Franck Ribery made a public apology to his Fiorentina team-mates after the veteran French star was sent off for the seventh time in his club career.

The former Bayern Munich winger, who turns 38 on Wednesday, was dismissed by referee Fabio Maresca after going in studs-up on Davide Zappacosta during Saturday's Serie A clash away to Genoa.

That incident occurred in the 51st minute, with the teams locked at 1-1, and Fiorentina held on as the match finished without any further goals.

Fiorentina and Genoa lurk in lower mid-table, with both sides looking to banish the distant threat of relegation after the international break.

Ribery, who in 2012-13 beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win UEFA's Men's Player of the Year award, recognised he let down his Viola team-mates.

"Guys, I'm sorry I left you alone," he wrote on Twitter. "I didn't want to go in badly and I have already apologised. You fought to the end and you were very brave and careful. Keep going like this!"

Ribery joined Fiorentina on a two-year deal after being released by Bayern in 2019 and was sent off against Lazio early in his Serie A career. He had been dismissed four times for Bayern and once when playing for Marseille.

An ankle injury meant Ribery missed a large chunk of his debut season in Italy, when he scored three goals and had three assists in 21 games.

There have been flashes of his best in the current campaign, in which he has scored twice and had five assists in 23 appearances so far, also hitting the woodwork twice.

However, the number of chances he has created has dipped from 35 last season to 26 this term, despite spending 197 more minutes on the pitch, and his dribble success rate has also fallen, shrinking from 59.55 to 52.63 per cent.

Cristiano Ronaldo salvaged a 2-2 Serie A draw for Juventus after Antonio Sanabria's double threatened to secure a shock derby win for struggling Torino. 

Federico Chiesa's 13th goal of the season put the champions in front, but Sanabria equalised before the break and struck again just 15 seconds into the second half at Olimpico Grande Torino.

Ronaldo denied Torino when he levelled 11 minutes from time with a goal that was initially ruled out, but a VAR checked showed he was onside.

Rodrigo Bentancur struck the post as fourth-placed Juve slipped up again following their shock loss to Benevento and they will be 12 points adrift of leaders Inter if Antonio Conte's side beat Bologna later on Saturday.

Marco Asensio emphasised the importance of Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Eibar ahead of mammoth matches against Liverpool and Barcelona.

Madrid had 21 shots at Estadio Alfredo di Stefano but had been frustrated prior to the breakthrough strike from Asensio four minutes before half-time, with Eibar goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic in inspired form.

Dmitrovic finished with six saves, while three of Madrid's four offsides saw goals ruled out, yet Karim Benzema secured the points with a second-half header that extended his scoring streak to seven straight games.

Benzema has plundered nine goals in that time, while he has nine against Eibar in his LaLiga career - the most of any Madrid player.

Asensio is enjoying his own fine run, netting in three consecutive matches for Madrid for the first time, and now has his sights set on more important fixtures to come.

Liverpool visit in the Champions League on Tuesday before Madrid welcome rivals Barca next Saturday.

"I work for that [to score]," Asensio told Movistar. "In the end, it's about waiting for the moment and taking advantage of it.

"I'm happy for the goals, for the team and now comes the most important moment of the season.

"There are unfortunately a lot of injuries this season, but I think we all have to contribute and that's why we're a team."

Victory took Madrid up to second, at least until Barca play Real Valladolid on Monday.

Asensio said: "We knew we had to win to get good feelings and we took the three points, which is the most important thing.

"We have played a good match, creating chances, and in the end we have won well.

"Now we face a very important week with the match against Liverpool and then Barca to come. We have to live up to it as the Madrid we are."

Neymar was sent off on his first Ligue 1 start in two months as part of a dramatic finale to Paris Saint-Germain's 1-0 defeat to Lille in a barnstorming top-of-the-table clash.

The Brazilian forward injured his adductor as a substitute against Marseille at the beginning of February but was unable to inspire the champions in a game settled by Jonathan David's 20th minute goal on his return to the starting XI.

It was a frustrating day for Neymar who had missed two great chances before receiving a second yellow card and subsequent red for a shove on Tiago Djalo as frustrations boiled over in the closing stages.

Djalo was also shown red having already been booked but Lille moved three points clear of PSG, who have now lost three home games on the spin in Ligue 1 for the first time since October 2007.

Real Madrid closed to within three points of LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid with a 2-0 win over Eibar at the start of a huge week at home and abroad.

Struggling Eibar were the first of three visitors to Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano in succession, with games against Liverpool and Barcelona set to go a long way to deciding Madrid's season.

Los Blancos were not tested on Saturday, though, frustrated only by offside calls and their own finishing either side of Marco Asensio's 41st-minute strike before Karim Benzema made sure 17 minutes from time.

