Just 59 days after lifting the 2020 title in Lisbon, Hansi Flick’s side were in ominous form again as they made light work of Diego Simeone’s usually watertight side.

Winger Kingsley Coman, matchwinner against Paris St-Germain in Lisbon at the end of August, scored in either half of a superb all-round display.

Midfielders Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso also found the back of the net in a near-faultless performance from the German giants.

Only Real Madrid and AC Milan have retained the European Cup since Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest managed the feat in 1980, but few would back against a Bayern repeat this time around.

Bayern were already favourites with the bookmakers before this warning sign, which saw the holders rain in 16 efforts on goal.

Coman opened the scoring when he deftly collected a Joshua Kimmich pass to fire across goal and the France winger then found Goretzka who doubled the lead with an angled drive.

Atleti had an early response in the second half ruled out for offside and Tolisso wrapped up victory with a fantastic swerving shot from 25 yards.

Bayern scored a club record 43 goals in last year’s campaign and made it four for this run when Coman ran on to Thomas Muller’s clever pass to sprint clear from the halfway line and find the far corner.

The post Brilliant Bayern start title defence by thumping Atletico Madrid appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Jurgen Klopp’s side – seeking to win the trophy for a seventh time – thought they had overturned Atletico’s 1-0 advantage from the first leg when Roberto Firmino’s first goal at Anfield this season at the start of the added 30 minutes gave them the lead in the tie.

Georginio Wijnaldum’s first-half header was full reward for Liverpool laying siege to the Atletico goal for much of the first 90 minutes.

In the second half, Andrew Robertson was then inches away from a winner only for his header to crash against the woodwork.

And yet, as the Kop sensed another memorable Champions League victory, Adrian – deputising for the injured Alisson – paid the price for a dreadful clearance as substitute Marcos Llorente pounced with a low finish to secure Atletico’s crucial away goal.

Llorente struck again with another composed finish in the 105th minute and with the spirit draining out of Liverpool and their supporters, former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata adding insult to injury with a third in the dying seconds to send Atletico through to the last eight.

This game was, in many respects, a tale of two goalkeepers.

The magnificent Jan Oblak formed a formidable barrier for Atletico Madrid, his yellow shirt a colossal presence in his penalty area as he made nine saves and claimed countless crosses.

In contrast, Liverpool’s mammoth effort was fatally undermined by the hapless Adrian, who also made an error that contributed to their FA Cup fifth-round defeat by Chelsea.

The Reds had finally established a measure of control through Firmino’s goal, but once Adrian had hacked out a hopeless clearance and Llorente’s shot beyond him into the net at the Kop end, Atletico were ruthless.

Klopp looked and sounded suitably downcast last week when he announced his world-class Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson had suffered a hip injury, knowing he could make the difference to a Champions League tie that was always going to be decided on the finest of margins.

And so it proved, Liverpool’s morale and fighting spirit disappearing visibly after Adrian’s mistake.

Liverpool will still complete the formalities of their first Premier League title but they pride themselves on their status as European champions and this was a painful night.

Atletico Madrid arrived at Anfield with the usual reminders of how the stadium’s atmosphere has broken the nerve and resilience of even the elite teams in the Champions League – as Barcelona found out in last season’s semi-finals.

Diego Simeone and his players are made of sterner stuff than that. They may have been under pressure for much of this game but not once did they buckle as they faced up to Liverpool’s intensity and came out on top.

Atletico simply love defending, each goal conceded almost a personal insult to Simeone – who seemed to relish Anfield’s atmosphere – and his players.

After Llorente scored Atletico’s second, even Liverpool looked like a side who knew there was no way they would score two goals in such limited time to progress.

The La Liga side’s approach may not be a thing of beauty but they are a brilliantly drilled team and this was another landmark triumph for the master coach Simeone.

The post Holder Liverpool bundled out of Champions League appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Diego Simeone’s side fell behind to Luuk de Jong’s opener, but responded through Alvaro Morata and Joao Felix.

But Lucas Ocampos’ penalty in the first half for the visitors clinched a point, as fifth-placed Atletico missed out on moving into the top four.

They go to Anfield for the last-16 second leg holding a 1-0 lead.

The post Atletico warm up for Liverpool with home draw against Sevilla appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Saul Niguez’s fourth-minute strike was enough to give the Spanish side the advantage over the defending champions.

Madrid’s stadium was raucous on Tuesday with fans orchestrated by energetic Atletico manager Diego Simeone.

“Atletico fans who can a get ticket… ‘welcome to Anfield’,” said Klopp.

“Emotions are important. Tonight they were obviously completely on the side of Atletico, but I am really looking forward to the second leg.

“We speak from time to time about the power of Anfield and the power a stadium can have and tonight you saw that.

“It’s half-time and we’re 1-0 down. The second half will be played in our stadium and they will feel it.”

Liverpool did not manage a shot on target against a resilient Atletico side – only the second time the Reds have failed to test an opposing goalkeeper since Klopp took over as manager of the club in 2015.

“I have no problem with the result,” added the German, who has never lost a European two-legged tie with Liverpool. “I saw so many happy faces at Atletico, but it’s not over yet.

“I’m not sure what we have to be in the second leg. They were going constantly to the petrol station and we drove with one tank.

“I’m not sure if Diego Simeone saw a lot of the game because he was continually animating the crowd.”

Scottish left-back Andrew Robertson said Atletico celebrated “as if they’d won the tie” and that his team would produce a better display in the second leg.

“We gave them the best possible start and that gets the fans behind them and then they start falling over and getting under the skin a bit,” he said.

“We put in a decent performance and we know we can be better. We’ve got a second leg to put it right. They are coming to Anfield and we know our fans will be there.”

Captain Jordan Henderson, who came close with one of Liverpool’s two openings, was substituted in the 80th minute after picking up an injury.

Klopp added: “Hendo felt his hamstring unfortunately. We have to wait. He was not too concerned, but enough to go off obviously.”

Simeone was ecstatic with the victory, which came after a poor run of only one win in six matches in all competitions – which included defeat in the Copa del Rey by a third-tier side.

The Argentine said the atmosphere generated by the home support on Tuesday was the best he had witnessed since he came to the club in 2011.

“My side started winning when we came up the road leading to the stadium,” said Simeone.

“We saw players who believed. We saw the beautiful side of football. The crowd and the side were a block as one.

“Winning breeds winning. The best way to feel strong is to win and that’s what we want to do. It was a very important win for the club tonight.

“In the eight years I’ve been here, I’ve not seen the crowd like that for the whole game. It was really emotional.”

The post Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp warns Atletico Madrid of intimidating Anfield appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The 28-year-old joined Spurs from Burnley in June 2015 and has played more than 100 times for the club, with his last appearance coming in the Champions League final defeat in June.

He later admitted he was uncertain whether he would see out his contract, which was due to expire in 2022.

Trippier would become Atletico’s third major defensive signing of the summer.

Coach Diego Simeone has already recruited centre-back Felipe from Porto and left-back Renan Lodi from Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense.

With Portugal striker Joao Felix brought in for £113m and midfielder Marcos Llorente arriving from city rivals Real for about £36m, Trippier’s arrival would bring Atletico’s total transfer spend so far to more than £170m.

The Spanish runners-up did however receive £107.7m from the sale of France striker Antoine Griezmann to champions Barcelona.

The post Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier to join Atletico Madrid for £20m appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The win kept up their faint hopes of catching La Liga leaders FC Barcelona.

Team captain Godin broke the deadlock in the 76th minute with the help of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) after the goal had been initially ruled out for offside against Griezmann.

The technology gave Atletico a lead they barely deserved and France forward Griezmann sealed victory deep in added time.

It was with a delightful chipped finish on the counter-attack, snapping a spell of seven games in all competitions without a goal for his club.

