Gordon, the grateful beneficiary of Alexander-Arnold’s class, said: “I make that run time and time again and only a certain number of players have that ability, technique and bravery to be willing to make the mistake trying that pass. That’s why he’s so good and I’ve been dying to play with him for that reason.
“He’s had his own journey with England. He would’ve liked to have played more than he has but he’s been a great character during this camp. I’ve really enjoyed being around him.”
Alexander-Arnold is a risk taker, both in the defensive and attacking context, but only Elliot Anderson (41) made more passes in the final third than he did (32), while only Anthony Gordon, with four, created more chances than the defender’s three.
Tuchel, it should be stated, is not alone in having doubts about Alexander-Arnold.
Who can forget – although many would love to – Sir Gareth Southgate’s ill-fated attempt to utilise Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder at Euro 2024? It was ditched after 54 minutes of England’s second game against Denmark never to be seen again.
More will be revealed if Tuchel persists with Alexander-Arnold against Croatia behind closed doors in Rijeka on Saturday – but this must be close to make or break time for this lavishly-talented player who is 28 on 7 October.
If he cannot convince Tuchel in this camp, and surely that one moment of game-changing skill must be fixed in the head coach’s mind, then you wonder if he ever will.
Alexander-Arnold said: “It was amazing. It’s always an honour to represent my country. It’s been a long time, but I’ve always believed I can play for England. That belief has always been there and it was about proving it at club level. The manager gave me a chance, now hopefully he is happy with how I played.”
How happy? Time, and Tuchel, will tell.
Alexander-Arnold, however, could not have done any more as England, who sealed the three points with captain Harry Kane’s 87th goal in 123 international appearances, got their Nations League campaign going in Prague.
Hundreds of protesters have set up tent encampments in central Madrid to demand government action on soaring housing costs and evictions, as demonstrations spread to Barcelona. Spain currently faces a deficit of 750,000 homes, with the central bank warning the shortage could exceed one million by 2028.
Mourinho brought printouts of screenshots to the post-match news conference, claiming Atletico should have been given two red cards in the first half.
Writing in response to an article in the Spanish media which claimed there is a “conspiracy” against Real, Tebes dismissed the allegations.
“Claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy,” Tebas said on social media.
“That narrative serves as an excuse to cover up other shortcomings that are plain to see in these first matches of the season.
“It’s more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain what’s happening on the pitch.”
Real are fourth in La Liga, six points behind Barcelona who top the table on 21 points after winning all seven of their league games this season.
After defeat by Atletico, where Real went down to 10 men in a feisty encounter after defender Dean Huijsen was sent off, Mourinho blamed the officiating.
“We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” Mourinho said as he showed media the printed images.
“Those were two clear red cards. Given the difficulties we faced afterwards playing 11 against 10, we can only imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like.”
Madrid boss Jose Mourinho accuses officials of bias after his side’s 2-1 derby defeat by Atletico Madrid.
Published On 22 Sep 202622 Sep 2026
La Liga President Javier Tebas has hit out at what he calls accusations of a refereeing “conspiracy” by Real Madrid after their derby loss to Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho brought two printed screenshots of what he thought were red-card tackles committed by Atletico players to his post-match news conference after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat.
Tebas responded to a pro-Real article on social media with a lengthy riposte on Tuesday to allegations of a “conspiracy” against the 15-time European champions.
“Here they go again, the mouthpieces and the regime’s television, building the same old narrative – the permanent conspiracy,” said Tebas, who has often been at odds with Real Madrid and the club’s outspoken president, Florentino Perez.
“This article goes further. It claims that referees harm ‘the business that feeds them’.
“What exactly is it asking for? Refereeing based on revenue, viewership or the badge? What a way to understand equality in the competition.
“Real Madrid are crucial to La Liga. But claiming that ‘La Liga is worth nothing’ without them reveals the disdain for the other clubs, their fans and their history. The competition belongs to no one.”
Madrid have made a stuttering start to the season and already sit six points behind reigning champions and early leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table.
“Claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy,” Tebas added.
“That narrative serves as an excuse to cover up other shortcomings that are plain to see in these first matches of the season.
“It’s more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain what’s happening on the pitch.”
Mourinho returned for a second spell in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu in the close season, tasked with ending a two-year spell without a major trophy.