Although Atleti and Barca – now third behind Zinedine Zidane's side – are both still to play this weekend, Madrid's title rivals will do well to find opponents as accommodating as Eibar.

An awful blind pass from Alejandro Pozo sent Benzema clear three minutes in, but the striker delayed before shooting and allowed Marko Dmitrovic to make a brilliant right-handed save.

Benzema was quickly denied again, this time by the offside flag after nodding in Marcelo's cross at the far post.

Asensio saw a wonderful free-kick bounce away off the crossbar and then joined Benzema in having a breakthrough goal struck off, his exquisite flick nutmegging Dmitrovic but drawing the attention of the VAR – again for offside.

Fortune soon found Asensio's favour, however, as he charged onto Casemiro's pass and slipped while shooting, only for his effort to clip his standing foot and beat Dmitrovic.

A second-half storm briefly threatened to derail Madrid, notably when Lucas Vazquez's backpass picked up pace on a slick pitch and required a desperate lunge from Thibaut Courtois to divert it to safety.

But after falling foul of the flag for a third time – Casemiro disappointed by team-mates standing in Dmitrovic's line of sight – Benzema wrapped up the result with a downwards header from substitute Vinicius Junior's fine centre.

What does it mean? First hurdle cleared with minimum of fuss

The weather was Madrid's most dangerous opponent against relegation-threatened Eibar. The same will not apply when Liverpool and Barca make the trip to Valdebebas.

Injured captain Sergio Ramos will be far more of a miss in those matches, but it was still important for Zidane – unbeaten against Eibar in 10 LaLiga meetings – to get three points on the board at the start of a monumental month.

Timely reminder of Marcelo's talents

This was just a ninth league outing of the season for Marcelo, who lined up on the wing with the security of fellow left-back Ferland Mendy behind him. It was a role that suited him well and no doubt gave Zidane pause for thought ahead of a big Champions League tie.

Given the license to attack without worrying about protecting a defence missing Ramos, Marcelo was a constant threat. Only the offside flag meant his final-third contributions – one blocked shot, one successful cross and no chances created – were relatively modest.

Benzema belatedly breaks through

Madrid's number nine was LaLiga's Player of the Month for March with five goals in three games, but he initially appeared to have left his fine form on the other side of the international break.

Benzema's third-minute chance really should have brought the opener, while mistimed headers followed either side of his disallowed effort. Finally, he found his range with the fourth of five attempts before being substituted with 10 minutes to go ahead of a season-defining stretch.

What's next?

Madrid have three days to prepare for the visit of Liverpool, while Eibar do not play again until next Saturday, at home to Levante.

Borussia Dortmund are planning for life with Erling Haaland next season despite their star striker being linked with a host of Europe's leading clubs. 

The Norway international is in high demand after netting 49 goals in 49 appearances for Dortmund, attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Haaland's agent, Mino Raiola, is reported to have been in contact with a number of clubs as speculation over the 20-year-old's future grows.

But, according to BVB director Sebastian Kehl, the Bundesliga outfit have no intention of letting him go.

"Our position is clear: we are planning with Erling," Kehl told Sky. "We are very relaxed about the situation."

Asked about Raiola's trip to Spain to reportedly hold talks with Barca and Madrid, former Dortmund captain Kehl revealed the club had spoken with the player's agent and his father, Alf-Inge.

"Of course we have been following the situation," he said. "But we had a very, very good talk with Mino and [Haaland's] father just recently.

"I don't want to go into those talks now. From a certain point on, we may no longer be able to influence what the future will bring.

"I have seen the boy in training in the last two days and I have seen how hungry he is and what a sparkle is in his eyes."

Haaland has scored 21 goals in as many Bundesliga games this term, adding another 10 from six games in the Champions League, a competition in which he tops the scoring charts.

Milan coach Stefano Pioli said there was little to be happy about after watching his side draw 1-1 with 10-man Sampdoria.

Jens Hauge came off the bench to score an 87th-minute equaliser and rescue a point for the Rossoneri on Saturday.

Fabio Quagliarella had put Samp ahead with a brilliant first-time finish following a loose pass from Theo Hernandez, barely two minutes before Adrien Silva was sent off for a second bookable offence.

It was not until Hauge's composed finish - Milan's first meaningful shot on target - that Pioli's men seemed to find any spark in attack, but they nearly snatched a scarcely deserved victory, Hakan Calhanoglu having a shot saved by Emil Audero and Franck Kessie striking the post in injury time.

"We didn't deserve to win this game, even though we could have when Kessie hit the woodwork," Pioli told Milan TV.

"We weren't precise enough in our play or our choices. We had the chance to make better choices and be more precise, but we needed to play with more precision and tempo.

