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Barcelona mounted a spectacular comeback to beat Real Madrid 4-3 and move to the brink of the La Liga title after overcoming a hat trick from Kylian Mbappe on Sunday.
The France striker threatened to haul Madrid back into the title race, but Raphinha’s double and goals from Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia gave Barcelona a seven-point lead over the reigning champion with three matches remaining.

Hansi Flick’s side was knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan in the semifinals on Tuesday and was at risk of its season collapsing if it lost to Madrid. Barcelona, though, rallied after after Mbappe’s early brace.
Barcelona battled back to claim a fourth “clasico” victory from four meetings this season, showing its dominance over Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
“We’ve opened up an important gap, it was key to win this game after the Champions League, the fans have forgotten it and so have we, let’s enjoy this,” Yamal said.
“It was important to win today to bring the league title closer, and it went very well, we’re very happy.”

Real Madrid is set to finish the season without a major trophy.
“We have to defend better, that is quite evident from today’s game, we defended badly and that’s that,” Ancelotti said.
“Mbappe did well … in an attacking sense the team had clear ideas, but we could have defended better.”
Madrid made the perfect start to what is expected to be the Italian coach’s final clasico.
Mbappe earned a penalty when he was scythed down by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, although the Catalans argued in vain that the forward was offside in the buildup.
The striker beat Szczesny, who dived the right way and got his fingers on it, but could not keep it out

Mbappe doubled Madrid’s advantage in the 14th minute with a lethal finish after Vinicius Junior played him through, with Barcelona complaining again about a perceived foul on Yamal earlier in the move.
It was his 26th La Liga strike, taking him past Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who has 25, at the top of the scoring charts, and his 38th of the season across all competitions, beating Ivan Zamorano’s club record of 37 in a first season with Los Blancos.
Just as it has done on so many occasions this season, Flick’s spirited, young Barcelona team fought its way back in front with a stirring comeback.

Garcia headed home Ferran Torres’ flick-on from a corner to spark it.
Then Madrid could not stop 17-year-old star Yamal from evening the score with a cultured bending effort beyond Thibaut Courtois after Torres laid the ball off to him.
Two minutes later, Raphinha drilled Barca ahead, with Pedri threading him through.
Mbappe thought he had won another penalty when he fell under pressure from Frenkie de Jong, but VAR revealed an offside in the buildup.
Moments later, Raphinha netted his second, picking Lucas Vazquez’s pocket on the edge of the area, exchanging passes with Torres and beating Courtois.

Mbappe netted from an offside position before the break, bringing a roller-coaster first half to a close.
Yamal had a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half as Barcelona looked to put its archrival to the sword.
Vinicius, however, got behind Barca’s high line, and he fed Mbappe for his hat trick.
Barcelona appealed for a penalty when Aurelien Tchouameni blocked Torres’ shot with his arm, but the referee did not give it despite being called to review it by VAR.

Real Madrid substitute Victor Munoz fired high and wide when sent through, and Szczesny denied Mbappe, who had another strike ruled out for offside.
“For me it’s not always fun, sometimes I really suffer a lot,” admitted Flick, who said his team made too many mistakes in defense.
Barcelona thought it had wrapped up the win with a superb Fermin Lopez solo effort, but it was harshly disallowed for handball.
Madrid had no time left to fight back, though, and Barcelona, which last won the league in 2023, can seal the title as early as Wednesday, should Los Blancos stumble against Mallorca.

If Madrid avoids defeat, Barcelona can claim the championship with a win at Espanyol the next day.
“We’ll seal it on Thursday and that’s all,” said Torres.

Kevin Schade kept Brentford in the hunt for a top-eight finish and European football next season, as his goal secured a tight 1-0 win over Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Saturday.

Thomas Frank’s side have now won each of their last four matches to set a club record in the Premier League. The last time they won as many top-flight games in a row was in 1939, when they had five consecutive victories.

Schade, who scored his fourth goal in three Premier League matches, netted the winner in the 18th minute with a well-placed glancing header from Bryan Mbeumo’s precise delivery.
Brentford had penalty appeals turned down on either side of half-time as Ipswich struggled to go up against the visitors’ strength.

The Tractor Boys searched for an equaliser in the dying minutes, with Cameron Burgess and George Hirst going close, but Brentford stood firm to pick up three valuable points.

The result takes Frank’s side up to eighth place in the table, which could provide entry into Europe next season. They are ahead of ninth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion on goal difference, and have two more points than 10th-placed AFC Bournemouth. Ipswich, who are already relegated, remain 18th.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 teams, mirroring the men’s competition, starting with the 2031 edition, international football’s governing body announced on Friday.