After the heated capital derby on Sunday, Mourinho was furious that Atletico defender Cristian Romero was not sent off for a stamp on Jude Bellingham and also complained about a challenge by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde before the visitors were themselves reduced to 10 men five minutes after half-time.
Valverde finished the match but was later diagnosed with “severe trauma to his left ankle”, the club said in a statement. The midfielder will undergo further tests, it added.
“We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” Mourinho said, holding up the images in what was the start of a near five-minute rant.
“Those were two clear red cards. The difficulties we’ve faced since the sending-off: 11 against 10. Well, we can imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like if justice had been done.”
Fuming Real Madrid manager waves printouts of what he believes were clear red-card tackles by Atletico Madrid players following his team’s loss.
Published On 21 Sep 202621 Sep 2026
Jose Mourinho needed only a sheet of paper to deliver his verdict on La Liga’s Madrid derby, waving images of two first-half tackles as he accused the officials of losing control in Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid.
Real were furious that Atletico defender Cristian Romero was not sent off for a stamp on Jude Bellingham and also complained about a challenge by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde, before the visitors were themselves reduced to 10 men five minutes after half-time in the heated capital derby on Sunday.
Valverde finished the match but was later diagnosed with “severe trauma to his left ankle”, the club said in a statement. The midfielder will undergo further tests, it added.
“We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” Mourinho said, holding up the images in what was the start of a near five-minute rant.
“Those were two clear red cards. The difficulties we’ve faced since the sending-off: 11 against 10. Well, we can imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like if justice had been done.”
Jude Bellingham reacts after being fouled [Ana Beltran/Reuters]
Real defender Dean Huijsen was dismissed for bringing down Giuliano Simeone inside the area as the last defender, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to score with a low spot kick. Jonathan David doubled Atletico’s lead six minutes later, with Antonio Ruediger heading in a free kick late to reduce the deficit.
Mourinho said he could only “hug” his players after what he described as a first half “full of class and great character”, but he aimed sharp criticism at referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias and those who appointed him.
“They’ve put a referee, aged 41, with no international experience – it’s certainly not because he’s a great referee,” Mourinho said.
“Then the poor chap has come here and hasn’t been able to cope with the pressure – and it really is intense pressure. I call it ’80s-style pressure’ here in this stadium, which you hardly ever see these days.”
Asked about being six points behind Barcelona, Mourinho offered a pointed reply.
“If they just leave us in peace and let us compete on a level playing field with everyone else, we’ve still got a long way to go,” he said.
“I don’t want to go so far as to say this was set up … I want to believe that they simply made a mistake.”
Referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias speaks to Mourinho during the match [Oscar Del Pozo/AFP]
Asked about Mourinho’s comments, Atletico manager Diego Simeone urged restraint.
“Whoever is speaking – be it me, Mourinho, Hansi Flick or Manuel Pellegrini, anyone – we have to be careful what we say,” Simeone said. “When you step outside the bounds of respect, whoever you are, it’s not on. You can’t cross that line.”
Simeone preferred to focus on Atletico’s performance.
“Today we saw a great match; we defended very well against a team that plays very well,” he said.
“We controlled the match when it was 11 against 11. We continued to control it when it became 10 against 11. But this isn’t just another step towards continuing to grow and improve.”
Atletico climbed above Real to second in the standings on 16 points, five behind leaders Barcelona and one ahead of Real and Real Betis.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone was all smiles at full time [Juan Barbosa/Reuters]
The game hinged on Huijsen’s red card early in the second half for pulling down Giuliano Simeone in the box.
Published On 20 Sep 202620 Sep 2026
Atletico Madrid edged 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 in a La Liga derby clash to leave Jose Mourinho’s side trailing leaders Barcelona by six points.
Dean Huijsen was sent off early in the second half for Los Blancos on Sunday before Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David’s goals earned Diego Simeone’s Atletico victory, with Antonio Rudiger pulling one back late on.
Atletico rose to second, five points behind Barca and one ahead of Real Madrid, who chalked up a second defeat of the campaign.
The game hinged on Huijsen’s red card early in the second half, for pulling down Giuliano Simeone in the box which led to a penalty, tucked away by Grimaldo to set Atletico on their way.
