Arsenal and Atletico Madrid meet in Spain aiming for Champions League final return

MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid and Arsenal begin a Champions League semifinal series Wednesday, with both clubs trying to return to the final after a long absence and aiming to win the competition for the first time.

Atletico last played in the semifinals in 2016, when it reached the final before losing to city rival Real Madrid. Arsenal last appeared in the final in 2006, when it lost to Barcelona.

“It’s a huge objective, something the club has never achieved,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said Tuesday. “But it’s a soccer match and, ultimately, it’s the players who decide these games.”

Simeone could be without striker Ademola Lookman, who missed the last two games because of a muscle issue.

Kai Havertz has been ruled out for Arsenal. The Germany international was substituted in the first half of Arsenal’s win over Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday because of a muscle injury. Jurrien Timber also won’t make it to Wednesday’s match.

Arsenal was eliminated by eventual champion Paris Saint-Germain in last year’s semifinals.

PSG edged Bayern Munich 5-4 at home Tuesday in the first leg of the other semifinal.

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Arsenal's Eberechi Eze, center, during a training session in London, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori, left, and Gabriel Martinelli during a training session in London, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone reacts during the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone reacts during the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

LONDON (AP) — The European Union accused Meta on Wednesday of failing to stop underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram, in violation of the bloc's tough digital rules that require social media sites to protect minors.

The EU's executive branch said Meta Platforms lacked effective measures to prevent children younger than 13 from signing up, and that it was not doing enough to identify and remove children after they had opened accounts.

Meta's own minimum age to open an account on Facebook or Instagram is 13.

The problem is not just that children are getting access. The European Commission said Meta is also inadequately assessing the risk of children younger than 13 being exposed to “age-inappropriate experiences” on the platforms.

Meta did not respond to a request for comment.

Brussels is targeting the Meta with the Digital Services Act, a sweeping set of regulations that requires tech companies operating in the 27-nation bloc to do more to clean up online platforms and protect internet users.

Meta now has the chance to respond to the preliminary findings, before the commission issues its final decision. Violations can result in hefty fines worth up to 6% of a company's worldwide annual revenue.

Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice president at the European Commission, said the bloc's investigation launched in 2024 found that Instagram and Facebook “are doing very little” to prevent children from getting access despite their own terms and conditions indicating “their services are not intended for minors under 13."

“The DSA requires platforms to enforce their own rules: terms and conditions should not be mere written statements, but rather the basis for concrete action to protect users – including children,” she said in a statement.

FILE - A Meta logo is shown on a video screen at LlamaCon 2025, an AI developer conference, in Menlo Park, Calif., April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)