Luka Sucic scored a stunning late equaliser to ensure Real Sociedad held Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 home draw in LaLiga on Sunday.

Atletico had taken an early lead, Antoine Griezmann bringing down a lofted ball before setting up Julian Alvarez with a delightful backheel, and the Argentine scored after just 51 seconds. 

Jan Oblak then made a string of fine saves, including a double stop against Martin Zubimendi and Nayef Aguerd, as the hosts dominated possession.

Eventually La Real's pressure paid off and there was nothing the goalkeeper could do as Sucic's superb first-time shot from distance sailed over him and into the top corner in the 84th minute.

Atletico moved one place up to third on 17 points, four points behind second-placed Real Madrid and seven off leaders Barcelona. Sociedad are 15th with nine points.

Data Debrief: Quick off the mark

To salvage a point against Real Madrid last weekend, Atletico left it late, not scoring until the 95th minute to claim a point.

This time out, however, Alvarez scored the club's fifth-fastest goal in LaLiga in the 21st century (51 seconds), and the fastest since February 2018 when Griezmann netted in 38 seconds against Malaga. 

Instead, it was La Real who left it late, with just their seventh goal of the season. It is their worst scoring record at this stage of a LaLiga campaign since 2006-07 (five), the campaign of their last relegation to the second division. 

Inaki Williams acknowledged Athletic Bilbao missing three penalties against Girona cannot happen in LaLiga, while taking the blame for his part in the disappointment.

Alex Berenguer was denied by Paulo Gazzaniga in the first half from 12 yards, with Williams then denied in the second period by the Girona goalkeeper on Sunday.

Gazzaniga was adjudged to have stepped off his line too early for the Williams spot-kick save, though the former Tottenham man then saved from Ander Herrera's retaken penalty.

In a remarkable turn of fate, Cristhian Stuani converted a 99th-minute penalty for the visiting Girona to snatch a 2-1 victory, much to the dismay of Athletic winger Williams.

"There are no excuses, we missed three penalties. I plead absolutely guilty, we can't miss three penalties. This can't happen in LaLiga," a frustrated Williams said.

With Williams' miss not officially counting due to the retake, Athletic became the first side in LaLiga to miss two penalties in one match since Real Madrid in 2022.

It was also the first time this century that the Basque club have suffered such a feat in the competition, solely down to the heroic exploits of Gazzaniga.

"I'm happy for the three points the team got. I don't remember another match like this," Gazzaniga said.

"Again, I would like to highlight the work of the team because without them it wouldn't have been possible.

"We were studying the penalties with the goalkeeping coach and this time it worked out well."

Girona's victory ended a four-match winless run in LaLiga heading into the October international break.

Hansi Flick's Barcelona have made a flying start to the season, but he was reluctant to draw comparisons with his all-conquering Bayern Munich team.

Barca moved three points clear at the top of LaLiga after Robert Lewandowski's first-half hat-trick helped them to a 3-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves on Sunday. 

In the league, Barcelona have already scored 28 goals in nine games, more than any other team in the division, and the most of any team across the top five European leagues.

Flick took interim charge at Bayern midway through the 2019-20 season, guiding them to a treble by winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the Champions League. 

However, the manager believes it is too early to compare the two sides. 

"No, no, I don't like that. This team is different," Flick told reporters.

"The situation is different. At the moment, things look good. I'm happy to be the coach of this team, but I know that things can change really quickly in football.

"We value what we have, it's fantastic to see things work... What this team is doing is amazing. The atmosphere in the dressing room is great.

"It's not just about winning and losing. We analyse matches, that's why we have a very large group of analysts. We want to show the players what we can improve on for the next match."

Lewandowski's hat-trick was the fourth-earliest ever scored by a Barcelona player in LaLiga (32 minutes), and took his tally up to 10 goals in the competition.

Flick was full of praise for his striker, who was part of that treble-winning team at Bayern. 

"Lewandowski is the same player I knew in Munich, and he's the best in the box. What he does is fantastic, he's always ready to score," Flick added.

"I think we should praise everyone in the team, they're all helping him. He's in good form, and I'm happy to see that. I'm happy for the three points and happy with Lewy's performance.

"In the first half, we didn't make any mistakes, we didn't allow Alaves to play their game. That was the key to winning."

