Atletico

Victor Gyokeres ends drought with brace in Arsenal’s 4-0 win against Atletico, while PSG hit seven and Barcelona six.

Arsenal stormed to a third successive Champions League victory by blowing away Atletico Madrid 4-0 thanks to a devastating second-half broadside at the Emirates Stadium.

What had been a compelling clash with little between the sides in the first period on Tuesday became an Arsenal rout, with goals by Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and a brace from Viktor Gyokeres leaving Diego Simeone’s side shell-shocked.

Shortly after Julian Alvarez hit the crossbar for the visitors, Gabriel broke the deadlock by heading in a Declan Rice free kick in the 57th minute.

Martinelli finished off a sweeping move seven minutes later, and Gyokeres then prodded his first goal of the night via a deflection as Arsenal ran riot, with the Swede ending a nine-game scoring drought for club and country.

Gyokeres then bundled in his second, as Atletico were again unable to deal with a set piece.

Victory extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to nine games and put them on nine points in the group phase, well on the way to qualifying for the knockout phase.

Atletico have three points and will have to dust themselves down after their six-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to an abrupt end.

Holders PSG hit magnificent seven at Leverkusen

Paris Saint-Germain scored seven, Barcelona hit six, and Erling Haaland struck his 24th goal of the season on an action-packed night.

PSV Eindhoven routed Italian champions Napoli 6-2, while Inter Milan had a big win to maintain their own perfect starts in Europe.

It is defending champions PSG that lead the way at the top of the standings after a wild 7-2 win against Bayer Leverkusen in a match that saw both teams reduced to 10 men.

Barcelona’s 6-1 win against Olympiakos saw them bounce back from a loss to PSG at the start of the month.

Last season’s finalists Inter beat Union Saint-Gilloise by the same score.

Haaland’s goal helped Manchester City to a 2-0 win at Villarreal.

Fermin Lopez hat-trick and Rashford brace for Barcelona

Fermin Lopez scored a hat-trick and Marcus Rashford hit two goals as Barcelona ran riot.

Barca took full advantage when the Greek champions went down to 10 men after a contentious red card for Santiago Hezze in the second half, scoring four goals to complete the rout.

It was Lopez’s first hat-trick of his career, with Lamine Yamal also on the scoresheet from the penalty spot.

Olympiakos had no answer when Hezze was shown a second yellow card in the 57th minute, despite replays appearing to show he did not make contact with Marc Casado, who was trying to pull him back.

Just three minutes earlier, the visitors had got back into the game at 2-1 after Ayoub El Kaabi’s penalty.

Two clinical finishes from Lopez had given Barcelona a 2-0 half-time lead. Then, with the extra man, the Spanish champions overwhelmed Olympiakos with four goals in 11 minutes – starting with Yamal’s spot kick.

Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, now has four goals in three games in the Champions League this season.

Kazakh team Kairat picked up their first point in European football’s elite club competition with a 0-0 draw against Pafos.

Follow our live build-up, with the latest team news coverage, ahead of our full text commentary stream of the UCL football fixture.

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has been given a one-match ban for “unsporting conduct” by Uefa following his clash with Liverpool supporters at Anfield earlier this month.

After Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk scored a 92nd-minute winner in Atletico’s 3-2 defeat, Simeone reacted after he appeared to be goaded by a small number of home fans.

The Argentine complained to the fourth official with a number of stewards positioned between him and the Liverpool supporters.

Simeone had to be dragged away from the scene and continued his protests before he was sent off and walked down the tunnel.

His ban lasts for one competitive Uefa fixture, meaning he will miss his side’s home game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday (20:00 BST).

Speaking in the news conference after the Liverpool match, the 55-year-old said: “Firstly I regret the part I played. It’s clear we are in a position where we do not have the right to react and it is not good when we react.”

Simone said he “could not remember exactly” what had been, but he took issue with the “insults throughout the whole game” from the home supporters.

“We [managers] are in a position where we are protagonists/standard bearers, so in the same manner that we fight against racism and insults in stadiums today, we could also fight on behalf of the managers, against the insults we receive throughout the whole game.

“It’s not easy to be in the position we are in and receive insults for the whole game. I saw it from far away after the third goal. I saw the third goal go in and I turned, the insults continued, and well, I’m a person.”

