Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti believes Sunday's derby draw with Atletico Madrid could prove to be an important result in the future, despite their last-gasp concession.
Madrid were on course to move within a point of Barcelona – who saw their unbeaten start to the season ended by Osasuna on Saturday – in LaLiga when Eder Militao opened the scoring after 64 minutes.
However, after a 15-minute stoppage due to members of the crowd throwing objects at Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Angel Correa snatched a 95th-minute leveller for Atleti.
The Argentine's strike was the first stoppage-time goal scored by Atleti in a Madrid derby this century, as both teams maintained their unbeaten starts to the campaign.
Ancelotti was frustrated to drop two points but feels the result was still a positive one, telling reporters: "It is hard to cope with a draw when we were very close to winning.
"It can happen, the opponents are very strong and have a lot of quality. Their goal was in the last minute, it's a pity. We controlled the game well, we came close.
"But I always like to think positively. We've won a point away from home and we are a point closer [to Barcelona].
"The dynamic is good, we are in contention and we don't despair, a draw here can mean a good point for the future."
Referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer took both teams off the pitch in the aftermath of Militao's opening goal as objects rained down from the stands, causing Atleti boss Diego Simeone to say Los Colchoneros "do not need these people".
Ancelotti hailed the officials' reaction to the incident and said the stoppage had not affected the flow of the game, adding: "I don't think it helped Atletico, it affected us both equally.
"We all wanted to play. The decision to stop the match was the right one. The referee said that lighters were thrown and that he had stopped the match twice, if they threw another one, he had to suspend it.
"I think it was a correct decision by the referee. It had to stop, a few things were sorted out, and we started again. Obviously, none of us liked the situation. Everyone wanted to play. The referee acted well."
Real Madrid's Courtois suffers adductor injury in derby draw
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois suffered an adductor injury in Sunday's derby draw with Atletico Madrid, the Spanish champions have confirmed.
Courtois struggled to kick with his left foot in the latter stages of the match at the Civitas Metropolitano, where he was earlier targeted with projectiles by a group of supporters.
Atleti ultras group Fondo Sur launched objects including cigarette lighters at Courtois when he celebrated Eder Militao's 64th-minute opener in front of the home fans.
The teams were taken off the pitch for over 15 minutes in response to that incident, with Angel Correa's stoppage-time strike later salvaging a 1-1 draw for the hosts.
On Monday, Madrid released an update on Courtois' condition, confirming he had suffered an adductor injury in his left leg and would be monitored.
Spanish media reports subsequently claimed he could miss around two weeks, which would mean sitting out Wednesday's Champions League trip to Lille and a home league game versus Villarreal on Saturday.
After the subsequent international break, Los Blancos go to Celta Vigo on October 19 before facing Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona in two huge home games the following week.
Cavalier SC triumphs over 10-man Waterhouse in dominant 2-0 win; Humble Lion held by Vere Phoenix
Defending champions Cavalier SC delivered a commanding 2-0 victory over a 10-man Waterhouse FC at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Sunday, climbing to the top of the Jamaica Premier League standings. Early goals from Jalmaro Calvin and Dwayne Atkinson sealed the win, leaving Waterhouse struggling after goalkeeper Kemar Foster was sent off in the first half.
Cavalier wasted little time asserting their dominance. Calvin fired the opening goal in the 12th minute after Atkinson skillfully turned his defender inside out and set up Calvin to score from six yards out. The defending champions nearly doubled their lead in the 24th minute, but Adrian Reid Jr couldn’t convert a free kick from close range.
Waterhouse’s fortunes worsened in the 32nd minute when a poor back pass from Nickoy Christian forced goalkeeper Kemar Foster into a last-ditch tackle outside the box, resulting in a straight red card. With substitute goalkeeper John Wilson brought on, the pressure mounted. Just three minutes after entering the game, Wilson's pass from the back was intercepted by Atkinson, who slotted home to make it 2-0.
Atkinson nearly added a third goal two minutes before halftime, rattling the crossbar after more defensive errors from Waterhouse. Despite being a man down, Waterhouse showed resilience in the second half, with Elvis Wilson coming close to pulling one back with a towering header that Cavalier’s goalkeeper Vino Barclett had to save at full stretch.
However, Cavalier continued to exploit Waterhouse’s defensive lapses, with Shaquille Stein hitting the post in the 55th minute after another error at the back. Waterhouse failed to mount a significant comeback, and Cavalier comfortably saw out the match to claim their second win of the season.
The victory lifts Cavalier to seven points, one ahead of Harbour View, who secured a 2-1 victory over Molynes United earlier in the day.
Elsewhere, Humble Lion were left frustrated after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Vere United at the Wembley Centre of Excellence. Dominating much of the match despite the wet conditions, Humble Lion took the lead in the 73rd minute through a penalty from Karim Bryan after Vere defender Michael Forbes was sent off for bringing down Andre Clennon in the box.
However, Vere, despite being a man down, fought back in the dying moments of the game. Substitute schoolboy Kishane Gordon found the back of the net in stoppage time, slotting home after a neat pass from Josiah Daniel to snatch a point for Vere United.
Harbour View made their return to their home ground at Compound a successful one, securing a 2-1 win over Molynes United. The victory moves Harbour View to six points, just behind Cavalier on the Jamaica Premier League table.
In the late game on Sunday, Arnett Gardens and Racing United played to a exciting 1-1 draw.
France great Griezmann announces international retirement
Antoine Griezmann has announced his retirement from international football, having amassed 137 caps over 10 years in the France setup.
Griezmann made his Bleus debut in a friendly against the Netherlands in March 2014 and went on to play a vital role for Didier Deschamps' side at six major tournaments.
Griezmann scored in the 2018 World Cup final as France beat Croatia to win their second crown in Russia, also shining as they reached the 2022 final, only to lose to Argentina.
The 33-year-old also helped his country win the 2020-21 edition of the Nations League and finished as the leading goalscorer at Euro 2016, where France were runners-up to Portugal on home soil.
In a video posted to his social media channels, Griezmann said: "It is with a heart full of memories that I close this chapter of my life.
"Thank you for this magnificent tricolour adventure and see you soon."
Only Hugo Lloris (145) and Lillian Thuram (142) have won more caps for France than Griezmann, who is tied for third in their all-time appearance charts with Olivier Giroud.
His tally of 44 goals makes him the fourth-highest scorer in France's history, while he has also provided the most assists (30) of any Bleus player since records began in 1966.
Griezmann made 116 starts for his country, the third-highest total of any player in their history, while he also enjoyed a record-breaking run of 84 successive caps, which ended earlier this year when he missed his first France game in seven years – a friendly defeat to Germany in March.
He scored four times during France's triumphant run at the 2018 World Cup but made his most decisive impact at the European Championships.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo (14) and compatriot Michel Platini (nine) have bettered his total of seven goals at the Euros, six of which came in 2016 – only Platini (nine at Euro 1984) has ever scored more at a single edition of the tournament.
Griezmann's announcement comes one day after he brought up his 500th LaLiga appearance in Atletico Madrid's derby draw with Real Madrid, becoming only the second non-Spanish player to hit that milestone after Lionel Messi (520).
Sevilla icon Jesus Navas, meanwhile, is the only active player to make more appearances than Griezmann in the competition, playing 508 games.
Griezmann is just the eighth player overall to reach 500 LaLiga matches, with 285 of his appearances coming for Atleti, 141 for Real Sociedad and 74 for Barcelona.
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