The only blemish at the Mendizorrotza Stadium was the injury suffered by forward Ferran Torres, who limped off five minutes into the game.

"We still don't know what injury Ferran has, but it looks muscular. We'll see with the medical tests tomorrow," Flick said.

"Ferran's injury is worrying. We don't have many options in attack, but we'll see what happens.

"We hope to recover the injured players in the international break. We will see in the next two weeks, and we hope they return in good shape."

Robert Lewandowski's first-half hat-trick got Barcelona back to winning ways in LaLiga with a 3-0 victory away at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.

Barcelona started brightly but were denied a fifth-minute lead as Raphinha's dinked finish over Antonio Sivera was ruled out for offside.

However, just two minutes later, Lewandowski headed home from a Raphinha free-kick, and the pair linked up again in the 22nd minute, with the forward finishing off a lightning-quick counter-attack by the Brazilian. 

Lewandowski completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, netting his 10th league goal of the campaign, doing well to guide it into the net as he took a tumble.

Toni Martinez had a first-half goal disallowed by VAR for the hosts, and also struck the post just after the break before Joan Jordan's late header was chalked off following a review.

Barcelona, who move three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga, could have had more, but Alaves were indebted to Sivera, who stood strong, making six saves to keep the scoreline down.

Data Debrief: Lewandowski's flying start continues

Lewandowski has settled back into life under Hansi Flick since the German's move to Barcelona, and his numbers do all the talking.

He sits top of the LaLiga goalscoring charts already, and he scored the fourth-earliest hat-trick by a Barca player in LaLiga, netting his three goals within 32 minutes.

It is the sixth time that Barcelona have collected 24+ points from their opening nine games of the campaign, and they secured the title at the end of three of the previous five.

Cristhian Stuani scored a 99th-minute penalty to snatch a 2-1 victory for Girona against Athletic Bilbao after Paulo Gazzaniga had saved multiple spot-kicks at the other end.

Alex Berenguer won the first penalty in the 26th minute after being fouled by Arnau Martinez, but the goalkeeper denied him when he stepped up.

Athletic were punished shortly after as Yaser Asprilla sent a dangerous left-footed cross past Alex Padilla into the bottom-left corner.

Oihan Sancet scored the equaliser just two minutes later, but the visitors' poor luck from 12 yards continued after the break.

Inaki Williams' effort was also stopped but had to be retaken as Gazzaniga's feet were off the line. However, the goalkeeper kept his nerve, as he denied Ander Herrera, who stepped up to take the second attempt.

Deep in stoppage time, Aitor Paredes brought down Ladislav Krejci in the box and received two bookings in less than a minute, one for the foul and the second for dissent.

Stuani duly converted the resulting spot-kick to seal all three points for Girona and end a four-match winless run in LaLiga. 

Data Debrief: Athletic pay the penalty for spot-kick woe

Athletic will be scratching their heads as to how they came away from this game with nothing, given the attacking threat they showed throughout.

They accumulated 2.59 expected goals (xG) from their 13 shots, albeit those two spot-kicks played a huge part in that total, but come away with an unwanted record as they missed two penalties in a single LaLiga game for the first time this century.

That was largely down to Gazzaniga's heroics, though, as he showed his prowess with three saves, even if one of those will not officially count. 

Stuani proved the hero in the end though, scoring his sixth goal against Athletic in LaLiga to get Michel's side up and running again before the international break.

Dani Carvajal has signed a contract extension with Real Madrid until June 2026.

The full-back could miss the rest of the 2024-25 season after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury in Saturday's 2-0 win over Villarreal.

Carvajal's contract was due to expire at the end of the campaign, but Madrid responded almost immediately by extending his stay with the club for at least a further year.

The 32-year-old, who has been with Los Blancos since the age of 10, has won six Champions League titles and four LaLiga crowns during his time at Santiago Bernabeu, while amassing 427 appearances.

Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal could be set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury.

Carvajal had to be taken off late on in Saturday's LaLiga meeting with Villarreal, which Madrid won 2-0 thanks to goals from Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior.

The 32-year-old and the club subsequently confirmed he will have to go under the knife.

"Serious cruciate ligament injury confirmed, I'll have to undergo surgery and be off the field for a few months," Carvajal said on Instagram.

