European Football: Atlético Madrid Stumble at Espanyol as Vitinha Secures PSG Win

Published: 18 August 2025. The English Chronicle Desk

Atlético Madrid suffered a 2-1 setback at Espanyol in La Liga on Sunday, surrendering Julián Alvarez’s early strike to late goals from substitutes Miguel Rubio and Pere Milla. Alvarez had opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a precision free-kick, after Espanyol’s Leandro Cabrera fouled Conor Gallagher. He came close to doubling the lead in the second half, but his shot struck the crossbar. Espanyol drew level in the 73rd minute when a long set-piece found Rubio, who slotted the ball past goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Milla completed the comeback with a stunning diving header six minutes later.

In another La Liga encounter, Athletic Bilbao edged Sevilla 3-2 after initially leading 2-0 at halftime. Goals from Nico Williams and Maroan Sannadi gave Bilbao the advantage, only for Dodi Lukébakio and Lucien Agoumé to equalize before Robert Navarro secured the win in the closing stages.

In France, Paris Saint-Germain began their Ligue 1 title defence with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Nantes. Portugal midfielder Vitinha scored the decisive goal in the 67th minute, taking a deflected shot into the far corner. PSG, still recovering from their recent Super Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur, struggled to create significant chances in the first half against a disciplined Nantes side. A potential second goal by Gonçalo Ramos was ruled out for offside.

Promoted sides Paris FC and Metz both endured narrow defeats in their top-flight returns. Paris FC lost 1-0 to Angers, who scored early through Esteban Lepaul and held on despite being reduced to ten men after Louis Mouton’s red card. Metz fell 1-0 at Strasbourg thanks to Joaquín Panichelli’s late strike. Meanwhile, Auxerre opened their campaign with a 1-0 home victory over Lorient, with Lassine Sinayoko netting the winner.

Lille were held to a dramatic 3-3 draw at Brest, despite Olivier Giroud scoring early and Hákon Arnar Haraldsson doubling the lead. Brest responded with two quick goals from Kamory Doumbia, and although Lille regained the advantage through Ngal’ayel Mukau, Julien Le Cardinal equalized for the hosts.

In Germany, a first-round DFB-Pokal match between Schalke and Lokomotiv Leipzig was temporarily suspended following allegations of racial abuse directed at Schalke winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei. The incident paused the game for nearly five minutes, with stadium officials condemning the abuse. Antwi-Adjei, born in Germany and a Ghana international, described the experience as disappointing but declined to repeat the offensive language. Lokomotiv Leipzig have stated that the allegations could not be independently verified, though the club has a history of issues involving supporter groups with far-right links.