Mourinho started with Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield over Bernardo Silva, opting for defensive clout over creativity.
There was more tension than footballing quality in the first half, with neither side capable of creating any clear chances.
The main talking point was an incident between Jude Bellingham and Atletico defender Cristian Romero.
The England international threw himself into a tackle and Romero trod on his leg, with Bellingham booked initially, but after a VAR review the referee removed the card and issued it to the Atletico man.
Madrid were also unhappy with a heavy tackle by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde which went unpunished just before half-time.
It was a scrappy battle, intense but lacking excitement comparative to the star power on the pitch, especially in Madrid’s front line, with Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Bellingham kept quiet.
The game burst into life early in the second half when Huijsen pulled back Giuliano Simeone’s arm as the forward ran through on goal and Atletico were awarded a penalty.
Huijsen was dismissed after a VAR review and Grimaldo beat Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from the penalty spot.
Mourinho reacted immediately by replacing the underwhelming Vinicius and Arda Guler and sending on club record signing Yan Diomande and Rudiger.
It was Atletico who struck next, though, with Canada international David tucking away Giuliano Simeone’s raking low cross on 59 minutes for his third goal in three matches.
The hosts came close to getting a third but Courtois made an excellent save to deny Julian Alvarez and Ibrahima Konate reacted brilliantly to head Grimaldo’s effort from the rebound off the line.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved from Diomande and Bellingham rowed with Giuliano Simeone as Madrid’s frustrations showed, impotent to change the course of the game.
Madrid pulled a goal back in the final stages with Rudiger heading Bernardo Silva’s cross past Oblak. However, it was too little too late for Mourinho’s side.
The derby carries particular significance because of Real’s recent difficulties at the Metropolitano, where they have won only two of their past 11 away matches, with the last in La Liga four years ago.
Atleti also won the corresponding derby last season 5-2 – a result that represented an early setback for Real’s previous project under Xabi Alonso.
This time, though, there is a different manager on the touchline.
Mourinho’s return this summer has brought a familiar emphasis on organisation and adaptability, but he insisted his tactical approach is dictated by the players available to him rather than a fixed philosophy.
“I’ve evolved alongside my players,” he said. “You have what you like and don’t like as a manager but then you have to work with the group of players you have.”
Simeone’s assessment of Real’s biggest weapon was clear.
“They’re better in transition than us,” said the Argentine, who has managed Atleti in over 800 games since taking charge in 2011.
He believes Real’s ability to turn winning the ball into instant attacking opportunities will be one of the key tactical elements in the game.
“When there’s a loss of possession, they look for [Kylian] Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, they play to that strength,” added Simeone.
“We have to read the game well and not allow any turnovers, so we don’t allow them to use those transitions.”
It is a warning that carries weight given the attacking options and speed available to Mourinho.
France striker Mbappe remains the focal point, while Vinicius Jr provides another route into space.
Real also have the quality to change the game from the bench, something the 21-year-old Espi has already demonstrated since his summer arrival from Levante.
Who: Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid What: La Liga Where: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain When: Sunday, September 20, at 4:15pm (14:15 GMT) How to follow:Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up from 11:15 GMT before our live text commentary stream
Atletico host bitter city rivals Real for the Madrid derby as both sides look to keep up with early La Liga pacesetters Barcelona.
Madrid trail unbeaten champions Barcelona at the top of the table by three points, with Atletico third.
Atletico have bounced back from back-to-back defeats to Bilbao and Liverpool earlier in September, beating Real Sociedad 3-0 and Osasuna 4-0 in their last two games.
Real come into the game in decent form under boss Jose Mourinho but have had wobbles this month, with a defeat to Betis and scoring late to beat bottom club Elche after squandering a two-goal lead.
Improving Atletico cruise to win over Osasuna
Atletico Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 on Wednesday to build some form in the run-up to Sunday’s derby clash against rivals Real Madrid.
Jonathan David, Lee Kang-in, Robin Le Normand and Alex Baena’s goals helped Diego Simeone’s side cruise to a comfortable home victory.
They were without injured striker Julian Alvarez, but it did not matter after they secured a second straight win to cut the gap on top two Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The comfortable victory was important for an Atletico side with lots of new faces still bedding in, after two defeats in their three matches prior.
