BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Kylian Mbappé scored twice in a jittery Real Madrid victory in La Liga while Christian Pulisic played his first game since the World Cup and helped AC Milan rally for a draw in Serie A on Saturday.
Liverpool and Chelsea stumbled again and leader Arsenal won in the Premier League.
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Chelsea's head coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Hull City in London, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong, left, and Fulham's Alex Iwobi battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Fulham in Liverpool, England, Saturday Sept. 12, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
AC Milan's Diego Moreira, right, celebrates after he scored his side's second goal with his teammate Christian Pulisic during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and AC Milan, in Rome, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Real Madrid's Alvaro Carreras, bottom, is congratulated by Kylian Mbappe after scoring his side's 2nd goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his side's 4th goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Borussia Dortmund and Freiburg remained perfect in the Bundesliga, while Monaco dropped points for the first time in Ligue 1.
Mbappé scored the first and last goals of Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano.
Mbappé converted a 14th-minute penalty after Florian Lejeune made a rash tackle of Álvaro Carreras. Lejeune was again to blame when his poor pass was intercepted and led to Mbappé assisting Carreras to make it 2-0. Jude Bellingham slotted the third goal in the 35th.
But modest Rayo took the initiative at the Santiago Bernabeu after halftime, dominating the ball for stretches and finding holes in Madrid’s new-look defense.
Sergio Camello poked home a goal in the 51st, moments after Pedro Díaz hit the post and drew the first of several saves from Thibaut Courtois. The Belgium goalkeeper had to bail out Madrid again, parrying more shots by Lejeune and Heorhii Tsitaishvili.
That was too much for many of the home fans, who whistled the dip in performance by José Mourinho’s side — until Mbappé found the corner in stoppage time.
His double pulled the France striker level with Barcelona’s Raphinha and Rayo’s Camello with six goals apiece in five rounds in La Liga.
Pulisic helped to spark AC Milan’s comeback at Lazio for a 2-2 draw in the United States midfielder’s first appearance for his Italian club this season.
Pulisic and Diego Moreira were sent on at halftime by coach Rúben Amorim with Milan trailing by two goals in Rome.
They both linked up to spark a rally. Pulisic lobbed a pass to the far post for Moreira to smash in his first goal in the 65th. Moreira needed just two more minutes to fire a second goal in from distance and split the points.
Pulisic had not played since he sustained a bone bruise along with microfractures to his tibia and fibula when the U.S. exited the World Cup in a loss to Belgium in July.
Cagliari won at Atalanta 2-1 and Genoa drew with Frosinone 1-1.
Liverpool’s big money forwards Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola couldn’t find a way past winless Fulham in a goalless contest at Anfield, while Chelsea’s defense was exposed again by Hull in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka, meanwhile, sent Arsenal three points clear at the top of the Premier League with goals in a 2-0 win at Sunderland.
Substitute Guimaraes curled a long strike into the top corner to break the deadlock in the 58th, and Saka added a penalty in added time.
Aston Villa’s nightmare start to the season continued with a 2-1 loss at home to Nottingham Forest. Ipswich beat Crystal Palace 3-2, while Bournemouth and Brentford drew 2-2.
Tottenham is still without a goal after a 0-0 draw with Everton.
Borussia Dortmund and Freiburg both made it three wins to start the Bundesliga.
Felix Nmecha scored twice, including a late goal with a bicycle kick, to help Dortmund beat Paderborn 3-0.
“That was the best goal of my career,” said Nmecha about his acrobatic strike, when he stretched to score a cross with his back to the goal.
Niko Kovac’s side has won five in a row across all competitions, including a victory midweek over Villarreal in their Champions League opener. Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck started for Dortmund in his return from an ankle injury sustained in the World Cup.
Freiburg tops the table on goal difference after its 5-0 rout of Borussia Mönchengladbach. Yannik Engelhardt and Igor Matanović scored two each to fuel Freiburg’s big win. They both struck once when ’Gladbach was reduced to 10 men after Tim Kleindienst got a second booking.
