Juventus dominated throughout but were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Nantes after Ludovic Blas scored a priceless equaliser in the Europa League play-off.

Massimiliano Allegri's side fell into this competition after a dire Champions League campaign, finishing third in Group H, but looked good value for their early first-leg lead on Thursday.

Dusan Vlahovic tapped home after 13 minutes at Allianz Stadium, only for Blas to finish a flowing counter-attack in the second half before Juve were left aggrieved after a late VAR check deemed Andrei Girotto had not handled for a penalty in the dying minutes.

That left it all to play for in the return meeting at Beaujoire Stadium on February 23 after a wasteful Juve offered Nantes the chance for a memorable European night at home.

Angel Di Maria stung the palms of Alban Lafont with an early drive and Nantes did not heed the opening warning signs from Argentina's World Cup winner.

A delicate Di Maria chipped pass found Federico Chiesa to selflessly nod across for Vlahovic to convert from point-blank range.

Lafont parried another ferocious Di Maria long-range effort as a tepid Nantes were fortunate to head in at half-time just a goal down.

A clinical counter-attack drew Nantes level on the hour as Blas capitalised on Bremer's slip to race onto Mostafa Mohamed's pass and fire past Wojciech Szczesny.

Chiesa rattled the crossbar and Lafont's left post with a venomous left-footed strike that somehow bounced off the line and away from goal as Juve looked to respond.

Danilo blazed over on the volley before Girotto was deemed not to have handled when challenging a late Bremer headed chance, with the referee awarding a free-kick for a push on Girotto instead, leaving it all to play for in France next week.

What does it mean? Juve falter in rare Europa League appearance

Juve had played their last 84 matches in European competition in the Champions League, as has been their dominance in recent years on the continent.

On their first appearance in the Europa League since reaching the 2013-14 semi-finals, Allegri's side failed to make their superiority count and were punished for a profligate outing.

Any hopes in Serie A have diminished due to their points deduction, therefore Juve need to recover in the return leg as a run in Europe or April's Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter could be their only hope of salvaging a positive season.

Chiesa and Vlahovic finally link-up again

Star Juve attackers Chiesa and Vlahovic have rarely played together due to injuries hampering the pair this season, but Allegri will be delighted to see them together once more.

The duo linked up in ruthless fashion for the opening strike, just their second combination together for a goal – the other coming in August 2019 when Vlahovic assisted Chiesa for former side Fiorentina.

Lafont leads the way

Lafont produced a captain's performance as Nantes battled with their backs against the wall to keep their hopes alive in this two-legged affair.

While the majority were far from eye-catching, the France goalkeeper made six saves in a vital performance to stave off Juve's prolonged periods of pressure.

What's next?

Juventus return to Serie A action at Spezia on Sunday, when Nantes travel to Lens in Ligue 1.

Erik ten Hag was left furious with the referee's decision to not give Manchester United a free-kick for an apparent foul on Marcus Rashford during their 2-2 draw with Barcelona at Camp Nou in their Europa League knockout round play-off first leg.

Rashford was a thorn in Barca's side throughout and appeared to be taken out by Jules Kounde when through on goal just outside the penalty area with United leading 2-1, but referee Maurizio Mariani allowed play to continue.

The England international equalised Marcos Alonso's opener earlier in the second half before forcing a Kounde own goal to give United the lead, though Raphinha levelled with 14 minutes remaining.

Despite the generally positive performance and result, Ten Hag felt a need to focus on the incident involving Kounde's tackle on Rashford, as the Frenchman would likely have been dismissed if a foul was given.

Ten Hag told BT Sport: "I think the referee had a big influence on this game. It was a foul on Rashy.

"You can discuss if it was in or outside the box, but then [either way] it is a red card because [Rashford] was one-on-one with the keeper. 

"So it's a big influence, not just for this game, in this round. It can't be, referees can't much such mistakes."

Rashford himself was similarly baffled by Mariani's decision.

"It's a massive moment in the game," he said. "I've not watched it back but in the moment I don't understand why the linesman thinks I'm going down there.

"I've touched it past him and my foot's in front of the ball, [Kounde] hits my leg and it's clear contact. It's not a penalty but it's 100 per cent a foul for me."

Nevertheless, Ten Hag acknowledged the overall quality of the thrilling encounter and was impressed with the amount of chances United created.

"I think we dictated the game," Ten Hag continued. "Apart from maybe 15 minutes in the first half we had some difficulties, but for the rest we dictated the game.

"We had so many chances, so I was a little disappointed at half-time it was 0-0, we should have scored, and the opportunities they had we created by ourselves.