“We controlled it in the first half even though we weren’t clinical,” said coach Diego Simeone. “We were clinical in the second half and controlled the game.”
Atletico Madrid’s Alex Baena runs with the ball during the win over Osasuna at the Metropolitano Stadium [Oscar del Pozo/AFP]
Mourinho rues lack of game control
Real Madrid squandered a two-goal lead before substitute Carlos Espi struck in stoppage time to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory at Elche in La Liga on Tuesday.
Real went 2-0 up inside 33 minutes through a Matias Dituro own goal and Kylian Mbappe, but second-half strikes from Abiel Osorio and Fer Nino hauled Elche level before Espi restored the visitors’ lead in the 91st minute.
It was the second time in six league matches that the 21-year-old Espi had come off the bench to score a late winner, although Mourinho remained concerned by Real’s failure to control the second half in advance of Sunday’s derby against Atletico Madrid.
“The problem seems obvious to me. It’s harder to know why, but it’s easy to understand that there are matches that seem over and, in the end, aren’t,” said Mourinho.
“[There are] matches where we have three, four, five chances to finish them and don’t,” he said at the pre-match news conference.
“After failing to do so, it feels like we go from ease, because it seemed easy, to losing control.”
Mourinho said his team’s defensive issues were of concern.
“Not just for Sunday’s match, but for every match. I like my team to score goals … but I also like controlling matches,” explained Mourinho.
“I don’t like gifting control. It’s not about the goals, it’s about giving away control of the match.”
Mourinho’s side gave him a fright during their win over Elche [Alberto Saiz/AP Photo]
Prediction
The Opta supercomputer has made Real Madrid the favourites, with a win probability of 46.6 percent. Atletico were given a 28.3 percent chance of winning, while a draw was estimated at a 25.1 percent likelihood.
Head-to-head
The rivals have faced each other on 243 occasions; Real Madrid won 125 games, Atletico won 60, while 58 matches ended as draws.
Last five encounters:
March 22, 2026: Real Madrid 3-2 Atletico (La Liga)
January 8, 2026: Atletico 1-2 Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup semifinal)
September 27, 2025: Atletico 5-2 Real Madrid (La Liga)
March 12, 2025: Atletico 1-0 Real Madrid (Champions League last 16, second leg)
March 4, 2025: Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico (Champions League last 16, first leg)
What happened the last time the two clubs played each other?
Vinicius Jr scored twice as Real Madrid fought back to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu in a breathless Spanish capital derby in March.
Atletico’s Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, finishing a slick counterattack involving Matteo Ruggeri and a delightful back-heel from Giuliano Simeone.
Vinicius equalised from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute, after David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Diaz, and Federico Valverde capitalised on a Jose Maria Gimenez error three minutes later to make it 2-1 to Real.
Nahuel Molina silenced Real’s Bernabeu stadium with a thunderous 30-metre strike in the 66th minute, but Vinicius restored Real’s lead with a cracking solo effort six minutes later.
Vinicius Jr celebrates scoring his team’s winner [Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images]
What happened in the corresponding fixture last season?
Julian Alvarez scored twice as Atletico Madrid came from behind to thrash city rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a pulsating derby in September 2025.
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 Guler 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 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 scores Atletico’s third from the spot [Angel Martinez/Getty Images]
Atletico Madrid’s team news
Alvarez, Pablo Barrios, and Sorloth are doubts, as all three are struggling with muscle issues.
Jonathan David is likely to continue up front if Alvarez is absent or starts on the bench.
Real Madrid stars including Kylian Mbappe rolled up T-shirts showing support for Ceuta, but President trip ‘unrelated’.
Published On 18 Sep 202618 Sep 2026
Real Madrid President Florentino Perez attended an event at Ceuta city hall on Friday in a visit to show solidarity with the Spanish territory, saying that it was not related to any recent developments.
On Tuesday, before Real’s La Liga match with Elche, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Ibrahima Konate obscured the message “We are all mackerels”, which appeared on T-shirts worn by the rest of the players. “Mackerels” is a nickname for people from Ceuta, and the shirts were designed to show support for them.
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Mbappe said on Wednesday that he did not want to prioritise the suffering of one group over another. Real told the news agency Reuters that they respected their players’ freedom to make their own decisions, but noted that they had shown support for Ceuta a week earlier with a tifo during their Champions League match with Inter Milan.