"Our approach to the game wasn't right. If you don't come into a match with determination and concentration, they tend to become more complicated and difficult. This was a complicated match for us.

"Sampdoria played exactly as they had in the reverse fixture. They stopped us moving the ball and taking up positions. In Florence, we managed to attack with more depth and players; today we couldn't because we lacked the tempo and movement off the ball. That favoured a well-positioned defence.

"There is very little I'm happy with, to be honest. The performance should have been different because the conditions were right to play with more intensity, generosity and quality. Having failed to do so must make us disappointed and angry."

The result means Milan are five points behind city rivals Inter at the top of the table, having played twice more than the Nerazzurri and Juventus in third.

Milan's home form has been largely responsible for their failure to keep pace with the leaders. They have now gone six games without a win at San Siro for the first time since December 2013, and they started the match with the biggest negative difference between points picked up at home (22) and away (37) across all of Europe's top-five leagues.

"We must focus immediately on the next match," Pioli said. "There are nine left and we're yet to reach our objective. We knew it wouldn't be easy to reach it, so now we need to show we can bounce back well."

Neymar was handed his first start for Paris Saint-Germain since early February as Mauricio Pochettino's team tackled title rivals Lille.

The Brazil star forward made a 20-minute appearance in the 4-2 win over Lyon before the international break, and he was restored to the starting XI on Saturday for a crucial Parc des Princes clash.

Neymar endured a long absence after suffering an adductor injury in PSG's Coupe de France win away at Caen on February 10.

He missed nine games across all competitions, including the Champions League last-16 triumph over his former club Barcelona.

For the visit of Lille, head coach Pochettino loaded his team with attacking talent, selecting Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria behind Moise Kean.

That could be a sign of things to come for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

However, Pochettino was without a number of players due to fitness and health reasons, including Marco Verratti, Layvin Kurzawa and Mauro Icardi.

Pochettino discussed Neymar's anticipated return on Friday, hoping for a big contribution from the superstar over the closing two months of the season.

Having scored 13 goals in 19 games so far this term, the importance of his return is obvious to a team chasing domestic and Champions League success.

"The truth is that the international break was important for Neymar," Pochettino said. "He was able to train at a good level for two weeks.

"Now he has to play. We're happy with the way he trained. We are pleased with his involvement and improvements in the areas he needs to improve."

PSG headed into Saturday's game sitting top of Ligue 1, albeit only ahead of Lille on goal difference.

Diego Simeone admitted there was no guarantee Joao Felix would be fit to face Sevilla in LaLiga on Sunday as he waited for news from the Atletico Madrid club doctor.

The 21-year-old forward came off injured before half-time during Portugal's 3-1 win against Luxembourg in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday, returning to Atletico with the problem.

According to reports, Joao Felix trained separately from the Atletico squad on Saturday, with head coach Simeone essentially powerless to influence the situation.

"For Joao, we are still waiting for him," Simeone said in a news conference.

"The doctor is looking for a way to see if he is in a position to help us and we will wait until tonight to decide whether or not he travels to Seville."

Atletico's lead at the top of LaLiga has shrunk to four points over Barcelona with 10 rounds of games remaining, and Simeone will want as close to a full-strength squad as possible.

Sevilla, who sit fourth, are a team capable of dealing another blow to Atleti's hopes of moving closer to the title.

Joao Felix has scored seven goals and had four assists in LaLiga this season, with Luis Suarez's 19 top-flight goals doing the most damage in attack for Simeone's men.

"The boys are working with great enthusiasm," said Simeone. "Whenever they come from the national team they come back with great enthusiasm.

"It is always very good for a footballer to be with his national team, representing his country, and defending the shirt where he was born, and I always believe that that is very positive for the preparation of a footballer.

"As for Sevilla, they are a team that play very well, who have [Julen] Lopetegui, a coach who makes them play in a very dynamic way, always looking for options of numerical superiority, where they can find it.

"There is a lot of variety in their squad, it must be one of the most balanced and balanced squads of all."

Sevilla will be without Sergio Escudero after the left-back tested positive for coronavirus.

A late goal from Jens Hauge secured a 1-1 draw for Milan at home to 10-man Sampdoria on Saturday.

A superb strike from Fabio Quagliarella had put the visitors in front in a tight contest at San Siro before substitute Hauge levelled with Milan's first shot on target after 87 minutes.

Claudio Ranieri's side played the final half-hour with 10 men and looked to have done enough before Hauge's clever finish.

However, Stefano Pioli's men have now gone consecutive home games in all competitions without a win for the first time since December 2013, leaving their Scudetto hopes looking slim.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was the busier keeper by far in the first half, denying Manolo Gabbiadini and Tommaso Augello before a flying save kept out Morten Thorsby's header.