“I sincerely thought that they weren’t going to give us the first goal. We are used to seeing goals like that disallowed when we score them,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone told reporters.

The narrow victory moved Atletico to 62 points, eight behind Barca, who drew 4-4 away at Villarreal late on Tuesday.

Barca host Atletico in a top-of-the-table showdown on Saturday, where a win for the Catalans could effectively end the title race.

The game kicked off in a subdued atmosphere as a large number of Atletico fans waited until the 12th minute to enter the ground.

It was in protest at the team not acknowledging travelling fans after their 3-0 defeat at Juventus in the UEFA Champions League.

The strange atmosphere appeared to rub off on the Atletico players as they were lacklustre in defence in the first half.

Goalkeeper Jan Oblak had to make two impressive saves to prevent Girona’s Ivorian forward Seydou Doumbia from scoring.

The home side, meanwhile, nearly took the lead when a stinging long-range strike from midfielder Koke thumped the crossbar.

Also, Alvaro Morata spurned a clear chance to score later in the first half as he sent an attempted lob just over the bar.

Morata had to be substituted in the second half with a suspected ankle injury, adding to Atletico’s problems in attack ahead of the crucial trip to the Nou Camp.

Striker Diego Costa and winger Thomas Lemar are already battling to be fit for the game.

The post Late strikes from Godin, Griezmann keep Atletico in La Liga title chase appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The capital city side therefore missed a golden chance to close the gap with leaders Barcelona and slipping six points adrift of the Catalans.

Alvaro Morata made his debut for Atletico after completing a loan move from Chelsea, but it was another former Real Madrid player in Sergio Canales who made the difference.

He scored a penalty midway through the second half to give Betis a victory which took them up to sixth in the table.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone was without five regular starters but was still able to field what looked to be an exciting, attacking lineup.

Pacey wingers Angel Correa and Thomas Lemar partnered Morata and the talismanic Antoine Griezmann up front.

Barca’s 2-2 draw with Valencia a day earlier had given Atletico the opportunity to move within three points of their title rivals yet they struggled to get a hold on the game.

It took a spectacular save from Jan Oblak to prevent Zouhair Feddal heading Betis in front midway through the first half.

Filipe Luis gave away the penalty which decided the game, striking the ball with his left arm as he attempted to chest it down.

And although Oblak dived the right way, Canales’ spot-kick was too powerful for the Slovenian to reach.

Barca lead the standings on 50 points after 22 games, Atletico are second with 44 while third-placed Real Madrid.

Madrid, who will play at home to Alaves later on Sunday and visit Atletico next week, have 39 points.

“We cannot be happy as we failed to close the gap with Barca. It was a very even game, but we can’t afford to dwell any more on this, we have to think about our next game immediately,” said Atletico defender Juanfran.

“No-one here is going to give up because there’s still a long way to go in the season.”

Atletico had a penalty appeal of their own late in the game when Morata went down under a challenge from Feddal.

Griezmann also went closest to scoring for the visitors when he hit the post after the interval.

Atletico had 13 shots at Pau Lopez’s goal, but only managed to hit the target once, losing for the first time in the league since going down to a 2-0 defeat at Celta Vigo on Sept. 1.

“Both teams had few chances and we couldn’t find a solution as the minutes ticked down,” said Simeone.

“Morata had a good game considering it was his first game and we hope he will be able to contribute more to the team the longer he spends with us.

“I’m trying to be optimistic, at least we are only six points behind as Barca drew, and the distance could have been bigger.”

The post Atletico suffer defeat at Betis in Morata La Liga debut appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Koke’s deflected shot gave Atletico a second-minute lead. Antoine Griezmann then made it two with a stylish finish.

Radamel Falcao missed a late penalty for Monaco against his former club with Atletico’s Stefan Savic sent off having received his second booking of the match to concede the spot-kick.

It was a chastening experience for Henry whose Monaco side finally won for the first time under his management at Caen on Saturday. The penalty aside, they barely threatened against Diego Simeone’s well-drilled outfit.

