With a European Championship to prepare for, Spain’s Under-21 squad spent Wednesday morning limbering up in the sun.
Already installed as heavy favourites going into the tournament, their opponents will no doubt be interested to learn that Spain appear to have ditched tiki-taka in favour of an altogether more direct approach.
With the goalkeeper bowling the ball out to him, Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez took one touch before thumping in a “stratospheric” golazo from the halfway line.
With the Champions League semifinals done and dusted, it’s time to look at the best XI …
ESPN FC’s Champions League Team of the Week.
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
What more can be said about the remarkable Buffon? He came through at the most important moments for Juventus in what was ultimately a comfortable win over Monaco. In the first leg — his 100th Champions League appearance — he made crucial saves from Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao while the game was still in the balance; in the second his astute overhead throw began…
Real Madrid got an away goal to snuff out the Atletico Madrid comeback and will now face Juventus in the Champions League final on June 3.
Atletico Madrid gave the Vicente Calderon the European send-off it deserved as they beat Real Madrid 2-1 i…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick puts Atletico Madrid in dire straits heading into Leg 2 at the Vicente Calderon.
An inexplicably bad display from Atletico Madrid saw their Champions League campaign all but come to an embarrassing end as they were thumped 3-0 by great city rivals Real Madrid.
From the off Atleti looked sluggish and shy. In the end, they were dominated by a Merengues side who so often save their best for this competition. It is no disgrace to lose to Real in the Champions League, but to lose in this fashion is. That Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick just compounds the misery.
The Calderon…
The ESPN FC crew have all the reaction, analysis and interviews from the Champions League quarterfinals.
The ESPN FC crew have all the reaction, analysis and interviews from the Champions League quarterfinals.
The ESPN FC crew have all the reaction, analysis and interviews from the Champions League quarterfinals.
The ESPN FC crew have all the reaction, analysis and interviews from the Champions League quarterfinals.
The ESPN FC crew have all the reaction, analysis and interviews from the Champions League quarterfinals.
The ESPN FC crew have all the reaction, analysis and interviews from the Champions League quarterfinals.
The ESPN FC crew have all the reaction, analysis and interviews from the Champions League quarterfinals.
The ESPN FC crew have all the reaction, analysis and interviews from the Champions League quarterfinals.
With the Champions League quarterfinals over, here’s a look at the best XI from the last eight.
Do you agree? Have your say in the comments below.
ESPN FC’s Champions League best XI.
Goalkeeper — Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Such was the excellence of those in front of him that Buffon was rarely extended too greatly against Barcelona, but the veteran plays such an important role in the team’s organisation and exuded the kind of calm and control that transmits throughout an entire XI. Buffon said afterwards that he was…
BT Sport highlight: Leicester City’s magic runs out at the hands of Atletico Madrid, losing 2-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Leicester City’s magic runs out at the hands of Atletico Madrid, losing 2-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Atletico reached a third Champions League semifinal in four years playing the way they relish, with their backs against the wall, and batting away everything Leicester City could throw at them as they drew 1-1 to progress 2-1 on aggregate.
The first half went just how they had planned, with one foot in the semifinals thanks to Saul Niguez’s pin-point header. And although the second half was a gruelling affair, that’s when Atletico really come into their own and they will have their eyes on…
Diego Simeone stresses the importance of Atletico Madrid’s final seven matches in La Liga, starting with Osasuna.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez said he risked his health by playing for two years with a severe kidney problem which meant he “p—ed blood” in every game and training session.
Saul, 22, was hospitalised in February 2015 after receiving an accidental kick in the stomach from Bayer Leverkusen defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
He suffered kidney trauma with internal bleeding as a result and was sidelined for 39 days before seeming to make a full recovery and playing regularly for Atletico from…
The FC crew answer your tweets on everything Real Madrid following their 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich.
After this week’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg matches, here’s ESPN FC’s best XI.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are joined by some very promising youngsters — and a couple of veterans.
Do you agree? Have your say in the comments below.
ESPN FC’s Champions League Team of the Week.
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
While Manuel Neuer starred in defeat for Bayern, only two keepers kept a clean sheet in this week’s four matches, and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak was little more than a spectator as Leicester were dominated…
Catch the 2nd goal scored by the french player Antoine Griezmann, in the match played between Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
Catch the 1st goal scored by Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira, commonly known as Pepe of Real Madrid, in the match played between Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
Antoine Griezmann had multiple chances thwarted but late on was finally able to beat Keylor Navas and earn Atletico a point.
A late Antoine Griezmann strike rewarded a fine backs-to-the-wall display from Atletico Madrid as they played out an entertaining 1-1 derby draw with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
Los Rojiblancos ceded territory and possession to their great city rivals for the first 50 minutes and thanks to some inspired goalkeeping from Jan Oblak it looked to be going well.
However, when Pepe’s superb header put the hosts ahead it looked like Atleti’s lack of cutting edge might come back to hurt them. Madrid…
Atletico Madrid moved into third place in La Liga after a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad ahead of this weekend’s Madrid derby.
Atletico Madrid moved into third place in La Liga after a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad ahead of this weekend’s Madrid derby.
Atletico has now won five straight and head to the Bernabeu to face rival Real playing some of their best football.
Atletico Madrid’s new-found goal machine Filipe Luis secured a harder than necessary 1-0 victory at home to Real Sociedad on Tuesday night.
Fernando Torres then somehow contrived to hit the post and hit into the side-netting when presented twice with an open goal moments later.
Yannick Carrasco and Angel Correa were also guilty of missing chances, but Atletico comfortably held on to all but seal Champions League football again next season.
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Other than Filipe’s sensational form,…
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