"But I think it was a great game, two attacking teams, I think it was really Champions League [quality], so I really enjoyed the game... in the end 2-2, we have to finish it at Old Trafford."

Rashford, who has now equalled his best ever goals return (22) for a single season, seemed a bit more frustrated than his manager.

"It feels like a loss," he added. "I think we did well to get back into the game. The first half was a little bit in favour of them, but we stayed calm and composed and tried to create chances when we could.

"The second half we scored two goals in quick succession and felt in control of the outcome, but they're a good team with top players and they got an equaliser."

The two European giants will do it all again at Old Trafford next Thursday.

Iga Swiatek will play Veronika Kudermetova in the Qatar Open semi-finals after the Russian defeated Coco Gauff in the last eight.

World number one Swiatek was already assured of her semi-final place heading into Thursday as Belinda Bencic's withdrawal had granted her a walkover.

She could watch on then as Kudermetova upset fourth seed Gauff 6-3 3-6 6-1 in Doha.

Swiatek has won each of her previous two matches against Kudermetova in straight sets, but the world number 11 will be on a high after her first top-10 win of the season.

It will be the 25-year-old's second semi of the season, although she withdrew from her Adelaide 2 match-up against Bencic.

While Gauff is out, there remains American representation as her doubles partner Jessica Pegula made light work of Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3 6-2.

Pegula, the second seed, will face Greece's Maria Sakkari, who overcame third favourite Carolina Garcia 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) in a battling encounter.

Barcelona head coach Xavi feels his side were denied a "very clear" penalty late on in their action-packed 2-2 draw with Manchester United.

The sides played out a thriller at Camp Nou on Thursday to leave their Europa League knockout play-off round tie in the balance heading into next week's return leg.

Marcos Alonso opened the scoring for Barca early in the second half, but United were in front nine minutes later through a Marcus Rashford strike and Jules Kounde's own goal.

Raphinha equalised for the hosts in rather fortuitous circumstances in the 76th minute, the winger's cross going right through without a touch, and Barca went all out for a winner.

A scramble in the box culminated in Casemiro hitting his own post, before Ansu Fati was brilliantly denied by David de Gea – the United keeper's sixth save of the game.

Amid the end-to-end drama in the closing stages, Xavi is adamant his side should have been awarded a spot-kick for a shot that struck Fred on the arm.

"For me, the penalty is very clear," he told Movistar+. "I went over to tell the referee that at the end. It was clear. That's my opinion and I know that won't change anything.

"The referee said the ball was too close to [Fred's] body, but for me it's not. It's a clear penalty."

Barcelona finished the game with an expected goals (xG) return of 1.26 compared to 2.13 for their opponents, suggesting the Red Devils did more to win the contest.

Raphinha's goal ultimately salvaged a draw for the LaLiga leaders, with the former Leeds United player having now been involved in five goals in his four games against United. 

He also played in the corner for Alonso's opener, meaning he has scored and assisted in the same game four times this term – the most of any LaLiga player in all competitions.

The Brazil international reacted angrily to being substituted for Ferran Torres soon after scoring, but head coach Xavi says that is entirely understandable. 

"I have to do it for the good of the team," Xavi said. "I perfectly understand the anger shown by players. I was also angry.

"He has come to apologise to me, but he didn't have to. We wanted to find a way to win the game and we almost did at the end."

Barcelona are now unbeaten in their past 16 matches, but one big negative for the Catalan giants was losing influential midfielder Pedri to a first-half injury.

The 20-year-old sustained muscle discomfort in the quadriceps of his right leg, which initial reports suggest will rule him out for up to a month – and thus next week's second leg.

Asked for an update on Pedri's injury, Xavi simply said: "He noticed some discomfort in the quadriceps. We'll have to see."

Gavi will also miss the return fixture at Old Trafford next Thursday after picking up a yellow card in the second half.

Despite the initial air of frustration, Xavi was happy with his side's performance against a United side that have now lost just once in 16 games since the World Cup break.

"It was a very even match. We played well against a great team," Xavi said. "We had to work hard. We had the feeling we could have scored a winning goal.

"Old Trafford will now decide it. We go to Manchester with the aim to advance."

Bayern Munich are falling behind their Champions League rivals and would welcome the abolition of Germany's '50+1' rules on club ownership, according to Uli Hoeness.

Honorary president Hoeness made the declaration on Thursday, in the hope the Deutsche Fußball Liga could relax its tight regulations.

The rule is designed to ensure club members hold 50 per cent of shares, plus one share, to stay in majority control.