Perez was accompanied by honorary Real Madrid President Jose Martinez Pirri, a native of Ceuta. They were welcomed by Regional President Juan Jesus Vivas.
“I want to emphasise, to avoid any doubts, that today’s event has been prepared over several weeks with the president of Ceuta, not due to any recent news,” Perez said at the city hall.
“And I also take this opportunity to convey all our support, all our affection, and our solidarity during these very difficult times to all Ceutans. It is our wish that normality resumes as soon as possible in Ceuta.”
In July, more than 70,000 irregular crossings into Ceuta from Morocco took place, causing disruption in the territory. Real Madrid’s show of solidarity is one of many gestures that have taken place across Spain since the mass crossings.
MADRID: Carlos Espí scored in stoppage time after a nifty move by Jude Bellingham and an assist by Kylian Mbappé to help Real Madrid salvage a 3-2 win at Elche in the Spanish league after it relinquished a two-goal lead on Tuesday.
Bellingham used a neat long touch to get past an opponent near midfield and fed Mbappé in a breakaway into the area, and the France star quickly set up Espí’s close-range score to give Madrid the victory and move the Spanish powerhouse even on points with Barcelona. The defending champion can regain the lead when it hosts promoted Racing Santander on Wednesday.
“We went from having it easy to losing control,” Real Madrid coach José Mourinho said. “But in the difficulty of the moment, facing the pressure of losing points, the team reacted and won the match, which in the end is the most important thing. The good thing is that nobody gets bored when Real Madrid plays. The games are always fun.”
Madrid had taken the lead against Elche with an own-goal by goalkeeper Matías Dituro in the 25th after the ball ricocheted off him following a well-struck free kick taken by Arda Guler. Mbappé added to the lead by scoring from close range after an assist by Yan Diomande in the 33rd.
Abiel Osorio pulled the hosts closer with a header in the 71st and Fer Niño netted the equalizer in the 83rd.
There was a bit of a scare immediately after Mbappé scored as he stayed on the ground in visible pain, but he eventually returned to the field after being attended by Madrid doctors.
The goal moved him to seven goals in six league matches, one goal more than Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Sergio Camello and Roberto Fernández.
Mbappé had scored a brace in Madrid’s 4-1 win against Rayo Vallecano in the previous round.
He had a goal disallowed for offside just before halftime on Tuesday.
Bellingham came into the match by replacing Guler in the 68th.
Madrid’s only league setback this season was at Real Betis two rounds ago.
Mbappé and Vinícius avoid T-shirt
Players from both clubs wore t-shirts showing words of support for Ceuta as they came onto the field before the match. But Madrid players Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Ibrahima Konaté wore the shirt only halfway down their chest, without pulling them down, and obscuring some of the words on it. Mbappé and Vinícius removed their shirts before they saluted the other players and the referees.
They had not immediately explained why they did that.
In July, tens of thousands of migrants breached the frontier between Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta and neighboring Morocco.
Valencia wins after shake-up
Valencia won 1-0 at Alaves to end a four-game losing streak and a winless start to the season.
The string of poor results had led to the firing of coach Carlos Corberán and soccer CEO Ron Gourlay this weekend. It then appointed Braulio Vázquez as its new sporting director and named B-team coach Óscar Sánchez as an interim manager.
Luis Rioja scored a 78th-minute winner for Valencia, which had been outscored 10-1 so far.
Valencia fans had been protesting and called players “mercenaries” after the 5-0 home loss to Barcelona. They have long called for the exit of owner Peter Lim.
Rayo Vallecano triumphs in Butarque again
Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol 2-1 with first-half goals by Álvaro García and Adria Pedrosa in what may have been its last match before returning home to Vallecas Stadium.
It was Rayo’s third home game played at Butarque Stadium — which belongs to second-tier club Leganes — because of unsafe conditions at Vallecas. It also beat Racing Santander 3-2 and drew Alaves 1-1 at Butarque.
Roberto Fernández scored for Espanyol in the second half for his sixth goal in six matches.
