Football

Real Madrid scrapped their way into a third consecutive Champions League final on Tuesday and coach Zinedine Zidane said he would not have wanted it any other way.

The sale of Wembley would be a boost to England's goal of winning a World Cup, the stadium's potential new owner Shahid Khan has said, adding that the iconic venue would remain the home of English football under the proposed deal.

Napoli's Serie A title hopes were dealt a potentially fatal blow on Sunday when they were thumped 3-0 at Fiorentina after defender Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off in the eighth minute and the hosts took advantage with a Giovanni Simeone hat-trick.

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was delighted that his side "finally" wrapped up a 25th La Liga title with four matches to spare, after a Lionel Messi hat-trick secured a thrilling 4-2 victory at Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday.

Midfield legend Andres Iniesta is set to quit while arch rivals Real Madrid are prepping for a 13th Champions League, yet Ernesto Valverde insists his Barcelona side are still the best team in Spain.

Injured Brazil striker Neymar has targeted May 17 for a return to training and vowed to work harder than ever to be ready for this year's World Cup in Russia.

Juventus galloped towards a seventh straight Serie A title with a 3-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday, pulling six points clear of Napoli whose dwindling championship ambitions were dented by a goalless draw at AC Milan.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were both rested and Real Madrid hardly broke sweat as they beat Malaga 2-1 on Sunday to climb to third in La Liga.

Gianluigi Buffon told English referee Michael Oliver he "has no heart" and should have been watching Juventus' Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid in the stands "with his wife and a Sprite".

Barcelona skipper Andres Iniesta admitted his crushing disappointment after the Catalans were sent packing from the Champions League by Roma in sensational fashion on Tuesday.

Barcelona equalled the record longest unbeaten run in La Liga history as a Lionel Messi hat-trick inspired the runaway leaders to a 3-1 win over Leganes on Saturday to make it 38 league games unbeaten.

Atletico Madrid cut the gap behind Barcelona to nine points in La Liga after Kevin Gameiro's penalty sealed a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino saluted Dele Alli as Tottenham ended their 28-year wait to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with a 3-1 victory, while Arsenal left it late to seal their 3-0 win over Stoke on Sunday.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani scored the only goal of the game as Uruguay defeated Wales 1-0 to win the China Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the bid process for the 2026 World Cup as "fair, objective and transparent" after the global soccer body announced it had received bid books from two candidates on Monday.

Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon insisted Thursday that he still has a role to play in Italy's future despite already having passed his 40th birthday.