There are exceptions, with Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg having been bankrolled by pharmaceutical giants Bayer and vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen, while Red Bull-owned RB Leipzig found a loophole to acquire the club in 2009, but the 50+1 guideline is otherwise strictly enforced.

Despite regularly outspending their domestic rivals, Bayern might cast an envious eye at clubs from other countries with their wealthy owners.

And while the Bundesliga champions have many routes to bringing in funds, Hoeness feels something needs to change.

The perception is that investors will only come in with game-changing money if they can take control of decisions, which the present rules prevent.

"We would be totally in favour of the 50+1 rule falling because we are falling behind internationally," said Hoeness. "We also have to give the smaller clubs opportunities to be competitive. I am in favour of each club making their own decisions."

The 71-year-old – a former player, general manager and president of Bayern – was speaking at an event staged by Hannover's Neue Presse.

Bayern won 1-0 at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in the last-16 stage of the Champions League, snatching the first-leg advantage against the Qatari-owned French giants. It was a repeat scoreline from their meeting with PSG in the 2019-20 final.

PSG's heavy investment means they can name an all-star front three of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, when all are fit.

There is also reportedly strong Qatari interest in taking a major stake in Manchester United, while Newcastle United have big-spending Saudi owners and could soon be major players in the Champions League.

In contrast, Bayern have recently cast doubt on whether they will have sufficient funds to turn Joao Cancelo's loan from Manchester City into a permanent deal at the end of the season.

Hoeness pinpointed the Parisians as an example of a team with spending power that Bayern cannot match.

While he may want Bayern to be on more of a level playing field, it was a thrill this week for the German giants to take PSG's scalp.

"For comparison: Paris have €750million in personnel costs," Hoeness claimed. "But I have to say, I'm excited about winning against them. The game proved that money doesn't always score goals."

Diego Maradona's Argentinian connection to Napoli continues to inspire Giovanni Simeone as the Partenopei edge closer to the Scudetto.

Napoli have not won the Serie A title since the late Maradona guided the Naples side to the championship in 1990.

Simeone – son of Atletico Madrid coach Diego, who is a former team-mate of Maradona – has played a supporting role to star striker Victor Osimhen, though that does not diminish his squad status.

The 27-year-old forward scored a late winner against Milan in September and repeated the dose in a crucial 2-1 victory over Roma on January 29, with those representing two of his three Serie A goals this term.

With a 15-point lead at the summit and a first Scudetto in 23 years in sight, Simeone lauded the connection he has with Napoli fans due to their love for Albiceleste icon Maradona.

"Being an Argentinian here is amazing," he told Sky Sports. "Napoli is different. This club represents the history of Italy, the history of Diego Maradona.

"It is a pleasure for me to play here because every fan sees me as Argentinian and because of Maradona they want to speak to me. It is 'Maradona, Maradona, Maradona'.

"It is not just the club, it is the whole city. Everybody is a fan here. Everybody speaks about football, everybody breathes football.

"Neapolitans are similar to Argentinians. We speak similarly.  We have the same gestures. It feels like home. I am the same as them because football is a passion for me. I am in the right place."

Simeone, who has the Champions League emblem tattooed on his skin, scored three minutes into his competition debut against Liverpool this season.

That marked the first of eight strikes in all competitions this season, scoring a goal every 66.8 minutes – by comparison, Erling Haaland has hit the net once every 72.3, while Kylian Mbappe has done so every 84.9.

Napoli team-mate Osimhen is further down that list with his 18 goals in 22 games coming at a rate of 93.7 minutes-per-goal, yet Simeone treasures every opportunity he gets as a substitute.

"It is not easy to know that you do not start. When the coach tells me that I will be on the bench, it is difficult for me but I always prepare as if I am starting," he added.

"I need to be ready for everything. Life is like this, you must be ready for the moments that you do have. I am ready for every minute I am given.

"The quality of the time is more important than the quantity."

While Simeone insists Napoli will not get ahead of themselves, relying on a mantra from his father, the striker believes Luciano Spalletti's side have no limit to their ambitions this campaign.

"The group is the most important thing. Every player will be needed. If the starting forward does not score, the next one can," he continued.

"To get the trophy, we need to be there in every match. My dad says something that I have always tried to remember – partido a partido – match-to-match.

"We need to be prepared for every match, ready for everything, because every three points counts. I feel the same with the Champions League.

"I feel we can play against any club, ready to play against anyone. Then, it is difficult to say if you will win or not. But we are ready. The Champions League is really important to me. I want to be there in June."

Asked if Napoli can achieve something special, Simeone will believe it when he sees it, adding: "I do not know because I have not won anything. When it is the time, maybe I can tell you."

