Vinícius nets hat trick in win as three Real Madrid players go down injured; Militão tears ACL

Vinícius Júnior scored a hat trick as Real Madrid achieved a much-needed 4-0 win over Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday that was marred by teammate Éder Militão tearing an ACL.

Madrid heard jeers in its previous two home games — a 4-0 loss to fierce rival Barcelona and 3-1 loss to AC Milan — but this easy victory came at a high price.

Militão crumbled to the turf while screaming and clutching the back of his right knee shortly before halftime. The central defender was taken off on a stretcher. Rodrygo and Lucas Vázquez also were unable to continue after apparently sustaining muscle injuries in the first half.

“We played a good game and I am happy for the goals, but sad for the injuries to Mili, Rodry and Lucas,” Vinícius said. “I am sad that Mili has to go through this again."

Vinícius, who apparently felt overlooked when the Ballon d’Or went to Spain’s Rodri last week, got his second hat trick of the season and took his overall tally to 12 goals. Jude Bellingham's goal made it 2-0.

“Vinícius makes the difference,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “Not winning the Ballon d’Or is a detail that did not affect him as we can see today.”

Madrid is in second place, six points behind leader Barcelona.

Rodrygo was injured early. The forward, who missed the clasico due to another injury, wept as he walked gingerly to the bench, where a team medic put ice on his left leg.

Worse was to come when Militão went down. He pulled his jersey over his face as he was carried off on the half-hour mark. The club said he ruptured his ACL and would need surgery.

Militão tore an ACL in his other leg, his left, in the opener of last season and was out until March before coming back to help Madrid win the Champions League and La Liga.

“Three injuries in the first half is pretty rare," Ancelotti said. "The demands of the schedule sometimes does not allow players to get the rest they need, and that increases the risk of injuries. It is a problem for everyone, not just us.”

This is the second ACL injury to Madrid's squad in this campaign after Spain right back Dani Carvajal ripped up his right leg last month. Goalkeeper Courtois Thibaut, David Alaba and Aurélien Tchouaméni were also unavailable with their own injuries.

A numbed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium was brought alive by Vinícius when he cut back and curled in the opener in the 34th.

Ancelotti replaced Militão with youth team debutant Raúl Asencio, who delivered a long lobbed pass that Bellingham used, one touch, to chip over goalkeeper Sergio Herrera to double the lead in the 42nd.

Vinícius ran onto another long pass, this time by 'keeper Andriy Lunin, before rounding Herrera to make it 3-0 in the 61st. His third came after substitute Brahim Díaz stole the ball from defender Flavien-Enzo Boyomo and laid off for his scoring partner in the 69th.

While Vinícius soared, strike partner Kylian Mbappé remained in the doldrums after France didn't want him for a second straight international period. The former Paris Saint-Germain star hasn't scored in his last four games for his new club.

“Mbappé tried to score and I believe he combined well with his teammates,” Ancelotti said. “He hasn’t scored recently, but he has always been a scorer and he will get back to scoring without a doubt.”

Osasuna, the only team to beat Barcelona in the league, failed to get a shot on goal.

Before kickoff, Madrid unfurled a huge banner in the stands representing the flag for the Valencia region during a moment of silence for the more than 200 people who died in last week’s catastrophic floods in eastern Spain.

A tearful Ilias Akhomach also had to be taken off on a stretcher after he hurt his right leg following his opening goal in Villarreal's 3-0 win over Alaves.

Villarreal, which is in the northern part of the Valencia region, honored the flood victims by having players from both teams wear T-shirts saying “Stay Strong Valencia” before kickoff.

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Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti applauds at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe is challenged by Osasuna's Alejandro Catena, right, during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti grimaces before the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior challenges for the ball with Osasuna's Jesus Areso during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham celebrates with Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Eder Militao is stretchered off the pitch after an injury during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced that he is nominating former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

A former Republican congressman from Texas, Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence for the final year and a half of Trump’s first term, leading the U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement. “He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel and longtime friend Steven Witkoff to be a special envoy to the Middle East, Trump announced Tuesday.

Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel, and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Witkoff is a Florida real estate investor who is serving as a chair of Trump’s inaugural committee. He also spent time in the world of New York real estate, where Trump first made his mark as a public figure.

On Tuesday, Trump also named Bill McGinley, his Cabinet Secretary in his first administration, as his White House counsel.

Trump is rolling out a steady stream of appointees and nominees for his upcoming administration, working thus far at a faster pace and without as much drama as his first transition following his 2016 victory.

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”

Huckabee has led paid tour group visits to Israel for years, frequently advertising the trips on conservative-leaning news outlets.

David Friedman, who served as Trump's ambassador to Israel in his first term, said he was “thrilled” by Trump's selection of Huckabee.

Witkoff is also the president-elect’s golf partner and was with him when he was the target of a second assassination attempt at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September.

Trump's transition team did not offer details about the Middle East envoy role, but Trump, in a statement said, “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”

The selection of Witkoff follows a pattern for Trump in putting people close to him in pivotal roles on the Middle East portfolio. Eight years ago he appointed his former corporate attorney Jason Greenbaltt as his special representative for international negotiations and relied on his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as his personal envoy in talks in the region.

FILE - Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, testifies before a hearing April 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., takes questions from the media, prior to laying a brick at a new housing complex in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, Aug. 1, 2018. President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel. Trump said Tuesday that Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.(AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

FILE - Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., takes questions from the media, prior to laying a brick at a new housing complex in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, Aug. 1, 2018. President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel. Trump said Tuesday that Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.(AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)