The FIFA Council unanimously agreed to enlarge the competition “given the remarkable recent strides made by women’s football across the world,” the organization stated.
The 48-team tournament will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104, while extending the tournament by one week, FIFA noted.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the expansion follows the success of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which was won by Spain.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the first in which teams from all confederations won at least one game and teams from five confederations reached the knockout stage, among many other records, set a new standard for global competitiveness,” noted Infantino. “This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally.”
The 2027 tournament in Brazil, which will be the 10th edition of the women’s event, will remain at 32 teams.

FIFA has yet to ratify the 2031 and 2035 host nations. The 2031 edition is expected to take place in the United States, which is the sole candidate. The United Kingdom, home of 2023 finalists England, is bidding to host the 2035 competition.

The men’s tournament is expanding to 48 teams for the first time with the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Xabi Alonso will leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the Bundesliga season, with the expectation he will take on the imminently vacant seat at Real Madrid.
“We can let you know that this week the club and I, we have agreed that these two games are going to be my last two games as a Bayern Leverkusen coach,” Alonso told a Friday press conference. “We have been talking during this week that is always about the moment and now is the right moment to announce it.”

After leading Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title and a German Cup double last season, the former Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder became one of the game’s hottest properties. Last year, after Jürgen Klopp announced his departure from Anfield, he was bookmakers’ and fans’ favourite to return to Liverpool, only to pledge another year to the club he joined in October 2022.

Now, with Carlo Ancelotti expected to depart the Bernabéu, whatever the outcome of this season’s title race with Barcelona, the Italian linked with becoming Brazil’s first modern-day foreign national team manager, Alonso is expected to return to the club where he won a La Liga title and a Champions League winner’s medal as a player. Reports in Spain suggest a pre-contract agreement has been struck with the 43-year-old.

Salah has scored 28 goals and provided 18 assists to help Liverpool win the Premier League title, breaking the record for the most goal involvements in a single 38-game Premier League campaign.

The Egyptian also scored three goals and provided four assists as Liverpool reached the last 16 of the Champions League.
Last month the 32-year-old signed a new two-year contract to stay at Anfield until 2027.
Salah won 90% of the votes cast by over 900 FWA members, marking the biggest winning margin this century.

Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk came second in the vote, with Newcastle striker Alexander Isak third and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice fourth.
Salah joins Thierry Henry as the only player to win the award three times.
Russo beat last year’s winner Khadija Shaw to become the second Arsenal player to win the prize.

The England striker has scored 12 goals and set up a further two in the Women’s Super League this season, with Arsenal 12 points adrift of champions Chelsea with one game remaining.
The 26-year-old has scored eight goals and provided two assists during her side’s 14-game run to the Women’s Champions League final, where Arsenal will face holders Barcelona in Lisbon on 24 May.

Arsenal team-mate Mariona Caldentey came third in the vote with Chelsea defender Millie Bright fourth.

Aston Villa’s hopes of catching Newcastle United in the race for a Champions League place have been dealt a major blow by the news key midfielder Youri Tielemans could miss the rest of the season.
The Belgian playmaker has been a key player for Unai Emery’s side this season, scoring the only goal of their 1-0 win over Fulham last weekend. That victory brought Villa to within three points of Newcastle United, as five sides battle it out for a top-five place in the Premier League.

However, reports from the Athletic suggest Tielemans may not play again this season after picking up a muscle injury. He is out of their game at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, and the home tie with Tottenham on Friday, May 16. There is some hope he may be fit for the final-day showdown with Manchester United at Old Trafford, but remains a doubt. Viila are already expected to be without Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford for the rest of the campaign.

Tielemans has played in every Premier League game for Villa this season, with Emery’s side in excellent form going into the final three fixtures. While Newcastle hold an advantage over Villa and Nottingham Forest, they are currently level on points with Chelsea, who they face at St James’ Park on Sunday lunchtime.

Manchester City are only a point ahead of Eddie Howe’s side in third, with Arsenal just four points off in second – and United have to go to the Emirates a week on Sunday. Newcastle have injury issues of their own, of course, with Joelinton and Lewis Hall expected to miss the rest of the season.
Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier came off in the 1-1 draw at Brighton last weekend, although both are expected to be fit to face Chelsea this Sunday.

Luis Enrique took aim at criticism of Ligue 1 after his Paris Saint-Germain side dumped Arsenal out of the Champions League to reach the final.
PSG earned a 2-1 victory over the Gunners in the second leg of their semi-final on Tuesday, sealing a 3-1 aggregate triumph.

Luis Enrique took aim at criticism of Ligue 1 after his Paris Saint-Germain side dumped Arsenal out of the Champions League to reach the final.
PSG earned a 2-1 victory over the Gunners in the second leg of their semi-final on Tuesday, sealing a 3-1 aggregate triumph.

