Italy are back and they have a point to prove.
Raul, Figo, Zidane and Ronaldo got on the score sheet as Real Madrid crushed Real Betis 4-1.
Juventus moved top with 19 points to Inter's 18 and it was a deserved victory in an absorbing contest.
AC Milan clung on to beat Parma 5-4 away in Serie A on Sunday despite an dreadful defensive display which included Mattia De Sciglio scoring an extraordinary own goal from near the halfway line late in the match.
IMAGES from soccer matches played across Europe on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Former Real youth player Joselu pulled a goal back for Alaves in the 59th minute, powering in a header from a free kick, but Benzema rounded off the victory for second-placed Real with an exquisite solo run and goal in the 70th minute.
Regulations in Milan, which is in one of Italy's Yellow Zones, include a curfew between 2200 and 0500 with breaches resulting in fines.
Twelve of Europe's leading soccer clubs from England, Italy and Spain announced a breakaway league on Sunday but after 48 hours of massive pressure from fans, politicians and even British royals the six English clubs backed out
Major world record deals are here.
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.
European champions Barcelona will quickly renew acquaintances with their former striker Samuel Eto'o when they begin the defence of their trophy at Inter Milan in their opening Champions League match next month. The draw also brought together AC Milan and nine-time European champions Real Madrid in another mouthwatering Italian versus Spanish clash with Brazil forward Kaka facing his old club at his new Bernabeu home on Matchday Three.
The other semi-final will see an Italian side, Milan or Roma, come up against Bayer Leverkusen or West Ham.
Images from the Nations League matches played on Tuesday.
Photos from soccer matches played across top European Leagues on Saturday.
IMAGES from football matches played across European leagues on Saturday
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr scored a hat-trick to help the LaLiga champions snap a two-game winless run in all competitions.
AC Milan surged into third place in Serie A with a 3-1 win at Chievo Verona on Sunday but their great city rivals Inter Milan were left in turmoil as their captain Mauro Icardi again came under fire from his own fans in the 2-1 defeat by Cagliari.
Rayo Vallecano forward Alvaro Garcia netted an early goal to give his side a surprise 1-0 win against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Sunday, moving Real Madrid another step closer to sealing their 35th LaLiga title.
Reactions to collapse of Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen
Galatasaray win 22nd Turkish title after beating closest rival
Immobile strikes in Lazio's win, in contention for golden boot. IMAGES from the Serie A matches played on Wednesday.
Erling Haaland became the third player in Champions League history to score five goals in a game as he led Manchester City to an unrelenting 7-0 rout of RB Leipzig in the second leg of their last-16 tie.
Goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon sent Napoli top of Serie A after they beat Atalanta 2-0 on Saturday while an injury-time Mario Balotelli penalty helped AC Milan come from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw at Torino.
The old guard, once again, came good for Italy, this time steering the Azzurri to Euro 2020 glory, but wily defensive stalwarts Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini cannot go on forever.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
New AC Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic is known for his hot temper and iron will and fans will hope those traits inspire rather than alienate his players as he bids to turn around the fortunes of Italy's fallen giants.
Lionel Messi scored a 50th freekick goal for Barcelona as he led his side to a quick-fire comeback to win 3-2 at Valencia on Sunday and keep the pressure on La Liga title rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A round-up of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga.
The champion coach to stay and improve Chelsea next season
Midfielder Riccardo Montolivo missed out on his second straight major tournament due to injury on Tuesday while Daniele De Rossi was included in Italy's 23-man squad for next month's European Championship in France.
'I expect a brave Napoli that plays from the back and presses high, that doesn't speculate, has a lot of individual talent, it's a big game and it's a great team, current champions of Italy.'
Former Brazil football international Adriano has reportedly been charged with links to a drug lord in Rio de Janeiro.
Silvio Berlusconi has approved a deal to sell 48 percent of soccer club AC Milan to a group led by Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol, a historic change for the team which the former Italian prime minister has owned since the 1980s.
IMAGES from soccer matches played across Europe on Saturday.
IMAGES from football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
Inter will be his sixth club in a career which began when he made his debut for Anderlecht as a 16-year-old and has taken him to Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion and Everton.
'The two semi-finals have also been brought forward to have a tight schedule. The first will be on June 12, then 13 for the second and 17 the final'
Martinez struck inside two minutes before Domenico Berardi equalised, but Lukaku gave Inter breathing space with a powerful strike and a penalty before half time.
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