Marcus Rashford's heroics were not enough for Manchester United as Raphinha's fortuitous goal rescued Barcelona a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off.

In-form Rashford scored his 22nd goal of the season – matching his best tally for a single campaign – to cancel out Marcos Alonso's opener in Thursday's thrilling clash at Camp Nou.

United were ahead nine minutes after falling behind thanks to more good work from Rashford, whose quick thinking from a short corner culminated in Jules Kounde putting into his own net.

But Barca, who lost influential midfielder Pedri to a first-half injury, hit back against the run of play in the 76th minute when Raphinha's cross went right the way through to keep things finely poised ahead of next week's return leg.

Former Scotland international Blade Thomson has retired from rugby due to a head injury.

Thomson, who has spent the last five years with Welsh side Scarlets, issued a statement on Thursday to confirm his decision.

Scarlets boss Dwayne Peel said at a press conference on Tuesday that Thomson was out with a head problem, adding that it was a "work in progress".

However, the player has now taken the decision to hang up his boots at the age of 32.

New Zealand-born Thomson won 10 caps for Scotland, including playing at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

In a statement released through Scarlets, Thomson said: "Myself and my family have come to this decision and I'd like to thank everyone, coaches, players, the back-room and medical staff and all the fans for their support.

"We've been made welcome from the moment we came to Llanelli. It's a special place to play and I'm proud of what I've achieved, making more than 50 appearances for the Scarlets and having the honour of representing Scotland.

"We will leave with fond memories of our time here."

Scarlets will honour Thomson with a presentation following Saturday's United Rugby Championship game against Edinburgh.

Jude Bellingham described captaining Borussia Dortmund as "the biggest honour of my career so far" as he warned it will be tough to finish off Chelsea in London.

The England midfielder led Dortmund to a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, with the 19-year-old skippering the hosts as 38-year-old Thiago Silva wore the armband for Chelsea.

The result on Wednesday gave Dortmund a first win over English opposition in the competition since a 2-0 victory against Arsenal in September 2014, halting a winless run of nine games (D1 L8).

Bellingham said of his leadership experience: "I think it comes quite naturally, but for me it's probably the biggest honour of my career so far, to captain this football club.

"I have brilliant role models like Marco [Reus] and Mats [Hummels], and I know how to carry myself when I see them. They carry themselves so well, so I take a lot of examples from that.

"I know that without the captain's armband I can still try and lead the team and this is a bit more for show, but we need to all be captains in the second leg. It's important that we all show up and we all get the job done."

Bellingham has four goals and an assist for Dortmund in this season's Champions League, and this form coupled with his maturity has pushed him towards the responsibility Edin Terzic trusted him with on Wednesday.

In October, Bellingham became just the third teenager in history to score in four consecutive Champions League appearances, after Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

At the beginning of the same month he captained Dortmund for the first time, in a league clash with Koln.

Former Birmingham City player Bellingham is the leading scorer among midfielders aged under 21 from Europe's top five leagues this season, with 10 goals.

He told CBS Golazo of his relish for the second leg on March 7 at Stamford Bridge, comparing the first 90 minutes at Signal Iduna Park to what awaits Dortmund when they head to England.

Dortmund have won all seven of their matches in 2023. Beating Premier League opposition, albeit by a slender margin, fuels the anticipation for their next European trip.

"It's a small win in comparison to the challenge that we've got facing us in a few weeks' time," Bellingham said. "We've got to go to Stamford Bridge and get another positive result.

"We can be really pleased with how we played and especially how we defended in the second half, but we need to understand it's not over, and they can definitely come back with a lot of power."

Barcelona will not face any sporting sanctions for payments allegedly made to a company part-owned by former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, LaLiga president Javier Tebas has confirmed.

The Catalan giants have been alleged to have paid €1.4million between 2016 and 2018 to Negreira's company DASNIL 95 SL, with the claims first revealed by broadcaster SER Catalunya earlier this week.

Newspaper El Pais alleged that in return for payments, Barcelona received a written report and DVD assessment of referees prior to games.

Barcelona have strenuously denied wrongdoing, stating they previously hired "an external consultant" who provided video of youth players from other teams, together with "technical reports related to professional refereeing", which it said was "a common practice among professional football clubs".

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said on Thursday it had begun a "request for information" from Barcelona and the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), of which Negreira was a long-time vice-president.

However, statute of limitations laws in Spain only make it possible to punish clubs within three years of any offences, meaning Barca do not face the threat of a points deduction, though criminal action has not been ruled out.

