Atletico Madrid right back Juanfran has thanked fans for the support he received following his penalty shootout miss in Saturday's Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid. The defender's effort rebounded off the post before Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning spot kick to hand Real their 11th European Cup in Milan. Spain international Juanfran was in tears and did not speak to the media after the match but on Monday he wrote a letter on the club's official website. "I will never forget your displays of affection when I came to ask for your forgiveness," he said. "Seeing my tears reflected in the faces of the thousands of Atleticos that packed that end of the stadium helped me cope with the tremendous sadness I felt in those hard times."
Ronaldo will be free to face Ajax Amsterdam in the quarter-finals on April 10
Defender Filipe Luis has rejoined Atletico Madrid from Chelsea in a reported 16 million euro ($17.66 million) deal, the Spanish club said.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld insists his run to the Champions League final with Atletico Madrid two years ago proves that underdogs can compete with Europe's elite and win the competition.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
A Neymar double, a spectacular volley from Luis Suarez and a goal for Lionel Messi saw top of the table Barcelona's unstoppable strike force sweep aside Real Sociedad 4-0 in La Liga on Saturday.
Diego Simeone has opened the door to the possibility of leaving Atletico Madrid in the next two years after announcing on Friday that he had reduced his contractual commitment from 2020 to 2018.
Chelsea have signed Spain World Cup striker Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid, the Stamford Bridge club said in a statement on Tuesday.
An early goal from Pablo Sarabia earned Spain a 1-0 win in Switzerland on Thursday, their first victory of this year's UEFA Nations League.
Cristiano Ronaldo was singled out by Atletico Madrid fans on Wednesday as Juventus lost 2-0 in the Champions League last 16 but the former Real Madrid forward was quick to point out his stellar record in the competition.
Barcelona suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Granada on Thursday, conceding two second-half goals to blow the chance of moving top of La Liga.
'The decision to let me leave was something that not only (Lionel) Messi didn't understand, but many Barcelona fans didn't, either.'
Paris St Germain will play Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona were pitted against an unpredictable Napoli, while Chelsea were drawn against Bayern Munich. City, who will be at home in the second leg, have yet to beat the Spanish side with two draws and two defeats in their previous four meetings.
Shakespeare assumed a caretaker role in February after Claudio Ranieri, who led Leicester to a stunning Premier League title triumph in 2015-16, was dismissed with the club mired in relegation trouble.
Barcelona announced the signing of Griezmann this month for 120 million euros
Sevilla became surprise Liga leaders on Sunday after beating visiting Celta Viga 2-1 while champions Barcelona drew 1-1 at Valencia thanks to another Lionel Messi strike but are still without a victory in their last four league games.
The Champions League will resume in August after being halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a 'Final Eight' tournament being held in Lisbon after the remaining second-leg games from the last 16 ties are decided.
Arsenal named a strong side captained by Mesut Ozil while Real had Bale on the bench and Eden Hazard, wearing the number 50 shirt, starting alongside fellow new signing Luka Jovic in attack.
Lionel Messi created a goal and scored another as Barcelona came from behind to beat struggling Rayo Vallecano 3-1 at home on Saturday and stay seven points clear at the top of La Liga.
Paco Alcacer enjoyed a rare outing for Barcelona by scoring twice in the club's 2-1 La Liga win over Sevilla at the Nou Camp on Saturday.
Real Madrid will be targeting a sixth consecutive victory since the COVID-19 hiatus when they host Getafe, looking to capitalise on Barca's 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Sevilla scrambled to the top of La Liga with a scrappy 1-0 win at home to Real Valladolid, on Sunday, moving one point clear of champions Barcelona at the summit.
Having won eight of the past 12 league titles coming into this campaign, where has it gone so wrong for Barcelona?
The Brazilian scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid that sent Real Madrid to the top of the Primera Liga.
Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi scored stunning goals to edge Barcelona towards a fourth consecutive King's Cup final with a 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, although the holders were lucky to survive a late onslaught from the hosts.
Five images from last week's action in Europe for you to savour.
La Liga players dominate this year's Best Player in Europe shortlist, announced by the continent's governing body UEFA on Monday, with seven of the top 10 contenders for the prestigious award currently plying their trade in Spain.
First meets second as Barcelona host Atletico Madrid on Saturday looking to tighten their grip on the La Liga title race. The sides are level on 48 points at the top of the table, but Barca have a game in hand on Atletico and can take a huge step towards a fifth title in seven years with an eighth consecutive win in all competitions. Indeed, Luis Enrique's men remain on course for a repeat of the treble of La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey they won last season after progressing to the semi-finals of the Cup with a come from behind 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in midweek. Yet, the European champions have been far from their best in the past week as they were outplayed by Malaga and Bilbao in the first-half before being salvaged by individual moments of magic after the break. "We are aware of the errors we need to correct," said Luis Suarez after taking his tally for the season already to 30 with the equalizer against Bilbao.
The toughness and guile that made Diego Simeone a great player has been there for all to see in his time as manager of Atletico Madrid, and the Argentinian marks his 300th game at the club with a major challenge on Sunday against Barcelona.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Spanish footballer Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic accident, aged 35, his former club Sevilla said.
Zidane ruled out following in the footsteps of Alex Ferguson, who spent 26 years in charge of Manchester United.
Chelsea reached the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate win against Galatasaray on Tuesday, with Real Madrid joining them in the last eight after thrashing Schalke 04 9-2 over two legs of their last-16 tie.
IMAGES from soccer matches played across Europe on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Coach Diego Simeone goes home 'content' after his team's 1-0 loss in their Champions League match on Wednesday
Before Leicester enchanted the sporting world last year with their miraculous Premier League title win, Atletico had worked similar wonders in 2014 by breaking the strangehold of Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga.
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce reckons Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone would be labelled boring for his defence-oriented style if the Argentine were managing a Premier League club.
The league, which was announced on Sunday with 12 founding members, has been championed by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the new competition's chairman. It is now left with three Italian clubs -- AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan -- plus Perez's Real Madrid along with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from Spain.
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