Liverpool, meanwhile, have been fined 4,000 euros (£3,492) for the throwing of objects.

Julian Alvarez scores twice as Atletico came from behind to inflict a first defeat of the season on city rivals Real.

Julian Alvarez scored twice as Atletico Madrid came from behind to thrash city rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a pulsating derby that handed the La Liga leaders their first loss after a perfect start to the season.

The thrilling encounter at a raucous Metropolitano stadium saw Atletico fight back from 2-1 down to claim a memorable victory that lifted them to fourth place with 12 points.

Real Madrid remain top of La Liga on 18 points, two ahead of Barcelona, who have a game in hand.

Atletico’s aggressive start paid off when Robin Le Normand opened the scoring with a header in the 14th minute.

However, Kylian Mbappe burst through to level with an unstoppable strike from close range in a quick counter in the 25th minute, with Arda Guller netting a volley from a Vinicius Jr cross 11 minutes later to put the visitors in front.

Alexander Sorloth’s header in added time before the break gave Atletico a boost and they regained the lead five minutes into the second half when Alvarez converted a penalty after Guler’s high boot clipped rival Nico Gonzalez on the face inside the box.

After Alvarez extended their lead in the 64th minute with a sublime free kick into the top corner, substitute Antoine Griezmann sealed the win in a quick counter in added time.

Alvarez’s performance was sweet redemption after his controversial double-kick penalty contributed to Atletico losing to Madrid in last season’s Champions League.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico dealt Xabi Alonso his first loss of the season after Madrid had won all six La Liga games and its Champions League opener. Alonso’s only other loss since taking over as Madrid’s coach in the summer was against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semifinals in July.

Barcelona can overtake leader Madrid with a win at Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Real Madrid coach Alonso admitted that his side deserved to lose the game.

“We were bad at everything. We couldn’t string passes together, we couldn’t win duels, we couldn’t create chances,” he said.

“We need to analyse what happened and get better, and we will.”

The Madrid coach tried to find positives from this painful defeat as he looked ahead to the rest of the season.

“This is a process,” he said. “We’re in a phase where we’re building an identity. We will get better, for sure.”

Who: Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
What: Spanish La Liga
Where: Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain
When: Saturday, September 26, at 4:15PM (14:15 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:15pm (13:15 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Real Madrid have made a perfect start to the season under Xabi Alonso, but their new coach warned against complacency on Friday before his first Madrid derby in charge of La Liga’s leaders.

Alonso spent five seasons as a player with Real but now takes his team to the Metropolitano stadium to take on Atletico in his latest role with his side in impressive form.

Real have won all six league matches, conceding three goals, and hold a two-point advantage over champions Barcelona.

“We’ve only played six and got full points, but some games were a real struggle, so we can’t get overconfident,” Alonso told reporters before Saturday’s game.

“You can’t think that just by stepping onto the pitch you’ll win because of the badge you wear or the squad we have. I believe the more we educate ourselves to come out switched on for any match at any ground, the more games we’ll win.

“And if we win a lot of games, if we have that natural activation, we can pick up a lot of points. But we mustn’t relax because a lapse can cost you.”

Is Real Madrid’s trip Alonso’s first to Atletico as a manager?

Alonso has faced Atletico as manager when in charge of Bayer Leverkusen – drawing 2-2 in Madrid in 2022 shortly after taking over the German club and losing 2-1 away last season – but going there with Real is a very different prospect.

“It’s definitely different going to the Metropolitano with any other club than with Real Madrid,” Alonso said.

“Because of the healthy rivalry, and I think that’s something beautiful, something that’s been enjoyed for many years, and hopefully, we can keep enjoying it tomorrow, as well.”

How Atletico Madrid shape up before Real visit?

While Alonso’s Real are flying high, Diego Simeone’s Atletico have won two of their six league games, which leaves them already trailing their Madrid rivals by nine points, but those numbers are not so relevant at this stage.

Real have also failed to beat Atletico in the league over the last two seasons.

“The standings don’t say much right now,” Alonso said.

“Sure, we could extend the lead, but the match is going to be tough; it’s going to be tight. Winning at the Metropolitano isn’t easy; we’re going to have to work for it.”

Alonso impressed by Simeone but setting no targets

Simeone has been in charge at Atletico for 14 years, but 43-year-old Alonso, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti in June, is not looking that far ahead.

“What Simeone has done over these 14 years at Atletico is very important, not just what he’s achieved,” Alonso said.

“I’m just starting out, so I like to take things step by step. I don’t set such long-term goals.

“The beginning has been good, and there’s a long road ahead, so we will see.”

What happened the last time Real Madrid faced Atletico?

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone famously hates to deviate from the here and now, but when his team host Real, it is difficult not to look both forwards and backwards.

The last time these teams met was in March in the Champions League last 16, when Atletico were eliminated after Julian Alvarez’s controversially disallowed shootout penalty.

The Rojiblancos seethed for weeks about the incident, with Alvarez ruled to have double-kicked the ball, and their season rapidly flew off the rails. Perhaps they have never fully recovered since.

STANDINGS | Here’s how the #LALIGAEASPORTS table looks after Matchday 6. pic.twitter.com/VlRzyf2ZRB

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) September 25, 2025

Can Simeone turn around Atletico’s fortunes?

Atletico spent big in the summer, signing Alex Baena, David Hancko and Thiago Almada among others, for a total of more than 175 million euros ($204m).

“We want to recover in the best way we can,” said Simeone after his team came from behind to beat Rayo Vallecano 3-2 in a thrilling clash on Wednesday.

“We will have a really hard, difficult game against a side that has been winning all their games, and who have a tonne of very good players in their squad.”

What is Simeone’s record at Atletico?

Simeone this week became the coach who has spent the longest time in charge of a La Liga club, having arrived in December 2011.

Helping Atletico to reach two Champions League finals, both lost against Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016, as well as winning two La Liga titles, Simeone has taken the club to their very best moments.

Unfortunately, over the past few seasons, since they won La Liga in 2021, the team have fallen from their peak.

“The team needs to evolve to the height the club has,” admitted Simeone in August.

What is Real Madrid’s form before the derby?

Alonso can match Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s record of seven straight league wins at the start of a season set in 2005, if Real emerge on top this weekend.

The main force behind Madrid’s excellent results is superstar striker Kylian Mbappe, who leads the scoring charts with seven. The France international ended last season in rich form and has continued that into the new campaign.

What has been Atletico’s biggest struggle?

Atletico, by contrast to Real, lacked finesse in front of goal until Alvarez netted the first hat-trick of his career against Rayo to climb to four league goals.

“Julian is the best player that we have. We need to look after him, so he stays many years here at Atletico,” said Simeone.

“He has to help us and we have to help him, so he gets even better than he currently is. Each time he scores, he makes the difference, he helps us so much.”

Who and when do La Liga champions Barcelona play?

Second-placed Barcelona host Real Sociedad on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium, hoping Real Madrid drop points so they can close the two-point gap to the top.

Atletico Madrid team news

Spanish international Alex Baena returned from injury to start on the bench on Wednesday, while Alexander Sorloth is back from suspension.

Jose Gimenez, Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada, however, all remain absent due to injuries.

Real Madrid team news

Alonso refused to give any clues away over his starting lineup, but said Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga were fit enough to start after recently returning from injury and playing as substitutes.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger all remain sidelined by injury.

Atletico Madrid predicted starting lineup

Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Hancko; Simeone, Koke, Barrios, Gallagher; Alvarez, Sorloth

Real Madrid predicted starting lineup

Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni; Mastantuono, Guler, Vinicius; Mbappe

Arne Slot has no hair left to lose but the man celebrating his 47th birthday might have been left feeling a few years older as his Liverpool team put him through the wringer again.

In the end, however, Liverpool were able to make it many happy returns for their head coach – but not before another dose of late drama that has characterised their winning start to this season.

The old cliche that 2-0 is the most dangerous lead in football is being given new meaning by Liverpool, who have lost this advantage twice in the Premier League this season – to Bournemouth and Newcastle United – and did so again against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

On each occasion, however, Liverpool have pulled back from the brink to win.

Such is the sheer force of will in Slot’s side, as well as the power of Anfield on Champions League nights, that there was almost an inevitability about Virgil van Dijk’s towering header deep into stoppage time that enabled Liverpool to open their Champions League with victory.