The league of farmers, no? We are the league of farmers,’ Luis Enrique joked to TNT Sports.
‘It’s nice. Now we are enjoying not only the results but also the compliments of everybody speaking about our team.
‘We are a young team but the mentality and character, and also how we play football, I think is nice.
‘I also have to congratulate my players because they are great.’
PSG earned a 2-1 victory on the night, with Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi scoring to give the French champions a three goal lead in the tie after a 1-0 first leg win.
Bukayo Saka pulled a goal back for Arsenal late on, but Mikel Arteta’s side were unable to mount of a late fightback, with their hopes of silverware this season coming to an end.
PSG will now aim to win the Champions League for the first time later this month against Italian giants Inter Milan.
Luis Enrique’s side could complete a Treble having already sealed the domestic title and progressed to the French Cup final against Reims.

It’s going to be tough, but I think they have the same feeling,’ the PSG boss responded when asked about the Champions League final.
‘It’s going to be an interesting final, very difficult for both teams, but it’s a special moment for all of us, for them also
‘It is their second final in three years, which means they are a great team, but we have time to analyse Inter.
‘Now it’s time to celebrate, to enjoy and have some rest.’

PSG will be competing in their second Champions League final, having lost to Bayern Munich back in 2020.

They will be looking to become just the second French side to win the competition after Marseille in 1993.

Paris Saint-Germain weathered one attack after another and showed remarkable adaptability to hold off and defeat an inspired Arsenal 2-1 to reach the Champions League final.
Deprived of the ball possession they so often enjoy, PSG looked in trouble early on but found the right answers to hurt the Gunners in the match on Wednesday.

They relied on counter-attacking football and an excellent Gianluigi Donnarumma to prevail, advancing 3-1 on aggregate.
“The feedback straightaway from their bench is that we were much better than them,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports after the game.
“When you look at the two games, the best player on the pitch has been their goalkeeper. He has made a difference for them in the tie.
“We were much closer than the results showed. I am very proud of the players, the way we handled the pressure, and after 20 minutes, it should have been 3-0.

“We are not there, and that has to hurt.”
PSG reached the final of Europe’s elite tournament for the second time in five years. They will take on Inter Milan on May 31 after the three-time champion defeated Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate in one of the greatest semifinals in the competition’s history.

PSG had lost to Borussia Dortmund at this stage last year and was beaten by Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.

PSG broke the deadlock in the 27th minute from a set piece after the Arsenal defence cleared a free kick towards the edge of the area. The ball bounced back into the path of Fabian Ruiz, who smashed a stunning half-volley into the back of the net.

Achraf Hakimi curled in a precise finish in the 72nd minute to make it 2-0 on the night, before Bukayo Saka pulled one back for the Gunners.

Achraf Hakimi curled in a precise finish in the 72nd minute to make it 2-0 on the night, before Bukayo Saka pulled one back for the Gunners.

United are currently a lowly 15th in the 20-team table — and only scraped through to the last four of the Europa League after a remarkable comeback against Lyon.
But they now have one foot in the final after a 3-0 semi-final first leg win against Athletic Bilbao last week ahead of Thursday’s return encounter at Old Trafford.
An all-English final is in prospect should Tottenham Hotspur defeat Bodo/Glimt, giving the sides 15th and 16th in the Premier League at present a chance to win a continental trophy, with the considerable added bonus of qualifying for the Champions League.

“In the end of this season, we can be the worst (United) team in Premier League history with a European title, so it will change nothing,” Amorim told reporters on Wednesday.
“We know that this season was really disappointing for everybody. Nothing is going to change,” added United manager Amorim, who took charge of the fallen English giants after replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag in November.

Lose our mind’

United may be well-placed but Amorim believes they must guard against their tendency to “lose our mind a little bit” if they are to reach a final that will be played at Bilbao’s San Mames ground on May 21.
Casemiro’s header and two goals from skipper Bruno Fernandes in Bilbao put them in a strong position in Spain, with the hosts reduced to 10 men following Dani Vivian’s red card.
All 133 teams in the competition’s history to have scored three or more goals away from home in the first leg have gone through.

But Amorim is taking nothing for granted and believes United must score at least one more goal to book their place in the final.
“If you look at our season, anything is possible, so we have to understand one goal can change anything, the momentum of the game,” he said.
“One sending off, you saw it a week ago, so we are prepared to fight to win the game not thinking about the result.
“Of course that matters and the way we are going to do things, especially when we start the game, but of course we are thinking about winning the game.”

Athletic face a tough task, but United have lost 3-0 at Old Trafford three times so far this season and were beaten 4-3 at Brentford last weekend.
“I feel that we need to score to go to the next round, so that is clearly the way we are going to face the game,” Amorim said.
Athletic boss Ernesto Valverde insisted his side still have a chance of a stunning victory despite the absence of four key players.
Vivian is suspended after his first leg red card, while Nico and Inaki Williams have been ruled out through injury, along with top scorer Oihan Sancet.