MADRID: Kylian Mbappe struck twice to help Real Madrid smash Rayo Vallecano 4-1 on Saturday to pull level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Jose Mourinho’s side got back to winning ways after a defeat by Real Betis in their previous top-flight outing, with a convincing victory against neighbours Rayo.
Jude Bellingham and Alvaro Carreras were also on target for Real Madrid, while Sergio Camello pulled one back for the visitors early in the second half.
Champions Barcelona visit Levante on Sunday looking to extend their 100 percent start to the campaign and restore their lead on Madrid.
Mourinho’s side took a commanding three-goal lead against Rayo by half-time.
“(It was) fundamental to win, above all after losing the last game in La Liga,” Mourinho told Real Madrid TV.
“We killed the game in the first half — that’s not easy, working like we did after the Champions League game, not just physically, but mentally.”
Los Blancos took the lead from the penalty spot in the 14th minute after Florian Lejeune clumsily felled Carreras. Mbappe sent Rayo goalkeeper Emil Audero the wrong way.
The French forward helped create the second, after Lejeune gave the ball away under pressure from Vinicius Junior. Carreras exchanged passes with Mbappe and drilled home.
Handed a first start for Madrid, the club’s record signing Yan Diomande cut inside from the right flank with a rapid dribble that left Rayo’s defence scrambling but lashed his shot high and wide.
Bellingham notched Madrid’s third goal and his third of the season after Vinicius charged down the left and cut the ball back for the England international, who has started the season in top form.
Mourinho defended Vinicius in midweek after some Madrid supporters whistled him in the Champions League win over Inter Milan.
Mbappe powered a strike from distance against the post as Madrid sought a fourth, while Pedro Diaz forced a rare save from Thibaut Courtois at the other end, the Belgian with a strong hand to push away his effort.
Diaz hit the post early in the second half as Rayo tried to find a foothold at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Golden ambitions
Mbappe, who stated his case for why he should win the Ballon d’Or this week, almost added a second with a low drive.
Rayo pulled one back in the 51st minute when Vinicius gave the ball away to Camello under pressure and the forward poked past Courtois.
It was the Spanish forward’s sixth goal of the campaign, making him joint-top scorer with Barcelona’s Raphinha and Mbappe.
Benat San Jose’s side, 15th, had further chances to score but Courtois pushed out Giorgi Tsitaishvili’s drive and an effort from Lejeune.
Mourinho brought on Turkish midfielder Arda Guler to help regain some control.
“Arda is very good, he’s got a lot of quality, he influences the team’s play in a good way and today he made a difference in terms of the stability of the game,” said Mourinho.
Guler helped create Madrid’s fourth for Mbappe in stoppage time, lethally finished low and across goal.
It was Mbappe’s seventh goal of the season across all competitions.
“Conceding the (early) penalty was a blow, then we had another mistake when bringing the ball out,” said Rayo coach San Jose.
“I think we could have scored in the first half too, but it’s true that they were better…
“We have to congratulate Madrid, but I’m proud of the players because the second half was much better.”
On Tuesday Real Madrid travel to face Elche, while Rayo Vallecano host Espanyol.
Earlier on Saturday, Racing Santander defeated third-place Alaves 2-1, while Espanyol won 2-0 at Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 at home against Elche.
The world champion said: “I’m shocked. I’m a little bit surprised to be here. It was probably one of the best laps I’ve done ever in my career.
“One of those laps when everything came together. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, it was whether it came together but my brain let me do it almost perfect. It’s one of those laps when you look at the time and go: ‘Oh, that was pretty good.”
The session had started with predictions of a crash-fest, after drivers had been warning about the high-risk nature of the new Madring street circuit, with tricky entries to corners and walls coming back at the drivers on the exits.
Two red flags during final practice had led some teams to have private sweepstakes as to how many stoppages there would be in qualifying, but the session ran cleanly, with no incidents.
Pole looked to be a battle between Antonelli and the Ferraris, with Verstappen perhaps in the mix.
In the end, the Ferraris faded, as they so often have this year when it really matters, and Norris rose to the front with a breathtaking performance.
“The adrenaline was high on the last lap,” he said. “You have to relax and let it all flow.
“It’s easy to get tense around here. There’s a lot of walls that come at you pretty quickly. I have been feeling pretty good, I just wasn’t relaxed.