"Looking forward to starting the recovery process and coming back like an animal. Thank you all for your messages, I feel very loved."

After the match, Carlo Ancelotti said: "It looks like a pretty serious knee injury, the dressing room is sad and worried.

"It's something that happens a lot of times because of the calendar and it's happened to a very important player for us.

"He is a fundamental player for us because of his experience.

"I've been talking to him and he's sad, but there's not much we can do. We are going to see the medical evaluation and think about him recovering. The doctor has told us that he has to do tests, but that it's a knee injury."

Asked how he may replace Carvajal in Madrid's starting XI, Ancelotti said: "We have Lucas Vazquez, but it's not the time to talk about this.

"We are going to wait and if the injury is serious we are going to manage the squad well and see who we put in this position. It will not be me."

Vinicius also suffered an injury against Villarreal, with Madrid confirming the Brazil star had a cervical issue.

The victory took Los Blancos level on points with Barcelona at the summit of LaLiga, ahead of the Blaugrana facing Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.

Real Madrid went level on points with rivals Barcelona at the LaLiga summit following their 2-0 triumph over high-flying Villarreal on Saturday.

The hosts opened the scoring in stunning fashion when Luka Modric's short corner was dummied by Jude Bellingham for Federico Valverde, with the Uruguayan taking aim from distance and finding the bottom corner with the aid of a deflection. 

But Villarreal, who had won back-to-back league games heading into the encounter at the Bernabeu, responded almost immediately when Nicolas Pepe's header rattled the crossbar before Thierno Barry nodded over. 

Los Blancos had further chances to increase their lead, but Antonio Rudiger sent an effort over the bar before Bellingham's long-range effort sailed wide of the post.

But the victory was sealed 17 minutes from time with another sensational strike, this time Vinicius Junior tried his luck from long-range and curled a superb strike beyond the grasp of Diego Conde after being found by Valverde. 

The result, however, was overshadowed by a nasty injury in second-half stoppage time to Dani Carvajal, with the Spaniard leaving the pitch on a stretcher and in tears after a collision with Yeremy Pino. 

Data Debrief: Wonder goals save Los Blancos

Madrid's two strikes against Villarreal both came from outside the box, as many as they had scored in their previous 39 goals in LaLiga. 

But Carlo Ancelotti's side were far from their very best at the Bernabeu. They managed to muster an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.47 compared to Villarreal's 0.62, with only two of Los Blancos' 11 shots on target. 

Valverde, however, impressed for Madrid, creating the joint-most chances alongside Modric (three), while also completing more accurate passes (77) than any other player on the pitch. 

Barcelona's new goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will not make his debut against Alaves on Sunday and will instead have to wait until after the international break.

The club signed the Pole as a free agent on Wednesday, with the goalkeeper reversing his decision to retire so he could come to the team's aid following Marc-Andre ter Stegen's season-ending injury.

Ter Stegen suffered a serious knee injury against Villarreal last month, and Inaki Pena has featured in the last three games for Barcelona, most recently keeping a clean sheet in their 5-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions League.

And it looks like Pena is set to start between the sticks against Alaves, too, with Hansi Flick confirming that Szczesny is not yet available for selection. 

"Szczesny is in good shape and, with his experience, character and quality, I think he is the very best option for the club," Flick told reporters.

"It's very good to have him, he will help us a lot, but he is not with us against Alaves.

"I am sure after the international break Szczesny will be an option for us. For him also, to play for Barca will be great. We will see how he is doing in training. We have a lot of time."

The Catalan side have a tough run after the international break, hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League three days before visiting Real Madrid in LaLiga on October 26.

They are in a strong position though, sitting top of the table heading into their match against Alaves, though did suffer their first loss of the domestic season against Osasuna last weekend in a 4-2 defeat.

With 25 goals to their name already, they have made their best scoring start to a single campaign since 2016-17 (26).

However, Flick admitted his decision to rest key starters had an impact in that loss, and accepted the players would not like his choices.

"It's normal to get angry, everyone wants to play more. Those changes had to be made. It's a decision that they have to accept, and they did," he added.

"Lamine Yamal [a 59th-minute substitute against Osasuna] complained that he wasn't receiving many balls, but now he can work on fixing that.

