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A ridiculous four-goal showing from Kylian Mbappe led an otherwise shaky Real Madrid to a 4-3 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. The Frenchman continued his outrageous run of form, while Vinicius Jr eased tensions after a week of controversy by grabbing an assist to carry Los Blancos to a much-needed European victory against a dogged opponent.

It was a miserable start for Los Blancos. They struggled to create in the early stages, and Olympiacos capitalised. Their opening goal was a wonderful thing, as Chiquinho crashed home from 20 yards after a fine team move. 

But the Madrid response was absurd, as their French superstar netted a seven-minute hat-trick. Mbappe scored his first after 22 minutes, running onto a ridiculous trivela pass from Vinicius and finishing through the keeper's legs. He added a second with a fine header, and a third with a simple run in behind the defence and pass into the bottom corner. 

And then they started to pile on. Vinicius might have made it four after 30 minutes – a much-needed moment after a week of controversy. But his fine effort was ruled out for an offside in the build-up. Olympiacos offered a response in the second half, though. A simple cross floated between Madrid's centre-backs was all they needed when Mehdi Taremi rose to nod into the bottom corner. The Greeks almost had another soon after, but reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin produced an impressive stop.

Mbappe gave Los Blancos daylight, though. Vinicius, in truth, did most of the work, with a lovely winding run down the left. Mbappe only had to convert his cut-back. Olympiacos showed some fight. They bagged a much-deserved third after applying plenty of pressure, and peppered the Madrid goal in the latter stages. However, Los Blancos held on to secure all three points. 

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Andriy Lunin (7/10):

Could do nothing about the excellent opening goal, and was pretty helpless for the other two, as well. Made some important saves in between. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold (6/10):

A very 'Trent' performance. Pinged a few passes that few other footballers can even see, but was also truly woeful in his one-on-ones. 

Raul Asencio (6/10):

Lost his man to allow Olympiacos to grab a second, and was a bit erratic at times.

Alvaro Carreras (5/10):

Doesn't quite look comfortable at centre-back, in truth. Made a couple of mistakes, and didn't connect with the midfield too well. 

Ferland Mendy (6/10):

A return after injury, and a game in which he struggled. Could have closed down the cross before the Olympiacos second.

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Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):

Missing on the Olympiacos opener, when he really should have been shielding in front of the back four. But was otherwise solid, winning his tackles and moving the ball.

Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):

Full of energy in midfield, and played some key link-up passes, too. Removed at the half in what was likely a planned sub. 

Arda Guler (7/10):

Assisted the second Madrid goal, created a few chances, and was useful on the ball. A solid hour.

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Federico Valverde (7/10):

Ran a lot and offered an attacking outlet, but was mostly moving to open up space for others. A typically selfless showing. 

Kylian Mbappe (10/10):

Scored twice in the space of two minutes to bring Madrid back into it. Added another three minutes later and added a fourth in the second half. He's in ridiculous form.

Vinicius Jr (9/10):

Looked to rebound after a week in which he told Madrid he won't pen a new contract. Assisted Mbappe's first with a sublime pass. Set up the Frenchman's fourth, too. A fine showing to answer the critics.

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GettySubs & Manager

Dani Ceballos (6/10):

Brought on for midfield control, which he didn't really offer much of.

Jude Bellingham (6/10):

Ran around, carried the ball effectively, linked up play, but lacked a bit of end product. 

Brahim Diaz (6/10):

A puzzling introduction, especially with Asencio taken off. On the ball here and there but not particularly involved. 

Fran Garcia (N/A):

No time to make an impact. 

Xabi Alonso (7/10):

Needed a lift after being criticised of late. Got his win, even if Madrid are incredibly unreliable. Will take the three points, but concerns remain.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal defender Gabriel will be unavailable for "weeks" after sustaining a thigh injury on international duty. The defender limped off during last weekend’s friendly against Senegal at the Emirates Stadium and missed the subsequent match against Tunisia. His injury now presents a significant setback for a team sitting four points clear at the top of the Premier League.

• Gabriel to sit out for an extended period

  Gabriel, 27, has been central to Arsenal’s outstanding defensive record this season, with the Gunners conceding just five league goals in 11 matches. However, his injury during the international break will be a major reason for concern for Arteta. The manager confirmed further tests will take place next Wednesday, though early indications suggest a worrying layoff.

  "Gabi is going to be out for weeks," said Arteta. "It's clearly a blow because he's our leader in our backline, and to me, it's never a positive thing. The good thing is that we have very good options, and people have to stand up now and do the job."

  Reports via indicate fears that the Brazilian could miss up to two months, ruling him out for the rest of 2025 and potentially all the way into mid-January. A best-case scenario would see him return after a month, possibly just before Christmas.