The Dutchman’s 93rd-minute winner was the fourth goal Liverpool have scored in the 90th minute or later across all competitions this season, with six of their eight second-half goals this season being scored from the 88th minute onwards.

Slot was able to celebrate wildly in his technical area once more, as he has done as Liverpool have won all their games this season in the last 10 minutes and into stoppage time, but even in triumph he must wish that Liverpool would not leave him and their fans knee-deep in chewed fingernails before they can celebrate.

Even Liverpool, for all their attacking prowess, will not be able to perform this trick every time. Their carelessness will be a concern for Slot, even if they have shown five times this season that they have what it takes to pull themselves out of trouble.

“A game like this should not have gone to a late winner,” Slot said.

“I understand that’s the story of this game and the last five games, but for me it is a different game than the ones we played before. We had so many great attacks today where we could have scored the third goal.”

Virgil Van Dijk’s header in stoppage time helps Liverpool deliver another dramatic late twist as they open their Champions League campaign with victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield.

MATCH REPORT: Last-gasp Liverpool beat Atletico after spurning lead

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Inter Miami draw 2-2 with Palmeiras to see both sides through but Atletico Madrid go out despite win over Botafogo.

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi faces a tantalising reunion with former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Club World Cup last 16 after both sides progressed to the knockout phase.

Miami drew 2-2 with Palmeiras on Monday to go through second in Group A and set up a knockout match against Group B toppers PSG, after the Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to seal top spot and confirm an all-Brazil clash against Botafogo.

Champions of Europe PSG recorded an easy 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders, paving the way for the clash with their former star forward Messi and his surprise package of a club Miami.

Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez had Miami on course for a second victory in the tournament after their shock win over Porto.

But Palmeiras struck twice in the last 10 minutes at Hard Rock Stadium through Paulinho and Mauricio to ensure they went through.

Suarez, Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Miami coach Javier Mascherano will also face their former coach Luis Enrique, who guided them to the treble when in charge at Barcelona in 2015.

“We’re talking about the champions of Europe. We know many of their players and their coach, who I was lucky enough to have coach me, and I’ve always said he is the best in the world,” Alba said after the match.

“I will connect with good friends there but once the game starts, we will compete, try to beat them, and why can’t we do it? This is football.”

Mascherano said Miami’s progress had elevated Major League Soccer (MLS).

“It’s a historic night for MLS, because we are into the best 16 teams in the world. All of the MLS has to be proud of Inter Miami,” he said.

Porto, Al Ahly out after eight-goal thriller

Portuguese side Porto and Egypt’s Al Ahly were eliminated after a thrilling 4-4 draw, which was not enough for either team to overhaul Palmeiras or Miami.

Pepe scored a goal in the 89th minute to finish the game in a 4-4 tie for Porto in a back-and-forth match.

Rodrigo Mora, William Gomes and Samu Aghehowa also scored for the Portuguese team. Wessam Abou Ali had a hat-trick for the Egyptian team in front of a crowd of 39,893 at MetLife Stadium, where a sea of red Al Ahly jerseys dominated the stands.

Both teams pushed for a late goal before the final whistle but neither could score again.

Atletico Madrid bag six points but go out

In Group B, Botafogo lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid but progressed at the expense of the Spaniards, whose 4-0 defeat by PSG in their opener left them needing a big win in their last game.

Former France international Antoine Griezmann scored the game’s only goal, lashing home a Julian Alvarez cross in the 87th minute to give Atletico a victory that ultimately was in vain.

“We’re frustrated that we didn’t qualify – we had six points,” Atletico coach Simeone said afterwards.

“At the end of the day we were punished because it wasn’t enough.”

Atletico needed a two-goal swing and were upset at penalty appeals being turned down.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest, I think we should have been awarded two penalties,” complained winger Giuliano Simeone, the coach’s son.

European champions PSG bounced back from their surprise defeat by Botafogo with a comfortable win in Seattle.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored either side of half-time as the Ligue 1 champions advanced as group winners because of Botafogo’s late defeat to Atletico Madrid in Pasadena.

“It wasn’t easy because the pitch was very different to what we are used to in Europe so we couldn’t play with the fluidity that we like, but we adapted,” said PSG coach Enrique.

PSG top scorer Ousmane Dembele played no part for a third game running after travelling to the tournament with an injury.