"We have to avoid the many mistakes we made at Osasuna. We need to have more control and possession. It is going to be a high-intensity game at Alaves." 

Girona head coach Michel has urged his team to rediscover their attacking spark by adopting a bolder approach in the final third against Athletic Bilbao this Sunday. 

Girona return to LaLiga action at the Estadi Montilivi following their 3-2 Champions League defeat to Feyenoord in midweek, leaving them winless in the competition.

The Blanquivermells have also struggled in the league, failing to win any of their last four matches (D2 L2), while only scoring two goals during that run. 

Michel's side currently sit 13th in the standings with nine points from their first eight games, while Bilbao are up in sixth on 14 points. 

Girona have lost only one of their last four against this weekend's opponents in LaLiga (W2 D1), with Michel desperate to see his side return to winning ways. 

"The most important thing is the league, which is our vitality, it is where we have to perform to be able to make the club grow," Michel said. 

"We need a victory with home fans so that the good feelings can turn into points."

But the Girona head coach did take on some of the blame for his side's transition to playing Champions League football this term. 

After tomorrow's fixture, the Blanquivermells will have played six games in 18 days, and Michel was able to pinpoint the differences from last season to this. 

"I have to be the one who adapts to the player's characteristics because otherwise they won't be comfortable on the pitch," Michel said. 

"In my mind it is clear that my way of playing is good for any player, but they have to understand that they have to take a step in our game. Any player can do that.

"I'm not asking them to dribble past three defenders and score, but I do ask that they play forward and upward, that they should always look at their opponents' faces (bravely).

"We have a team that can perform very well and do things very well. We must not enter into negative dynamics."

Diego Simeone has dismissed claims of negativity surrounding Atletico Madrid following their resounding 4-0 Champions League defeat to Benfica in midweek.

Los Colchoneros are unbeaten in LaLiga after eight matches, winning four and drawing four, sitting five points behind leaders Barcelona, ahead of Sunday's trip to Real Sociedad.

However, they were trounced by Benfica in their second match in the Champions League's new league phase on Wednesday, the first time they had shipped four goals in a Champions League group-stage game since October 2020 (0-4 at Bayern Munich).

"I don't think that there is a negative climate. I believe our atmosphere is good and we are working towards the team we want to have," Simeone told reporters on Saturday.

"There are players who arrived in the last days of the transfer window, and they are acclimatising.

"From our position, we need to help them adapt as quickly as possible so the team can take shape swiftly. I don't see that as negativity at all."

Atletico bolstered their squad with new signings Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez ahead of the new campaign, and Simeone is still waiting for his players to gel.

"I didn't see the team lacking commitment or intensity, but rather a lack of creative play and resources ... Let's see if we can win against Sociedad," Simeone added. 

Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger has lauded Barcelona's Lamine Yamal as 'ridiculous' following the teenager's rapid rise to stardom for their fierce LaLiga rivals. 

Yamal broke into Barca's first-team last term, making 50 appearances in all competitions before announcing himself on the international stage for Spain at Euro 2024. 

He became the first Spanish player to register four assists in a single European Championship tournament.

It was also the joint most that any player has ever assisted at a single edition of the tournament that Opta has on record (1980 onwards).

Yamal also broke Pele's record from the 1958 World Cup final for Brazil against Sweden by becoming the youngest player to feature in a major international tournament final at the age of 17 years and 249 days in Spain's 2-1 win over England. 

And the teenager has picked up where he left off in Germany, already notching 10 goal involvements (five goals and five assists) in 10 appearances in all competitions this season.

The 17-year-old has also completed the joint-most dribbles alongside Sevilla's Chidera Ejuke (23) in LaLiga this season, while only Raphinha (26) has created more chances for Barcelona in the league this season than Yamal (17). 

"You have to give credit where credit is due," Rudiger told The Inside Scoop podcast when asked about Yamal.

"He is 17, it's ridiculous. The player he is already for them [Barca] at 17, it's quite scary. What he did in the Euros, you have to give kudos to him. He has a great future ahead.

"I think they [Barca] have a player who has a [big] career and hopefully, he will stay healthy."

Carlo Ancelotti is hopeful Real Madrid can bounce back from their shock Champions League loss to Lille, despite the short turnaround before Villarreal.

