Serengeti's fast-flowing rivers in their bid to reach fresh grasslands.

The annual migration sees thousands of wildebeest move across the plains in search for new grazing opportunities.

As they make the journey however they are forced to attempt to find a way across the frantic waters.  

Earning their stripes: A band of zebras battle their way through thousands of wildebeest as they attempt to cross the Mara river to reach fresh grasslands

Battle: The zebras joined an estimated 50,000 wildebeest as they attempted to cross the river during the annual migration on the Serengeti

Survivor: Many wildebeest were trampled to death but all of the zebras managed to survive the crossing

Hordes: Photographer Viktoras Dubinskas, 45, captured the scenes and estimated more than 50,000 wildebeest attempted to cross the river

River-crossing: The annual migration sees thousands of wildebeest move across the plains in search for new grazing opportunities

But as the thousands of wildebeest attempted to cross the Mara river, a smaller group of about ten zebras also made a bid to get to the other side, which left them fighting to make their way through the herd. 

Photographer Viktoras Dubinskas, 45, captured the scenes and estimated more than 50,000 wildebeest attempted to cross.

He decided to focus on the brave zebra, capturing a series of stunning shots as they battled their way across the river.

Many wildebeest were trampled to death but all of the zebras managed to survive the crossing.

One zebra was even dunked underwater for around 30 seconds but somehow managed to escape by biting the wildebeest before swimming to safety.

Mr Dubinskas, from Fuengirola, Spain, said: 'When I finished shooting my driver and I were left speechless.

Difficult crossing: One zebra was even dunked underwater for around 30 seconds but somehow managed to escape by biting the wildebeest before swimming to safety

Journey: The wildebeest have to make their way across the fast-flowing waters as part of their annual migration

Struggle: On this occasion a smaller group of about ten zebras also made a bid to get to the other side, which left them fighting to make their way through the herd

Mr Dubinskas, from Fuengirola, Spain, said: 'I've made more than 20 trips to the wild in Africa but nothing I have seen before can compare to this'

Mr Dubinskas said a number of the wildebeest were trampled to death as they tried to cross the river, although all of the zebras managed to survive

The photographer said: 'When one escaped from the mud by biting all wildebeest around in a panic it was like a miracle'

'I've made more than 20 trips to the wild in Africa but nothing I have seen before can compare to this.

'Shooting herds is never easy but when the zebra entered the river they gave us something to focus on.

'When one escaped from the mud by biting all wildebeest around in a panic it was like a miracle.' 

Pemberi maklumat ditawar RM96 juta

GAMBAR fail menunjukkan beberapa anggota keluarga menyentuh keranda pramugari MH17, Mastura Mustafa di Masjid Al Taqwa, Paroi Seremban pada 22 Ogos lalu.

BERLIN - Sebuah firma penyiasatan persendirian Jerman akan memberikan ganjaran sebanyak AS$30 juta (RM96.8 juta) kepada mana-mana individu yang memberikan maklumat berhubung dalang yang menembak jatuh sebuah pesawat Penerbangan Malaysia (MAS) di timur Ukraine, lapor portal berita The Local kelmarin.

Firma berkenaan, Wifka dalam satu kenyataan semalam memberitahu, wang ganjaran tersebut merupakan sumbangan beberapa individu yang dipercayai jutawan tetapi identiti mereka tidak didedahkan kepada media.

GAMBAR fail menunjukkan lokasi nahas pesawat MH17 dekat Grabovo, timur Ukraine pada 17 Julai lalu.

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Agensi penyiasat persendirian yang beribu pejabat di bandar Schleswig-Holstein, utara Jerman menyatakan, wang tersebut kini disimpan di Zurich, Switzerland milik beberapa orang pelanggannya.

Pesawat Boeing 777-200 itu terhempas dipercayai ditembusi dengan objek berkelajuan tinggi di wilayah timur Ukraine yang dikuasai pemberontak pro-Rusia pada 17 Julai lalu.
Seramai 298 penumpang dan anak kapal menaiki pesawat tersebut ketika ia ditembak jatuh di timur Ukraine.

Satu siasatan antarabangsa berhubung nahas itu masih diteruskan tetapi pada awalnya dihalang oleh kumpulan pemberontak pro-Rusia yang menguasai lokasi nahas dan dituduh bertanggungjawab menembak jatuh pesawat MH17.

Pada 10 September lalu, laporan awal nahas pesawat MH17 mendedahkan, ia berkecai di udara akibat ditembusi objek-objek berkelajuan tinggi.

