Atletico Madrid’s players firmly believe they will hit back from a first-leg deficit and beat Bayer Leverkusen to stay alive in the Champions League tonight.

Atletico Madrid have a mountain to climb if they are to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals after they endured a night to forget at Bayer Leverkusen.

Atletico Madrid have a mountain to climb if they are to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals after they endured a night to forget at Bayer Leverkusen.

La Liga: One story dominated Spain’s sports papers on Sunday morning. The front cover of AS screamed: ‘Atletico party, Madrid shipwrecked’.

Atletico Madrid were in dreamland as they destroyed rivals Real Madrid with a thumping 4-0 win which blew the Primera Division title race wide open.

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique says he is honoured to be Lionel Messi’s coach after the Argentinean became the top goalscorer in Primera Division history.

Saturday began with the Spanish press full of tributes to Real Madrid club captain Iker Casillas on completing 15 years as a first-team player at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu — with over 700 games for the club, and an enviable trophy haul including three Champions Leagues, five La Liga titles and two Copas del Rey.

The summer transfer window officially opened yesterday and while many big-money moves and free transfers have already been agreed across Europe, a clutch of distinguished players will be left searching for new clubs.

Gareth Bale finally helped Real Madrid fulfil the dream of ’La Decima’, securing a memorable 10th Champions League triumph with an extra-time win against neighbours Atletico Madrid.

If there was any remaining doubt about the immense faith Atletico Madrid have in their manager, Tiago immediately removed it. The former Chelsea midfielder was asked to explain the effect of Diego Simeone.

For one Madrid side tonight in Lisbon, familiarity will breed contentment. For the other, the emotions will go a lot deeper than contempt.

Barcelona 1 Atletico Madrid 1

Anyone expecting a feast of attacking football in tonight’s Champions League semi-final first leg between Atletico Madrid and Chelsea will be disappointed, says Atletico midfielder Gabi Fernandez.

Atletico Madrid 1 Barcelona 0 (Atletico Madrid win 2-1 on aggregate)

Barcelona 1 Atletico Munich 1

When Diego Simeone took charge at Atletico Madrid, just over two years ago, the challenge he faced was huge.

Lionel Messi celebrated his fourth successive Ballon d’Or award by once again inspiring Barcelona to a 3-1 victory at Malaga.

Celtic 2 Barcelona 1

Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente believes his side’s stunning success over Manchester United has given them the belief they can claim the club’s first ever European trophy when they face Atletico Madrid in an all-Spanish Europa League final in Bucharest tonight.

Adrian’s brilliant second-half strike booked Atletico Madrid’s place in the Europa League final at the National Stadium in Bucharest on May 9.

TIAGO hit a stunning 84th-minute winner to leave Europa League holders Atletico Madrid in a strong position in Group B after a match home side Rosenborg had dominated.

GERMANY playmaker Mesut Ozil and Spain striker David Villa are the surprise omissions from Opta’s team of the World Cup so far.

SPAIN’S crusade to add the World Cup trophy to their Euro 2008 title continued last night with a closely-fought last-16 win over Iberian neighbours Portugal.

Spain 1 Portugal 0

LIKE watching Brazil? It was more like watching Barnsley on a bad day as the World Cup favourites laboured to a goalless draw with Portugal that sees them both through to the knockout stage.

Portugal 0 Brazil 0

IT HAS taken 30 matches and 11 long days but at last one of the Big Five has been spotted in South Africa; the prowling and preening Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal 7 North Korea 0

IT IS two years since Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Portugal in a competitive international but the world’s most expensive player says he is “not concerned” by his ongoing struggles to find the net.

CRISTIANO RONALDO cut a frustrated figure after being denied by the woodwork and picking up a booking in Portugal’s scoreless draw against the Ivory Coast yesterday.

Pepe has been included in Portugal’s final 23-man World Cup squad despite having been out of action since December.

ATLETICO MADRID are known as ‘Los Colchoneros’ — mattress makers — because of their red-and-white striped shirts, but there have been times when their supporters believed it was because they provided a comfortable rest for the opposition.

PORTUGAL negotiated a tricky tie to qualify for the World Cup after a 1-0 success in Bosnia-Herzegovina sealed a 2-0 aggregate success last night.

Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 Portugal 1 (Portugal win 2-0 on aggregate)

RICARDO CARVALHO is ready to leave Chelsea this summer but will only consider a move to another top European club.

FRANK LAMPARD believes Chelsea’s rediscovered fighting spirit will have sent a shudder through the rest of Europe’s top clubs.

BAYERN MUNICH put one foot in the last eight, putting five goals past Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese capital.

Chelsea tonight make one change from the side that beat Aston Villa in the Premier League last Saturday – Ashley Cole has replaced Paulo Ferreira at left-back.

John Gosden’s Raven’s Pass created history at Santa Anita by becoming the first horse trained in Britain to win the €6.25m Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Johnny Murtagh is poised to ride Duke Of Marmalade rather than stablemate Henrythenavigator in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Saturday week.

Everton manager David Moyes will end the long wait for a summer signing after striking a deal to bring Denmark international Lars Christian Jacobsen to Goodison Park.

Tottenham today look poised to sign Gilberto from German club Hertha Berlin.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidic return for Manchester United tonight as they seek to clinch top spot in Champions League Group F.

Wayne Rooney returned to Manchester United’s starting line-up for the first time since the opening day of the season as Alex Ferguson’s men tackled Sporting Lisbon to kick off their latest Champions League quest.