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  Hincapie and Mosquera in line to step up

  With Gabriel unavailable for Sunday’s north London derby, Arteta will turn to deputies Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera. Both defenders are under consideration for the crucial clash at the Emirates Stadium, a fixture that could have early implications for the Premier League title race. Riccardo Calafiori is also a doubt after withdrawing from Italy duty with a hip issue. The defender has not trained since returning to England, though Arteta confirmed he will be evaluated in Saturday’s final session.

  "He has been carrying a few things," said Arteta. "He hasn't trained yet. Tomorrow we have another training session, let's see how he is."

  Before the international break, Arteta was already without Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus. Arteta has hinted that several of those could return soon, but timing remains uncertain. Odegaard is expected back in early December, while Jesus is on track to return in January following ACL recovery.

• Tottenham receive huge boost before the derby

  In stark contrast to Arsenal’s growing injury list, Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank delivered a series of positive updates ahead of Sunday’s derby. Spurs will welcome back Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Randal Kolo Muani, all of whom trained on Friday and are available for selection. Sarr suffered a scare while on international duty with Senegal after limping off against Brazil, while Bergvall had withdrawn from the Sweden squad following further concussion checks. Kolo Muani, meanwhile, missed France’s qualifiers after picking up an injury in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United, but will feature against Arsenal wearing a protective mask. Mohammed Kudus, who missed Spurs’ last two matches, is also in contention to return.

  "Pape trained today,” Frank said. "He's ready, available. Lucas trained today. Ready, available. Kolo Muani, yes. Trained today. Available, of course, has a mask [he] needs to play with."

  Frank did, however, rule out Dominic Solanke, who is still recovering from an ankle injury that has plagued his season. Solanke’s last appearance came in August, and although the striker insists progress is being made, Spurs are unwilling to rush him.

  On Solanke, Frank said: "Dom is not ready yet. I think he also had an article recently where he spoke about it. So we are very, as I said, the same. Very aware that when we put him out there, we want to be absolutely sure, as sure as we can be, that no setback going forward. So I'm comfortable he will soon be ready, but I will not put a timeframe on it."

  There was further positive news for Spurs as Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Ben Davies and Kota Takai all returned to full training this week.

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  Derby stakes raised as Arsenal and Spurs prepare for collision

  Sunday’s derby promises to be an exciting affair as Arsenal will be battling to protect their position at the summit despite key injuries, whereas Spurs will arrive with renewed energy as major players return. For a defence built largely around Gabriel’s presence, the timing of the injury is far from ideal. If the worst-case prognosis is confirmed, he could miss 15 matches across the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.

Abhishek didn’t have a great start to the day and Gill had not been in great touch in the tournament, but both redeemed themselves, and how

Shashank Kishore22-Sep-20252:08

Chopra: Abhishek-Gill completely decimated the Pakistan attack

Abhishek Sharma’s evening started poorly. Three balls into India’s Super Four match against Pakistan at the 2025 Asia Cup, he put down a chance at deep third to reprieve Sahibzada Farhan. And when a shot at redemption came in the eighth over, he tipped the ball over the long-on boundary, giving Farhan another life. The result: a 34-ball half-century that set the platform for Pakistan.Having spent the rest of the innings patrolling various pockets in the outfield where he took an excellent catch to send back Saim Ayub, Abhishek’s real opportunity to redeem himself didn’t come until the start of India’s 172-run chase. Exactly a week ago, Abhishek had charged at Shaheen Shah Afridi, walloping ten off the first two balls to kickstart India’s chase.This time, Mohammad Haris was quick to play some mind games, standing up to the stumps to prevent Abhishek from charging again. Except, Afridi was having none of it. With Haris back to his usual spot, Afridi dished out a snarky bouncer. With a fine leg in place, the idea seemed legit, until Abhishek got inside the line and hooked him for six.Related

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Suryakumar: India vs Pakistan isn't a rivalry anymore

It was to be the start of a batting exhibition that helped Abhishek forget the nightmarish opening act. When he was finally out for a 39-ball 74, Abhishek had to drag himself off, visibly distraught at missing a century that was there for the taking. In between the drops and his dismissal, Pakistan’s vaunted pace attack was sent on a leather hunt.It didn’t matter if he was hustled off the previous delivery – like when Mohammad Nawaz put down a miscued pull at midwicket in the third over – or got streaky runs off thick outside edges. The intent to make a statement in the powerplay trumped everything.At the first sign of spin in the fourth over, he muscled Abrar Ahmed over deep square. And when Haris Rauf went hard length, he charged at him by opening up the off side. With Abhishek, beneath the intent is often a strong belief that this high-risk, high-reward approach will help deliver impact.”It’s just the way he is,” Suryakumar Yadav said at the post-match press conference. “Abhishek is very selfless when it comes to his batting style. In the powerplay, he goes hard, but even after that he knows what’s required. He analyses situations, he’s learning every game. Most importantly, he never misses practice. Even if he doesn’t want to bat, he’ll be at the ground, doing something. If you keep working that hard, god always has plans for you.”1:56