There’s no point thinking about the ones who aren’t here. We know we’ve got some key injuries, but it’s about the ones who are on the field tomorrow,” Valverde said.
“They’re the ones who will be trying to turn this tie around. It’s not going to be easy. We also know how high quality our opponents are and their stadium, but this is football. Anything can happen.
“That’s what we always hope for, and we’re hoping for the best like we always do.”

Donald Trump stated that Russia’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup could contribute to peace in Ukraine. Russia has been suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions following the invasion.

US President Donald Trump has said that the possibility for Russia to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup could be an “incentive” to end the war in Ukraine. The Russian national football team was suspended from international competitions by FIFA and UEFA after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to current rules, Russia will not play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Qualification began in September 2023, and in addition to the three host countries, 45 places were available.
But speaking at the first meeting of his administration’s working group to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, Trump said that Russia’s return to the tournament could end the war in Ukraine.
Sitting next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Trump said he did not know that Russia had been suspended from the tournament.
That’s true. They are currently banned from playing, but we hope that something will happen and peace will come, and Russia will be allowed to compete again, Infantino said.

incentive, couldn’t it? We want them to stop. We want them to stop. Five thousand young people are killed every week – you can’t even believe it.”

2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA

The US will host 78 of the 104 matches, including the final. The World Tourism Forum Institute has warned that strict immigration policies in the US and global political tensions could “significantly” affect international arrivals.

The Club World Cup, which starts next month, is being held in 12 US stadiums. The tournament is expected to be attended by around two million foreign guests.

Earlier this year, the administration of US President Donald Trump called on the Ukrainian government to accept an unspecified number of migrants deported from the country.

The upcoming Champions League semi-final second leg between Inter and Barcelona on Tuesday night is expected to set a new record for the most money taken on an individual matchday by an Italian club, exceeding the 2023 semi-final between the Nerazzurri and rivals Milan.

Inter will host Barcelona in San Siro on Tuesday night for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. The scores are currently level at 3-3 at the midway stage of the tie after goals from Marcus Thuram, Denzel Dumfries, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and a Yann Sommer own goal.

How much Inter’s Champions League semi-final 2nd leg will raise

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter are expected to earn around €14m from ticket sales and matchday sales alone on Tuesday night, which will comfortably surpass the €12.5m that was raised from the 2023 semi-final against Milan.

It will be a sold-out Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, with around 75,000 supporters expected to attend, including around 4,500 travelling supporters from Barcelona.
Those figures do not include prize money for qualification. Inter will earn an additional €18.5m in prize money alone if they go on to qualify for the Champions League final, and that figure will rise to €25m if they go on to win the whole competition.
La Gazzetta dello Sport estimates that with every revenue stream factored in, Inter have already earned in excess of €115m from the Champions League this season, including prize money, ticket sales and TV revenue.
That becomes around €133m if Inter qualify for the final and over €141m if they were to go on and win the whole thing.

Harry Kane said it feels “sweet” to have finally ended his career-long trophy drought as Bayern Munich lifted the Bundesliga title on Sunday.
The England captain, who joined the side from Tottenham in 2023, celebrated the long-awaited major title with his teammates after Bayer Leverkusen drew 2-2 at Freiburg at the weekend.
He played a major role in their top-flight success this campaign, scoring 24 goals in 29 games and breaking the record in November for the fastest player to register 50 Bundesliga goals, needing just 43 games.

“What a night last night, what a celebration with the players, with the staff,” Kane – sporting a Bayern Munich shirt – said in a video posted to social media on Monday. “I’m sure everyone’s feeling it a little bit this morning! But we’re here and I feel amazing.

It’s been a long time coming, obviously a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication. it just feels sweet to win the title, the first one of my career.”

Bayern had looked on track to secure the title against Leipzig on Friday but conceded a stoppage-time equaliser to draw 3-3 and delay the celebrations until Leverkusen’s draw.

Kane was forced to watch on from the stands following a one-game ban for picking up his fifth yellow of the season, but will be eligible to play when Bayern host Borussia M’gladbach this Saturday and can celebrate in front of their home fans.
“Appreciate all the support as always, it never goes unnoticed and I can’t wait to enjoy these next couple of weeks,” Kane continued. “I can’t wait to be at the Allianz [Stadium] on Saturday and celebrate in front of the fans.

Then as always, we look forward to the next one, we go again and try to get number two.”
Kane’s first year with Bayern coincided with their first trophyless season in 11 years as Leverkusen ended their streak of 11 straight Bundesliga titles.
It led to quips that Kane’s 15-year career, which has seen him lose five major finals for both club and country, could extend indefinitely without winning a trophy, but despite disappointment in the Champions League this season the wait has finally ended.