Barcelona have completed their business in the latest transfer window and the Spanish and European champions' squad is now "closed", president Josep Bartomeu said on Thursday.
Evergreen Francesco Totti, in his 22nd season with AS Roma, scored his first goal of the new campaign to give help them to a 3-1 win at Parma which maintained their 100 percent record in Serie A.
Barcelona have been drawn to play Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals. The other last-four tie will see Juventus, in their first semi-final since 2003, take on Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid, the defending champions.
Milan replaced Gennaro Gattuso with former Sampdoria coach Giampaolo during the close season in a bid to improve on last season's fifth place and to take them back to the Champions League.
The Portuguese forward then fired in the penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
News of that transpired on and off the football field
A round of Saturday's matches in Series A, La Liga and Bundesliga.
Goals from Jan Vertonghen and Jermain Defoe left Tottenham Hotspur on the cusp of the Europa League knockout stages as four other clubs maintained perfect starts on Thursday.
AS Roma coach Rudi Garcia succeeded where his three predecessors failed by taking his team to a 2-0 win over arch-rivals Lazio on Sunday and maintaining their 100 percent record in Serie A alongside Napoli who won 2-1 at AC Milan.
Juventus moved nine points clear at the top of Serie A after defeating Palermo 4-0 at home on Sunday and Francesco Totti bagged a dramatic late equaliser as AS Roma drew 3-3 at Atalanta.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
La Liga leaders Barcelona handed Real Madrid more hope in the title race as they drew 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, only avoiding defeat thanks to some outstanding saves by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Gonzalo Higuain scored his 30th league goal of the season but was later sent off and had to be restrained by his team mates as Napoli lost 3-1 at Udinese on Sunday, severely denting their Serie A title hopes.
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saved a penalty and Andrea Pirlo curled in a trademark free kick late in the game to give the Serie A leaders a dramatic 1-0 win at Genoa on Sunday.
Napoli's Manolo Gabbiadini netted a precious second-half equaliser to earn a 1-1 away draw at Lazio in the first leg of their Italian Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
'The problem with Petr is that an opponent is better than before'
Claudio Ranieri re-named himself The Thinkerman on Thursday as he reflected on masterminding Leicester City's improbable rise from relegation candidates to Premier League champions.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was pleased they got straight back into their stride with Tuesday's 2-1 friendly win over the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The injury to the Chile forward, who was left out of the squad for Tuesday's Champions League victory over Young Boys, "will require further investigation to confirm its severity", the club added.
Check out the top footballers of the weekend.
AC Milan's winning streak ended as they were held 0-0 at home by Atalanta in Serie A on Saturday while Bologna beat struggling Hellas Verona 2-0 away to move out of the relegation zone.
Ten-man Inter Milan replaced AS Roma atop Serie A, at least for 24 hours, after beating Bologna 1-0 away on Tuesday to end a run of four games without a win but coach Roberto Mancini, who was sent off at the end, wants more from his side.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Defiant Brazil manager Dunga brushed off suggestions that early elimination from the Copa America would cost him his job on Sunday, telling reporters that he feared 'only death' and not unemployment.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football fie
Valverde said he was concerned about the team's away form after they were comprehensively beaten 2-0 by promoted Granada
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A spectacular piledriver from Juan Cuadrado gave Serie A leaders Juventus a 1-0 win over Inter Milan, ending a run of seven successive Serie A wins for their opponents in a pulsating end-to-end match on Sunday.
The victory moved second-placed Bayern, who take on Celtic in the Champions League next week, up to 17 points, two behind Dortmund who suffered their first home loss in 41 league matches.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Eric Choupo-Moting scored his third Ligue 1 goal of the season on Sunday but the Paris St Germain forward's incredible miss later in the game was the moment that will be remembered from his performance in Sunday's 2-2 draw against Racing Strasbourg.
Qatar, host nation of the 2022 World Cup, is still doing little to improve conditions for migrant workers despite promising reform last year, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Andrea Pirlo and Miralem Pjanic provided the moments of magic to inspire leading Serie A duo Juventus and AS Roma to battling victories on Sunday with the gap between the sides remaining at three points.
Back in Italy after a four-year absence, Felipe Melo has quickly made his mark on Serie A and told those who do not like his combative style to 'go and play tennis'.
Check out the top footballers of the weekend...
AC Milan's troubles continued when they conceded an equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time and were held 2-2 by modest visitors Verona in Serie A on Saturday.
Jamie Vardy's rise from the wilderness of non-League football to playing for England, scoring in 10 consecutive Premier League matches and leading Leicester City to the top of the table reads like a story from an outdated comic book.
Atletico Madrid delayed Barcelona's La Liga title celebrations by beating Valencia 3-2 at home in an entertaining game on Wednesday at a sparsely attended Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
Gonzalo Higuain has led Napoli's challenge for their first Serie A title since 1990 with a remarkable 26 goals in 28 league games, yet the fiery Argentine does not seem to have enjoyed a single moment of it. Higuain, an out-and-out striker who can safely be described as an old-fashioned number nine, stomps around the field with an expression that suggests he is carrying the whole world on his shoulders. There is always something for the 28-year-old to gesticulate angrily about, whether it be a refereeing decision, a team mate failing to pass him the ball or his coach deciding to substitute him. In his last outings, he kicked a water bottle over in disgust after being substituted at Fiorentina and then failed to join his team mates in saluting the crowd following Saturday's 3-1 win over Chievo, despite scoring in both games. His goal celebrations invariably involve thumping his chest and seem to be more an act of defiance than a show of joy.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances