Inter Milan will retain their title if they defeat AC Milan in next weekend's derby after the Serie A leaders beat Cagliari 2-1 on Sunday.
The five-time world player of the year opened his account in the easiest possible fashion by tapping into an empty net from less than two metres in the 50th minute.
A toothless and haggard Real Madrid slumped to a humiliating 10th Liga defeat of the season on Sunday as they lost 1-0 at struggling neighbours Rayo Vallecano.
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Marcelo Zalayeta capitalised on an early blunder by Inter Milan keeper Julio Csar as Napoli ended the leaders's unbeaten record in Serie A on Sunday with a 1-0 home win.
Roma came from behind to beat Real Madrid while Chelsea were held in Tuesday night's Champions League matches.
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World No 1 Novak Djokovic maintained his perfect tournament record and advanced to his fifth China Open final with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Andy Murray on Saturday.
Barcelona put one foot in the Champions League last 16 with a 5-0 away drubbing of Basel and are the only team with a 100 percent record.
Jose Mourinho said on Sunday that he intends to return to the Premier League when his time as Inter Milan coach comes to an end.
Raheem Sterling struck twice as the Premier League champions Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday to stay within two points of leaders Liverpool.
AC Milan went out of the Italian Cup after being held 1-1 at Catania, while AS Roma crushed Torino 4-0 to reach the quarter-finals.
Lionel Messi dragged a nervous Barcelona to a 1-0 win at home to Levante in La Liga, while Cristiano Ronaldo converted two late penalties on his 100th appearance for Juventus in all competitions as the Serie A titleholders ground out a 3-1 win away to a dogged Genoa side.
Napoli's decision to loan Emanuele Calaio to Genoa came back to haunt them on Monday when the 32-year-old scored with a late free kick in a 1-1 Serie A draw costing his owners two points in the race for a Champions League spot.
Carlos Tevez scored a stunning goal as Serie A leaders Juventus beat Torino 1-0 on Sunday to continue an extraordinary dominance of their neighbours.
Dani Alves appeared to have won the game for Juventus when he headed them in front in the 83rd minute but Remo Freuler pounced to equalise six minutes later as he punished some sloppy defending.
Alessandria became the first third tier club to reach the Italian Cup quarter-finals in more than 30 years as their giant-killing run continued with a 2-1 extra-time victory at Serie A strugglers Genoa on Tuesday.
Barcelona's fourth defeat of the season left them seventh in the standings on 14 points after 10 games, 12 points behind leaders Atletico.
Coach Roberto Mancini has insisted that he never doubted his captain Mauro Icardi after the striker scored two goals in Inter Milan's 4-0 victory at Udinese in Serie A.
AC Milan striker Marco Borriello has been suspended after testing positive in a routine doping test.
Inter, Liverpool sweating on last-16 spots
The 55 teams have been divided into 10 groups of five or six, and the top two teams in each qualify directly.
Two supporters were kept in overnight and a local hospital spokesman said one fan had suffered stomach wounds as 10-man United lost their quarter-final, first leg 2-1.
Manchester United and Chelsea will both be putting their quests for domestic dominance to one side on Wednesday and turning their attentions instead to European glory.
'I haven't always expressed myself well. I said I would like to play with Neymar and Mbappe, but that doesn't mean I want to go to PSG'
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Chelsea also got their Champions League campaign off to a good start, beating Werder Bremen 2-0.
New of all that's transpired on and off the football field on Saturday.
Some of soccer's biggest names are cheering the rescue of 12 Thai boys and their coach from a flooded cave
Unstoppable duo Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi helped Barcelona thrash Sevilla 5-0 to win the King's Cup final for the fourth consecutive season on Saturday as they close in on a likely domestic double.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a dubious penalty as 10-man Inter Milan beat second-from-bottom Empoli 1-0 on Sunday to pull eight points clear at the top of Serie A.
The Premier League leaders will be without Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic and Mikael Silvestre for their Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan.
Watford equalised seconds before halftime through Abdoulaye Doucoure and in a rampant spell of attacking football went ahead four minutes after the break when Roberto Pereyra tapped home a Richarlison cross.
Toronto FC's Justin Morrow, executive director of the Black Players for Change organization, said MLS players wanted to add their voices to the movement.
Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo needed to take time off and even miss games if he is to see out an arduous season after he limped off before the end of Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Villarreal on Wednesday, according to manager Zinedine Zidane.
AS Roma captain Francesco Totti has warned Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson not to underestimate him when their two sides play the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final next week.
United are 16th in the standings with a game in hand heading into the international break.
Barcelona went out of the Champions League in the first knockout phase on the away goals rule despite a 1-0 win over Liverpool.
Second-placed Napoli comfortably overcame the absence of suspended top scorer Gonzalo Higuain to brush aside bottom-of-the-table Verona 3-0 in Serie A on Sunday. Napoli stayed points six behind leaders Juventus, who won 2-1 at AC Milan on Saturday, with six matches each to play, and remain outsiders to win their first title since 1990 despite the win. Higuain, who has led Napoli's challenge with 30 goals, will miss the next three games as he completes a four-match ban for his sending-off and furious reaction in last week's 3-1 defeat at Udinese. Fiorentina's recent dismal run continued when they lost to their smaller Tuscan neighbours Empoli for the first time since 1997, leaving them fifth in the table. Juventus have 76 points from 32 games with Napoli on 70, AS Roma on 63, Inter Milan on 58 and Fiorentina on 56. Napoli hit the post twice and had a goal disallowed before Manolo Gabbiandini headed them in front in the 33rd minute, his fifth goal in only seven starts this season, after Verona goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini parried Jose Callejon's shot.
