Alvarez double sparks Atletico comeback to stun leaders Real Madrid 5-2​

Alvarez double sparks Atletico comeback to stun leaders Real Madrid 5-2​
Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth celebrates scoring their second goal with Robin Le Normand, Giuliano Simeone, and Marcos Llorente during their LaLiga match against Real Madrid — Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Sept. 27, 2025. (Reuters)
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Alvarez double sparks Atletico comeback to stun leaders Real Madrid 5-2​

Alvarez double sparks Atletico comeback to stun leaders Real Madrid 5-2​
  • Atletico’s aggressive start paid off when Robin Le Normand opened the scoring with a header
  • Alexander Sorloth’s header in added time before the break gave Atletico a boost

MADRID: Julian Alvarez scored twice as Atletico Madrid came from behind to thrash city rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a pulsating derby on Saturday that handed the LaLiga leaders their first loss after a perfect start to the season.
The thrilling encounter at a raucous Metropolitano stadium, with nearly 70,000 fans on the edge of their seats, saw Atletico fight back from 2-1 down to claim a memorable victory that lifted them to fourth place with 12 points. Real Madrid remain atop LaLiga on 18 points, two ahead of Barcelona who have a game in hand.
Atletico’s aggressive start paid off when Robin Le Normand opened the scoring with a header in the 14th minute, but Kylian Mbappe burst through to level with an unstoppable strike from close range in a quick counter in the 25th minute, with Arda Guller netting a volley from a Vinicius Jr cross 11 minutes later to put the visitors in front.
Alexander Sorloth’s header in added time before the break gave Atletico a boost and they regained the lead five minutes into the second half when Alvarez converted a penalty after Guler’s high boot clipped rival Nico Gonzalez on the face inside the box.
After Alvarez extended their lead in the 64th minute with a sublime free kick into the top corner, substitute Antoine Griezmann sealed the win in a quick counter in added time.


Grimaldo touch helps Leverkusen to beat St. Pauli 2-1

Grimaldo touch helps Leverkusen to beat St. Pauli 2-1
Updated 37 sec ago

Grimaldo touch helps Leverkusen to beat St. Pauli 2-1

Grimaldo touch helps Leverkusen to beat St. Pauli 2-1
Leverkusen have struggled for form so far with new coach Kasper Hjulmand demanding more time
They saw St. Pauli bounce back with Hauke Wahl seven minutes later

HAMBURG: Bayer Leverkusen needed the magic touch of Alejandro Grimaldo to set up goals for Edmond Tapsoba and Ernest Poku and earn a 2-1 victory at St. Pauli on Saturday, maintaining their league-record unbeaten run on the road.
Spain international Grimaldo floated a freekick into the box and Tapsoba pounced on a bad clearance to rifle in from close range for a 25th-minute lead.
Leverkusen, domestic double winners in 2024 and runners-up last season, have struggled for form so far with new coach Kasper Hjulmand demanding more time.
They saw St. Pauli bounce back with Hauke Wahl seven minutes later, but Grimaldo delivered a perfectly-timed assist for the 21-year-old Poku in the 58th and the Dutchman drilled the ball past keeper Nikola Vasilj to put them back in front.
Leverkusen, who face PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday, held on to the three points to stretch their undefeated run in away matches in the Bundesliga to 36, and climb to fourth on eight points, seven behind leaders Bayern Munich.

Under-fire Amorim accepts criticism as Man Utd crash at Brentford

Under-fire Amorim accepts criticism as Man Utd crash at Brentford
Updated 10 min 3 sec ago

Under-fire Amorim accepts criticism as Man Utd crash at Brentford

Under-fire Amorim accepts criticism as Man Utd crash at Brentford
  • Lacklustre United’s third loss in six Premier League games this season has left Amorim fighting to avoid the sack
  • Amorim’s side were punished for shambolic defending as Igor Thiago netted twice in the first half

