Levante 0–2 Atlético Madrid · La Liga

No drama, no fuss, no mercy. Atlético Madrid went to Levante, did exactly what they came to do, and left with a 2–0 win that looked less like a contest and more like a chore efficiently completed. This is Diego Simeone’s football distilled: win the battle first, worry about the beauty later — if at all.

A Simeone classic

You know the template by now. Soak up what the hosts throw at you, strangle the game in midfield, and strike when the opening comes. Levante huffed and puffed; Atlético simply waited, pounced, and then shut the door so firmly you could hear it slam from Madrid. Unglamorous? Absolutely. Effective? Ask the scoreboard.

Lookman’s second act

The sub-plot Nigerian fans care about: Ademola Lookman looks more at home in red and white by the week. When a manager as stubborn as Simeone bends his system to get the best out of you — as we noted when we ranked Nigeria’s in-form forwards — that’s not charity, it’s respect. Lookman is repaying it, growing into the kind of trusted operator Cholo builds entire game-plans around.

Nigeria’s embarrassment of riches

Step back and the picture is almost greedy: Osimhen bullying defences in Turkey, Lookman thriving under Simeone, Iwobi and Bassey anchoring a Premier League side. The Super Eagles’ problem has never been talent abroad — it’s turning all of it into results in green. On current form, the raw materials have rarely looked better.

Our take: an Atlético away win rarely makes the highlight reels, and Simeone couldn’t care less. For Lookman, every quiet, professional afternoon like this one is another brick in a very promising Madrid chapter.

Back your call — free predictions Correct score tips

Some weekends you defend for your life. Other weekends you just hang on and pray for full-time. Alavés had the second kind.

Barcelona battered them 6-1, and if anything the margin was kind to the visitors. This was a proper demolition — the sort where you lose count, glance at the clock, and realise there's still half an hour of this to survive.

This is Lamine Yamal's Barcelona now

When Barça's attack clicks like this, it stops being a football team and becomes a problem with no solution — wave after wave, angle after angle, with teenage superstar Lamine Yamal the beating heart of it all. On their day, nobody in Spain lives with them.

A statement at the right time

Barcelona have had their wobbles this season. Six goals is how you answer the doubters without saying a word. It keeps the heat squarely on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and reminds everyone that a Barça in the mood is a terrifying thing.

Spare a thought for Alavés

Brutal afternoon. There's no shame in shipping six to a side playing like that — but they'll want to burn the tape and never mention it again.

Our take: when this Barcelona front line is switched on, the only sensible plan is to foul early and apologise later.

Think you can read the goals before they happen? Back your call with our free football predictions and correct score tips.

Who is a better Mid-fielder???