MADRID (AFP) - A 14-year-old boy died on Saturday (May 22) during celebrations of Atletico Madrid's La Liga title victory in the Spanish capital, emergency services told AFP. The incident happened as the teenager was in a van with friends. He is believed to have suffered a brain injury after hitting his head against the wall of an underground car park. Emergency services workers attempted to resuscitate the teenager for an hour. At the time of the accident, more than 2,000 Atletico supporters were celebrating their side's 11th league title win around Neptune Fountain. Atletico have traditionally celebrated victories in the monument but authorities had banned all public gatherings due to Covid-19 restrictions. "It's a little strange for a celebration... We've not been able to celebrate like usual, in the stadium, surrounded by all the fans," 22-year-old Atleti fan Pablo Diaz told AFP. "We will celebrate it with a bit of worry, by paying attention, with the mask on," he added. The club have organised a parade at 1800 local time (1600GMT) on Sunday in line with coronavirus regulations. More on this topic Related Story Football: Atletico Madrid crowned Spanish La Liga champions Related Story Five matches that won Atletico Madrid La Liga
VALLADOLID, SPAIN (AFP) - Diego Simeone said Atletico Madrid winning La Liga was a triumph of overcoming adversity after his team were on Saturday (May 22) crowned champions for the second time in seven years. Atletico beat Real Valladolid 2-1 to finish two points ahead of Real Madrid at the end of a draining season shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic. "It's been a very hard year for us and for the world, difficult for every team and in such a tough season Atletico has come out as champions," said Simeone. "That is symbolic, it speaks of the club and the team being made of something different, that in difficult moments, when everything seems impossible, with the pandemic and the injuries and without fans in the stadiums - with all this, our players gave it everything and they came out on top." Luis Suarez scored the winner, his 21st goal of the season proving to be the one that clinched the title for Atletico, eight months after he was forced to leave Barcelona. "Suarez is a man of character. He's defiant, he's a goalscorer, a guy who after leaving an extraordinary club like Barcelona wanted to continue to show that he is among the best in the world," Simeone said. "The team helped him, he integrated quickly and felt very comfortable and that's why he ended up having a fantastic season." More on this topic Related Story Football: Atletico Madrid crowned Spanish La Liga champions Related Story Football: Emotional Suarez thanks Atletico for rescuing him from Barca Related Story Five matches that won Atletico Madrid La Liga
BARCELONA (REUTERS) - Barcelona saw their hopes of winning La Liga extinguished as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Celta Vigo on Sunday (May 16). Barca were dominant in the first half and deservedly took the lead through Lionel Messi in the 27th minute, as the Argentine headed Sergio Busquet's precise cross past Ivan Villar to make it 30 league goals for the season. Celta equalised against the run of play 11 minutes later as Santi Mina fired in from the edge of the box following a pacey counter-attack. Defender Ronald Araujo went close with a header after the restart as Barca tried in vain to retake the lead. However, they found themselves up against it when Clement Lenglet was dismissed with six minutes to play. With just one minute of normal time left, Mina netted his second of the game to condemn the Catalans to at best a third-placed finish in Ronald Koeman's first season in charge. Barca are third on 76 points, four behind Real Madrid in second with one game remaining. More on this topic Related Story Football: Barcelona's shock defeat keeps La Liga title race wide open Related Story Football: Barcelona capable of winning every game left to win La Liga, says Koeman
MADRID (AFP) - Atletico Madrid forward Luis Suarez, the club's leading scorer this season, hurt his left leg in training on Wednesday (April 7), potentially dealing a critical blow to their La Liga title hopes. Suarez left Wednesday morning's training session after feeling discomfort, and tests later revealed the Uruguayan had suffered a muscle injury to his left leg, the club said. Atletico did not specify how long Suarez would be sidelined, but local reports suggested he could miss up to three weeks - ruling him out of games against Betis, Eibar, Huesca and Athletic Bilbao. Diego Simeone's side saw their lead in Spain trimmed to a single point by Barcelona on Monday, following a drastic dip in form over the past two months. The 34-year-old Suarez has scored 19 goals in the league this season, second in La Liga only to former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi (23). Atletico are also still without Moussa Dembele who fainted who during a training session last month. The French striker has made just four substitute appearances since joining on loan from Lyon in January.