LONDON: Ruben Amorim said he would not try to protect himself or his players from the mounting pressure after Manchester United crashed to a dismal 3-1 defeat at Brentford on Saturday.
Lacklustre United’s third loss in six Premier League games this season has left Amorim fighting to avoid the sack.
Amorim’s side were punished for shambolic defending as Igor Thiago netted twice in the first half.
Benjamin Sesko, signed from Leipzig in the summer, bagged his first goal for United before half-time.
But Amorim’s misery mounted when United captain Bruno Fernandes had a second half penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher before Mathias Jensen struck in stoppage-time.
After Jensen’s decisive goal, Amorim had to endure chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” from jubilant Brentford fans at the Gtech Community Stadium.
“Ups and downs, when you win you feel the momentum is here,” said Amorim, who is still waiting to record successive league wins since taking charge in November.
“When you lose you go back to the same place and fight for the one win that can help you to create the momentum.
“I am always doing my job. If I win I’m in different state of mind, but I am always confident because I know what to do.
“I am trying to do my best for the club and the team, thinking what is the best to win the next game. Not to protect the players or myself, win the next game and create the momentum.”
Brentford might have been reduced to 10 men for the final 20 minutes when Nathan Collins dragged down former Bees striker Bryan Mbeumo.
But referee Craig Pawson deemed a spot-kick sufficient punishment and Collins did not see red, despite the defender not appearing to have any intention to play the ball.
“The referee told me Bryan is not in control of the ball. I think he is not in control of the ball because he was pulled. But that is the decision and I do not want to focus on the referee,” Amorim said.

- ‘We never settled down’ -

Amorim was reportedly backed by United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe during a recent meeting at the club’s training ground.
But Ratcliffe’s support could be wavering after United’s latest ignominious loss.
The former Sporting Lisbon boss was regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe when he arrived to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag.
But Amorim has found it impossible to lift United out of the malaise that has gripped them since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 after winning their most recent Premier League title.
Amorim presided over United’s worst top-flight season since 1973-74 and watched as they slumped to a limp 1-0 defeat against Tottenham in the Europa League final last season.
Ratcliffe gave Amorim over £250 million to spend on Sesko, Matheus Cunha and former Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo in a bid to revitalize his spluttering attack.
United have made a miserable start despite that investment, losing to Arsenal, Manchester City and Brentford, as well as suffering a humiliating League Cup loss at fourth tier Grimsby.
Amorim conceded United have a host of problems to solve before result can improve.
“The penalty in the second half changed things, but we never settled down. Possession and control of the game was never there, so we lost,” he said.
“We need to work on a lot of things and my biggest concern is we did not settle down in the game, missed a lot of crosses in final third, and suffered from transitions.
“We play the game of Brentford and when you play the opponents’ game it is harder to win.”


Israel PT excluded from Giro dell’Emilia cycling race for ‘security reasons’: organizers

Israel PT excluded from Giro dell’Emilia cycling race for ‘security reasons’: organizers
Updated 24 min 7 sec ago

Israel PT excluded from Giro dell’Emilia cycling race for ‘security reasons’: organizers

Israel PT excluded from Giro dell’Emilia cycling race for ‘security reasons’: organizers
  • Adriano Amici, president of GS Emilia which organizes the one-day race, said the team “will unfortunately not be present at our race“
  • “There’s too much danger for both the Israel Tech riders and others”

ROME: Israel-Premier Tech have been excluded from the Giro dell’Emilia cycling race on October 4 in Italy for safety reasons, the organizers told AFP on Saturday.
Adriano Amici, president of GS Emilia which organizes the one-day race, said the team “will unfortunately not be present at our race. We had to make this decision for reasons of public security.”
“There’s too much danger for both the Israel Tech riders and others. The race’s final circuit is run five times so the possibility of the race being disrupted is very high.
“It’s a decision I regret having to make from a sporting perspective, but I had no other choice for public safety.”
The Giro dell’Emilia, whose 2024 edition was won by cycling superstar Tadej Pogacar, will cover 199 kilometers from Mirandola to Bologna in northern Italy.
It is a ProSeries event, road cycling’s second tier after the World Tour, and is a dress rehearsal for Il Lombardia, the final Monument of the year which takes place the following weekend.
The race concludes with a climb to the Madonna di San Luca sanctuary, not far from the historic center of Bologna which has a large student population and a long history of left-wing politics.
This week Bologna’s local government, controlled by the center-left Democratic Party (PD) called for Israel-Premier Tech’s exclusion, citing “the Israeli government as guilty of serious crimes against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.”
Roberta Li Calzi, the city’s sports councillor, welcomed the decision to exclude the team.
“Given what is happening in Gaza it would have been hypocritical to consider the presence of a team linked to this (Israeli) government as insignificant,” she said in a statement.
Four stages of this year’s Vuelta, including the finale in Madrid, had to be cut short due to mass protests against Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza and the participation in the event of the team, owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams.
The Premier Tech group which co-sponsors the team and is the manufacturer that supplies the riders with their bikes, wants the team to remove the world “Israel” from the name.
The war in Gaza broke out after Palestinian militants led by Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has since killed at least 65,926 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations deems reliable.


