Australia’s fighting spirit not enough as Alexis Sánchez fires up Chile

In defeat, some regret; but much dignity. When the Socceroos were drawn to play Chile in the refitted Arena Pantanal’s first match of this World Cup many were expecting Australia to be on the end of a hiding.

But where for much of a slow, startle-eyed opening 20 minutes Australia looked likely to make good on those dire predictions, in the 70 minutes that followed there was much that the coach, Ange Postecoglou, will rightly see as immensely encouraging.

Chile were good to their promise of unflagging, almost irrational, attack, the outstanding front two of Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sánchez 

Atlético Madrid celebrate La Liga title after draw at Barcelona

Atlético Madrid have done it. A year after they went to the Santiago Bernabéu and took the Copa del Rey from Real Madrid, they came here and took the league title from FC Barcelona. It is their first in 18 years. Next they travel to Lisbon to play their first European Cup final for 40 years. What Diego Simeone and his side have achieved is barely believable. Barcelona's supporters recognised the magnitude of what they had witnessed: when the final whistle went here, they immediately broke into applause.
Spain suffered a collective coronary as the season headed into the final minutes of the final day with a single moment sufficient to change the destiny of the title. Barcelona's goalkeeper, José Pinto, was even up for a corner that almost dropped his way. But in the end Diego Godín's header from a corner was enough to