VILA-REAL (REUTERS) - La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid secured a vital 2-0 win away to Villarreal on Sunday (Feb 28) to reaffirm their title ambitions following a difficult run of results. Diego Simeone's side were smarting from twin defeats to Levante and Chelsea but went ahead in the 25th minute courtesy of an Alfonso Pedraza own goal following a goalmouth scramble, the strike being flagged offside then given after a VAR review. Atletico survived another video review just before halftime when Thomas Lemar was shown a yellow card rather than a red for elbowing an opponent before record signing Joao Felix came off the bench to double their lead in the 69th on the volley. A first win in four games in all competitions moved Atletico on to 58 points after 24 games, five clear of second-placed Barcelona, who have played 25, and six above third-placed Real Madrid. More on this topic Related Story Football: Atletico Madrid stumble again to keep La Liga title race alive Related Story Football: Spain looks to Real Madrid and Atletico to halt La Liga decline
MADRID • Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois joined coach Zinedine Zidane in criticising La Liga for not postponing their Spanish league game at 19th-placed Osasuna on Saturday due to a snowstorm. The match finished 0-0, denting the champions' title bid, after they were ordered by La Liga to travel to Pamplona the day before the game due to storm warnings. However, the team were forced to wait for four hours on the icy runway before taking off, leaving Real furious at the way they were treated. The snow buffeted the pitch and Zidane's men failed to get a grip on the game, failing to have a shot on target in the first half. Implying La Liga had cost his side two points, the Frenchman said: "That was not a football match, it should have been called off. "We dealt badly with the conditions and the journey, and we did what we could on the pitch but the sensation we have now is that it wasn't a proper match. "My biggest complaint is about the match. The conditions weren't right. I know I'm repeating myself, but that's how it is." Courtois agreed, telling Spanish network Movistar: "I have to thank the staff at Osasuna for what they did with the pitch but (making us play) was lamentable. "They (La Liga) knew for a long time that this was going to happen but they made us take off on a frozen runway." The bad weather did not let up, preventing Real from returning to Madrid after the game as usual and the team had to spend the night in Pamplona. They play Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup in Malaga on Thursday and Courtois felt that La Liga failed to show empathy. "We arrived at the stadium with the roads full of snow. We have to prioritise people's safety," the Belgium No. 1 said. "We do what we are asked. "We knew that if we didn't come here, we could lose the points but all you need to do is take a look and the roads. We also have families and we're not puppets who have to play all the time." La Liga did not immediately respond to a request for comment but the snowstorm, which paralysed parts of Spain, meant leaders Atletico Madrid's home match with Bilbao was called off, while Elche's home game against Getafe was moved 24 hours to today. The weather was better in the south of Spain and Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann had a double each as Barcelona thrashed Granada 4-0 away to win a third consecutive La Liga game for the first time this season. The third-placed Catalans remain four points behind Atletico (38), who also have three games in hand. Real are on 37 and like Barca have played 18 games. REUTERS
VITORIA-GASTEIZ (REUTERS) - Luis Suarez struck late to snatch a 2-1 victory for Atletico Madrid away to Alaves on Sunday (Jan 3) and send his side two points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. Atletico had taken the lead late in the first half when Suarez teed up a deflected goal by Marcos Llorente and the task should have got easier for the visitors when Alaves defender Victor Laguardia was sent off in the second half. But Alaves had a flurry of late chances and levelled in the 84th minute when Atleti defender Felipe diverted a cross from Joselu into his own net. Atletico would not be undone, however, and they clinched a vital victory for their title charge when substitute Saul Niguez picked out fellow late addition Joao Felix, who cut the ball across goal and Suarez pounced from less than a metre out to bundle it into the net. Atletico went into the match trailing Real Madrid by a point but the last-gasp victory took them on to 38 points, two ahead of their city rivals and with two games in hand. Alaves are 13th on 18. "We knew it would be a difficult game as Alaves always make things tough and they proved that by drawing level with one player less but it was so important for us to get the win," said goalscorer Llorente. "Our substitutions worked very well and we got the second goal after a great piece of play and it allows us to keep focusing on our objective." Atletico had been boosted by the news Kieran Trippier's 10-week suspension from the English Football Association for violating betting rules had been put on hold by world organising body FIFA, although the right back did not travel to the match as the squad had been named before the announcement was made. Sime Vrsaljko started in Trippier's place while record signing Felix began the game on the bench but was introduced after the hour mark and the Portuguese played a decisive role in the win, with his incisive late pass to the feet of Suarez. More on this topic Related Story Football: Suarez ensures Atletico top La Liga at end of 2020 Related Story Spain's La Liga returns without big two
MADRID • After making their best start to a season since they last won the La Liga title in 2013-14, Atletico Madrid can consolidate their early promise and twist the knife into their city rivals when they visit Real Madrid today. Victory will send the leaders nine points clear of the fourth-placed defending champions (20) on top of having a game in hand, sending out the clearest message yet that they mean business this campaign. In 2014, Atletico became the first club in 10 years to break up the duopoly of Real and Barcelona in La Liga. Diego Simeone's men, however, have not been able to build on their Spanish league title success since, despite maintaining their place in the top four. But following an uncharacteristically quiet summer that saw Real fail to make any signings for the first time in 40 years, while Barca had to offload high earners like Luis Suarez because of the coronavirus pandemic, Atletico appear far more equipped for a title tilt than Spain's big two. They are the only unbeaten side in La Liga - their last defeat was on Feb 1 by Real, dating back 26 games - and they have scored more goals per game than anyone else while conceding only twice in 10 matches. Atletico have also shed their reputation as a conservative side focused only on defence and now boast an offence comprising Joao Felix, Suarez, Marcos Llorente and Yannick Carrasco. Their attacking approach has helped them find solutions in tight games, extending their winning streak in La Liga to seven, yet their backline remains as tight as ever with a league-leading eight clean sheets. That consistency, including beating Barca in the league for the first time in a decade, has contrasted with Real's stuttering title defence, as Zinedine Zidane's side have lost three times already in the league and have just one victory from their past four games. The ban on fans attending games has also allowed Simeone to show he is more than just an animated cheerleader on the sideline and prove he is a coach who harnesses real improvement in players. Llorente is a case in point. Considered surplus to requirements at Real, he made the decision to cross the Madrid divide last summer. Simeone has since turned him from a holding midfielder into a forward and the switch is paying dividends with four league goals and a maiden Spain cap this term. Still, he knows the hosts remain a team who can deliver when their backs are against the wall, having already beaten Barca, Inter Milan twice, and Sevilla this season. BIGGER PICTURE We are always looking to the next game, we don't get caught up in what we are doing. In football, you live for what happens next week. DIEGO SIMEONE, coach of surprise La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, on looking at the team's performance rather league position. Urging his side to keep their feet on the ground even if they lay down a marker, Simeone said ahead of the game at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium: "I don't consider it to be the end (of the title race) with so many match days to go. "Madrid are an excellent team, they understand their players so well and always thrive when the pressure is on." Real are still missing Eden Hazard and Federico Valverde but otherwise have a full squad to pick from, while Atletico will be without Jose Gimenez and Diego Costa. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS REAL V ATLETICO Singtel TV Ch109 & StarHub Ch213 tomorrow, 3.55am