Julián Álvarez double seals 2-1 win for 10-man AtlétiBologna 2-1 Dortmund, Red Star 2-3 PSV Eindhoven Atlético Madrid fought back from a goal and a man down to rescue a dramatic 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday. The hosts played more than an hour with a 10 men after midfielder Pablo Barrios was shown a straight red card for a reckless studs-up tackle from behind on Jeremie Frimpong in the 24th minute. Jan Oblak made a string of saves but the Germans broke the deadlock just before the break with a headed goal by Piero Hincapié. Continue reading...

They were 95 minutes into the battle that been built as the clash that would decide the title, the final seconds slipping away, when a man who looks for all the world like a norse warrior delivered the decisive blow. Atlético Madrid had suffered, they had resisted and, in truth, they had probably longed for that final whistle to go, and then suddenly Alex Sørloth thumped in another late winner. In doing so he sent Atlético Madrid top the table at Christmas and their coach, staff and subs sprinting onto the pitch. Barcelona’s fans meanwhile turned and headed straight for the exit, unable to believe what had just happened. What had happened was this: on a night when they had more than enough chances to win it, including deep into added time, in which Jan Oblak, the goalkeeper had been the best player on the pitch, with Pedri, they had somehow been beaten. It is the first time they have ever fallen at the hands of a Diego Simeone led Atlético team and it hurt. Continue reading...

Midfielder is the first Englishman to score for the club in 101 years but that is only part of the reason why he is admired The first Englishman to score for Atlético Madrid in 101 years was “buzzing” on Sunday night, supporters singing his name and his coach calling him the player they needed. “It was really special,” Conor Gallagher said after his first start at the Metropolitano, where 61,752 fans who are now his fans watched him guide the ball past Giorgi Mamardashvili to set Atlético on course for a 3-0 victory against Valencia. Thousands more watching on TV voted him La Liga’s man of the match. “He’s going to be good for us,” the goalkeeper Jan Oblak said, speaking for everyone. “He makes us better,” Diego Simeone said. Gallagher completed a neat move five minutes before half-time, slipping into the area and collecting Rodrigo De Paul’s gorgeous ball through Cristhian Mosquera’s legs to deliver a smooth finish. In his third game since a €42m (£35.5m) move from Chelsea that was done, undone and then done again, he had his first goal. No Englishman had scored for Atlético since someone called Drinkwater, whose first name time forgot, hit three against Ferroviária in the semi-final of the Copa Federación Centro in 1923. Only Kieran Trippier had played for them since, and didn’t score. He did, though, win the league. Continue reading...

Jan Oblak saved penalty from Portugal captainDiogo Costa saved all three of Slovenia’s penalties Roberto Martínez spoke at his pride of Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal captain displayed enormous mettle to take the first spot-kick in a penalty shootout about 15 minutes after crying having seen his extra-time effort from 12 yards saved by Jan Oblak. The Portugal manager said the 39-year-old offers a shining example of the resilience required at the elite level and insisted he was adamant Ronaldo would lead his side to victory to tee up a quarter-final against France. Ronaldo scored Portugal’s first spot-kick after Diogo Costa saved Slovenia’s opening effort, from Josip Ilicic, and the Portugal goalkeeper went on to save all three of the opposition’s penalties. Afterwards Ronaldo said “sadness at the start is joy at the end” and praised Costa. “Portugal deserved it because we had more authority,” Ronaldo said. “Slovenia spent almost the entire game defending ... it’s very difficult and the whole team is to be congratulated, especially our goalkeeper.” Continue reading...

Decision on RB Leipzig player to be made after trainingManager Matjaz Kek says match is ‘biggest challenge’ Slovenia will make a late call on the fitness of the striker Benjamin Sesko before their Group C decider with England. The RB Leipzig player has been on an individual training regime since Slovenia’s last match against Serbia, and the manager, Matjaz Kek, says he will make his decision after a final training session on Tuesday. Continue reading...

This result may help everyone and no one but, at the end, it had the feeling of a resounding win for Serbia. They were heading to defeat and likely elimination, the referee Istvan Kovacs checking his watch one last time, when they won a corner after desperately loading the box. Up came their goalkeeper, Predrag Rajkovic, and perhaps his presence was a crucial distraction for a hitherto tight Slovenia back line. Ivan Ilic’s delivery sailed over his head and was met by Luka Jovic, the substitute, whose header flashed past Jan Oblak. Pandemonium ensued and there was no time for the game to restart. Slovenia’s players sank to the floor. They would surely have qualified for the round of 16 if the right-back Zan Karnicnik’s 69th-minute goal had been the winner, and would have deserved to. Now they must, at the barest minimum, draw against England and hope. Serbia’s lifeline still means only a win against Denmark will do, but this shift in momentum may work wonders for their campaign. Continue reading...

Matjaz Kek’s side are underdogs in Group C but they will be competitive and can cause a surprise or two This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. Continue reading...

The last-16 wrapped up with outstanding performances in Arsenal’s midfield, Dortmund’s attack and a standout night from a fortysomething This week saw the Champions League’s trademark intrigue, with two penalty shootouts and two other matches that were by no means foregone conclusions until the last moments. The team below is a 4-3-3 in a week where full-backs and wingers shone. Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak, Atlético Madrid. After a wait that stretched back to 2016, we had two penalty shootouts, and the chance for four goalkeepers to be heroes. Two keepers made two penalty saves, and David Raya took the plaudits as Arsenal celebrated beating Porto. But for Champions League legacy, Oblak takes the cake. In psyching out Inter’s takers, the Slovenian came through a third shootout win, a record for the competition. Alexis Sánchez was the first save, then came Davy Klaassen, before Lautaro Martínez chose the Chris Waddle 1990 technique, having been spooked out by a keeper who remains one of the very, very best. Continue reading...

“Ad augusta per angusta,” the banner the stretched across the south stand of the Metropolitano said. Through difficulty to honour, it means, and that was right. It had been long, and it had been wild, and it had torn at all their nerves, but in the end, it had been glorious, an occasion for the ages. For the first time in 2024 Internazionale did not win a football match and it cost them: at 23.43pm local time, Lautaro Martínez of all people sent the final penalty of a shootout high into the stand and this place exploded once more. Last year’s Champions League finalists are out; Atlético Madrid are through, Memphis Depay dragging them into extra time with a late goal and an almost superhuman display and then Jan Oblak flying to save two penalties in the shootout, elation just about eclipsing the exhaustion here. A 1-0 first-leg defeat had been overturned. So had a first goal conceded in the second. Atlético had done it. Continue reading...