“I was pretty much perfect apart from the last corner, where I thought I was in the wall. Everything I wanted to achieve I achieved and it’s one of those moments when I was in that flow state.”
Hamilton, who had crashed at the final corner in practice and missed the final half of the session, did improve on his last lap, but only by 0.06secs and it was not enough to prevent him falling backwards.
He edged Leclerc by just 0.006secs as Ferrari rued yet another tantalising chance slipping through their fingers.
Hamilton said: “I felt pretty awesome in Q3 run one, and then just didn’t have any more grip or power in the last one.”
Harry Styles isn’t ready to end his Together Together tour just quite yet.
The three-time Grammy winner and One Direction alum announced on Thursday that he will extend his tour well into 2027. The newest leg will include additional stops across several locations including Los Angeles, where he will take over the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on April 23 and 24 with some assistance from Kylie Minogue.
Styles begins his tour extension in April with Tinashe in Phoenix before later hitting the road with additional guests including LCD Soundsystem, the Womack Sisters and Caroline Polachek. His stateside shows include stops in Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago. The “As It Was” and “Watermelon Sugar” singer will also take his music back across the Atlantic for concerts in Berlin, Paris, Madrid and London, where he will close out the tour in late August.
The 32-year-old musician launched his Together Together tour in May and is currently in the second month of his marathon 30-night residency at Madison Square Garden. He obviously knows a thing or two about going the distance.
Styles announced his Together Together tour in January, with some help from NBC’s Steve Kornacki, ahead of the release of his latest album “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” This year’s album marked Styles’ fourth solo release, following 2022’s “Harry’s House,” which earned the singer two Grammy awards including album of the year in 2023.
The sheer ferocity of the strike to beat Jan Oblak was one thing, but the raw emotion shown by Alexis Mac Allister as he grabbed the Liverpool badge on his shirt and celebrated in front of the Kop told you all that you needed to know.
The Argentine, who is currently contracted until 2028, spoke passionately about his love for the club and the city and how he didn’t feel like he had anything to prove – but there was an admittance that he needed to show the level he knew he could perform at.
Thankfully for Andoni Iraola and Liverpool, Mac Allister did just that by letting his football do the talking in their 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid.
From the outset against Diego Simeone’s side, the midfielder seemed like a man on a mission. He blazed over early on from outside the box then picked up a booking just before the half-hour mark. Seeing Simeone wave an imaginary yellow card when he wanted a second booking for his compatriot just before half-time told a story in itself.
Simeone could only watch on when Mac Allister’s left foot connected with the ball from outside the box and leave a diving Oblak with no chance – turning the game on its head after Marcos Llorente’s opening goal and Dominik Szoboszlai’s equaliser.
It wasn’t quite like the strike that produced an actual seismic event – reaching a peak magnitude of 1.74 on the Richter scale – when Mac Allister found the top corner against Tottenham in 2025 on the day Liverpool won the Premier League, but it was more than good enough to beat one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Who: Real Madrid vs Inter Milan What: Champions League league phase Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain When: Tuesday, September 8, at 9pm (19:00 GMT) How to follow:Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up from 16:00 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream
When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan for Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, after leading the Italian outfit to Champions League glory, he was at the peak of his powers.
The Portuguese coach claimed an historic treble with Inter, clinching Serie A in the last week of the season and lifting the Coppa Italia.
Inter beat Bayern 2-0 in the Champions League final at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, winning the trophy for the first time since 1965 and becoming the first Italian team to win the treble.
The day after the final Mourinho said it was likely his last match in charge and about a week later his appointment at Real Madrid was finalised.
Now 16 years on, and beginning his second stint at Madrid, Mourinho kicks off the record 15-time Champions League winners’ European campaign against Serie A champions Inter on Tuesday at the Bernabeu.
Mourinho denies feeling pressure to lift Champions League
The Champions League is the only trophy that evaded Mourinho during his first stint at Real Madrid.
“No, it is two different spells,” he said when asked at a pre-match news conference if he was in debt to the club. “When I left in 2013, we won what we won and lost what we lost and we gave it our all. And that was that. What I need to do now has nothing to do with the past.”
“Back in 2010, we weren’t even reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League and it had been ages since we’d played in a semifinal. Now we’ve won six Champions Leagues in a little over a decade.”
