A summary of Saturday's action in the FIFA World Cup 2026 UEFA Qualifiers.
Barcelona recovered from an early setback to secure a 3-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves in LaLiga on Saturday.
Barcelona closed the gap on their rivals Real Madrid, moving up to 28 points and pulling two clear of third-placed Villarreal.
After Saturday's 2-1 win at Chelsea - their 12th in 13 league matches - Aston Villa have claimed 18 points from losing positions so far this season, more than any other team.
Liston Colaco struck a brace as 10-man Mohun Bagan Super Giant beat Mohammedan Sporting 3-1 to begin their Durand Cup campaign at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday.
Norway registered a thumping 4-1 win as Italy, who have missed out on the last two editions of the World Cup, were condemned to the playoffs.
Twenty-four clubs will compete in the league phase of the Asian Champions League Elite when it returns in September, with the participants split evenly into western and eastern leagues.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant ended a 22-year wait for the IFA Shield title, prevailing 5-4 in a tense penalty shootout over arch-rivals East Bengal after a 1-1 stalemate in regulation and extra time at the Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham earned Real Madrid a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in a spiky El Clasico on Sunday that snapped a four-match losing streak against their rivals and extended their lead atop the LaLiga standings.
While Samson thrives as an opener, chances of batting at the top look slim.
The match simmered, waiting for a spark, until Al Zawraa found it on the cusp of half-time. Hassan Abdulkareem's clever ball found Kadhim Raad, who cut back for Reziq Banihani. A messy deflection, a ricochet off Nim Dorjee Tamang, and the ball nestled cruelly into Goa's net.
Liverpool shrugged off the absence of Mohamed Salah as midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai scored an 88th-minute penalty to give them a 1-0 Champions League win at Inter Milan.
Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez earned Chelsea a 2-0 victory at lowly Burnley on Saturday, a win that moved the Blues within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
CAFA Nations Cup: Gurpreet, defenders earn India win over Tajikistan
India eye victory against Afghanistan in push for CAFA Nations Cup play-offs
Portugal qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday with a 9-1 hammering of Armenia that included hat-tricks from both Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Indian men's football team drops six places to 133rd in FIFA rankings, worst in nine years
'Yes, this is an away game against a good team, but we have to prepare accordingly and think only of one thing -- a positive result.'
Chief coach Craig Fulton was not fully satisfied with Indian men's hockey team's performance against lowly China in their Asia Cup opener, but stressed that the most important thing was to start with a win.
IMAGES from Premier League matches played on Saturday
The 36-year-old all-rounder once again rose to the occasion, batting with remarkable patience, steel and a fierce will to fight. Partnering first with Jasprit Bumrah and then Mohammed Siraj, Jadeja weathered thunderbolts and mind games. His 61 not out off 181 balls, spread over nearly five hours, brought India within 22 agonising runs of victory.
Both teams showed urgency to find the winner but were denied, with Malaysia coming close just before the final whistle.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
A gritty India fought hard for most part but let in two goals in the last seven minutes to eventually lose 0-3 to defending champions Iran in their second group match of the CAFA Nations Cup football tournament, in Hisor, Tajikistan, on Monday.
FC Goa on Wednesday secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Hyderabad FC in their Indian Super League (ISL) match
Sweden's hopes of qualifying for next year's World Cup are hanging by a thread after Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka scored from the spot to help the visitors win 2-0 in their qualifying Group B clash on Friday.
'KL was excellent in nullifying that early threat and played very straight.'
Earlier this week, former India captain Sourav Ganguly had backed Gambhir for the India head coach role, saying "he is a good candidate".
Debutants and I-League 2 champions Diamond Harbour FC (DHFC) rode on Slovenian poacher Luka Majcen's injury time winner to register a 2-1 win over former champions Mohammedan Sporting, in the first Group B clash of the Durand Cup in Kolkata on Monday.
France's perfect record in their World Cup qualifying campaign ended as they were held to a 2-2 draw away to Iceland who got a late equaliser in an entertaining Group D clash on Monday.
On debut, substitute Marcus Rashford became the first Englishman to play a first-team game for Barcelona since former England striker Gary Lineker in 1989.
Pant is under the ICC's scanner after clashing with umpire Paul Reiffel during a tense third day at Headingley on Sunday.
India crush Kazakhstan 15-0 to march into Super 4s with all-win record
Bayern Munich claim Bundesliga title following Bayer Leverkusen draw
Cole Palmer lives up to his nickname in a scorching Club World Cup final on Sunday, scoring twice in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Paris St Germain on another broiling day at MetLife Stadium.
In a must-win situation to keep the five-match series alive, England would be hoping to put a much improved performance with the bat.
India's frustrating FIH Women's Pro League campaign continued with the Salima Tete-led side suffering their third successive loss, a 1-4 defeat to world No.2 side Argentina
Hockey: India seek World Cup berth through Asia Cup triumph; up against China in opener