Madrid return to LaLiga action on the back of the 1-0 defeat to the French side, with Jonathan David's penalty enough to deny the holders a victory.

It also ended their 36-match unbeaten run in all competitions and was their first Champions League group-stage defeat since October 2022 against RB Leipzig.

Ancelotti's side have now failed to win their last two, having also conceded a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid last weekend, but he is confident the team will be back to winning ways soon.

"[Villarreal] are doing really well. Saturday, it's an opportunity for us to reconnect, to get back to playing good football," Ancelotti told a press conference on Friday.

"[The mood] is fine, as always. [Wednesday's] defeat is an opportunity, if we take it and react well. We are self-critical. There are times when you have to reconnect and you need to do it quickly.

"Sometimes a good run makes you think you're invincible, but a defeat brings you back to reality. We are still not at our level, we have players who are not at their best.

"We are not far from where we want to be. There is a lack of defensive intensity and, offensively, a lack of ball circulation."

Coming off a remarkable 2023-24 season in which they won the LaLiga and Champions League double, Madrid are second in the Spanish top-flight standings on 18 points, three behind leaders Barcelona and one ahead of Villarreal.

Ancelotti expects to get Kylian Mbappe back into the starting team after the forward missed last weekend's derby against Atletico and came off the bench at Lille due to a hamstring injury, which led to France manager Didier Deschamps leaving his captain out of the squad for next week's Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium.

"He has had a problem that seems to have been solved. He has trained normally," Ancelotti said.

"I don't get involved in what national coaches do. Deschamps has decided not to call him. We need to get the ball to the strikers quicker and we lack defensive intensity."

Barcelona have signed Wojciech Szczesny as a free agent, with the goalkeeper reversing his decision to retire after the Blaugrana lost Marc-Andre ter Stegen to a long-term injury.

Germany international Ter Stegen underwent surgery after suffering a rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee last weekend and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Inaki Pena was initially expected to cover for Ter Stegen, but Barca have now reinforced their squad with the signing of former Arsenal man Szczesny.

Szczesny had announced his retirement from football last month after terminating his contract with Juventus, where he had been a regular after replacing Italy great Gianluigi Buffon between the sticks.

Szczesny won Serie A and the Coppa Italia three times each with Juve, making more than 250 appearances for the club, but he then lost his place to close-season recruit Michele Di Gregorio.

Barcelona are top of LaLiga with 21 points from eight games and Hansi Flick's side next visit Alaves on Sunday, looking to bounce back from last week's defeat at Osasuna. 

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has reiterated his view that players should be punished for provoking fans, after some supporters threw objects at Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in Sunday's derby.

Atleti played out a 1-1 draw with their cross-city rivals on Sunday, as both teams maintained their unbeaten starts to the season in LaLiga. 

The match was suspended after Eder Militao opened the scoring in the 64th minute, with fans from ultras group Fondo Sur throwing objects including cigarette lighters at Courtois during the visitors' celebrations.

After the game, which saw Angel Correa net a 95th-minute equaliser, Atletico's players were heavily criticised for applauding the ultras, while Simeone attracted scrutiny for suggesting Courtois' actions contributed to the unsavoury scenes.

Speaking ahead of Atleti's Champions League trip to Benfica on Wednesday, Simeone defended those comments as he said: "The other day I didn't shut up, I said something many see. I received millions of messages thanking me for what I said, many are represented in that situation.

"If it was up to me, I would sanction the one who provokes from the place he has as a protagonist. Now society is very sensitive and we need firmness."

Despite saying some took his comments out of context, the Argentine refused to retract what he said, adding: "I'm calm because I am clear and up front, I like to say what I feel. I wouldn't change anything I said.

"I have said three times that I condemn violence, showed rejection of the aggressors, said that as a club it was a great opportunity to show outwardly what should be done.

"Then I gave an opinion that they twisted and took wherever they wanted. I think it is good for football if that debate is opened up. The other day it was Courtois' turn but it could have been someone else. But people stop at what they want.

"I said one thing and then I gave an opinion and many took the opportunity to have fun between Monday and Tuesday, but now we are thinking about Benfica."

Atletico said on Monday they had banned a person identified as taking part in the violence and were working with police to identify others, who will also be disciplined.