Inter maintain perfect start with win over Kairat Almaty Pafos beat Villarreal to earn first Champions League win Barcelona had to settle for a share of the spoils at Club Brugge after a thrilling 3-3 draw but were fortunate the English referee Anthony Taylor ruled out Romeo Vermant’s stoppage-time effort for a foul on the Barça goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. In a thriller at Brugge’s Jan Breydel Stadium, the home side opened the scoring through Nicolò Tresoldi in the sixth minute. But Barcelona hit back with Ferran Torres scoring from close range two minutes later only for Brugge to regainthe lead in the 17th minute through Carlos Forbs after another quick counter. Continue reading...

In an embarrassing climbdown, the game in Miami is off with the league having alienated the players and even Villarreal, the club that was on its side If there is a moment that defined La Liga’s fourth failed attempt to play in Miami, an image to explain why everything went wrong, it may have been the moment it was all over. On Tuesday night, Spanish television broadcast reaction to the news from the Estadio de la Ceràmica, live and unfiltered. Cameras caught someone else who felt dismissed and disrespected, treated as if they didn’t count. This time it was someone who was supposed to be on the league’s side, but now appeared as a portrait of poor planning and poorer communication, a lack of consideration that pushed the project to collapse. Continue reading...

Forward could play at Villarreal in Champions League ‘He doesn’t feel the pressure. He’s like a street player’ Pep Guardiola, the man who coached Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández, has said that Rayan Cherki is among the most talented players he has seen and is convinced he will buy into the team ethic at Manchester City. The 22-year-old forward, who has played only seven times since his £30.5m move from Lyon in time for the Club World Cup in June, returned from a thigh injury at the weekend. A five-minute appearance in a 2-0 win against Everton, in which he almost set up Erling Haaland for the third goal, has been followed by him travelling to Villarreal for what would be his Champions League debut at the club. And although he urged patience, the manager was at a loss for words to explain his qualities, suggesting that the only doubt could be how he settles into the structure and adapts to doing simpler things well. Continue reading...

Famous European football clubs should not be shunted around the globe in search of sports promoters with deep pockets Football clubs are community assets, possessing a value, history and meaning which cannot be captured on a balance sheet. They belong to the cities and towns that have sustained them over the decades. For the vast majority of supporters, the sense of identity and matchgoing rituals associated with following their team are worth as much as the occasional trophy or glorious victory. That culture becomes harder to maintain, however, if your club’s next game is taking place 5,000 miles away. European football’s governing body, Uefa, this week announced that it will allow a Spanish league fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona to take place closer to Cuba than Catalonia, in Miami’s Hard Rock stadium. This will be followed, in February, by the relocation to Australia of an Italian Serie A match between Milan and Como. Global sports promoters, rubbing their hands at the potential profits this precedent could unlock, are cockahoop. Supporters organisations in Spain and Italy are considerably less impressed. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

8pm BST kick-off at Anfield | Bayern v Chelsea live Live scores | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Simon And also, happy birthday Arne Slot! But how happy will that birthday be? Well, Atletico are currently 11th in their league with five points from their first four games, while Liverpool are top of theirs with 12 points from the same number of matches, which seems promising. Plus the Spaniards have five first-team players missing through injury, three ruled out by problems picked up in Saturday’s 2-0 home win against Villarreal. Less encouraging in many ways was Diego Simeone’s almost Bondvillainesque assertion that “we have the intention of bringing the game to where we want it to go”. Atletico’s injury list includes including their star striker, Julian Alvarez. Liverpool’s squad includes their own star striker, Alexander Isak, who is expected to start the game on the bench, is not expected to end it there, and is expected to be the myopic focus of pre-match chatter. Arne Slot has said Liverpool have exceeded his expectations by winning their opening four Premier League matches but must improve as they start their Champions League campaign on Wednesday at home against Atlético Madrid. Liverpool’s perfect start has them top but they have won each game late, becoming the first Premier League side to win four consecutive matches with goals scored after the 80th minute. The results follow the death of Diogo Jota and more than £400m of signings designed to make the squad more suited to Slot’s vision. “I think we are far above my expectations from during this summer,” Slot said. Continue reading...

Partey’s trial scheduled for November 2026 He remains able to play for Villarreal The former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault at Southwark crown court. The 32-year-old is accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third woman. The alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022, when he was an Arsenal player. Continue reading...

Partey due in court on Wednesday to answer rape charges Villarreal manager says midfielder is ‘prepared to play’ Thomas Partey is scheduled to appear at Southwark crown court on Wednesday morning to answer rape charges – after his new club, Villarreal, kick off their Champions League campaign at Tottenham on Tuesday night. It is an extraordinary situation with Partey, who spent five years at Arsenal before joining Villarreal in August on a free transfer, guaranteed a hot reception at Spurs’ stadium. Continue reading...

