Vinícius helps Madrid fight back for win over Mallorca, Atletico remains winless in La Liga

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Vinícius Júnior and Arda Güler scored back-to-back goals to help Real Madrid rally for a 2-1 win over Mallorca and make it three wins in as many games in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Xabi Alonso’s team saw three newcomers make key plays in the victory at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Mallorca struck first when Vedat Muriqi muscled Dean Huijsen out of the way to reach a corner kick by Pablo Torre, redirecting the cross with the back of his shoulder past Thibaut Courtois in the 18th minute.

The 20-year-old Huijsen played a part in leveling in the 37th. The new Madrid central defender headed a cross from a set piece across the goalmouth for Güler to smash home.

Vinícius only needed another minute to put Madrid in front after Mallorca lost the ball in midfield. The Brazil forward had room to romp forward before cutting back to his left foot and firing in his second goal of the campaign.

Mallorca pressed for the equalizer in an open second half. Midfielder Sergi Darder came close to delivering a ball for a teammate in front of the goal, only for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who joined Madrid in June, to slide in and disrupt his pass.

Madrid’s new left back Álvaro Carreras then did well to turn toward the goal and stretch his leg to block a blistering, goal-bound strike by Samu Costa.

Kylian Mbappé, who had scored three goals in the first two rounds, had two goals waived off for offside.

Alexander-Arnold started as right back for Madrid, after he had been replaced in the starting 11 by Dani Carvajal in the last round of games. Rodrygo, rumored to possibly be on the move to the Premier League, came on for Vinícius in the second half.

Atletico Madrid’s frustration deepened after Diego Simeone’s side drew 1-1 at Alaves to remain winless this season.

Atletico was already having its worst start to La Liga in 14 seasons under Simeone after it lost 2-1 at Espanyol and drew 1-1 at home with promoted Elche.

The stumble at Alaves will send Atletico into the international break with two points out of a possible nine, and that after the club spent big this summer to revamp a squad with hopes of challenging for trophies.

Giuliano Simeone scored for Atletico in the seventh minute, using his speed to scramble the ball past two defenders and fire home a deflected shot.

But Atletico’s usually vaunted defense again let the lead slip.

Carlos Vicente equalized for host Alaves in the 14th from the penalty spot after Alexander Sorloth fouled Nahuel Tenaglia in the area.

Oviedo beat Real Sociedad 1-0 for its first victory since returning to the first division with Leander Dendoncker scoring in the first half.

Sevilla beat Girona 2-0 to keep the Catalan team bottom of the table with three losses.

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Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe gestures during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Mallorca in Madrid, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, right, celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Mallorca in Madrid, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Arda Guler scores his side's first goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Mallorca in Madrid, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, right, scores his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Mallorca in Madrid, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Mallorca in Madrid, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

U.S. forces on Monday launched an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began.

Two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway, the U.S. military said. Separately, the U.S. military denied Iran’s claims that it struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.

Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the U.S. to mediators in Pakistan, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he’s “not satisfied” with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal’s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.

Here's the latest:

The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.

The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2% to $110.37 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

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Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo over U.S. policies, particularly with Iran.

The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a devout Catholic who’s visited Rome and the Vatican at least three times since becoming Trump’s top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday.

“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”

The trip comes as Trump has criticized Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and posting social media images likening Trump to Jesus Christ.

The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.

Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.

U.S. officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.

The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran’s claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.

The announcement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to help guide ships through the critical waterway for global energy. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel started the war Feb. 28, rattling the global economy.

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area.” U.S. Central Command didn’t say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.

It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking the risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so.

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President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. step off from Marine One upon their arrival on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026, after speaking at an event in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump steps off from Marine One upon his arrival at the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)