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Today's 5 headlines: Clásico preview; Spanish wins in Europe

Good morning and happy Friday. Yesterday brought the European and South American international action to a close. Here are the day's top 5 stories to keep yo...

· 507 words

Good morning and happy Friday. Yesterday brought the European and South American international action to a close. Here are the day's top 5 stories to keep you up to date with the football world.

The build-up to El Clásico is heating up

Real Madrid face a crucial LaLiga clash this Sunday when they visit Spotify Camp Nou. Los Blancos head into the big game in peak form after rounding off a perfect week in European competition.

The mood in the opposing camp is very different following their European setback. FC Barcelona go into the clash with defensive concerns after suffering a heavy 4-2 defeat away to Paris Saint-Germain.

Barça have won every home game since November 2025; Real Madrid, coming off four straight wins, are looking to end their rivals' home dominance.

Real Sociedad and Celta win in the Europa League

Last night was a glorious one for the Spanish sides in the Europa League. Both teams secured their first wins in international competition and are dreaming of going further in the tournament.

Matarazzo's side showed their quality by thrashing Norway's Lillestrom 6-0 away, putting the game to bed in the first half thanks to a hat-trick of assists from Mikel Oyarzabal and goals from Sergio Gómez and Luka Sucic.

Celta secured a valuable European victory after coming from behind to beat Celtic 2-1 away in Glasgow. Although the Scottish side took the lead through Mika Baur early in the second half, a brilliant brace from Javi Rodríguez turned the game around and sealed the first continental win for Claudio Giráldez's team.

Estudiantes beat Flamengo to reach the Copa Libertadores final

Estudiantes de La Plata beat the Brazilian side in a penalty shootout (2-3) and will play in the final on November 28 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.

After holding out for more than 40 minutes with ten men following Baltasar Rodríguez's sending-off in a tense 0-0 draw, Fernando Muslera stood tall in the shootout, saving three crucial penalties from Jorginho, Lucas Paquetá and Bruno Henrique.

European surprises: Milan and Juve stumble; Benfica and Leverkusen deliver

Elsewhere in Europe, the heavy defeats of continental giants stood out, with AC Milan thrashed 3-0 by Bournemouth and Olympique Lyonnais also suffering a resounding 3-0 loss to Hoffenheim.

Meanwhile, Juventus could only draw 2-2 at home to Rennes and Beşiktaş drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace, while Bayer Leverkusen, who won 2-0 at OFI Crete, and Benfica, who thrashed Omonia Nicosia 4-1 away, were among the night's success stories.

José Bordalás exploded in his press conference following Getafe's heavy 5-2 defeat to Lugano in the Conference League, launching a scathing attack on the club's board.

"The promises made to me haven't been kept. I feel deceived. As a coach, I don't deserve this," the Alicante-born manager said firmly, visibly furious with the squad planning. Pulling no punches, he declared that the squad "isn't even good enough for one competition" and warned that rotation was over: from now on, only his first-choice players would play, even at the risk of injury.

Gathered from external sources. Rights to this text belong to whoever originally published it.

Friday, October 23, 2026

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