Augsburg dropped points for the first time after Bayer Leverkusen rallied from two goals down for a 2-2 draw. Michael Gregoritsch scored Augsburg’s two goals early in the second half.
Eintracht Frankfurt beat Mainz 3-1. Hoffenheim downed Stuttgart 2-1 for its first win, while Werder Bremen drew at Cologne 1-1.
Roberto Fernández kept up his strong start by scoring a double to lead Espanyol to a 2-0 win at Osasuna. Fernández has five goals in as many games this season, after the striker scored only seven in La Liga all last season.
On a night of scoring in pairs across Europe, Yassir Zabiri found the net twice to lead the promoted Racing Santander to a 2-1 home win over Alaves. Zabiri has five goals already since joining Racing from Rennes on loan.
It was a first loss for Alaves after the surprisingly good start for the small Basque club.
Iñaki Williams salvaged Athletic Bilbao a 1-1 home draw with Elche.
Monaco was held at Strasbourg to 1-1 and the Ligue 1 leader failed to win for the first time this season.
Toulouse drew at Lorient 2-2. Auxerre edged Nice 1-0, Paris FC drew with Lyon 0-0, and Le Harve drew with Angers 0-0.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Chelsea's head coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Hull City in London, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong, left, and Fulham's Alex Iwobi battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Fulham in Liverpool, England, Saturday Sept. 12, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
AC Milan's Diego Moreira, right, celebrates after he scored his side's second goal with his teammate Christian Pulisic during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and AC Milan, in Rome, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Real Madrid's Alvaro Carreras, bottom, is congratulated by Kylian Mbappe after scoring his side's 2nd goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his side's 4th goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Iraq said attacks on a key Saudi oil pipeline were launched from its territory, as U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to blame Iran.
Meanwhile, the number of displaced people in Yemen is rising quickly after a swift advance by Iran-backed Houthi rebels threatens a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb. And Lebanon and Israel will hold new direct talks next month.
Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Asked if he thought Iran was behind the attack that closed the East-West pipeline, Trump told reporters: “Well, I think they are. Probably they are.”
Trump said his administration has “had discussions” with the Houthis, though he did not say when. “The Houthis called us, and they don’t want to fight with us,” he said. “They would much prefer not having us involved, and they’re letting most ships go through.” The Houthis have said they are only targeting neighboring Saudi Arabia's shipping.
Asked about a recent call with Saudi’s crown prince, Trump said: “He’s a good friend of mine, and I can just say everything’s going to work out fine and dandy. It’s going to be very good.”
Thousands of people have fled the Houthis' advance. In Aden, held by Yemen's Saudi-backed internationally recognized government, residents have opened their homes. In one, dozens of men lay on a floor carpeted with thin mattresses and sheets.
“We set out in hysterical panic on a motorcycle, not knowing where we were heading,” said Alaa Ali Salem, who fled from al-Khawkha district. “The roads suddenly became extremely congested, and while I was driving, the motorcycle overturned. My wife, my children and I were all injured.”
The International Organization for Migration said at least 76,000 people have fled since July as fighting escalates between the Houthis and government forces, up from 46,000 just days earlier. Some fear a return to the civil war that killed 150,000 before a 2022 ceasefire.
“I saw the soldiers as they were withdrawing. They told us we must escape,” said a tearful Durrah Ali Hassan, who took shelter in a relative’s house. She said she was worried about the toll of the chaos on her pregnant daughter, who had been bleeding and was now in a coma at a hospital.
Lebanese and Israeli negotiators are scheduled to meet in Rome in October for U.S.-brokered talks. A planned round this month was postponed without explanation.
The U.S. State Department also said Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the U.S. will meet at its headquarters in Washington next week to discuss ongoing developments and the continued implementation of the framework agreement reached in June.
