Real Madrid paid for defensive mistakes as they were held to a 3-3 draw at lowly local rivals Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
A round-up of Saturday's matches in Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga.
The structure of the nine-team WTC remains intact with each side playing three home and as many away series over a two-year period culminating in the final of a one-off Test.
Pochettino, who is well aware of Messi's game-changing abilities having worked with the 35-year-old last season, said he was still the best player in the world.
'Oh, I need competition. When someone says he's better than me, I want to transcend him. Ronaldo wants to be the best at everything, (France striker Kylian) Mbappe also wants to win everything.'
Lights go out at Rio's Christ the Redeemer in support of Vinicius Jr
Les Bleus needed a penalty, given by the video assistant referee, and goal-line technology to beat Australia 2-1 in their opening game and they were shaken up by Peru on Thursday but won 1-0 thanks to a Kylian Mbappe goal.
Deschamps said Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga was called up as a late replacement for Pogba.
Lionel Messi has surpassed Diego Maradona as the greatest player of all time, Argentina's World Cup winning coach Lionel Scaloni said.
Messi named FIFA player of 2022, England women rewarded for Euro campaign
IMAGES from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday.
Target man Giroud is level with Thierry Henry on 51 goals after scoring twice in their 4-1 win against Australia on Tuesday.
Yet even though the Swiss lack world stars like France's Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema or Kylian Mbappe, Spain must be prepared for a long evening finding their way through Vladimir Petkovic's disciplined side on Friday in St Petersburg.
Spanish winger Asensio cost Real a mere 3.5 million euros from Mallorca in 2014 and entered the game only in the 79th minute but played a decisive role in Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo each scoring late on to give the European champions the edge in the tie.
While he only made one late substitution in the 2-1 victory over England, Deschamps used the bench more against Morocco.
Cristiano Ronaldo has yet again left the competition behind as the five-time Ballon D'Or winner was named Instagram's top earner for the third year in a row.
Man City set to release skipper Gundogan and Mendy
World champions France recovered from two goals down to beat Belgium 3-2 in a thrilling Nations League semi-final on Thursday with a last-minute strike from Theo Hernandez securing a place in Sunday's showpiece match against Spain.
Having become the first African team into the semis, Morocco now face Croatia in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric came off the bench to net a stunning strike from the edge of the box late in the second half to secure a 1-0 home win over Sevilla on Sunday and stretch their lead at the top of La Liga to eight points.
The former Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos striker posted a picture of his face projected on a building in Qatar, where the World Cup is being held, next to a message saying "Get well soon".
Xavi furious at referee as Barcelona knocked out by PSG
Football fever has gripped the French capital and sales of the national team's soccer shirts are surging ahead of France's World Cup final against Croatia.
Images from the UEFA Champions League group matches played on Tuesday night
Sterling, 24, had a hand in all five goals, including an 11-minute hat-trick, as City romped to a 5-1 Champions League victory over Italian side Atalanta on Tuesday, to take his tally to 12 goals in 13 appearances this season.
New France captain Kylian Mbappe lived up to expectations with two goals in a 4-0 statement home win against the Netherlands.
Raphael Varane's glancing header and a goalkeeping blunder that gifted Antoine Griezmann a soft goal gave France a 2-0 victory over Uruguay in the first World Cup quarter-final on Friday and a set up a last-four tie with Brazil or Belgium.
The 2024 European Championship will be held in Germany from June 14-July 14. Following are the teams who have qualified for the tournament:
Arsenal's title hopes hit with 2-0 loss to Villa as Man City get boost
A summary of the opening day's action in the UEFA Champions league on Tuesday.
Robert Lewandowski and substitute Pablo Torre each scored twice to help leaders Barcelona thrash visitors Sevilla 5-1 in LaLiga on Sunday in a confidence boost for Hansi Flick's side ahead of key clashes against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
As England tightened their grip on Euro 2024 qualifying and France maintained their perfect run, hosts Germany's troubles deepened.
PSG can exploit Bayern's high defensive line, says Rooney
The suspension of soccer leagues across Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic will see overall player value drop by 6.6 billion euros ($7.5 billion), or about 18%, in the transfer market, KPMG's global head of sports Andrea Sartori said. The majority of leagues have resumed or are in the process of restarting their seasons behind closed doors before the transfer window reopens, with clubs still reeling from the financial impact of the months-long shutdown.
PSG went ahead in the first half, but Mauricio Pochettino's side lost control after the break
Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Lino scored in each half to give Atletico Madrid a 2-0 win over Lazio on Wednesday that secured them top spot in Champions League Group E, the first time since 2016 that they had reached the knockouts as group winners.
France meet Belgium in a World Cup semi-final on Tuesday. Here is a look at some of the key head-to-head duels which could prove decisive.
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United on Tuesday after a controversial interview in which he said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag. With the January transfer window close, what is his next move?
A summary of Saturday's action in Ligue 1, La Liga and Serie A.
Here is a quick guide to the eight games which get underway on Saturday.
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