Hyundai beli tanah 10.5 trilion won di Gangnam

PEMANDANGAN dari udara menunjukkan bangunan ibu pejabat KEPCO (tengah)
di ibu kota Korea Selatan, Seoul kelmarin.

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SEOUL - Perang bidaan antara dua gergasi industri Korea Selatan berakhir semalam apabila Hyundai mengetepikan Samsung untuk memiliki sebidang tanah di daerah elit Gangnam di sini pada harga 10.5 trilion won sekali gus urusniaga hartanah termahal di negara itu.

Tanah seluas 79,345 meter persegi (7.9 hektar) milik firma kerajaan Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) itu pada awalnya bernilai kira-kira 3.3 trilion won (RM9.6 bilion).

"Akhirnya, Hyundai yang merupakan pengeluar kereta utama di Korea Selatan membida 10.5 trilion won (RM32.3 bilion) atau AS$126,000 (RM407,036) untuk setiap 1 meter persegi," kata KEPCO dalam satu kenyataan.

Jumlah bidaan Samsung bagaimanapun tidak dedahkan.

Daerah elit Gangnam menjadi terkenal di seluruh dunia susulan kejayaan lagu Gangnam Style yang dinyanyikan oleh artis rap Korea Selatan, Psy. - AFP

Maths teacher captures massive 17ft anaconda

• Sebastien Bascoules captured the anaconda because it ate a friend's dog
• The 39-years-old described the catch as 'dream come true'
• He asked his friend to hold the snakes tail so it wouldn't 'strangulate me'
• After pulling it from the river his young children posed for pictures with it
• The anaconda was then stored overnight in the family bathtub

A maths teacher waded into a shallow river and captured a 17ft anaconda hours after it snatched his friend's dog from the bank.

Sebastien Bascoules, who lives in Matoury, French Guiana, hauled the 175lb snake onto land in nearby Montsinery, after a friend phoned him with news of his beloved pet, Minus.

Capturing a snake that size, the 39-year-old said, was  'a dream come true'.

Sebastien Bascoules, left, poses with the 17ft anaconda which he pulled from the river as his friends help lift the reptile to show how long it is

Mr Bascoules holds the head of the 175lb snake as his friend grips its tail - the maths teacher asked his friend to hold the reptile's tail so it wouldn't 'strangulate me'

The snake was kept in the Bascoules family's bath over night as Mr Bascoules said it was too late to re-home the reptile away from the residential area once they had captured it

Recalling the incident, Mr Bascoules said: 'At first I was not scared because I thought it was smaller - but I was very surprised by his strength and his length - more than five metres.

He added: 'Since I was 10 years old I have liked handling reptiles but this was the biggest snake I had ever seen and I had ever caught.'

Mr Bascoules asked his friend to help capture the anaconda, by grabbing its tail, 'otherwise it could strangulate me'.

But because it was still digesting the dog, Mr Bascoules said, it was  'very calm before I touched it'. 

Mr Bascoules, right, holds the anaconda's head as he and his friend drag it from a river in French Guiana

Onlookers gasp in amazement as Mr Bascoules' prized catch, which has now been blindfolded and restrained with a t-shirt, is captured on film

Mr Bascoules brave son, Mano, five, puts his ear to the belly of the beast

Mano crouches next to the giant reptile which is spread out across the lawn of his family home

Mr Bascoules holds the anaconda's tail as his children, from left, Noam, Solol and Mano, sit around the snake, and Michael Bascoules stands behind it, to complete the novel family photo

After blindfolding the wriggling reptile with a t-shirt Mr Bascoules put it in his bathtub to store over night - but not before his three children, Noam, 11, Solal, eight, and Mano, five, could pose for pictures with it. 

Mr Bascoules said by the time he had captured the snake, it was too late to re-home it away from the residential area, so he decided it could spend the night at his family home.

Not everyone was a fan of the house guest, he said: 'My wife was worried it might escape from the bathroom during the night.

He added: 'We didn't have to be worried because I put it a cloth on his head so it was blind and became like a big worm.'

Mr Bascoules said once the snake was blindfolded with a t-shirt it was turned into a 'giant worm'

Mr Bascoules, who has caught 15-20 anacondas, described capturing one this big as 'a dream come true'

The next day Mr Bascoules released the anaconda six miles away into a river close to swamps where the creatures are often found.

The incredible event unfolded last year but video of the remarkable capture and release exercise has only just emerged.