Coach broke with tradition after first league win of season that helped calm talk about ability to take club forwards Happiness was this once; now there is only relief but it is something. In fact, for a little while on Saturday night, it feels like everything. At the end of each game when the final whistle goes, so does Diego Simeone: sprinting down the tunnel and straight up the stairs, not a word to anyone and not outrun by anyone either, no stopping and no looking back. This time, though, is different. Juan Martínez Munuera brings Atlético Madrid’s 2-0 win over Villarreal to a close a little before 11pm, 63,312 fans erupting; a little after 11pm, at the top of the steps under the stand where the fourth official awaits his colleagues and the visitors trudge past tearing off tape and turning right, there’s still no Simeone. Usually the first through, not even slowing here once he’s safely out of sight of supporters and cameras, a figure in a skinny black suit dashing past a pair of security guards, down the corridor to the left and into an empty dressing room, this time Atlético’s manager is outside under the lights instead. He heads on to the pitch, embracing his players. He screams at Koke, his captain, crushing him with a cuddle. Pulls Antoine Griezmann close and whispers something in his ear, only he has to shout to be heard over the noise. High fives his son Giuliano, who is also one of his wingers. And then joins the rest of them celebrating before the south stand, communion complete. Continue reading...

Uefa describes it as an ‘important and growing issue’ Barcelona and Milan lined up for league matches abroad Uefa has postponed a decision on whether to allow domestic league matches to be played abroad and promised a consultation with “all stakeholders … including fans” regarding the controversial plans. The move casts uncertainty over proposals to play Villarreal v Barcelona and Milan v Como in the US and Australia respectively this season. Consultation is expected to begin soon, however, perhaps leaving the door open for those matches to go ahead there. Continue reading...

Today’s fluff is staring into the middle distance With only 10 days left in the transfer window, the rumour mill is in overdrive, churning out gossip faster than a manager can find an excuse for a poor performance. Eberechi Eze, a man beloved in south London, is having a bit of a moment. A few weeks ago, it looked as if he was heading to Tottenham. But then, Arsenal, with a dramatic swoop, hijacked the deal, leaving Tottenham at the altar with a bouquet of wilted ambitions. Eze’s medical for his switch to the Emirates Stadium is reportedly imminent. For Arsenal, it is brilliant business, securing a player who can pull the strings in their push for a Premier League title under Mikel Arteta. For Palace, it’s a wake-up call. They have lost their prized possession and need a replacement. Palace are now scrambling through a frantic game of musical chairs, and they’ve just lost their most comfortable seat. Their first port of call? Yeremy Pino, the 22-year-old who registered four goals and 10 assists for Villarreal in all competitions last season. The player has a £67m release clause, but Palace will hope to pay less than that to secure his signature. Palace have reportedly made contact, trying to understand what it would take to lure him away from La Liga, but Villarreal are not keen on selling. Continue reading...

Madrid urge Spanish federation to withdraw request Uefa to begin procedure to obtain authorisation from Fifa Real Madrid say they are opposed to plans by their bitter rivals Barcelona to play a league match in the United States this season, saying the move “sets an unacceptable precedent”. Barcelona and Villarreal are seeking permission from the football authorities to play in Miami in December. Fan groups of the clubs have already threatened legal action if the plan progresses, and now Real have expressed their opposition to the move. Continue reading...

Midfielder signs in week when he appeared in court Club says it ‘firmly condemns … gender-based violence’ Villarreal have confirmed the signing of Thomas Partey on a free transfer after the expiry of his contract with Arsenal. The move was announced two days after the 32-year-old appeared in court charged with six sexual offences. Partey was bailed to appear at the Old Bailey for trial later this year, charged with five counts of rape relating to two women and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when Partey was playing for Arsenal. Continue reading...

Midfielder has denied rape and sexual assault charges Hundreds sign petition urging club to halt transfer News that the former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is poised to join Villarreal has roiled fans of the Spanish club, with hundreds signing a petition urging the club to halt what has been described as the “darkest day in the club’s history”. Partey appeared in a London court on Tuesday, charged with five counts of rape relating to two women, and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when Partey was playing for Arsenal. Partey’s lawyer has said he denies all the charges. Continue reading...

Club captain on coming back from injury, the importance of his family and Trent Alexander-Arnold fitting in well Dani Carvajal misses his family. The good news is that in return he’s about to become reacquainted with something he has missed as much. For some players, this is a competition too far, played on poor pitches in half-empty stadiums and suffocating heat, something they could do without, but it has been good for Real Madrid’s captain, something to aim at. Now, 270 days later and 4,400 miles away, just as the Club World Cup gets real, he is back to face Juventus in the last 16 in Miami. “And I know what I’m like: if they let me loose, there’ll be no fear,” he says. Carvajal has not played since October 2024, when in the final moments of Villarreal’s visit to the Santiago Bernabéu he tore the anterior cruciate ligament, the fibular collateral ligament and the popliteus tendon in his right knee. At 32 years old, a European champion with club and country, fourth in the Ballon d’Or three weeks later, it came at the worst time, or so it seemed; Carvajal though believes it came at the best, personally and professionally – which, in the end, go together in a long process that has been psychological as well as physical. Now here he is at Madrid’s Palm Beach HQ before training. Just one more session before he is back in the squad. Continue reading...