Atletico Madrid stunned after its biggest loss in Europe since 2021: 'It was really bad'

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Atletico Madrid's 4-0 loss at Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday was the team's worst defeat in Europe in three years, according to UEFA.

Diego Simeone's team had lost by the same score to Bayern Munich in the group stage of Europe's top club competition in 2021.

The four-goal loss to Benfica is Atletico's joint-biggest margin of defeat in UEFA club competitions. It had previously lost by four goals five other times.

“From the start, it was really bad," Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak said. "We didn’t play from the beginning until the end. They did a great job, they have a great team and they deserve to win. They did much more than us. Unfortunately for us, we we lost 4-0 and it could have been more.”

Benfica’s victory equaled the biggest winning margin by a Portuguese team against a Spanish one in a European Cup or Champions League match. It also earned the other victory, defeating Real Madrid 5-1 in February 1965.

Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu opened the scoring in the 13th minute, and Ángel Di Maria, Alexander Bah and Orkun Kokcu added second-half goals for the Portuguese club. Di Maria and Kokcu scored off penalty kicks.

"They took advantage of all the mistakes we could have made and the truth is that they deserved to win,” Simeone said.

The uncharacteristic defeat by Atletico came after a tense Spanish league derby against Madrid on Sunday, when Atletico needed a stoppage-time goal by Ángel Correa to salvage a 1-1 draw at its Metropolitano stadium.

Atletico, usually known for its stout defense under Simeone, had last conceded four goals in a league match against Osasuna in May, when it lost 4-1 at home in its second-to-last game of the season.

Atletico had opened its Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win against Leipzig at the Metropolitano. It had only one win in its next three league matches after that.

The club will have to close part of its stadium for three matches because of fan trouble in the derby against Madrid, when some of its supporters threw objects on the field after Madrid scored a goal, prompting the referee to send the players to the locker rooms and interrupting the game for more than 15 minutes.

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Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone looks on before the kick off of a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Benfica's Alexander Bah, forth right, celebrates after scoring his sides third goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Atletico Madrid's Nahuel Molina, centre, and teammates applaud to the fans after the end of a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Benfica won 4-0.(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez walks on the pitch after the end of a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Benfica won 4-0.(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone gives instructions to his players during of a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone reacts during of a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Atletico Madrid's Samuel Lino reacts after the end of a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Benfica won 4-0.(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.

On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.

It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.

Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.

Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.

President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)