Mr Bascoules, originally from France, has lived in French Guiana for 15 years, and works part-time as a tour guide. He said he chose the area because of its fauna - particularly reptiles and amphibians.

Mr Bascoules said snakes were 'really common' in French Guiana, where there is 98 species.

Not surprisingly, this isn't the first time Mr Bascoules has captured an anaconda. He estimates he's caught 15-20.

Mario Balotelli arrives to Liverpool training in £240,000 Ferrari imported from Italy

• Mario Balotelli arrived to Liverpool training in his imported Ferrari F12 Berlinetta on Thursday
• The £240,000 motor is a favourite of the Italy forward
• He once drove a camouflaged Bentley around Manchester 
• Balotelli scored his first goal for Liverpool in their 2-1 Champions League win against Ludogorets on Tuesday night
• Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that the 24-year-old will start at West Ham

Mario Balotelli drove to Liverpool training on Thursday in his £240,000 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta that has been shipped over from Italy.

The 24-year-old has now been reunited with his beloved supercar, which was seen arriving at Liverpool's Melwood training base as Balotelli and his team-mates prepare for Saturday's Premier League trip to West Ham.

The Italy forward joined Brendan Rodgers side in a £16million switch from AC Milan in August and he will have been buoyed by the fact his luxurious vehicle has finally made the same move.

Balotelli arrived at Liverpool's Melwood base in his Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

The Liverpool forward will no doubt be delighted to be reunited with his supercar

The Italian car is Balotelli's favourite motor and he was frequently spotted with it in Italy

Balotelli (left) was pictured outside his Ferrari F12 Berlinetta whilst in Milan

Take a look at Mario Balotelli's luxury car collection

 

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Facts 

Price: £240,000

Brake horsepower: 730

0-62mph: 3.1 seconds

0-124mph: 8.5seconds

Top speed: 211mph 

Balotelli's love of cars is legendary and many of his infamous scrapes and japes have involved one of his motors.

The Italy star's most famous vehicle was probably the camouflage £160,000 Bentley GP in which he was spotted in Manchester. His white Maserati was also ticketed in the city centre.

Earlier this year, his former fiancee - according to some reports - Fanny Neguesha posted a video on Instagram showcasing Balotelli's love of fast cars.

She also put up a picture of some car keys, including those to the Ferrari, a Lamborghini and an Audi.

Balotelli is motoring on the pitch after opening his account with a goal against Ludogorets in Liverpool's 2-1 Champions League win on Tuesday.

His boss Rodgers confirmed that maverick forward will retain his place for the trip to Upton Park. 

Balotelli (right) scored his first Liverpool goal in their 2-1 Champions League group win against Ludogorets

Balotelli (left) celebrates scoring for Liverpool as they took a 1-0 lead against Ludogorets

Balotelli (centre) was seen outside San Carlo restaurant in Manchester on Thursday for a spot of lunch

Balotelli made sure his outfit matched as he walked through Manchester in predominately black and red attire

Balotelli (left) looked in a relaxed mood after Liverpool training on Thursday ahead of his meal in Manchester

However, the Liverpool manager added that if Balotelli is to replace Luis Suarez he must show the same drive as the Uruguayan.

‘Mario is a boy who has really looked into the history of the club,’ said Rodgers. ‘He understands the great strikers of the past. We’ve spoken about Suarez and his time here but if you’re clever you’ll remember he’s still young and still learning the game and he still has this hunger to do well.

‘He’ll get fitter and the idea is to persist with him. He’s a good reference for us and he’s improving with each time he trains and plays. It was a brilliant finish and that was exactly what we needed at that time – that bit of genuine Champions League class and he showed that.'  

Balotelli in his £160,000 camouflage Bentley GT in Manchester while he was a City player

A white Maserati belonging to Balotelli gets a ticket in Manchester city centre in 2012

An Audi R8 written off by Balotelli in Manchester in 2010

Rodgers did, however, praise Balotelli's engine after his opening three matches for Liverpool. 

‘You saw his work rate. He’s put his body on the line and he needs to do more of that but I think that will come as he gets fitter. But he’s well in tune with the history of the club. I think you can see what he’s trying to put in for the team. That’s going to be very important.

‘The crowd demand that as the players who’ve been here in the past in that position have been non-stop and he’s becoming attuned to that. He’s aware of the demands and it’s going to take time but if he continues to score goals and work hard, he will be fine as he has got the quality.’

Fanny Neguesha posted this picture of Balotelli's car keys to his Audi (left), Ferrari (centre) and Lamborghini