Atlético coach struggling to deal with last-gasp defeat that rocked their title bid just days after shootout loss in Europe There was a little swipe of Diego Simeone’s foot and the ball was in the net. As Conor Gallagher had dashed up the left and provided the pass, Atlético Madrid’s coach accompanied him from the other touchline. As Alex Sørloth provided the finish he did too, black dress shoe joining his striker’s red boot guiding the ball beyond Wojciech Szczesny. 10.32pm on a Sunday at the end of the hardest week and Atlético were 2-0 up against Barcelona, their world healing. The Metropol ..read more

Barcelona fought back from 2-0 down to top La Liga Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal also on target in victory Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win over La Liga title rivals Atlético Madrid in a pulsating clash on Sunday that took Hansi Flick’s side back to the top of the table. The hosts took the lead on the stroke of half-time through Julián Alvarez after Antoine Griezmann broke quickly and found Giuliano Simeone, who curled a precise pass for the former Manchester City forward to score his 11th league goal of the season ..read more

Milan enjoy thrilling 2-1 comeback against Como Bayern held to a 1-1 draw away to Union Berlin Kylian Mbappé scored twice to help Real Madrid fight back to beat Villarreal 2-1 and move top of La Liga overnight. The hosts opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Álex Baena’s corner was deflected by Aurélien Tchouaméni, allowing Juan Foyth to score from close range. Real Madrid levelled 10 minutes later when Mbappé pounced on Brahim Díaz’s blocked shot and the ball landed at his feet for a close-range finish ..read more

After his takeover in 2018, the early enthusiasm has long gone, and so mostly has he. Now he wants to get on his bike At the end of training on Friday, as Real Valladolid’s players left the annex next to the José Zorrilla stadium and headed off under grey skies, rain preparing to roll in, a surprise waited for them. It was the final session before the weekend their coach said would show what hopes they had, an opportunity not so much to save their season as still have one, and there was he was: the Original Ronaldo, in the flesh. He came to encourage them, he said, going round the dressing roo ..read more

Vinícius Júnior also scores in 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano Getafe’s late double stuns Atlético; Napoli beat Fiorentina Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior scored in the first half to give Real Madrid an easy 2-1 win over neighbours Rayo Vallecano on Sunday that helped them draw level at the top of the table in the battle to retain their La Liga crown. Only one point separates Spain’s three biggest clubs in one of the closest title races in recent years with Barcelona leading the pack on 57 points, ahead of second-placed Real on goal difference with Atlético Madrid in third on 56 points after a ..read more

Osasuna match postponed by death of Carles Miñarro Garcia Barcelona extend ‘heartfelt condolences’ to his family Barcelona called off their match against Osasuna on Saturday night after their first-team doctor, Carles Miñarro Garcia, died. The game was scheduled to start at 9pm local time but an announcement was made shortly beforehand. “FC Barcelona is deeply saddened to announce the passing of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia this evening,” the club statement said. “For this reason, the match between FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna has been postponed to a later date. The FC Barcelona bo ..read more

New Uefa figures show extent of Premier League power Report says Chelsea 2024 squad was most expensive ever The Premier League’s financial power continues to blow its European rivals out of the water, with combined revenues almost double those in Germany and Spain according to newly released figures from Uefa. In the latest evidence of England’s sizeable competitive advantage, Uefa’s annual European club finance and investment landscape report showed Premier League clubs reporting revenue of just over €7.1bn (£5.9bn) in the 2023 financial year. The top flight’s nearest competitors, La Liga a ..read more

The Real Sociedad and Spain goalkeeper on old teammates, new challenges and how Manchester United inspired him Sometimes it’s the detail that stays with you. Alex Remiro can’t remember the brand, but he can still see the colour, the way they looked, how much he liked them. “When I was a kid, if you became a goalkeeper it was because you were an Iker Casillas fan, because you were the biggest, or because no one else wanted to do it,” he says. Or because one day in Cascante, Navarre, a friend turns up with a pair of gloves: brand new, grey and very, very cool. “I was like: ‘Hey, let me have a go ..read more

Robert Lewandowski scores final goal in 4-0 victory 10-man Milan lose to 98th-minute Lazio penalty Barcelona returned to the top of the La Liga table with a comfortable 4-0 home victory over 10-man Real Sociedad on Sunday. Barça’s sixth straight league win moved them into first place with 57 points from 26 games, one ahead of Atlético Madrid. Real Madrid are third with 54 points after a 2-1 defeat at Real Betis on Saturday ..read more

Atlético 1-0 Athletic BilbaoReal Betis 2-1 Real Madrid Napoli 1-1 InterMourinho’s Turkish suspension halved Real Madrid stumbled in the three-way race for the La Liga title as Isco guided Real Betis to a 2-1 comeback win over the defending champions on Saturday, enabling Atlético Madrid to overtake their neighbours by winning the late kick-off against Real Betis. Atlético won thanks to a second-half strike from the substitute Julián Álvarez. Atletico came close to taking the lead in the first half through Alexander Sørloth, who missed a header from Antoine Griezmann’s pass. Álvarez, who came ..read more