Palestine Olympic chief writes open letter pleading for help to stop Gaza genocide

Palestine Olympic chief writes open letter pleading for help to stop Gaza genocide
Updated 27 September 2025

Palestine Olympic chief writes open letter pleading for help to stop Gaza genocide

Palestine Olympic chief writes open letter pleading for help to stop Gaza genocide
  • “This is a final alarm bell for all of humanity, and that includes our global sports family,” Rajoub wrote
  • “Can the Olympic Movement, our movement, stand idly by while the most fundamental human right – the right to life – is violated against its own members?”

TOKYO: Lt. Gen. Jibril Rajoub, the President of the Palestine Olympic Committee, has sent an open letter “in the name of Palestine and its athletes” to ask the sporting world and the world at large to help stop the genocide in Gaza.
Rajoub said he was sending his message, which was also sent to Arab News Japan, “from the heart of a wounded Palestine… from amidst the rubble of our stadiums and the wreckage of our hopes” after “718 days of a relentless, merciless war of annihilation.”
“This is a final alarm bell for all of humanity, and that includes our global sports family,” Rajoub wrote, asking for help in stopping “a genocide that is uprooting my people from their land, their history, and their future.”
He reminded his readers that those in the Olympic movement swore to protect, to place sport “at the service of the harmonious development of humanity,” and to promote “a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”
Where is that dignity for the Palestinian athlete, he asked, reminding the world that over 1,000 athletes have been killed, while thousands more are wounded, maimed, or disabled. Others, he says are “in the darkness of prisons,” while tens of thousands are displaced.
“Can the Olympic Movement, our movement, stand idly by while the most fundamental human right – the right to life – is violated against its own members? The Israeli sports system has not merely been silent; it has been an active participant. It brazenly integrates settlement clubs – built illegally on my land – into its national leagues, in a flagrant violation of international law and our own Olympic Charter.”
In a final plea, Jibril Rajoub says: “Show the world that our Olympic values are not merely empty words on paper, but a living commitment to our shared humanity. Show them that there is no place for double standards, only for the rule of justice and fairness, without distinction or discrimination.”


Alcaraz dispels injury fears to reach Tokyo quarter-finals

Alcaraz dispels injury fears to reach Tokyo quarter-finals
Updated 27 September 2025

Alcaraz dispels injury fears to reach Tokyo quarter-finals

Alcaraz dispels injury fears to reach Tokyo quarter-finals
  • The world number one hurt himself two days earlier in his opening match in Tokyo
  • The Spaniard was left sweating on his fitness but he showed no evidence of discomfort

TOKYO: Carlos Alcaraz admitted his ankle injury had worried him and was on his mind as he beat Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-3 at the Japan Open on Saturday.
The world number one hurt himself two days earlier in his opening match in Tokyo, crumpling to the ground before playing on with his ankle heavily strapped.
The Spaniard was left sweating on his fitness but he showed no evidence of discomfort as he returned to the court to beat world number 45 Bergs in front of an adoring Japanese crowd.
Alcaraz got the job done in an hour and 20 minutes and will face American Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
“I was a bit worried before the match so I just wanted to warm up and let’s see how it’s going to feel,” Alcaraz said.
“I didn’t feel anything in the ankle, so after the warm-up I decided I can go and I can play.”
Alcaraz took to the court with white strapping visible underneath the sock on his left ankle.
He did not appear to be restricted in his movement but he limped briefly after chasing a shot that won Bergs a break early in the first set.
“In some movements I’m scared about going crazy so most of the time I take it a little easy,” he said.
“Sometimes I feel a little bit the ankle, which I would say is normal.”
Alcaraz is playing in Japan for the first time and delighted the crowd with a series of leaping forehand winners, claiming the first set despite having his service broken twice.
His service was broken three times overall and he blamed his injury for his lack of accuracy.
“I think because my thoughts were on the ankle, I forgot about doing a smooth movement, smooth serve,” he said.
Alcaraz raced into an early lead in the second set but Bergs made him work hard for the victory with a gritty performance.
Alcaraz sealed the deal with a thumping forehand at the net that Bergs could not return into play.
Alcaraz will look to book his place in the semifinal when he faces world number 33 Nakashima, who beat Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-3.
“I’m still taking care of the ankle and I will try to feel as good as today or even better,” said Alcaraz.
“Tomorrow is going be a great challenge that I’m really excited about, and I’m ready for that.”
Denmark’s number three seed Holger Rune also advanced, beating American qualifier Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-2.