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.
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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.
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)
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)
LAN SAK, Thailand (AP) — The bodies of almost two dozen young students and teachers who died in a bus fire in a suburb of Bangkok were returned late Wednesday to central Thailand, where they began their ill-fated school field trip.
Friends, relatives and Buddhist monks waited past midnight for the last of several convoys carrying remains, as well as relatives who had to travel to Bangkok to help with DNA identification of the severely burned victims.
The bodies were received at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam, the temple in this town in Uthai Thani province that houses the school attended by the victims. It is common in much of rural Thailand for Buddhist temples, which serve as community centers, to host schools.
A line of coffins with portraits of the deceased sat in a big assembly hall of the school where grief-stricken relatives huddled. Some went over to touch the portraits of many small children, or stood still in silence in front of them. Funeral services were to begin Thursday morning.
The tragedy has caused sadness as well as anger. On social media, parents have expressed nervousness about sending their children on school field trips, but more common was outrage about the apparent lack of safety measures. Thailand has long been infamous for having one of the highest rates of traffic fatalities in the world.
Thai police on Wednesday said they were investigating whether the fire was caused by negligence, and filed several initial charges against the driver.
The blaze on the bus carrying six teachers and 39 elementary and junior high school students on Tuesday spread so quickly that 23 were killed while only 22 were able to escape
Three students remained hospitalized, two in serious condition. A 7-year-old girl suffered burns on her face, and a surgeon said doctors were trying to save her eyesight.
The driver, Saman Chanput, was arrested several hours after the accident and charged with reckless driving causing deaths and injuries, failing to stop to help others and failing to report the accident, police said. He had fled the scene, but after being arrested told police he had run to try to get a fire extinguisher from another vehicle, but panicked and ran away when the fire went out of control before he could get any help.
Authorities were investigating if the fire might be caused by negligence by the bus company as well as the driver, and will press charges against all parties responsible, acting police chief Kitrat Phanphet said at a press conference.
While an initial investigation suggested that the driver was not speeding, police found 11 natural gas canisters inside the bus that had a permit to install only six, Kitrat said. Many Thai vehicles use NGV — also called CNG, compressed natural gas — for fuel.
Police have not officially concluded what was the cause of the fire, but have said the driver told investigators he was driving normally until a front tire malfunctioned and set the bus off balance, at which point it hit a car and then scraped against a concrete highway barrier. The sparks from the friction might have set off the highly flammable gas canisters, and ignited the blaze, police said.
Kitrat said the fact that the driver did not immediately stop after feeling he was losing control of the bus could be grounds for negligence.
An inspection of the bus found that its emergency exit could be opened, but it wasn't clear if it worked properly, said chief of police forensics Trairong Phiwpan. He also said they did not find any emergency window breakers.
In an interview with public broadcaster ThaiPBS, bus company owner Songwit Chinnaboot said the vehicle was inspected for safety twice a year as required and that the gas cylinders had passed safety standards.
Thailand's Department of Land Transport said it was implementing urgent inspections of all natural gas-fueled buses. The department also will upgrade its safety guidelines to require crisis management training for drivers and safety inspection every time such vehicles are to be commissioned by schools, said Seksom Akraphand, the agency's deputy director-general.
A grieving family member cries during the coffin procession for victims of a bus fire at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak , Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Victims' relatives carry portraits of the victims of a bus fire in a procession at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak, Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Victims' relatives carry portraits of the victims of a bus fire in a procession at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak , Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A monk leads a coffin procession containing the body of a victim of a bus fire as they arrive at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak , Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A relative of the bus fire victims walks in front of their coffins at the Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak , Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Relatives of the bus fire victims pray at their coffins at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak, Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Portraits of the bus fire victims are placed in front of their coffins at the Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak, Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Relatives of the bus fire victims view their portraits at the Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak, Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Officers carry a coffin of a bus fire victim as they arrive at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak, Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Relatives of victims in a bus fire carry portraits of the deceased in a procession at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School Lan Sak , Uthai Thani province, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
An ambulance carrying a body leaves from the Police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Nurse students pay respect to one of the victims of a school bus fire, at Police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Nurse students pay respect to one of the victims of a school bus fire, at Police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Ambulances carrying bodies of victims of a school bus fire leave from the Police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
An ambulance carrying a body leaves from the Police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Officers of a police forensics team inspect a bus that caught fire, carrying young students with their teachers, in suburban Bangkok, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A forensic officer stands behind the forensic department at a police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, as family members of victims visit there after a bus carrying students and teachers caught a fire Tuesday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A rescuer inspects a bus that caught fire, carrying young students with their teachers, in suburban Bangkok, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Forensic officers stand beside empty coffins at a forensic police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, following a deadly bus fire incident. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Family members of a victim arrive at a forensic police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Family members of a victim arrive at a forensic police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, after a bus carrying students and teachers caught a fire Tuesday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Family members of a victim arrive at a forensic police hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, after a bus carrying students and teachers caught a fire Tuesday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Rescuers gather at the site of a bus that caught fire, carrying young students with their teachers, in suburban Bangkok, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