"It is evident that in 2018 and in previous years the 'compliance' regulations which monitor conflicts of interest, both for Barcelona and the referee's committee, failed," Tebas said in a video message published on social media on Thursday.

"From what we are seeing, what's been revealed in the media, they obviously didn't work as these services should never have been provided. Neither the amounts of money, nor the facts which have been unveiled.

"We must clarify from the outset, we have already looked into [sporting sanctions] – it is not possible to impose sports disciplinary sanctions because five years have already passed.

"Criminal jurisdiction is another issue. Now the prosecutor's office is investigating the events that occurred and whether there may be a possible crime of corruption between individuals in terms of match-fixing. Let's see how that investigation ends.

"At LaLiga, we are going to wait and respect the prosecutor's office investigation and once that has finished, see whether it does decide to file the appropriate complaint or lawsuit in the corresponding courts. From there, we will make decisions."

Negreira refereed in the Spanish top flight between 1977 and 1992, before taking up a job with the RFEF between 1994 and 2018.

Barca president Joan Laporta said it is "no coincidence" that the allegations have come to light with the Blaugrana sitting eight points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Former Juventus, Athletic Bilbao and Spain striker Fernando Llorente has retired from football at the age of 37.

Llorente – who has been without a club since the end of last season – made the announcement to Movistar Plus, confirming the end of an 18-year senior career.

When asked about continuing to play football, he replied "No" and suggested he will instead "keep fit by playing padel."

Llorente began his career with Athletic, where he played for nine seasons for the first team, scoring 84 goals in 262 LaLiga games.

He then earned a move to Serie A giants Juventus, where he scored 16 in 34 league games in his first season, though was unable to repeat that form before he left on a free transfer back to Spain with Sevilla in 2015.

After one season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, where he scored just four goals in 23 LaLiga appearances but won the Europa League, Llorente moved to the Premier League with Swansea City.

He netted 15 league goals in 33 games for the Swans before signing for Tottenham after an impressive year in Wales.

Llorente struggled for game time at Spurs, though, with Harry Kane the established striker at the club.

Nevertheless, he did play a key role in their run to the 2019 Champions League final, scoring the goal that put Spurs through to the semi-finals at the expense of Manchester City.

Llorente was unable to get back to his previous best in spells at Napoli or Udinese, before playing what turned out to be his final season back in Spain with Eibar in the Segunda Division.

He won three Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia crowns and a Europa League during his club career. Llorente was also part of the Spain squads that won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, earning 24 caps for his country in all, scoring seven goals.

Liverpool and Everton have been charged by the Football Association (FA) following a "mass confrontation" late in Monday's Merseyside derby.

Jurgen Klopp's Reds won the Premier League game 2-0 at Anfield thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo.

Usually a feisty encounter, proceedings were largely under control until a flash point in the 86th minute.

Andrew Robertson handled the ball but continued playing after the referee's whistle and then kicked the ball towards the Everton box, which was seemingly perceived as a blatant act of time-wasting by the Toffees.

Everton players swiftly confronted Robertson, who laughed in the face of Jordan Pickford before being held at the neck by Conor Coady.

The incident subsequently resulted in many other players – including substitutes – becoming embroiled in heated tussles on the touchline, though Pickford and Robertson were the only individuals booked.

Confirming the beginning of disciplinary proceedings, an FA statement read: "Liverpool and Everton have been charged following a mass confrontation during the 86th minute of their Premier League match on Monday, February 13.

"It's alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players and/or benches conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour.

"Liverpool and Everton have until Monday, February 20 to provide responses to their charges."

Joe Mazzulla has been appointed the permanent head coach of the Boston Celtics.

Mazzulla becomes the 19th full-time head coach in the franchise's history and he has also agreed an extension to his contract, though details were not confirmed.

The 34-year-old took over the Celtics on an interim basis in September following the suspension of previous head coach Ime Udoka.

Mazzulla has had an impressive impact on last season's NBA Finals runners-up, leading them to a league-leading record of 42-17.

The announcement from the Celtics came on Thursday following Wednesday's 127-109 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Mazzulla was hired by the Celtics in 2019 as an assistant coach following two years in his first head coach role with division two college Fairmont State.

He spent two of his first three seasons on the Celtics bench under former head coach and current president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, before retaining his role when Stevens was promoted and Udoka was brought in as the new head coach.

Stevens said following the announcement: "As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader. He has a unique ability to galvanize a room around a mission.

"We are thankful for the work he has done to help get us to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future."

It was also announced last month that Mazzulla and the rest of Boston's coaching staff had earned the right to coach Team Giannis at this year's All-Star Game, which takes place in Salt Lake City on Sunday.