Chopra: Pakistan spinners were underwhelming

On the eve of the match, that “something” was as significant as his powerplay salvo. He was helping his best friend, Shubman Gill, find his groove at an optional training session. Against UAE and Pakistan, Gill had been dismissed looking to attack. Two nights ago against Oman, he was cleaned up by a ripper of an inswinger.And so, even though they’d had a late night thanks to the drive back from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, Gill was back in the nets to work on a few aspects later in the evening with Abhishek and Varun Chakravarthy for company, while the rest of the squad enjoyed an off day.When Gill struggled for timing, Abhishek was beside him – at times offering inputs, sometimes even bowling certain deliveries in the absence of other net bowlers, to have Gill attempt certain shots until he got the .On Sunday, Gill had that almost immediately as he picked up two fours off Saim Ayub’s first over. But it wasn’t until he lofted Afridi over mid-off with nonchalance that he truly got going. Soon enough, there was a bit of bite. There were words exchanged, and tension was palpable.Gill wasn’t going to lie low. He responded by unleashing a shot that could be his trademark – the short-arm jab for four off Rauf. Hard length, high pace – no problem. As Rauf turned back to see Abhishek punch the bat and yelp “shot”, Rauf waved his hands away at him angrily.And then as Gill and Abhishek met mid-pitch, there was a fierce staredown with Rauf, followed by an exchange of words that needed the umpires to intervene. By then, India were flying, and the game was tilting.

“Abhishek is very selfless when it comes to his batting style. In the powerplay, he goes hard, but even after that he knows what’s required”Suryakumar Yadav

Gill kept threading gaps behind point both off pace and spin, hitting fearlessly through the line over extra cover, and even added range to his repertoire with a reverse sweep off Ayub, a stroke Suryakumar particularly relished.”With Shubman, everyone knows what kind of player he is,” Suryakumar said. “The only thing I’ll say is he knows how to score runs. Today he backed his shots, took fewer risks, trusted his strokes. And that reverse sweep – I was really happy. He’s been working on it a lot.”For a brief spell, the Gill-Abhishek madness that helped India pummel 69 in the powerplay made it seem like Pakistan were 15 short, like Salman Agha had assessed later. Afridi had been taken for 24 off his two wicketless overs, while Abrar and Ayub, despite their mystery spin, were equally flat.Abhishek reached his fifty off just 24 balls, and amid the war of words, he celebrated his landmark by blowing a kiss to the crowd – seemingly towards his family, while Suryakumar punched the air in the dugout. The best friends were now proving to be a menace to their opponents.”It’s really important to be very good friends off the field,” Suryakumar explained of their camaraderie. “When you open together, that bond matters. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything in the middle. Just a look is enough – to take a cheeky single, to complement each other if one’s flying or if one’s struggling. That friendship comes into the picture when they bat together.

“He [Gill] knows how to score runs. Today he backed his shots, took fewer risks, trusted his strokes. And that reverse sweep – I was really happy. He’s been working on it a lot”Suryakumar Yadav on Shubman Gill

“It’s like a fire and ice combination. They complement each other really well. And that’s what I want to see. If someone is batting brilliantly, the other can take the backseat and rotate the strike. It was required today to have a very good start. And they did [provide that].”There was also some history woven into the fire. Back in 2018 at the Under-19 World Cup semi-final, Afridi and his mates had needled Gill with the line: “our bowling isn’t Bangladesh.” Gill answered with a hundred and celebrated animatedly, hurling words towards the Pakistan team as he hit a last-ball six to bring up three figures. That day, Abhishek added the kicker: “Our batting isn’t Pakistan either.”Seven years later, in Dubai, flashes of that aggression and fire they exhibited as teenagers were in full view again. By the time Gill fell, India were cruising at 105 for 1 in ten overs. Abhishek batted on for a bit more to impart more agony.By the end, the dropped catches that had threatened to define Abhishek’s evening seemed distant. Instead, two friends who grew up pushing each other to be their best versions, and live their India dream together, delivered in a statement win.Their “fire and ice” was more than just a glimpse of an opening act that is here to stay.

How the cricketing world responded to India’s 336-run win against England in the second Test

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2025

Shubman Gill picks up a souvenir after the win•Getty Images

Shubman Gill, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj stole the headlines as India won their first Test in Edgbaston with a 336-run victory — their biggest away victory by runs. Gill registered scores of 269 and 161, while Akash Deep became only the second Indian bowler to return a 10-wicket haul in England. Siraj also played his part, with figures of 6 for 70 in England’s first innings. Cricketers, both current and retired, took to social media to congratulate India on a famous triumph.

Great victory for India at Edgbaston. Fearless and kept pushing England to the wall. Brilliantly led by Shubhman with the bat and in the field and impactful performances from everyone. Special mention to Siraj and Akash for the way they bowled on this pitch. @ShubmanGill…

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 6, 2025