Football

Atletico Madrid's hopes of recovering from their humiliating Champions League defeat were dashed by Luka Sucic's stunning strike, which earned Real Sociedad a 1-1 draw in La Liga on Sunday.Diego Simeone's team, still reeling from their 4-0 thrashing by Benfica midweek, took an early lead in San Sebastian through Julian Alvarez. However, their advantage proved short-lived as Sucic's long-range effort in the 84th minute secured a point for the home side.Atletico's draw leaves them third in the standings, level on points with Villarreal but seven behind leaders Barcelona. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, remain in 15th place."It's a bad feeling because we wanted to win the game," said Atletico defender Axel Witsel. "We let in a late goal and it hurts, we had a good game defensively... everyone was working hard. The goal we let in was a great strike but I think we could have avoided it."Former Manchester City striker Alvarez put Atletico ahead within the first minute after Antoine Griezmann backheeled the ball into his path. Griezmann, who recently retired from international duty with France, made his 400th appearance for the club.Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made a superb save to keep out Nayef Aguerd's close-range effort and also denied Takefusa Kubo. The visitors looked set to claim three points before Sucic's late intervention.Rodrigo de Paul gave the ball away cheaply in his own half and Sucic hit a first-time shot that spun over Oblak and into the net. Kubo fired narrowly off-target in the final minutes as the hosts tried to snatch all three points.

Julian Alvarez's late heroics secured a dramatic 1-0 victory for Atletico Madrid at Celta Vigo in La Liga on Thursday. Despite a lackluster performance, the Argentine substitute's 90th-minute strike snatched all three points for Diego Simeone's side.Atletico struggled to create chances in the first half, failing to register a single shot. Celta, on the other hand, threatened through Iago Aspas and Borja Iglesias, but Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak made crucial saves to keep the visitors level.Simeone introduced Alvarez in the second half, and the former Manchester City striker made an immediate impact. He stayed alert to prod home Antoine Griezmann's deep cross at the back post, securing a vital victory for Atletico."We didn't play well in attack in the first half," Simeone admitted. "The subs gave us a bit more creativity to be able to win the game."Earlier in the day, Ayoze Perez scored twice to lead Villarreal to a 2-1 win at Espanyol. The Spain international now has six goals this season, trailing only Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski in the scoring charts.Real Betis, however, could only manage a 1-1 draw at bottom-of-the-table Las Palmas. Barcelona remain top of the league after their 1-0 win over Getafe on Wednesday, with Real Madrid second following their 3-2 victory against Alaves on Tuesday.

Julian Alvarez, the Argentine forward who has enjoyed a meteoric rise since joining Manchester City in 2022, is reportedly set to depart the English champions for Atletico Madrid in a deal worth up to 95 million euros.Alvarez, 24, joined City from River Plate for a mere £14 million and has since become an integral part of Pep Guardiola's squad. He played a key role in Argentina's World Cup and Copa America triumphs, and has also won two Premier League titles and the Champions League with City.Despite his impressive contributions, Alvarez has often found himself playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland, who has been City's undisputed starting striker since his arrival last summer. With Alvaro Morata leaving Atletico Madrid for AC Milan, Alvarez is expected to become the main man in the Spanish capital, where he will have the opportunity to work under compatriot Diego Simeone.Atletico Madrid are determined to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona for the La Liga title after a disappointing fourth-placed finish last season. They have already added Euro 2024 winner Robin Le Normand and Norwegian forward Alexander Sorloth to their squad, and Alvarez's arrival would further bolster their attacking options.For Manchester City, Alvarez's departure will be a significant loss, but it will also provide them with a substantial financial windfall. The club may now be forced to enter the transfer market in the final weeks of the window to find a suitable backup for Haaland.

Defending champions Argentina have secured their place in the Copa America final after a convincing 2-0 victory over Canada in the semi-final on July 9th. The match, held in New Jersey, saw Argentina dominate possession and create numerous scoring opportunities.In the opening minutes, Canada put up a spirited fight, with Jacob Shaffelburg twice coming close to scoring. However, Argentina gradually took control of the game and broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. Rodrigo De Paul played a through ball to Julian Alvarez, who ghosted between two defenders and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.Argentina continued to press forward, and Lionel Messi had a chance to double their lead in the 44th minute. The Argentine maestro created space in the box with his trademark footwork but fired his shot wide.Canada nearly equalized against the run of play in first-half stoppage time. Jonathan David snuck in ahead of his marker to get on the end of a long throw, but his close-range shot was saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.Messi sealed Argentina's victory in the 51st minute. Enzo Fernandez's shot from the edge of the area was deflected by a Canadian defender, and Messi was on hand to poke the ball past Crepeau. The goal moved Messi to joint fifth in the all-time Copa America scoring charts, level with Peru's Paolo Guerrero and Chile's Eduardo Vargas on 14.Despite their two-goal cushion, Argentina had a nervy finish to the match. Canada substitute Tani Oluwaseyi tested Martinez with a crisp shot in the 89th minute before directing a glancing header wide a minute later.Argentina will now face either Uruguay or Colombia, who meet on July 10, in the final in Florida on July 14.

Manchester City's relentless pursuit of a fourth consecutive Premier League title reached a crescendo on Saturday as they swept aside Fulham 4-0 at Craven Cottage. Josko Gvardiol's brace, Phil Foden's clinical strike, and Julian Alvarez's late penalty propelled Pep Guardiola's side to the summit of the standings.Gvardiol, a Croatian defender, opened the scoring with a composed finish after a flowing 19-pass move. Foden doubled City's lead in the second half, capitalizing on a tackle that halted Bernardo Silva's run into the area. Gvardiol then netted his second, stretching to convert Silva's cross with an agile close-range finish.Fulham's hopes of a positive result were dashed when Issa Diop was sent off for fouling Alvarez in the penalty area. The Argentine striker stepped up to convert the spot-kick, sealing a comprehensive victory for City.With two wins remaining in their title charge, City now hold a two-point advantage over Arsenal. If the Gunners fail to win at Manchester United on Sunday, City will be crowned champions with a victory over Tottenham on Tuesday or West Ham in their final game on May 19.Guardiola hailed Gvardiol's unexpected goalscoring prowess, describing him as "unbelievable with both feet." He also praised his team's performance, saying, "We played really well and now we recover, then come back to London to play the big final (against Tottenham) to try to retain our title."Despite Arsenal's remaining fixtures, City know that two more victories will secure a remarkable six titles in the last seven seasons. Guardiola emphasized the importance of pressure for his players, saying, "The great players enjoy playing with great pressure. These players in the last few years have been able to do it and we are again in the latter stages."City's 16th successive win against Fulham also mathematically ended Liverpool's title challenge. Guardiola's superstitious decision to wear a jumper in the searing heat drew attention, with the Spaniard explaining, "I used this outfit many times so we keep it as it is. Even if it is 45 degrees!"