Declan Rice scored a late equaliser for Arsenal in a 2-2 Champions League draw against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Real Madrid secured a dominant 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig, largely due to Thibaut Courtois's saves. Manchester United suffered a bruising 4-1 defeat to Como, with Nico Paz starring for the Italian side. Other European matches saw Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Aston Villa, Real Betis, and LASK secure wins.
Atletico Madrid defeated 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 in a heated LaLiga derby at the Metropolitano. Goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David secured the win, moving Atletico above Real in the standings. Real's Dean Huijsen was sent off, and Antonio Ruediger scored a late consolation goal.
Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Aston Villa, and AEK Athens all secured victories in their opening Champions League matches.
Barcelona secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Getafe, extending their perfect LaLiga start and maintaining a five-point lead. Real Madrid also won 1-0 against Villarreal, despite Vinicius Jr receiving a red card, keeping them six points behind their arch-rivals.
Kylian Mbappe scored two goals, including a penalty, as Real Madrid secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga, moving them level on points with leaders Barcelona.
Real Madrid's flawless start to the LaLiga season concluded with a 1-0 defeat against Real Betis. Substitute Troy Parrott scored the decisive goal, and goalkeeper Alvaro Valles saved a late penalty from Kylian Mbappe, securing a significant victory for Betis. Madrid manager Jose Mourinho expressed pride in his team's performance despite the loss.
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was seen consoling his replacement Senne Lammens, who was blamed for Spain's late winner in the FIFA World Cup quarter-final match on Friday.
Kylian Mbappe scored a sensational hat-trick, leading Real Madrid to a commanding 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad in their first home LaLiga match of the season, marking a triumphant return for manager Jose Mourinho.
Thibaut Courtois, Belgium's goalkeeper, expresses confidence in his team's ability to surprise Spain in the upcoming World Cup quarter-final. Despite a shaky group stage, Belgium has shown improved form, and Courtois believes they have the qualities to challenge the European champions. He acknowledges Spain's strengths but highlights Belgium's potential for an upset, drawing on his personal experience playing in Spain.
Real Madrid continued their flawless start to the LaLiga season with a commanding 4-0 victory over promoted Malaga on Sunday.
Substitute Mikel Merino scored in the 88th minute after goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled Pau Cubars's long-range effort, restoring Spain's lead and putting the 2010 champions 2-1 ahead of Belgium.
Carlo Espi, a close-season signing, scored in the 90th minute to give Real Madrid a dramatic 2-1 victory over Espanyol in their LaLiga opener, securing three points for Jose Mourinho's returning side.
Former India captain Subrata Paul asserts that goalkeepers were instrumental in the success of teams at the recent FIFA World Cup, often outshining attacking players. He highlights specific goalkeepers like Vozinha, Unai Simon, Emiliano Martinez, and Thibaut Courtois for their exceptional performances and discusses the evolving role of modern goalkeepers in tactical play.
The United States' World Cup dreams came to a crashing halt in the last 16 against Belgium on Monday as Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in a 4-1 win, overshadowed by FIFA's controversial decision to suspend US forward Folarin Balogun's ban.
Youri Tielemans struck a 125th-minute penalty as Belgium rallied from two goals down and defeated Senegal 3-2 after extra time in their World Cup last 32 clash in Seattle on Wednesday to keep alive their title hopes that had looked dead and buried.
Former Arsenal manager and FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger has backed Kylian Mbappe's France to win the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, saying Spain are the only team capable of stopping the two-time champions because of their superior technical quality.
Mikel Merino, the Arsenal midfielder, has once again proven to be Spain's late-game hero, scoring an 88th-minute winner against Belgium to send his team into the World Cup semi-finals. This follows his stoppage-time goal against Portugal in the last 16. Merino attributes his consistent clutch performances to thorough preparation, embodying the collective spirit praised by coach Luis de la Fuente.
Belgium's dressing room erupted in celebration after their dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Senegal, with match-winner Youri Tielemans leading the festivities.
Belgium secured top spot in Group G and a place in the World Cup round of 32 after a dominant 5-1 victory over New Zealand.
Barca's capped a dominant La Liga campaign with a 2-0 win over Real Madrid to claim their 29th La Liga crown at the Camp Nou in Barcelona on Sunday.
Belgium drew 1-1 with Egypt in their World Cup opener after Romelu Lukaku's second-half introduction led to an own goal. Egypt had taken an early lead through Emam Ashour, and despite Belgium's numerous chances, they struggled to equalise until Lukaku's impact. Both coaches reflected on the match, with Belgium's coach highlighting the importance of their next game against Iran, and Egypt's coach feeling his side was closer to victory.
Vinicius Jr.'s goal secured a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid against Sevilla, while Kylian Mbappe returned to the starting lineup after a controversial omission. Barcelona also secured a win against Real Betis.
The official 26-man squads for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Real Madrid overcame an early deficit to defeat Benfica 2-1, securing a 3-1 aggregate victory and a place in the Champions League last 16.
Federico Valverde scores a hat-trick as Real Madrid defeats Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Osasuna defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in a LaLiga match, with goals from Ante Budimir and Raul Garcia del Haro. The loss gives Barcelona a chance to overtake Real Madrid in the title race.
Real Madrid booked a Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona after beating city rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Thursday.
Nico O'Reilly's opportunistic strike and Erling Haaland's penalty helped Manchester City to fight back to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a tense Champions League contest at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will not travel with Belgium for their Euro-2024 qualifier in Estonia on Tuesday as local media reported he is unhappy at being overlooked for the captaincy in this past weekend's 1-1 home draw with Austria.
An inspired Kylian Mbappe scored two fabulous goals to guide Real Madrid to a commanding 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, ending their three-game winless streak in LaLiga.
Vinicius Jr scored a sublime second-half winner as Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0 in their Champions League playoff first leg on Tuesday, which was halted for 11 match under FIFA's anti-racism protocol.
Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup after an intense 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in Sunday's final in Jeddah.
Real Madrid now have 45 points from 19 matches, second behind defending champions Barcelona.
Last year, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma finished 10th in the Ballon d'Or rankings after being named Man of the Match in Italy's victory against England after a penalty shootout in the European Championship final.
'We've hit rock bottom; we've been knocked out by a second division team.'
Real Madrid's struggles continued on Sunday as they battled to a 1-1 draw at Girona in LaLiga.
A penalty from Kylian Mbappe in the 10th minute of stoppage time rescued Real Madrid, giving them an agonising 2-1 victory over local rivals Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga.
'The only thing I can do is on the pitch -- to give my all. I won't always be technically perfect, but I will always give 100% for the team.'
Bayern Munich made it 16 wins from 16 games this season to underline their credentials as early Champions League favourites, beating holders Paris St Germain 2-1 away as Luis Diaz scored two goals and was shown a red card on Tuesday.
Real Madrid suffered a shock 2-0 loss and finished with nine men against Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Sunday.