Lebanon and Israel have held seven rounds of talks in Washington and Rome over the past months in search of a way to calm the latest fighting between Israeli forces and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group.
Lebanon’s president made a rare visit to a southern city Saturday, close to where Israel captured a strategic hill.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, according to a UAE government statement, signaling efforts to maintain engagement despite growing instability across the region.
Iran has sharply criticized the security partnerships some Gulf states maintain with Western powers, while the United Arab Emirates has backed efforts aimed at containing Iran’s military influence.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the operations command in Maysan province, which borders Iran, and dismissed its commander after authorities determined that the attacks on the Saudi pipeline were launched from the province, the government said.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on drones that came from Iraq and said the kingdom would not retaliate to give the Iraqi government “an opportunity to take the necessary measures.”
The East-West pipeline has been vital to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports since the Iran war disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the International Energy Agency, Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea port at the pipeline’s end have more than doubled.
Regional officials have told The Associated Press that the Houthis and the Iraqi militias recently coordinated attacks on Saudi oil facilities.
A large-scale oil spill, believed to be from a tanker struck by the U.S. military, doubled in size between Wednesday and Thursday, endangering two protected areas off Oman and Iran, said Nina Noelle of Greenpeace Germany.
The tanker RIESCO was one of four attacked Tuesday in the Gulf of Oman. A fifth was destroyed in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s Kharg island.
The visible area of pollution measured about 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) on Thursday, Noelle said. Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press showed the spill stretching almost 70 kilometers (43 miles) long.
The spill is located between the Musandam protected area on the Omani side, which includes one of the region’s most important seabird breeding islands. On the Iranian side is the Hara-e Roud-e Gaz Protected Area in Hormozgan province that includes mangrove forests.
“The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz, together with our experience of oil spills since the beginning of the war, unfortunately suggests that an effective response is unlikely,” Noelle said.
Israeli troops opened fire at a group of Palestinians who did not appear to be posing a threat in the occupied West Bank, wounding one man, according to video obtained by The Associated Press.
The video, shot by a witness, showed the man falling near the Palestinian village of Faqqua. At least 14 shots were fired and continued as men rushed to move the man to safety before tying a tourniquet around his leg.
Mahmoud Shahin, a resident, said the Palestinians had rushed to the area after receiving reports that Israeli settlers had arrived with sheep. He said Israeli soldiers then came and began firing in the air and toward the Palestinians.
He said the man was undergoing surgery in Jenin.
Israel’s military said the video was authentic and confirmed its forces had fired toward the Palestinians, wounding one man, and said commanders would review the incident.
Settler violence in the West Bank has surged under the ultranationalist government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The international community largely considers Israeli settlements to be illegal.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir told journalists in Damascus Saturday that the country is facing a crisis in oil derivatives due to the ongoing war in the region, exacerbating existing energy issues in the country that is trying to rebuild its infrastructure after 14 years of civil war.
Before the conflict began in 2011, Syria was producing 300,000 to 350,000 barrels of oil per day, a number that has now fallen to 102,000, Bashir said. The country needs about 325,000 barrels per day for its own domestic consumption and is relying on imports to make up the difference. Plans are underway to build new refineries in the east and south of the country and to expand the storage capacity of the existing Baniyas refinery on the coast, al-Bashir said.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
A woman walks past a banner showing portraits of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, center, and the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in northern Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Displaced Yemenis rest at a temporary shelter in the Dar Saad district of Aden, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, after fleeing Houthi attacks in the western coastal cities of al-Khokha and Mokha. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
Houthi prisoners freed in Mokha carry their belongings as they arrive in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, following the Houthi takeover of the southern Red Sea port city. (AP Photo)
Displaced Yemenis rest at a temporary shelter in the Dar Saad district of Aden, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, after fleeing Houthi attacks in the western coastal cities of al-Khokha and Mokha. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
Yemen's Houthi rebels chat as they check their weapons during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
