MADRID (AP) — Few do suffering and drama in the Champions League like Atletico Madrid and coach Diego Simeone.
Even while winning, as they did Wednesday 2-1 over Inter Milan, Simeone showed his wide repertoire of agonized and ecstatic emotions on the sideline dressed in trademark all-black suit, shirt and tie.
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Atletico Madrid's players celebrate after wining the Champions League opening phase soccer match against Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone reacts at the bench during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez celebrates his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone speaks with referee François Letexier after receiving a yellow card during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico ended Inter’s perfect record of four straight wins in this Champions League when captain José María Giménez scored with a header late in stoppage time.
“He has great timing,” Simeone said of Giménez. “We needed a goal like that because it always looks good when a center back scores.”
A game between two teams that combined to lose four of the past 12 Champions League finals was settled by a goal just like the one that denied Atletico an elusive first title in 2014.
Giménez rose to meet an outswinging corner with a powerful header angled toward the bottom corner of the goal. Just as Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos did in stoppage time 12 seasons ago to send the final to extra time. Atletico would lose 4-1 that night in Lisbon and a furious Simeone came on the field during extra time.
This time, seeing his captain score sent Simeone on a joyous run down the touchline with both balled fists punching the air.
A half-hour earlier Simeone had been arguing in referee François Letexier’s face as the French official showed him a yellow card for disputing a decision. An Atletico attack was stopped because Inter defender Manuel Akanji was floored taking a ball to the face.
It was a classic show by the former Argentina midfielder who has lost no passion approaching 14 years in the job as perhaps the coach in European soccer who most sets and symbolizes his team’s personality.
If any team can take the pressure it is Atletico, and its defense had to absorb 17 attempts by Inter, including five that forced saves from goalkeeper Juan Musso.
Five of those attempts came in Inter’s whirlwind start to the game that Atletico punctuated by taking the lead in the ninth minute.
Even that did not come easy after the original goal by Julián Alvarez was ruled out for a possible handball by Álex Baena directing the ball back toward the danger area.
Atletico had to ensure a three-minute video review for Letexier to overturn his original decision and award the goal.
Inter swarmed over Atletico to start the second half, and Nicolò Barella’s looping shot bounced up off the crossbar minutes before Piotr Zieliński leveled the score with a low shot past Musso.
“There is a lot of disappointment,” Inter coach Christian Chivu said. “We played a great game.”
Atletico rose in the 36-team standings to 12th with nine points, likely heading to the knockout stages with trips next to PSV Eindhoven and Galatasaray, and a final home game against Bodo/Glimt.
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Atletico Madrid's players celebrate after wining the Champions League opening phase soccer match against Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone reacts at the bench during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez celebrates his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone speaks with referee François Letexier after receiving a yellow card during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Encouraging fans to get inside Neyland Stadium earlier than usual with President Donald Trump coming to Tennessee's college football game against Texas sure worked Saturday.
Security checks on the stadium's perimeter went relatively smoothly with Tennessee officials opening the stadium 30 minutes earlier than normal. Fans got half-price off concessions as a reward for showing up early, and Tennessee faithful had the stands half full 90 minutes before kickoff and nearly packed an hour before.
Those in their seats were treated to a low-altitude flyover by Air Force One as the president came into town with the Volunteers and Longhorns warming up on the field below. Trump landed at 11:28 a.m. ET ahead of the noon kickoff, according to reporters traveling with the president.
Trump's motorcade arrived at Neyland Stadium just as the national anthem was being sung at 11:59 a.m. Trump pumped his first a couple times when shown in his seat on the videoboards with Tennessee's U.S. senators on either side. One of them, Marsha Blackburn, is running for governor of Tennessee.
The president's visit won't affect communications between coaches and players on the field thanks to some coordination before Saturday's game.
Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said earlier this week that teams had to be ready to lose all communication on their headsets between coaches on the field and the players “anytime (Trump) enters the stadium, leaves the stadium or changes locations within the stadium.”
ABC/ESPN reported Saturday that both schools worked with the Secret Service on audio channels in hopes of keeping communications clear, noting an official timeout for a serious disruption could be an option.
The Southeastern Conference matchup between the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 14 Volunteers in Knoxville already was one of the biggest games in the country this weekend. Trump came to watch Texas quarterback Arch Manning play for the first time in the stadium where his uncle Peyton became famous.
Trump has attended more college football games than any recent sitting president, and he arrived in Knoxville in the midst of a midterm election season and a heated debate over the role of money in college sports that Congress is trying to resolve. He has attended national championship games and regular season contests in the SEC and Army vs. Navy.
He also attended Game 3 of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in June, went to the 2025 Daytona 500 car race, and presented the World Cup trophy to Spain at the final in July. And last year, he was the first president to attend a Super Bowl. He left the Super Bowl after halftime.
Headset communications emerged as the latest subplot surrounding this presidential visit. Coaches communicate with each other on their headsets throughout the game and also call in plays to the quarterback. Disruptions to those communications, from a deafening crowd, technical glitch or presidential security measure, can present problems for coaches and teams.
Coaches involved in last season's College Football Playoff championship between Miami and Indiana in New Orleans cited that game as an example of how Trump's movements affected them.
Trump left in the fourth quarter of a tense Indiana 27-21 victory. Sarkisian said Miami coach Mario Cristobal told him Trump's leaving at that point disrupted communications on the Hurricanes' final possession, which ended with a game-clinching interception.
Indiana coach Curt Signetti disputed Sarkisian's version of events around the final drive. But Cignetti noted communications briefly cut off in a key moment of the fourth quarter as Indiana was trying to protect its lead.
In his weekly radio show on Thursday, Cignetti recalled that when Trump left the game “around the 7-minute mark ... there were two or three plays we couldn't hear at all.”
That included a misdirection touchdown run by Miami's Malachi Toney.
“Communication device came back right after the (Toney’s) touchdown,” Cignetti said. “And we had no problem the rest of the game.”
According to the media pool report of Trump's movements at the game, the president left the stadium with “with just under 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter.”
The White House on Friday insisted Trump’s departure caused no problems for the teams.
“No, President Trump’s departure from the CFP championship in January did not cause headset or comms issues for the teams,” the White House posted on X.
It's unclear if Trump's presence at other games like the Super Bowl have created issues. An NFL spokesman declined comment Friday when asked if league officials work with the Secret Service when a president attends a game like the Super Bowl to minimize any impact on team communications.
University of Tennessee officials sent a midweek advisory encouraging fans to arrive “significantly earlier” than for a typical game. Neyland Stadium has an official capacity of 101,915 with this game the 30th consecutive sellout.
Fans were warned of the Secret Service conducting enhanced screening at the stadium gates and to "expect increased wait times as kickoff approaches.”
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas.
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The wing of Air Force One, with President Donald Trump on board, is pictured as the plane flies over Knoxville, Tenn., en route to an NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Texas, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump, from right, and Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., attend an NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Texas at Neyland Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Fans greet players during the Vol Walk before an NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Texas, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is escorted into Neyland Stadium before an NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Texas, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
President Donald Trump walks up the stairs of Air Force One upon his departure at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, en route to watch the Texas versus Tennessee NCAA college football game in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
Fans watch from the bridge during the Vol Walk before an NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Texas, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Tennessee mascot waves the Power T flag during the Vol Walk before an NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Texas, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