Milan ended the half without a shot on target, although they felt Zlatan Ibrahimovic should have won a penalty after a tangle in the box with Augello.

The Rossoneri then fell behind 11 minutes into the second half, Quagliarella lobbing Donnarumma with a fine first-time finish after Theo Hernandez played the ball straight to him.

The visitors soon handed Milan a boost, though, with Adrien Silva earning a second yellow card for a late challenge on Samu Castillejo.

Substitute Ante Rebic was lively and saw one close-range effort cleared away from goal by Omar Colley, but Milan looked blunt against a well-drilled Sampdoria rearguard.

That was until Ibrahimovic and Franck Kessie combined to release Hauge, who turned back onto his right foot and curled a good finish past Emil Audero.

Audero then saved from Hakan Calhanoglu and Kessie hit the post as Milan just failed to complete the turnaround.

The Blues got their Super Rugby Aotearoa season back on track with a battling 27-17 victory over the Hurricanes at Eden Park and the ruthless Reds maintained their perfect Super Rugby AU record on Saturday.

Leon MacDonald's side were smarting from back-to-back defeats to leaders the Crusaders and the Chiefs, but they responded with a win in Auckland.

A penalty try and three points from the boot of Otere Black put the Blues 10-9 up at half-time, with Hurricanes full-back Jordie Barrett on target three times from the tee.

Barrett bisected the posts for a fourth time to put Tony Brown's men in front, but TJ Faiane finished following an incisive break from Stephen Perofeta 10 minutes into the second half.

Mark Telea then took a superb floating pass from Rieko Ioane to cross in the corner and Black converted.

Reed Prinsep gave the Canes hope when he crashed over four minutes from time, but Black completed the scoring with a penalty right at the end as the Blues reduced the Crusaders' lead at the top to four points.

Taniela Tupou scored a first-half double as the Reds cruised to a 44-19 Super Rugby AU win over the Rebels to go four points clear of the Brumbies at the summit.

Tupou crossed twice in the space of 14 minutes, while Hunter Paisami, Fraser McReight, Jock Campbell and Josh Flook also touched down in a clinical display at AAMI Park.

Fly-half James O'Connor finished with a 14-point haul as the Reds took over at the top, with tries from Frank Lomani, Reece Hodge and Michael Wells in vain for the third-placed Rebels.

Brisbane Roar saw their winless A-League run reach eight matches after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers.

Riku Danzaki's 49th-minute goal cancelled out a good opener from Kwame Yeboah as Roar stretched their unbeaten streak at Moreton Daily Stadium to six matches.

However, they could not find a winner in a contest that featured 27 shots including 12 for the home side in the second half alone, with visiting goalkeeper Daniel Margush saving well from Joey Champness, Golgol Mebrahtu, Dylan Wenzel-Halls and Scott McDonald.

Wanderers are fifth in the table, six points behind leaders Central Coast Mariners, with Brisbane six points further back but with two games in hand.

They will hope to break their winless streak, which runs back to February 6, when they face Macarthur next Friday

The Golden State Warriors' destruction at the hands of the Toronto Raptors was "humiliating for everyone involved", coach Steve Kerr said.

The Raptors routed the six-time NBA champions 130-77 on Friday to make light of a poor streak of form that saw them lose 13 of their previous 14 games.

The Warriors were without injured duo Stephen Curry and Draymond Green - leaving them "rudderless", Kerr said - as they became the first team in 25 years to lose by at least 50 points and not score a fast-break point.

"You saw it," said Kerr. "We just got destroyed. Not a whole lot to be said. Humiliating for everybody involved."

Pascal Siakam led the way for Toronto, with a season-high 36 points on his 27th birthday, seven rebounds and five assists, while OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr also went above 20 points each.

By contrast, Andrew Wiggins' 15 was the best score for Golden State, who capitulated after trailing 27-26 at the end of the first quarter to fall 60 points behind with under five minutes left of the contest.

"I just think the game went south on us quickly and we got demoralised," Kerr said. "I think without Steph and Draymond out there I think we were a little bit rudderless when things went south. We didn't have the internal fight that we needed to kind of get over the hump."

"Our team has been built on sharing the ball," Kerr said. "When you move the ball in this game, that's when the magic happens, when you build an energy, a karma, the shots tend to go in if you move the ball and you share it. And I just saw one possession after another tonight that was one pass and a shot. We've got to play for each other, and I didn't think we did that tonight."

With the Warriors 10th in the Western Conference in a season blighted by inconsistency, Kerr believes now is the time for some "serious" internal talks.

"As a coach, you try to navigate the season with your team as best you can," he added. "So there's times for humour, there's times for joy, there's times for serious discussion and soul-searching. This is a time for soul-searching for sure."