All eyes will be on how Real respond to their first setback of Mourinho’s second spell – a 1-0 defeat by Real Betis in La Liga on Friday.
“We want to win every match, every competition,” he said. But you have to work to accomplish stability. Stability. Stability … Structure …
“So Real Madrid need to reach that stability that is so important to achieve something great. But Real Madrid are Real Madrid, you need to win here no matter what.”
‘We all need to improve’
Sitting alongside Mourinho, star striker Kylian Mbappe was asked several times about his relationship with Vinicius Jr and the atmosphere in the Real dressing room.
“What does an improvement in the dressing room mean?” Mbappe said when asked if there had been a change from last year.
“Do you have the feeling that something wasn’t right last year? No, it’s the same as last year. It’s true we have a different coach, but it’s the same.”
Mbappe acknowledged his side have to improve in front of goal.
“I could say that I score more goals than some PSG players so they need to score more, but I have to be smart and acknowledge that I need to improve too, even if I do certain things that others don’t,” he said.
“It’s an endless debate. We all need to improve [in front of goal], and also with the ball.”
Mbappe after his penalty is saved by Betis keeper Alvaro Valles on Friday [Marcelo Del Pozo/Reuters]
What happened in Madrid’s last match?
Mbappe missed a late penalty as Troy Parrott scored his first goal for Real Betis in their 1-0 win on Friday, ending Mourinho’s perfect start to the La Liga season.
Madrid had won each of their first three matches under Mourinho in his second spell in charge, but Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles denied Mbappe from the spot deep into stoppage time to seal a memorable victory at La Cartuja.
Vinicius Junior hit the post in the first half from Arda Guler’s pass across the face of goal, with Mbappe foiled twice by heroic blocks from Natan Bernardo de Souza and Marc Bartra.
As Madrid struggled to break Betis down, the hosts took a surprise lead nine minutes from time when Parrott fired home the rebound after Thibaut Courtois had produced a fine save to deny Nelson Deossa’s header.
What happened in Inter’s last match?
A last-gasp winner from Lautaro Martinez sealed a breathless win for Inter as the Serie A champions fought back from two goals down to edge visiting Napoli 3-2 on Saturday.
The game exploded in the second half when Matteo Politano guided home a shot in the 50th minute before Rasmus Hojlund’s curler doubled the Napoli lead three minutes later.
Inter responded almost immediately when Martinez hammered in his first goal of the season from a Dimarco cross. Substitute Marcus Thuram came agonisingly close to a leveller when he headed off the post.
The France international would not be denied twice, though, and smashed a towering header past Alex Meret in the 82nd minute to level the scores.
Chances fell at both ends before Martinez’s penalty box instincts proved decisive in the 91st minute as Napoli failed to clear in a goalmouth scramble and the Argentina striker pounced to settle an extraordinary match.
Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez scoring his team’s winner against Napoli on Saturday [Isabella Bonotto/AFP]
Prediction
The Opta supercomputer makes Real Madrid the favourites, with a win probability of 56 percent. Inter given a 22.3 percent chance of winning.
Head-to-head
They have faced each other on 19 occasions; Madrid won 10 games, Inter won seven, and two ended as draws.
Somewhat surprisingly, Inter have not beaten Real Madrid since 1998, a game in which the great Roberto Baggio scored a brace for the Italians.
Last five encounters:
December 07, 2021: Real Madrid 2-0 Inter Milan (Champions League)
September 15, 2021: Inter Milan 0-1 Real Madrid (Champions League)
November 25, 2020: Inter Milan 0-2 Real Madrid (Champions League)
November 03, 2020: Real Madrid 3-2 Inter Milan (Champions League)
November 25, 1998: Inter Milan 3-1 Real Madrid (Champions League)
Real Madrid’s team news
Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva will all miss the game due to suspensions carried over from last season.
Madrid also have a host of injuries to contend with as Eder Militao, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Raul Asencio are all ruled out.
Aurelien Tchouameni, Thiago Pitarch, Endrick and Marc Cucurella face late fitness tests as they struggle to recover from injuries, but all are reportedly back in training.
Left-back Federico Dimarco is unavailable due to a knee injury, while new signing Djed Spence is still working his way back to full fitness after an undisclosed injury and is unlikely to feature.