With just one point from five games, they are set to finish bottom of Group A.

Borussia Dortmund are also through to the knockout stage but their goalless draw at home to Club Brugge leaves them needing Atletico Madrid to slip up in their final match against the Belgians to stand a chance of topping the group.

Belgian forward Dries Mertens made it 13 goals this season with a stunning brace
Group C is topped by Napoli who beat Red Star Belgrade 3-1 in Naples.

Dries Mertens scored two outstanding goals after captain Marek Hamsik had opened the scoring early on. El Fardou Ben fired home a consolation for the Serbian side.

The result leaves Napoli needing a draw against Liverpool in the final group game to be certain of qualifying for the knockout stages.

In Group D, Lokomotiv Moscow picked up their first points of the campaign with a 2-0 win at home to Galatasaray.

That score meant group leaders Porto and second-placed Schalke qualified for the last 16.

The two sides met in Portugal with Porto winning 3-1 to ensure they top the group.

The post Criezmann scores as Atletico Madrid reach Champions League last 16 appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The France striker was close to joining double winners Barca for 100 million euros (89.5 million pounds) at the end of last season but chose to stay at Atletico.

He had announced the move to remain with Diego Simeone’s side in a televised documentary called “The Decision.”

“I stayed because I could see they were building a great project here. I have confidence in this club and in Simeone, and today we saw that I was not wrong,” Griezmann told reporters after the Super Cup triumph in Tallinn.

“It was our first game back and we worked really hard and put in a huge effort and we have to continue like this because we are a great group.”

Griezmann played less than an hour of the game against Real until he was substituted for Angel Correa.

He admitted he was not yet at peak fitness since only recently returning to his club after helping France to win the World Cup.

“I was a little worn out because it was only my second game back,” Griezmann said.

The Frenchman’s fellow striker Diego Costa was named “Man of the Match’’ in the Super Cup for scoring Atletico’s first two goals and playing an influential role in extra-time.

It was in extra-time that strikes from Saul Niguez and Koke saw off Real.

Costa shared Griezmann’s enthusiasm about the team’s prospects for the coming season.

“Atletico continue to grow, not just on the pitch but off it too and you have to thank the people who run the club for bringing important players in and for keeping Griezmann,” he said.

“If we keep working so hard on and off the pitch we will continue to grow as we have in the last six years.”

The post Atletico’s Super Cup win vindicates my decision to stay, says Griezmann appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Diego Costa gave Europa League holders Atletico a dream start against Champions League winners Real by firing them ahead after 49 seconds.

He knocked down a long pass and smashed the ball into the net from a tight angle.

Real, playing their first competitive game since all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo left and Julen Lopetegui succeeded Zinedine Zidane as coach, soon pulled level.

Karim Benzema nodded in a cross from Gareth Bale in the 27th minute.

Real, who beat Atletico in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals and dumped them out of the competition in 2015 and 2017, were unrelenting.

They poured more pain on their neighbours when Juanfran handled and Sergio Ramos tucked the penalty kick away.

Diego Simeone’s side, however, are renowned for their fighting spirit and in spite of being outplayed for sections of the second half, got back into the game with 12 minutes left.

A thumping close-range finish from Costa drew them level.

Brazilian left back Marcelo had the chance to grab Real victory in stoppage-time but he slipped as he tried to meet a Bale cross.

Extra-time was then needed to settle an enthralling contest between the fierce rivals.

Atletico were on the back foot for the start of the extra period but they were still able to press their opponents high up the pitch.

That led to Raphael Varane giving the ball away outside his area.

Saul Niguez thumped home a stunning volley from Thomas Partey’s cross in the 98th minute to restore their lead.

Fellow academy graduate Koke struck six minutes later, finishing off a smooth team move to secure Atletico’s third Super Cup title

The post Atletico take revenge on Real Madrid to lift UEFA Super Cup appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.